Shawme-Crowell State Forest: much snappier than you would expect
This snappy camper kicked off the season with a trip to the Shawme-Crowell State Forest Campground . In all honesty, I wasn't expecting much. I've never visited this campground before because it's not as 'beachy' as I like, didn't have anything that I could see (on Google maps) that really jumped out at me and screamed 'you have just go to come here and do this', and, let's face it, anything with 'Forest' in the name will probably suck (or so I thought). Boy was I wrong.
At $12 a night (for Massachusetts residents and only a scoch more for non), it's probably the cheapest campground within sort-of walking distance to the Atlantic Ocean. ReserveAmerica.com tacks on another 9 bucks or so but, quite frankly, this place is so ginormous that it probably never sells out so you can probably skip the reservations. In addition to being the biggest bargain, it's also the just the plain biggest PLACE with a hot shower to pitch a tent. Anywhere.
The 'big' part can be a little bit scary, especially in Area II (unless you have made a camping reservation to conduct mad scientific experiments or for other freaky reasons require an inappropriate amount of privacy in which case this is most definitely the sector for you). Not because the sites are wildly big or spread apart from each other, it's just that it's (literally) a mile or more from the entrance and I can't imagine anyone choosing to camp there over the much closer and more normal feeling of Area I. We stayed in site D4 and it rocked. It was the right size, shape and proximity to the bathroom (which seemed to be few and far between). The staff absolutely rocked. You knew where to find them if you needed them, but they weren't as in-your-business as one finds in other parks, particularly of the state controlled variety. All sites seemed to have a fireplace with a grillthing-y attached and when we were there, there was plenty of cutfirewood in our site free for the taking.
There were (surprisingly) lots of cool things to do nearby. The marina is about a 15 minute walk away, along with the entrance to the paved trail that runs along the canal. Cape Cod Bike rental is right around the corner from the campground. They rent decent bikes for 5 bucks an hour/20 bucks a day. Rent one and you will have a million bucks of fun.
All in all, I have to say this was a super trip and give it 2 snaps up. If you are looking for an awesome time without spending a shipload of money, go here. You will be most pleasantly surprised.
Sandwich Marina-just one of the many snappy places within reasonable walking distance of the Shawme-Crowell Campground.
At $12 a night (for Massachusetts residents and only a scoch more for non), it's probably the cheapest campground within sort-of walking distance to the Atlantic Ocean. ReserveAmerica.com tacks on another 9 bucks or so but, quite frankly, this place is so ginormous that it probably never sells out so you can probably skip the reservations. In addition to being the biggest bargain, it's also the just the plain biggest PLACE with a hot shower to pitch a tent. Anywhere.
The 'big' part can be a little bit scary, especially in Area II (unless you have made a camping reservation to conduct mad scientific experiments or for other freaky reasons require an inappropriate amount of privacy in which case this is most definitely the sector for you). Not because the sites are wildly big or spread apart from each other, it's just that it's (literally) a mile or more from the entrance and I can't imagine anyone choosing to camp there over the much closer and more normal feeling of Area I. We stayed in site D4 and it rocked. It was the right size, shape and proximity to the bathroom (which seemed to be few and far between). The staff absolutely rocked. You knew where to find them if you needed them, but they weren't as in-your-business as one finds in other parks, particularly of the state controlled variety. All sites seemed to have a fireplace with a grillthing-y attached and when we were there, there was plenty of cutfirewood in our site free for the taking.
There were (surprisingly) lots of cool things to do nearby. The marina is about a 15 minute walk away, along with the entrance to the paved trail that runs along the canal. Cape Cod Bike rental is right around the corner from the campground. They rent decent bikes for 5 bucks an hour/20 bucks a day. Rent one and you will have a million bucks of fun.
All in all, I have to say this was a super trip and give it 2 snaps up. If you are looking for an awesome time without spending a shipload of money, go here. You will be most pleasantly surprised.
Sandwich Marina-just one of the many snappy places within reasonable walking distance of the Shawme-Crowell Campground.
Posted by Jennifer at 5/24/2010 6:03 PM 
Categories: Not P-town but still snappy
Tags: Sandwich what to do when you're stuck in the forest for 4 days
Categories: Not P-town but still snappy
Tags: Sandwich what to do when you're stuck in the forest for 4 days
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