After spending a couple months on my friend’s property in Gloucester, we were having disagreements, so I decided to camp in New England for the first time. I checked out Cape Ann Camp Site in West Gloucester, with its fabulous views of the marshes and which I had never realized had sites so far into the woods. Though it was close to gorgeous Wingaersheek Beach it was way too expensive at $50 a night. Maybe, if ever my friends came to visit, we could share a site and split the cost.
I drove to Maine, planning to camp in Camden. However, when I called the campground, I learned the price was $200 a night. I then headed to the White Mountains and drove along the Kancamagus Highway, a road that I had long heard about since my teen years.
I camped with my friend at an independent family run campground. With the temps in the nineties and high humidity I got eaten alive by mosquitoes, and the scabs took three weeks to heal.
I camped at Covered Bridge Campground, which was gorgeous, with its private wooded sites, reasonable prices through recreation.com. I took lots of photos of the covered bridge at the entrance. I explored nearby downtown quaint Conway and loved the health food store where I bought some incense to ward off mosquitoes. I checked out other campgrounds in the area and saw beautiful views of mountains.
I then decided to camp in Massachusetts because as a legal resident I can get a reduced price at the state campgrounds. I camped at Willard Brook State Forest near Townsend, where I had all kinds of trouble with reserveamerica.com website, but the rangers worked with me, allowing me to pay cash until I got things straightened out. I met a nomadic woman my age and we had lots of great conversations.
I also camped near Leominster at Pearl Hill State Park with 50 sites, some of the biggest and most private in the state, all under a canopy of stately pines and along hilly dirt roads. There’s a meadow to explore, hiking and biking trails and showers, and swimming in the nearby fresh water beach.
I then camped at Lorraine Campground in Harold Parker State Forest in Andover. With 91 spread-out sites, many very private, it was one of my favorite campgrounds with its safety, gorgeous hardwood, hemlock and pine trees, and its closeness to Whole Foods.