Burlingame State Park

State park · Charlestown

Burlingame State Park

State park · Charlestown
1 Burlingame State Park Rd, Charlestown, RI 02813

Photos

Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null
Burlingame State Park by null

Highlights

Nestled on 3,100 acres by the sparkling Watchaug Pond, this spacious campground boasts clean facilities, a handy store, and serene outdoor vibes.  

Placeholder
Placeholder

1 Burlingame State Park Rd, Charlestown, RI 02813 Get directions

riparks.ri.gov

Information

Static Map

1 Burlingame State Park Rd, Charlestown, RI 02813 Get directions

+1 401 322 8910
riparks.ri.gov

Features

wheelchair accessible parking lot
wheelchair accessible entrance

Last updated

Jul 10, 2025

Powered By

You might also like

Terms of Use • Privacy Policy • Cookie Policy
 © 2025 Postcard Technologies, Inc.

Bill Cawley

Google
We camped in the 60-90 site area. The grounds at mid summer were unmaintained not including the mowing and leaf blowers we saw. Storm drains full of sand and drop grates clogged resulted in the camping area being flood damaged and black top edges crumbled. With the substantial physical maintenance facility I see no reason for this neglect of maintenance. I suspect no restrictions are made for generators, but I offer this complaint anyway. Two sights down, a generator ran from morning to dawn, blocking all the wonderful sounds of children, wildlife, and natural quite! Why do these people camp!? Why bring noise with you when quiet is what camping is about! On the positive side, we celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary with “pressure” cooked lobster and melted butter. We will be back, it’s overall a very nice place. I’m a maintenance oriented person so shoddy work bothers me.

Kenny Sherrill

Google
Surprisingly quiet for such a large campground. It was a fair walk to the flush toilets, which were very clean. There were porto-johns closer, but past experiences made me reluctant to use them. They have an outstanding arcade, and we truly enjoyed playing a couple of games on a pinball machine. We originally planned to stay only one night, but after getting to our campsite we decided to state another because we lived the campground so much.

Dawn Murdough (Slipknotgirl)

Google
Been coming here since I was 18. Such a beautiful place. The sites are large so have some sort of privacy. Staff is really nice. The prices are excellent!

Amy Nesbitt

Google
We accessed the park via Kings Factory and walked down Cold Spring Rd. Formerly the Pastore Leisure Center. We came around dusk early July and the sun was just beginning to set. It was an absolutely stunning sunset. This time of year be prepared for the mosquitoes. The hike down to the water is a paved road making access easy. It isn’t too long of a hike down to the pond. It’s a great spot for a picnic on the little beach. There was no one there except some fishermen out on the water fishing. I didn’t see any restroom facilities in the area so take note. It also has a very cool venue from yesteryear. I could totally see a theatre or dance performance around this fire place. Neat Octagonal shape and invokes the camp vibe. Overall, I nice little walk with a tremendously beautiful view!

Shirah Mark

Google
Great place to camp. Felt safe, there was a water spicket nearby, flush toilets, quarter showers (3), a camp store (with everything), picnic table etc. Pine trees surrounded the area. Burlingame is near many beach’s and a 10 min drive to a Walmart Supercenter. Car camping was easy. Would recommend!

Noah Bullock

Google
Nice beach, it's a short break on the water but the sun and surf are good. This time of year there's no cost for parking and the beach is more open. The water is a bit cold but it's still comfortable and fun to hang out.

Iden Dawson

Google
Absolutely favorite campground. Great staff, clean bathrooms, beaches and playgrounds.

B C

Google
First time camping here and can’t say I’m disappointed. Everything is in close proximity. We stayed next to the beach area, which was n near the bathrooms/showers and a water well access. A little store with all your camping needs, coffee, dairy products, ice, you name it. *Note; we stayed closer to the beach access and seemed to be heavier trafficked than the rest of the areas. Complaint’s of LOUD drunk campers in the area to us caused the staff to visit more than 3 times during rounds. There is a noise ordinance for 10pm (rules given upon check in), which wasn’t abided by. It was well after midnight and there was a whole party going on.

Yelper J.

Yelp
Great experience. They need to do a better job with the showers. They seem severely inadequate and outdated. Not to mention the soap slime, mold and scum all over the walls floors and curtains. Cracked and broken floors, tiles, cold ice water and busted shower heads. Machines that eat your money. Yeah other than that it's a great place but as a woman I really can't go camping without a nice hot, clean shower. With the amount of sites and revenue I imagine they're pulling in, there should be full time service just rotating those bathrooms!

Loryl S.

Yelp
This place is great for camping they have tent site, RV sites and Cabins. There is a big pong with a beach, you can rent canoes or bring your own boats to use in the pond. The pond has a current so it's not stand still in most spots. There is a drive down dock away from the beach area. There are picnic tables at each site and Porto potties around the campground. Each area has a bathroom with showers. The showers take Quarters to turn on. But the water stays a perfect temperature for showering. There were lots of animal sounds at night. It was very entertaining. And just didn't like the mice and dead mouse and the candy machine, when we told somebody about it it remained plugged in for a while. Arcade has a change machine what some of the games eat your money. There's no alcohol allowed but you can bring your dog

Katie L.

Yelp
We decided to leave the tents at home and just rent a cabin. They were small. I don't see 6 people sleeping in it but I digress. There are 2 sets of twin bunk beds. It's too bad there isn't much room between them. We had to set up the queen blow up mattress in front of the cabin door and shuffle by to get out. Lol. 2 adults and 2 dogs filled the place. It was a great time. We used the picnic table and the fire pit and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I am glad they now allow dogs in the cabins.

Aislinn S.

Yelp
I love Burlingame campground. My wife's family has been camping here since at least the 1960s and we love carrying on the tradition. We had such a good time over 2024 Memorial Day weekend, we extended our trip an extra week - totaling 14 days. We stayed in the 600 loop of Legiontown between two different sites- one for our original 1 week stay, and another for our added 1 week stay. The Reserve America website was very easy to navigate and pre check in. We could have also gone to the ranger station at the entrance to the park to book our additional week. As some other reviews have mentioned, some of the sites are very close together and/or in the middle of a field with little to no shade or privacy. Thankfully, most (if not all) of the hundreds of sites at this campground are well documented on YouTube so you can check it out before you go. That, and there's a picture of the site on the Reserve America website. The bathhouse facilities are indeed rustic! Four stalls and three showers on the ladies' side with septic tissue and plastic shower curtains. The facilities were always clean and well stocked - albeit sometimes had wet floors. Other reviews have mentioned long lines to use the facilities, but that was not my experience. I'm sure 4th of July weekend and other peak times would have a wait for a shower. I also feel the need to defend the campground from some of the negative reviews on here: this is a STATE PARK campground. Complete with ants, mosquitos, and ticks. This campground is funded by the STATE OF RHODE ISLAND and not privately held/ for profit like a KOA. There are no RV hookups at the individual sites! You can't run your generator after 8pm and you can't party well into the night either! If you are looking for a sterile campground smelling like DEET and bleach, may I recommend one of the many trailer parks that can be found in the area. Any complaints about the lack of facilities should be brought to your state rep and/or senator so that they can advocate on your behalf to increase funding for the parks. Duh. As for those who complained that they couldn't "commune with nature:" this is a STATE PARK! People will come here with their loud dogs and even louder kids. You want peace and quiet? I can recommend many backwoods camping spots in Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. A lot of the sites aren't very quiet or private, so I would recommend doing your research before booking. The 600 loop of Legiontown (the sites that back up to the wildlife preserve especially) are private, shaded, and each have their own little hidden trail that connects to the larger Burlingame Park Trail that goes all through the state park. My only complaint is that the top screen of the woman's bathhouse door was missing last summer and again this summer. Not a huge deal, but should be an easy fix, no? Also, the camp store had the strangest hours (that were not posted anywhere). We found ourselves having to go into Westerly for ice and firewood multiple times. I cannot wait to come back later this summer, and every summer after that.

Yvette P.

Yelp
Back for the first time in ages. The site says if you will be late checking in (past 10pm) call. I called no less than 10 times throughout the day, leaving messages to call me even. Never received a call back at all. Arrive there around midnight and told nope nothing they can do and their phones haven't been working. Spent the night in a parking lot in the back of my vehicle. Yes I was aware of the forfeiture thing but that's why it said to call. If I had known (or received a call back or someone answered the phone) I could have at least figured out something other than a parking lot in advance. Nothing is open in the area to even be able to use a bathroom at that hour.

Rob W.

Yelp
Shocked to see the negative (and IMO super entitled) reviews. Karen, that you? I just came from a weekend trip with my son before he departs for college and had an amazing, hassle free time. During peak summer beach season we were able to make a reservation 3 days before arrival with plenty of sites to choose from. Our site (354) was perfectly clean with great neighbors. No noise at all could be heard after 10 pm. No hassles, no complaints. Relatively ethnically diverse for camping in New England, which was a nice surprise. Location location location - it's a quick 10 minute bike ride to beautiful Blue Shutters beach, which is free for bike access. A great little crab shack with ice cream is just 1.5 miles east on Post Road, and the amazing Dave's Coffee a mile west. Burlingame mountain bike trails are legendary and adjacent to the campground. Camp store was awesome with fresh coffee well into the evening, very reasonable prices and INCREDIBLY FRIENDLY and HAPPY staff. Front desk check-in was fast and friendly. Is it car camping? Yes! In all the best ways. One could seriously glamp his or her azz off here with the right setup and pay under a couple hundred bucks for a week-long beach vacation. Is it a backcountry private commune-with-nature experience? Hell No! May I direct you to the Appalachian Trail, a few hours west. Or... the... um... Atlantic freaking Ocean RIGHT NEXT TO THE PARK! Where you can take a kayak out on the Ninigret and be completely alone with turtles and heron. Or see seals and dolphins making their way up the coast. Stargazing here is fantastic with the Milky Way galaxy visible clearly on a clear, breezy night. What I'm tryna say is-- Come with the right attitude and you'll have the time of your life. People complaining here about too many rules and no alcohol are probably not the kind of people I want in the site next to me. Just sayin'

Daniel C.

Yelp
We reserved a cabin & they ended up canceling my cabin reservation because of bed bugs (disgusting) & then tried to send us to a regular site and still charge me the cabin rate. I asked where are we suppose to sleep & they responded I don't know your car. I demanded a refund & the manager said no at first & then he didn't have time to do that & for us to leave. Unbelievable

A W.

Yelp
There was so much potential here. Burlingame is beautiful, and in the shoulder season when we visited (April 2023), there were hardly any other campers. It made for an extremely peaceful and idyllic spot, right by the lake. Spectacular stargazing and beautiful ocean beaches nearby. Facilities were fine (we're camping here, not expecting the bathrooms to rival the Ritz Carlton). Camp store personnel were friendly. What completely destroyed our experience was the rangers complete disinterest in enforcing park rules, creating a dangerous situation that ultimately sent my child to the emergency room. Another camper let their dog roam around off-leash, causing issues at numerous other campsites. Several campers called the office to let them know that this dog was off-leash and appeared aggressive (hackles up, growling). Rangers came through a few times and gave the owner warnings, but they were not backed up by anything, so the owner kept letting the dog off-leash. Because the rule was not enforced, my first grader was badly bitten and needed seven stitches on her finger. We obviously had to leave after this (the risk of infection was too great, not to mention the dog). Ironically, due to their "no refunds" policy, Burlingame refused to refund us the unused nights. They'll adhere to that policy, but not the leashed pets one, even when people are seriously injured? I was hoping this could be our go-to campground during the summer, but there is no way I will put my family at risk here again.

Marietta C.

Yelp
First time camping and I have to say I had THEE time of my life thanks to our AWESOME, AMAZING, group of friends. I can't compare camping grounds much since this is my first time ever but I do have to say a few things that were just too obvious about this place: Bathrooms are GROSS. They need some TLC. Not enough showers for all the people staying here. Prepare to do a line out the door during peak hours. Also, they have "quiet time" from 10pm-7am so the pathetic "neighbors" would call the rangers on us accusing us of being "happy" and "loud". The funny thing is we would wake up at 6 am with the sound of their children also being "happy" and "loud" and didn't call the rangers since it was "quiet time". Great thing is dogs are allowed! Campground is super close to the beach so it's easy access. Nice walks at night, gorgeous nature, little lake in the campground. Small shop available to purchase ice, wood fire, buns, etc. Fun camping experience.

Liv H.

Yelp
Campsites on top of eachother, no privacy whatsoever. We did not even have two trees to ourselves to set up a hammock. Large groups partying and yelling until past 2am. Unsupervised kids screaming until 2am. Litter and cigarette butts everywhere. Car engines starting and headlights flashing through our tent at 5am. Feels like you are camping in a parking lot. We left early and do not plan on coming back.

Amanda W.

Yelp
We love coming to this relaxing campground to leave the rest of the world behind. We bring our RV and "dry camp" as there are no hookups. There is a dump station on the grounds for septic wastes. Plenty of bath houses on property- but showers are pay as you go, bring lots of quarters if you enjoy a shower. The pond on property is great with fishing areas. It's great for kayaking, canoeing and rafting. My boys love fishing there. There are miles and miles of roads for safe bike riding for my children. The camp store is "ok" and has a few necessities. You can rent bikes and canoes here too if you don't own them. It's a great escape from civilization! I would give 5 stars if bathrooms were nicer and/or showers weren't pay as you go.

Allison B.

Yelp
Burlingame is what you make it. It is most definitely rustic with no electricity or water hookups which means people had generators running all day. Not the most pleasant noise you want to hear when camping in NATURE. Bathrooms were kind of a far walk for my elderly (70s) parents. We ended up driving them as needed but there were closer portajohns. The shower situation was an hour or so wait no matter what time of day. We didn't visit the beach area but that is a plus that there is one. The camp store was great, with all needs and things you may have forgotten without completely price gouging. They also did not enforce rules so well, at least while we were there. We stayed in a cabin and a huge group rented out the 3 other cabins around us but were quite loud until about 2am each night playing music. Over all, definitely an average camp ground.

Tina T.

Yelp
I was shocked to come back from my son's soccer tournament to find that someone else was occupying our site!! I had apparently set up by accident at the wrong site three days prior, as I had made the reservation and paid in full online. The map is blurry at best, and it is difficult to discern what is what. No one had mentioned that we were in the wrong spot, and I never once received a phone call. Park management made a quick decision that someone must be 'squatting or illegally occupying' the site and took the liberty of haphazardly dismantling all of my belongings and putting them in a 'storage' area onsite. Needless to say, I was shocked and felt violated. I was tired from our long day and ready for bed. I had no choice but to set up my entire site at 10:00pm. The staff was rude and matter of fact about their 'policies'. I felt that they could have at least tried to figure out who it was, or even offered the new guest an alternate site in lieu of the disastrous situation they created. The manager was rude to me and spoke to me as if he was a used car dealer, using lame de-escalation techniques that he must have gleaned from his park training. I was not impressed and very upset. I would also like to mention that the park has 700 sites, you are definitely treated like a number. There are generators running constantly, dogs incessantly barking, kids screaming and music blaring. There is very little in the way of 'enjoying nature'. Coming from Northern Vermont, I was not comfortable with the crowded and noisy conditions. I felt a longing for home instead of enjoying the park there. The staff is not very friendly, the bathrooms are outdated and dirty. The Porto-potties were almost overflowing by the time we left. I did not think twice about packing up and leaving the next day even though I had prepaid for an entire week. NOTHING in the world would convince me to stay there again. Clearly the policies need to be improved as well as the sanitation measures.

Alexander J.

Yelp
Great campground, amazing location... but entire experience was ruined by rude & terrible customer service. There was a group of woman working in the camp office at 4:00-4:30 pm on 7/16/22 that were so rude it ruined my want to come back to this same place. This is my 7th and final year coming to this campground. This all started because I asked to get a replacement car pass for the second vehicle on my campsite (when checking in I asked an employee how to swap car passes to make sure i went in prepared). I was told i only needed to bring the car pass that was leaving to swap with the new car coming in, which is what I did. When asking to swap the car passes I got a rude response from one lady working the front counter. After following orders I came back with both car passes, then was told I needed to pay the second car fee again. Which I was never told about even though I asked them to clarify their rules about the situation before hand. As this situation is unfolding I am getting the rudest responses I've ever received from an employee here. Even having one of them laugh at my response. I was frustrated in the moment and did not get any employees name. Which is why i left the time and date i was in the office so if management reads this they know who is in the wrong.

Angie P.

Yelp
This is a very nice campground but the people that work here are such a holes. The old lady working in the camp store was so rude to me when I was trying to get wood. Saying she hates people and when I asked to wheel the cart of wood out to my truck she responded with oh god no. Like doesn't look like anyone else in here is gonna help much then. Anyways got the wood eventually but I wasn't the only person being miss treated and even had to go get wood for someone else that was waiting because they wouldn't. Anyways great camp ground but staff sucks ass. DO BETTER !!!

Hallie D.

Yelp
The location is five stars but unfortunatly the staff is not. And unfortunatly left enough of a bad taste for us to be here writing this and deciding to never go back. My boyfriend and I spent the last week here. A clerical error on the offices end turned into us having to pack all of our stuff hours after check out and "get off the property" as the old hag at the front desk who has no customer service skills said to us. It is unfortunate this is the world we live in and this is a business none-the-less, they want your money and then they want you out or they want more of your money. no understanding. The property is not that safe or guarded well as they admittedly let people in without really checking the details on the paper before you go in. Showers are old and coin operated like we all walk around with change in our pockets these days. Nobody uses them as they are spider infested and old. Canoes are expensive. Beaches are 5 to 10 minutes away. Just go there instead and save yourself the headache.

Sarah J.

Yelp
Such a great location with plenty of support services while hanging out with the family in the wilderness. The pond beach and water are clean. There are endless biking and hiking trails. And there are many beautiful Rhode Island beaches nearby.

David S.

Yelp
For a picky anti-social primitive camper seeking solitude, finding a site you'd say is "good" is almost too much to expect from a state park, much less an 800-site one. (I was dropping my son off at URI and had some time to camp somewhere.) Good = relatively private (I don't want to see my neighbors), as much as a nature experience possible, and decent bathroom facilities (presuming I'm not taking one of my portable showers to a state park). I don't want my site to be next to the road and I certainly don't want to be in the middle of a bunch of trailers! Many sites in this park are indeed typical State Park "apartment camping" (TM) torture, shoulder to shoulder with each other. If you don't know the guy next to you, with the wandering kids and friendly dog, you soon will! Weekends in the summer are a challenging time to find a quiet spot. If you're camping with friends, there would be many good choices of places where you can put a few tents together and secure a perimeter. However, there are a handful of sites scattered about every part of the park that are not only better than acceptable, they're quite decent! There is also a hidden loop of non-reservable, secluded sites. Explore the Mills Camp area and you may find it. During the week, the place is mostly vacant and yours to explore. It's a huge park. On my last recent survey I found almost 30 sites that I liked, with 5 noted as "choice". I'm going to list a few of my picks: 155, 424, 502, 543, 635 and a few of the "hidden" sites in the 800s.

Janie T.

Yelp
G Lots of good stuff to say. Great staff. Friendly and helpful. Some spots are more crowded than others. After labor day would be awesome. The staff says it's peaceful and beautiful right after labor day. We had a great time with the kids, with accessible swimming and lots of stuff to do.

Lisa M.

Yelp
We have been going here for so long and explored so many of the different areas for sites and they are all good! The only thing that is bothersome at this point is the price of firewood - it's pretty expensive for the little you get.

Margaret R.

Yelp
Just got back from a weekend getaway here. Went with 3 others, had a ton of fun! Easy check in- got right to the campsite no problem. You have to purchase wood from their campstore. It has a little bit of everything there, so if you forget something, you're in good hands. $6 for a bundle, not bad at all. Dog friendly camping for my girl. She was even allowed in the pond near the beach area to cool down. We'll definitely be back!

Peter M.

Yelp
I have been coming to this campground since I was a young child with my family. It's always been a bit too busy but there are some slightly more secluded sites which some friends and I booked for my girlfriends birthday this past weekend. This experience was awful. They use ReserveAmerica which is difficult to use and doesn't let you easily book multiple sites under the same reservation. There is misleading information about how many cars are allowed on site and they held our friends for over 45 minutes while it was getting dark, stating that we would need to reserve a whole third site just for one extra car. The website says clearly that it's $6 for an additional car. "We don't control the website" was their response and then instructed us to go drop the car in a Walmart parking lot. Lastly their computers were down and they didn't know how to check people in without them.... Probably not coming back again. Our site was great and we were able to enjoy the weekend otherwise, but all the staff in the office were terrible and just kept repeating themselves like robots instead of trying to work with us for a logical solution.

Marcus G.

Yelp
This camp ground has by far the most rude and disrespectful staff. When it comes to the front and office and DEM that are going around the park forget about it you can't even have a conversation with them. Will not be returning...

Joe B.

Yelp
Camped at Burlingame for the first time in a long time and what a pleasant surprise! This place is beautiful with over 700 campsites of each size, shape and demeanor to fit anyone's wants and desires. The the camp store is one of the best stocked I've seen (and I do a lot of camping) and the help is friendly and knowledgeable. The bathrooms are clean and accommodating and there are Porta John's spaced neatly around the park. We stayed at site 125 which was Huge with a view of the lake. This is truly one of Rhode Islands gems so if you love camping, put Burlingame on your list!

Kel K.

Yelp
Wonderful place to get away no electric Great Lake arcade playground fields very cheap an a huge general store. People go to sleep very early here though for vacation. Bathrooms are very clean.

Taylor M.

Yelp
I've only been twice but my family and I really enjoyed it here. First time we came we were put not far away from the bathrooms and the water. Being around more people of course it's a little noisy but to be expected and everyone quieted down at the time they were supposed to. Second time I did the reservations online and it said it was reserved anywhere near the bathrooms or water. Yet all weekend no one was in those spots. It was actually quite dead unlike it said it would be online. That's really my only complaint. Their are porta potty's everywhere. The store always has things we can buy if we forget to pack something, the staff is friendly. I enjoy coming here with my family.

Nicole M.

Yelp
We have been coming to Burlingame State Park Campgrounds for 35 years this is the first year they upgraded the showers however there's no place to put your toiletries, your clothes, $600 pair of eye glasses, or your towel! So what do you do, take it all in the shower and and hold it while showering and get it wet or throw it on a wet nasty floor ! What genius designed these showers. No hooks for hanging items and no bench or chair to put your thing on, the design person should have tried to take a shower and seen just how difficult it is. I cannot imagine if i had to bring little kids into the shower. We won't be coming back after 35 years very disappointed this year :(

Kenneth L.

Yelp
We camped at Burlingame from August 3-5 and were overall pleased with our experience. However, prior to our departure on Sunday, August, we considered ourselves lucky to have entered the facility (near the 400 area) before a maintenance worker closed it for cleaning. As I prepared to wash, I overheard him arguing with a camper who said he desperately needed to use the bathroom. Surprisingly, the worker would not relent. This caused me to think, "What kind of knucklehead closes a bathroom at (about) seven in the morning?" Really stupid. I was half tempted to drop a load in the shower stall in solidarity.

Jerad J.

Yelp
Great party spot, but not so much on the camping front. Those looking for quiet or a deep woods camping experience will not find that here. This place is designed for families and fun. Park sites are mostly sand and heavily eroded. Rangers are super-lax and don't bother you as long as you aren't openly drinking alcohol or causing a major disturbance. The camp store is well stocked and supplied with almost everything. There is an arcade for older kids and hiking trails. The lake beach is rocky and the water is a bit murky but overall it's clean. The showers and toilets are cleaned regularly, but due to the heavy traffic the floors & stalls can get quickly out of hand. At night, the park is kind of loud. Quiet hours are from 10pm til 7 am but not enforced so the park can be chatty into the wee hours of the day. This spot is a popular place for camping families to congregate and meet as a vacation staging point. Expect noise. The bonus with Burlingame is the proximity to Misquamicut Beach. Only 4 miles and you are on the shores of one of RI's best beaches and located close to many other attractions and great breakfast joints as well. All in all it's a fun park and a great place to camp with kids or your college buddies.

Aroya J.

Yelp
Me and my boyfriends stuff was gone through while we were away at the beach and when asked why we were told that It looked like no one was there. Even though we had our tent up and all our stuff there they thought we had abandoned our site, And kicked out for having a empty wine bottle in a cooler. They gave us a hour to leave at 7pm at night. When called the ranger said someone complained about our site. For our whole stay there so far there was not one person near us. Definitely feel like We were targeted. They clamied our campsite was messy, Even if It was I didn't realize that was grounds for the staff to go on our campsite and look through our belongings while we weren't there. The place wasn't what It use to be so sad.

Allen A.

Yelp
Delightfully wooded shady sites. Relatively quiet during the week when we stayed there. Swimming beach is very shallow water at the edge of a very pretty lake. Nice views of the lake from both the Main and Fish Camp sections. Good camp store. No hookups. Dog friendly. Difficult to tell which sites are really good from the map, so take a tour and write down numbers if you're planning to return. We were there twice for the first time in about 40 years. My dog and I were in a 22' Minnie Winnie.

Guy H.

Yelp
Need for better camper governance! Need for more convenient shower usage! While the staff do a good job of cleaning the restrooms, it's a bit odd to have the coin driven showers. As our society moves more to cashless, having coins handy will be an issue. ALSO, our campground experience was disrupted by an overly large camp group (they appeared to exceed the camper limit per site) that decided to have a big multi-site party over a couple nights into early morning with music, loud talking and laughing. Great that people are having a good time, but I don't believe the folks appreciated the desires of other campers coming to the campground, e.g., maybe some quiet nature time. Take the party to a picnic ground! , disrespecting the surrounding campers. The camp rangers did little to end this.

Mary A.

Yelp
This is a great campground. Large sites, heavily wooded, and close to the RI beaches. I stay away from the sites near the lake, as they are very crowded and noisy.

Nadia S.

Yelp
Pros... People were respectful of the quiet hours after 10 pm and reasonable rates. Close to the ocean. Cons... this campground has a lot of rules... A LOT of rules. Please note there's no alcohol allowed! Porta potties never have sanitizer. Showers are pay and timed showers. Bathrooms are always dirty and never have hand soap... not enough shelves in bathroom either. Camp sites don't have a lot of privacy.

Mike F.

Yelp
Well another year has passed and some changes have been made around Burlingame; not all have been improvements. The camp store is under new management and now carries even less than it did before. Not an improvement. The bathrooms at the fish camp are now decorated with even more hood rat art (graffiti) and the tags that were there 3 years ago still haven't been removed. Also, somebody has removed the screen doors from the fish camp bathrooms. Now the bugs can bite you on the fanny while you're doing your business unimpeded. Not an improvement. Basically, somebody from the state of RI needs to cowboy up and fix this place before it turns to complete crap. If this park us the face of tourism in this state then give it the attention it deserves! In order to make the necessary repairs they should increase the camping fees by 25% across the board.

Britt S.

Yelp
I have mixed feelings about Burlingame. On one hand, it's in a great scenic location, the campsites are roomy and far enough apart from their neighboring sites, and it's absolutely massive. On the other hand, the rules are strict and security is wayyy too tight. All the rangers take themselves entirely too seriously. It's actually rather nauseating. To further illustrate my point, lemme share my story about my birthday weekend at Burlingame: It was a clear black night, a clear white moon, Warren G was on the streets tryin' to consume.... Whoops, wrong tale. (I know, I know. Horrible low-risk joke. Had to be done). So in celebration of my 23rd birthday, 13 of my dearest friends trekked to RI in early May to camp in the faux wilderness for the weekend. We obeyed the whole "no more than 6 people per site" rule and purchased 3 adjacent sites, though used one as home base for food and fire. We were minding our own business, being quiet and respectful and telling ghost stories or some shit when park ranger after park ranger kept driving past us every 45 seconds. This started around 9:30pm, and continued for the next few hours. Granted, we *were* breaking the whole "NO ALCOHOL OR DEATH WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN WITH VENGENCE" rule, but we were still being quiet, respectful, and what we thought was sneaky. Fast-forward to 1:30am and I think the alcohol had gotten the best of most of us. Voices were carrying and the sloppiness was ensuing. We noticed a rather eerie lull in the drive-bys, and for a minute we were excited that maybe they'd gone to bed! We were sadly mistaken. In an instant, from all possible angles, emerged about 7 dickish park rangers ranging from age 17 to 40, and one environmental police officer on a power trip. They made us pour out all of our remaining beers and liquor, including my boyfriend's unopened bottle of whiskey! It truly was a sin. I poured out one of my Centennial IPAs and couldn't partake in any more of the horror. I felt like a freshman in high school. As I sit and reflect, I'm still experiencing mixed feelings. I'm pissed at the fact that they snuck up on us and were complete deuschbags about the whole thing, but I'm also grateful that further action wasn't taken. After all, we were breaking their sole rule of which we were fairly warned. The rest of the weekend was pretty amazing, save for the fact that my boyfriend and I forgot our blankets and woke up hypothermic after the buzz wore off. We actually spent night No. 1 in our bed at home haha. We spent day No. 2 at the nearby Misquamicut Beach, where my alcoholic friends and I got our jäger bomb fix. I highly recommend checking it out. As for night No. 2, we were all too sleepy to be any sorts of rowdy, and wouldn't ya know it, the sharks didn't circle at all! Hmpf. *Note to self* Only return to Burlingame if I'm with a small crew and not in the mood to get rowdy.

John S.

Yelp
If you want to sleep on the ground like a champ, Burlingame is the number one place to camp. Good for adults and perfect for the tikes, So pack up your tents and tune up your bikes. If you pick a good campsite and pick a weekend with good weather, you will have a blast at Burlingame. I came here a couple years ago and had a campsite right out in the open and it was raining. One of the most miserable nights of my life. Came a couple weeks ago and stayed in a corner campsite with no neighbors and slept underneath a beautiful starry sky. Nothing better than that. The place costs less than $15 a night. Split that amongst your friends and you could all pretty much pay with the change you find in your couch cushions. There are water stations and public restrooms scattered throughout the park. There is no soap and the showers cost a few quarters, but who needs a shower? This is camping; go jump in the private lake on-site! Some tips for what to pack in your Ferrari: -Bring your own wood. The stuff they charge at the store is pricey -Bring solo cups. The rangers patrol on their golf carts every once in a while, but won't give you a hard time about tossing back a brewski or two if you are being smart about it -Bring a fishing pole and/or swimming trunks for the private lake/beach. Misquamicut is also right down the street Also, don't put 1 Burlingame State Park Rd in your GPS. You will find yourself on a random dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Just take I-95 to Route 1 and follow the signs. Check in at the Trooper station when your arrive for a parking pass (2 cars per campsite max) and get ready to party like a wild grizzly bear!

Carolyn S.

Yelp
A fine campground, indeed! But yes -- it IS a campground, in quite a rustic sense. This ain't backpacking, but it's pretty darn close. The pluses outweigh the negatives, as far as I'm concerned. Pluses include: 1. nice big spaces, and plenty to choose from 2. beautiful lake right there smack dab in the middle of the campgruond 3. beautiful trail along said beautiful lake (well-marked with yellow dots) 4. nice flat roads for biking 5. Dave's coffee right around the corner, Walmart up the road if you need supplies Also, while the showers aren't what I'd call "hot," they are nicely warm enough to steam up the bathhouse. Weird, though, they're coin-operated, but they don't have any signs or anything telling you how many quarters to put in, or for how long. A lady I spoke with at the sink one morning said she'd been coming to Burlingame since before they even had a bathhouse -- you had to bathe in the lake! She told me the showers used to take a quarter for five minutes and you could feed in another quarter if you needed to, but now you have to put in two quarters and it runs for ten whole minutes. Sure enough, that's how they worked for us. Ten minutes is way too long. We felt bad about letting the water run but what else could we do? There's no turning them off once they're going! Another weird thing about the showers -- both the ladies and the men's rooms provide only two showers, one "regular" and one handicapped. The lady at the sink told me not to use the "regular" shower cause the water comes out so fast, the shower curtain blows around and all your clothes get wet. So, thanks to her, I stuck with the handicapped shower stall, which had much more room. Funny thing, though, handicapped shower in the Men's room wasn't an option for my Dude cause the water came out from a lower spigot, around waist level for him. Ugh. So he dealt with the shower curtain blowing around as best he could. Now, the bath houses were very clean but they were constantly damp which is kinda icky, right? Oh well, you're camping, suck it up. Also, the mirrors over the sinks were totally clouded, couldn't really see so if you wear contacts you might wanna bring a little mirror with you if you need it. Didn't run into ANY trouble with loud campers but I can see how people do go here to party and if you're looking for peace & quiet you may need to move your site. They seem to have rules about when you can move, too -- when we signed in, a lady was irate cause she was trying to move her site due to loud neighbors but the kids at the desk told her that because she checked in after 10 pm, she wasn't eligible to move until the next night, or something. I dunno, they told her to talk the ranger, no idea how that came out. I can appreciate how inconsistently rules are enforced -- it's a really big campground and the sites go way back into the woods, frequently, so it must be hard for the rangers to keep track of everyone. I bet the urge to make an example of the revelers you do catch is hard to resist. Oh, but there are plenty of revelers. If you get caught drinking, you're no doubt a rookie. Like the other reviewer said, use solo cups. Hide your hootch. If you must get rowdy, get one of the way back wooded sites and don't bother others. So what if you have to hike to the potty, you're drunk and it'll probably do you good to get some fresh air & walk some of the alcohol off.

Courtney M.

Yelp
We camp here every year for the Newport Folk Festival. It's $20 a night, which is great on the wallet! This is a great place to camp for any occasion (there are tons of families that camp here). The bathrooms aren't super clean, but they aren't horrible either, just keep in mind your camping (least you don't have to dig a hole...) I don't understand the bad reviews here, you are paying to pitch your tent on a piece of dirt, the good times are up to you! bonus points for having a camp store open until 10 pm, which always has coffee, cheap firewood, and a neat little arcade.

T B.

Yelp
We arrived late in the evening after 8 got a wonderful campsite it was very secluded we got a cabin. The cabin was$35.00 for one night.It had two sets of bunk beds we slid them together and put our mattress on him it was a comfortable night's sleep.We had a little campfire. And a nice size picnic table. The lake was large had a great beach area to swim. they had a large General Store to put your purchase items that you wanted and firewood. it was really nice to regroup we have traveled a lot from Oregon and really enjoyed the seclusion and the trees and the birds Thank you. The park rangers and security did an awesome job. The staff is very friendly and helpful.

M. M.

Yelp
Ok..so I could have liked this place, but won't be back.. why you ask??? 1) Though it is a roomy facility, sites are very close together. 2) Especially loved the 5 cars (limit 2) parked at the site next to ours, with 8 (limit 4) extremely drunk college kids puking, peeing behind our site, and verbalizing FKKK as every other word with my almost 3 year old present. 3) This is a very expensive place for a State Park. $20+ $9 reservation fee per night. They also charged $1.75 per 7 minute COLD shower. 4) Massachusetts State parks are by far a better deal at $12 a night including hot showers and some enforcement of rules. 5) Why do RI people not understand boundries and seem oblivious to others?..walking and driving..huh..driving through our site. It was a pretty place, but for the reasons above I think we will stick to MA.

Matt E.

Yelp
I grew up going to Burlingame State Park Campground. In fact my parents went here before I was born, while my mom was pregnant, and they still go many times throughout the year. This is one of the best campgrounds ever. Unlike many campgrounds this one still has great sized campsites that are pretty private with trees separating each site (most sites are like this but not all so get familiarized with the campground or ask for advice when booking a site). Last time I checked they charge $20/night (used to be cheaper but it's still a huge bargain). They have a great camp store, an arcade room for the young ones, and is situated on a lake so when it's warm you can take a dip (I remember seeing a ton of canoes here so you can most likely rent one). Awesome place if you're into camping.

Ernest L.

Yelp
I've been here twice this summer. Both times were pretty good. Some tips to follow below.... Campsites are pretty basic with standard picnic table and firepit, but that's all you need for car camping. I typically do not use any of the washroom facilities and opt to do a morning Walmart/Coffee run to keep my personal hygiene at a suitable level. I usually have to pick up more supplies from Walmart anyway. The sites have little or no grass so bring a footprint and some mats to sleep more comfortably. Choosing a site is pretty important. Go back and exchange sites if you don't like your neighbors. College kids will be loud, just as small kids are. If you don't like kids, move away from them. Pick a site that is more secluded if you can. You will be able to gather firewood if your site is along the outside perimeter adjacent to a forest. Buy firewood from outside the campground as their wood is wet. Just try not to drive in with a pickup truck full of campwood and the ranger kids at the gate won't care what you bring in. Reserve your site online and use the map. Some campsites only allow you to have 2 vehicles. Many times camping gear will fill up more trunk space than you think and you have to take 2 cars. If you have a visitor they will not be able to park overnight. You can circumvent this by telling the ranger that one of the vehicles has left. They do not check cars leaving and have no way of knowing. All three cars will have valid parking passes and ample parking at the site. Ninja-ish EDIT: Tried this again and did not work (maybe just during the day???). They require the parking pass of the person that left before they will issue you a new one. Previously, it was around midnight when my buddy was issued the illicit parking pass. If you go for a cabin, keep on mind that it is nothing more than a dark room with 2 bunk beds (bring a MATTRESS to sleep on or you will be sleeping on a 3" box spring with wooden rungs digging into your back). The porch area in front of the cabins is good for cooking if it rains. Everybody there wants to have an enjoyable camping experience. If you are nice to your neighbors (if you have any) and the rangers they typically won't bother you, even if you are the one being rowdy.

Amanda P.

Yelp
I have been reading other people's reviews on Burlingame and all I can say is WTF? It's camping. NO kidding the bathrooms are dirty, no kidding there isn't any electricity, no kidding it is a state park and they don't 'allow' alcohol. So here is what I have to say about Burlingame. Getting a good campsite is key it's best to check out the map before reserving and if you plan on going back scope out good sites and take note of their number. They want you to buy their wood but obviously you don't have to. Walmart sells it for $1.50 cheaper. As far as alcohol, it's called a solo cup. They do patrol pretty often but as long as you're not blatantly standing in the street drinking they don't seem to care. After all, what is camping without a few drinks? It's ridiculously cheap and honestly if you wanna hang out with a bunch of people the money is well worth not having to clean my apartment, it's outside, and there is fire. I hear there are like hiking and biking trails but being my age we are generally too drunk and/or hungover to go do anything other than go out for a morning coffee at Honeydew. Oh and the cabins are good for storing things, not so good for sleeping. They have two bunk beds in each and they are incredibly uncomfortable. I would rather sleep in a tent.

Kimi W.

Yelp
I really wanted to like this campground--the sites are large and many are beautiful, and while the bathrooms are indeed a little dirty I've seen worse. But we discovered, like many others, that the campground can be very loud. There were several parties of 12 or over who were drinking well past midnight, plus someone was going nuts with fireworks (and no, it wasn't anywhere near the 4th of July). Most people seemed to leave on Sunday and I believe that during the week it could be lovely. Do not camp anywhere near the lake if you want quite--the 300's are nice big campsites. I'd be willing to experiment again mid-week, but without my four year old.

Caroline D.

Yelp
Burlingame is a huge campground with 700 sites. Some sites are enormous, and some are smaller (they are classified as B and C, fitting two and three cars, respectively). We just finished camping during the Memorial Day weekend. PROS: -Big with lots of sites and cabins to choose from -A lake with a beach for swimming -A fully stocked camp store -A large playground for the kids -Hiking -Bathroom facilities with [pay] showers -Large camp office with efficient check in -Located in a great area of the state with access to beaches, the Kimball Wildlife Sanctuary, Ninigret Park, and unique places like The Fantastic Umbrella Factory. -Responsive rangers if your neighbors are chopping down trees CONS: -Four night-minimum. Reservations made after June 1 will be reduced to one night. Four nights is impossible for us, so I booked the four nights and left after two and ate the cost. -Big. I regret not bringing my bicycle or skateboard to travel around the campground's paved roadways. -Sanitation upkeep on a fully booked weekend. On Memorial Day weekend, every site was booked. That's an enormous amount of people! On Sunday night, well before dark, the port-a-potties were nearly full--overflow was imminent. The dumpsters were full. You'd better hope you packed your own TP for the bathroom buildings. In my opinion, sanitation staffing and upkeep should have been on overdrive for such a busy weekend. Bring in extra port-a-potties, or have people clean them several times a day. A fully booked campground is a foreseeable issue, not a surprise. Even after calling the rangers and the 1-800 national number on the port-a-potties, the issue was unresolved (gross!) -Less responsive rangers if your neighbors are loud after quiet hours THE BOTTOM LINE I would camp here again, but I would not choose a busy holiday weekend.

Amy T.

Yelp
I liked Burlingame overall. Do they enforce the liquor ban? Not sure. I'm pretty sure the campers on the site right next to us were drunk. Are they strict about their 10 pm quiet time? Nope. I suspected they were drunk because they were so loud. I had earplugs in and I could still hear them The campground is pretty nice. I loved the fire ring in our campsite! The out-houses got pretty full by the end of the weekend, which was really gross and didn't smell too nice. Bring your own toilet paper, since it ran out during the weekend we were there. I loved how this campground was so close to East Beach! Walmart and Stop and Shop are a few minutes down the road in case you forget something. I think we are definitely going to visit this campground again.

Star E.

Yelp
HUGE camp sites, and it does good to look at the camp map and pic a site away from the group camping areas and the beach. Our area was respectful and quiet. The restrooms were very clean. We had great weather, went to local beaches and walked through picturesque towns. The Wickford Art Festival was on this weekend too. While the camp store was not state of the art, the big box stores and grocery stores are only 10 minutes away! Pets under control are welcome. I have an autism service dog and was a bit worried because "in control" does not mean "on a leash." The staff was polite and helpful and having the grounds patrolled made me feel a bit safer. Years ago my entire YOUNG family camped here, in tents not a camper! It was great then as well.

Katie R.

Yelp
My husband and I had a pretty great time here at Burlingame. We chose a good weekend as there weren't too many people. I would definitely recommend bringing a footprint since our site was not very grassy at all. It was a pretty awful time sleeping on the cold ground under our tent but the lake was awesome, the bathrooms were pretty decent (I never tested the showers since you have to pay and I was taking my camping seriously!) and the area is really nice. The beach is right across the street from the campground too so there's plenty to do. In my opinion, the staff members were very friendly. No ranger horror stories here! I wrote more about our experience here: https://level1housewife.wordpress.com/2015/06/19/the-rices-go-camping/ All in all, I would recommend giving this place a chance at least once!