Nickerson State Park

We chose to go camping here on a Sunday evening and reserved Area 2, which is right next to the large and peaceful Flax Pond. It was just a two-minute walk from our individual tent site down a quiet path to the water. At the lakeside, you can enjoy paddleboarding or kayaking, with rentals available on-site. The camping atmosphere was wonderful—very quiet at night, with clear views of the stars and even the Milky Way. It was an unforgettable experience, and we’re already thinking about coming back.

Nickerson was my first camping experience and it was absolutely wonderful. Now four years into it and I still feel the same way. It makes you feel like you’re in a secluded world of your own while giving you easy local access to the lovely things Cape Cod has to offer.

One of the best campgrounds in MA. It's huge, plenty of hiking trails around the lakes and a little bike path that follows the main trail road. The ponds are great for swimming, but seems to be windy most of the time. Bathrooms and showers are pretty clean for a campground. Camp store has plenty of necessities like ice, firewood, propane burners etc.

We stayed for 5 nights in Area 6. Lake was amazing. Lots of poison ivy everywhere. For the first 4 nights it was great. Last night several families moved in with many small children - it was chaos after that. It is a family campground, so be aware. Overall a nice campground.

What a beautiful location! We stayed here over the weekend (camping), and had a great time. The camping sites are very well designed, and include a fireplace, a water faucet, and nearby restrooms with showers. We stayed in a yurt but had space for a tent as well. Trash disposal is well organized, and the park even has a small convenience store. Nature wise, the park is on a lake and close to the beach. Plenty of restaurants around and things to do! Feels good knowing our state tax $ are contributing to the maintenance of this state park. Thank you!

Nicholson State Park is ideally located for the Barnstable area with plenty of access to restaurants, cute little Cape Cod shops, and the famous Brewster Flats. Check-in was easy, remember to bring your photo ID, and the staff is very friendly and informative. The park campsites are a little closer together than I would like, but everyone was quiet and well behaved in Area 2. The bathrooms are very clean and well maintained. While the bathrooms are typically close to most of the camp sites, the showers are in satellite locations, which may require a drive. Having multiple lakes and beaches is great for aquatic adventure.

We spent a gorgeous late-August Friday afternoon at Nickerson State Park in Brewster, and would definitely go again! We didn’t camp so I can’t speak to the amenities. Parking for Mass residents was $8. We hiked 2.7 miles around Cliff Pond, which is about an hour walk, and passed many pristine beaches with hardly anyone there! Compared to the crowded kettle ponds in Wellfleet, this is a smart alternative. This would be a great place for a weekend camping trip. As you can see from the photos, it’s quite beautiful. I’m eager to go back and see what else this park has to offer.

If you’re looking for a great place to camp this is it. Camp sites a spacious with picnic tables and fire ring. Inside the park plenty to do, swimming in fresh water ponds, bike and hiking trails. You also have direct access using bike or walking to the cape cod rail trail and restaurants.

Approximately 10 years ago, I would've given it a four star. And back in the 50's 60s 70s and 80s I would've given it a five star. I took a drive-through this past year and was shocked at the overgrowth. It was a real bummer. That place was my childhood. We knew every inch of it and all the paths that led to the water. Or the little camp store. Some of the best beaches were overgrown. Such a shame. The state division that handles the maintenance really needs to take a look at this and bring it back to the beauty it used to be

We hiked circumference at beautiful Cliff Lake. Although it is 3 miles, let it be known it's hilly, rooty, and trudging thru a few sandy beaches. It took us an hour, and we are experienced hikers. Easy trail for us, but warning others, it feels like double. There are very nice, barely populated beaches here to cool off in, amazing views. Enjoy!

The serene waters of flax pond welcome you to area five (5) which is situated close to the designated beach area. It is a mostly sandy sloping beach and the water is shallow only up to chest area on adults perfect for children to play in. Temperature on June 26 was warm despite the strong gusts and constant breeze. No life guard means you can use any floatation device that suits you. The water is so clear you can see the sandy bottom. Swimming outside the roped area does not incur a whistle. Camping on sight 16 was a good choice with a pretty scenic view of the pond, come with close access to bathrooms up a moderately steep incline. Site also has direct water acess via a 30 foot portage. Large spacious site can easily accommodate a family of four. Bench next to fire ring makes hanging out by the fire or pond watching a breeze. Water Spicket is within 100 feet. Downside: i'm Sunday, June 23 when we arrived. Bathrooms were all dirty showers the next day we're also dirty and cold because the water heaters were not functioning. The showers are in need of repair handicap showers are partially capped off on both areas 4. &6 after a day or so they were fixed however, many of the showers have broken levers for flow rate or no showerhead at all the park needs to maintain these as they see a lot of use during the summer season. After a couple days all of the floors and the bathrooms and showers were cleaned and it made a difference now I will stay. Bicycle access throughout the park makes connecting to the bike trail simple. I recommend a hole-in-one for breakfast nearby.

We stayed at Nickerson state Park for parts of about 25 summers. But now, the nightly fee is SEVENTY DOLLARS FOR OUT OF STATE RESIDENTS. That is INSANE!!!! Whose idea was it to charge that crazy amount for campsites with NO SERVICES. I mean, you get ugly, old, unkempt bathrooms, no electric hook ups, and a water spigot down the road. If you live in MA, the nightly fee is a respectable $22. When us New Yorkers used to camp there for about $15-$20/nite, we typically spent $3,000 - $4,000 in two weeks, which went to local businesses. If we camp now, we head to a different state, for something far more cost effective!!!

My family can't get enough of Flax Pond in Nickerson State Park. This glacial made kettle pond has the clearest softest waters I've ever seen or experienced. There is however a steep $30 parking fee for out of state license plates, but it's worth it if you spend all day.

Beautiful state park and campground that offers hundreds of campsites, ponds, trails and bike paths. We stayed here for a few nights to camp and we had a secluded site near one of the ponds and within a 5 minute walk to the bathroom. We enjoyed our stay and loved spending time in the park. Affordable for Massachusetts residents, we will be back!!

Beautiful escape from the modern world. Located in cape cod, nickerson state park provides camping sites equipped with fire pits, as well as hiking, fishing, swimming, kayaking, hot showers and bathrooms. A wonderful balance of outdoors and a few necessary amenities. Pending where you venture in the park, you'll feel like you're amidst true wilderness. We spotted snakes, dragonflies, ducks, fish, chipmunks and squirrels. The park is also dog friendly. Check in was a breeze thanks to welcoming and helpful staff. Ask for a map! Fellow campers were respectful and friendly. Bathrooms were clean and well maintained. There's a quaint little general store on site (cash only) with firewood, camping needs, snacks, souvenirs and the like. It's a lovely park, highly suggest staying for at least a few days to experience as much as possible.

What's there to say I'm impartial because I hosted there while my daughters were growing up. Cliff pond was my dogs favorite place to swim as ours as well. The hiking and biking are plentiful. The staff was amazing as always. Nice run little store for all your camping needs not to badly priced. Centrally located mid cape so you can ride your bikes for ever on the rail trails or walk them. Dog friendly which was a plus for us. No power which was tough to get used to but we figured it out fast. Bathroom cleaned daily twice a day showers are nice and private. Playground and courts all very nice. And not far from 2 cape baseball teams orleans firebirds and Brewster whitecaps. What can I say l loved it so much I bout right next to the park.

This is the best hidden gem on cape cod. Uncrowded, huge, beautiful. You can even find an empty beach in the middle of the summer. DOG FRIENDLY!!!

Love how big the sites are. The check in older men are so kind and helpful. Definitely will come again.

Apparently the state of MASS has a big middle finger for us out of state campers. $22.00 for state residents and $70.00 (+ $5.00 fee) for out of state tourists. Nice. Does yelp have a minus star review? I guess I am forced to give a single star.

Great place to hike with kids and dog friendly as well. Great ponds for fishing or swimming, lots of people on kayaks and paddle boarding. The trails were clearly marked and it was just a great experience.

Took a winter hike around flax pond. Love this park! NO one around, trails maintained nIcely, beautiful views

I recently spent a night camping at Nickerson (the last weekend of summer, even though summer unofficially ends on Cape Cod on Labor Day). Last year on the same date I started a camping tradition with my 7 year old son here, and this year my 5 year old joined us. I hadn't been to Nickerson for ten years or so, but I'm glad I went back! One thing that's nice about this park, is all of the large ponds that afford water access to many campsites. There's a great network of paved bike paths, and it's also a mountain biking destination - check out the Cape Cod NEMBA site for more info. Once you've been here, you can scout out the best sites for future trips. The entire park is scenic, but some campsites are better than others. I am strictly a tent camper, although Nickerson has plenty of sites for RVs in addition to tents. Personally I don't get the allure of "camping" in an RV, and I prefer a campsite that's surrounded by other tents. Some of the areas within Nickerson have both, some are more oriented towards one or the other. There's a nice little camp store in case you forgot any essentials, or if you need firewood, or you don't feel like cooking breakfast in the morning. There's also a really nice playground, which my kids loved. The location of the park is great, as it's close to the national seashore and some nice throwback Cape towns, and only about 45 minutes over the bridge. We're already looking forward to next year's trip to Nickerson. We're lucky to have such a nice spot not too far away, that still has an element of the rustic/old-school camping experience.

Great place to camp if you aren't a rugged type like myself. Easy "park & camp" type of sites with access to restrooms and water sources. Very family friendly, the night time quiet hours were dead silent but around 7 AM you can hear the kids ready to get back to having fun. The park itself is gorgeous and has many beautiful places to explore. We stayed on Flax Pond which was lovely to take a dip in the nice, clear water. The park staff are friendly and helpful. I look forward to visiting again!

We went to Nickerson State Park today for a dog walk and swimming. Upon arrival I stopped at the parking machine to purchase a ticket. I did not see it come out, so I thought there was an error. I tried for another ticket and still no print out. (Found out later that you have to reach into the bowels of the machine to retrieve it.) We were still able to park and enjoy our walk. I had alerted a staff member about what happened and he told me to talk to the front desk before leaving and they would take care of it. Today was BEAUTIFUL and the land is BEAUTIFUL, the front desk staff? Not so much. This review gets two stars because of the way my refund was handled, or lack of. This isn't about an $8 day pass... It is about the POOR customer service I received. I explained that there was a mix up at the machine and I ended up paying twice and not even getting one ticket. I was told without the ticket I couldn't be refunded (this was the part I mentioned earlier about reaching into the bowels of the machine... I didn't know to do this, resulting in the lack of ticket, resulting in the lack of refund) I told them I could show them my bank statement that clearly shows two back to back $8 withdrawals from the DCR. Nope. No refund. Thank you very much staff at Nickerson State Park for doing everything you could for me. I appreciate all of your help.

I loveee loveeee loveeee this state park! This is probably the best state park I have ever been to. I came to this park with my boyfriend during our vacation through Cape Cod. We love to hike so we were looking for a fun place to explore the outdoors. After 4pm this park has free entry which is great because during the summer time it doesn't get dark until nearly 9! There is a huge parking lot and a booth at the front with maps and people to check you in and answer questions if you want to camp there or even just hike. The trails were huge, they even had separate bike paths so if you wanted to ride a bike or skate board you wouldnt be in the street with cars or in the way of people walking. The trails were somewhat easy to navigate though we both agreed that the map could use updating. While hiking we came across cute little ducks, a beautiful pond, areas to do things like swimming, water sports, boating. We definitely want to come camp here when we come back. Its also great because they had super clean bathrooms and showers! I hate when a place only has a portapotty or no bathroom at all!

This is becoming one of my favorite camping spots. We camped here with our 2 dogs and brought them swimming on the National Seashore. Last year our campsite had an almost private access to the beach. Great if you want to take a swim or take out the Kayak. There are several different swim areas, great walking trails and it's close to the bike path. The campsites we have had thus far have been big and yet still plenty of privacy. Only thing they don't have is electricity.

I have been camping at Nickerson for years, it is my favorite place to camp on the Cape. Awesome campsites, and only $15/night. It's a state park so the sites don't have running water or electric. But you can find that at the bathrooms and shower houses. Great ponds for fishing, boating, kayaking, sailing. Tons of paved and single track trails for hiking and biking. Just beware of poison ivy. It is everywhere on the sides of the trails. I will continue to camp here for years to come.

This is a really awesome place to hike, swim and enjoy a peaceful day! There are a couple of small ponds and one big one. There are paved trails and single dirt trails throughout. Around the small ponds there is a 1.5 mile hike and a 3 mile around the large one (cliff pond.) I highly recommend wearing some type of hiking water shoe (wish I had known beforehand.) The woodsy trails are wet and sometimes you have to walk through puddles or find a difficult way around. There are a bunch of little beach's and nice spots to lay a towel down, go for a swim and relax. The water is super clear, clean and refreshing with a nice sandy bottom. There are kayak/paddle board rentals and you can also bring your own! 10/10 recommend this park!

Beautiful state park nestled in Brewster with all the amenities you need for a successful camping trip. It had everything we needed from clean showers and bathrooms to grills. We will definitely be back for more pond hikes.

Absolutely beautiful campgrounds, pristine and clear lake. Lovely little spots around the edge of the beautiful lake to roll out a towel and just take in the view. Walking back from swimming I saw a rather large snake in the water, freaked me the f out, so if you don't like snakes that's something to keep in mind

The rangers are nice and all, but when we arrived to our campsite, there was a bunch of junk (including beer bottles everywhere which of course isn't allowed but whatever) set up on our camping spot (that we paid $50 for). The ranger had to search the squatters down and ask them to leave. He was super sweet, and should have fined them or something, but they actually felt entitled to chew HIM out, saying it was HIS fault and the CAMP'S fault for not informing them properly. Mind you, there were signs everywhere and it was CLEARLY a campsite, and the day pass visitors had to be in a different place entirely. Still, they copped an attitude the whole time, after which the ranger profusely apologized and offered THEM a FREE CAMPSITE. Excuse me???? WE were the ones put out of a spot that we paid an arm and a leg for, and had to sit around for two hours while these people were made to leave, and THEY get offered a FREE campsite AND a free day pass on top of it??!!! Unbelievable. So much for accountability. I'll be choosing a different campsite next time. Plus it's just a land full of screaming children anyway. Not the kind of environment you want for a relaxing camping experience.

Nickerson State Park is awesome. Clean & beautiful. The kettle ponds alone are worth it, but the well placed sites are a bonus. The rangers are super helpful - gave us tips on where to visit locally and some history. The on site store is well stocked and the facilities are clean.

Bathrooms are smelly but the sites are beautiful! We come every year and we are never disappointed!

My man, my dog and I tromped through the trails and snow on a gorgeous 38 degree winter day. This place is magical in the off season when no one is around.

Nickerson is a great place to visit while on the Cape Cod! An awesome place to swim, considering that the beach has become scary to swim in with recent shark incidents. The beach can get a bit crowded at times and the beach area is rather small. They have paddle board and kayak rentals available at the lake!

Off season is magnificent. Wonderful place to walk a dog. I go several times a week and there are still parts of the park I haven't seen. The only slight downside is the misbehavior of some visitors. If you come to Nickerson, please take your trash out with you, and please pick up after your dogs. Thank you!

Inside the park has rental for paddle boat, canoe, sea cycle, surf bike, sup board sunfish and kayak. Also a swimming and camping areas. About 100 feet before you get to the park, there is a bike rental area. You can rent a bike and go on the bike trail. The bike rental price is very reasonable . Nice park, but need to pay $8 for resident parking. For non resident is $10

This park has EVERYTHING! what i mean is: hiking trails biking trails horseback riding trails campground multiple ponds beaches fishing points kayaking/canoeing/wind surfing/sailing/surf biking, et al free parking! i hung out here all day on saturday, first hiking, then swimming in the clearest water i've ever seen in a sandy bottom pond, then we picnicked and went kayaking. there were a lot of families and campers on the beaches, but the trails were mostly deserted and the trail we did was beautiful and peaceful. the only downside was the pricing on kayak rentals. a single went for $20 for 30 MINUTES! with additional half hours for $10 each. That's crazy considering most cape kayak places charge $30 for 1.5 hours or even 3 hours. but it's right there and there's no competition so you just have to fork over your bucks and smile.

We rode our mountain bikes here on the cape cod rail trail in search of some single track. The paved trails through the park are beautiful and very little traffic. They pass around many ponds and thickly wooded areas with lots of shade. Plenty of off road options with mainly mild to moderate single track. Best on the Cape I have found so far. The All Trails App and Trailsfork App have all of the Trails options with GPS tracking. Worked really well for us.

Outstanding camping on cape cod. Paved bike trails inside the park, long hiking trails around several ponds, excellent fishing and in a great location on the Cape. Campground is VERY clean and attractive too. The Cape Cod Rail Trail literally goes through the northern section of the park. If you haven't biked this trail, it's one of the premier rail trails on the East Coast. Make sure you take a right at the northern end and continue about 0.75 mile further along a paved road to LeCount Hollow Beach (9.5/10). Try to stay in one of the yurts if you get a chance. Book them 4-6 months in advance and be aware that they are full-week only in the summer (in the off-season, you can book for 2 or more nights). Bike rentals are available only 0.3 mile west of the front entrance of the campground.

The best camping on the Cape, by far! I used to have a friend that worked at the campground and he would always hook us up with a sweet site even when the camp was full. Unfortunately he no longer works there, but I still love Nickerson! The campsites are nice and spread out enough where you don't feel like you're right on top of your neighbors. The bathrooms are decent as far as campground bathrooms go. There are so many ponds in the park that are a great alternative to the beach. It's right on the bike path too! And, the icing on the cake, it's the cheapest camping on the Cape! Win! Word of advice, either make reservations or get there EARLY in the peak summer months or you won't get a site. Shawme-Crowell State Forest is another great campground, that's just as affordable as Nickerson, but the location isn't as ideal.

The camping facilities are just OK. No privacy, you're right on top of your neighbors. The Kettle ponds and their beaches, though, are beautiful, and worth paying the day use fee if you're not camping. The 3-star review is primarily for the reservation process: a nightmare. The Reserve America interface is not the smoothest, and its difficult to get a sense of where and when specific sites and areas are available. Worse, it's extremely stressful trying to book a campsite for the summer months, even 6 months out! Sites literally became unavailable as I tried to reserve them. We had to make a really quick decision on dates and location in order to get a reservation at all. Partly, I think the problem is that its too cheap for the demand. My husband and I just booked a week in August, not knowing if we'd actually be able to get time off to stay the entire week, because we could easily afford to burn a little cash and have the wiggle room.

The park has a few ponds, with small quiet beaches off the trail that loops around the ponds. The park, the water and the beaches are clean and being a short walk from the parking lot, is a nice, getaway- bring a mat, lay down, read, take a dip or hike (the loop around the small pond is 1.5 miles, while the one around the large pond is a little over 3 miles). We did not go camping there, but there are campsites as well, with easy access to some of the beaches.

Great fun and a perfect stop on the Cape Cod Rail Trail. Kids loved the steeper hills at the park instead of the gradual slopes on the CCRT. Youngest wants to camp here next year. We will we brought swim suites and towels for a quick dip to cool off!

Could be my favorite lake in the world! Quiet, clean, and beautiful. Free after 4 PM.

Visited some friends camping out overnight at this place and I was impressed. It is a pretty large place with all sorts of camp sites with a few huge ponds inside the grounds with boat launches and fishing spots and beaches for swimming. The camp sites looked pretty cool and had plenty of room and there was even a store for the campers and a dumping station and showers, all within the grounds of the park. Very clean place and lots of hiking trails. Plus the Cape Cod bike trail crosses right through the middle of this place!

Occasionally I splurge and buy a site instead of just day use. I completely ignore my site and proceed directly to Flax or Cliffs and have a rollicking good time on the shoreline all night long. Orleans to Cliff/Little Cliff is a pretty good bike ride on the bike trail.

Awesome hiking and not well known for this. Fishing, camping, and other light to medium walks available but with the Fall foliage this is a grand place to go for an extensive stretch of the legs.

My family loves camping here. If you like large private wooded campsites, ponds, lakes, fishing, hiking, biking- then this is the campground for you. There are so many ponds & lakes that not one beach is ever crowded, very often you could be the only person there. Biggest downside is the TICKS..... My family went camping 3rd week in June & now three of us have been diagnosed with LYME & BABESIOSIS. If you have flu-like symptoms that come & go, headaches, feel tired. I highly suggest asking for blood tests. --- Other than that- Enjoy !

I am still in shock and awe right now this very moment with the fact that this park has not one, but TWO free parking lots! That is simply unheard of in high peak cape cod season!! Nuts I say! Plus the main free parking lot is literally on the cape cod rail trail so if you bring your bikes which you definitely should, easiest day trip ever since you can leave your car there worry free!! There is also a bike rental shop in the parking lot next door even if you don't have a bike rack to bring your own bike, and biking on that rail trail is the definition of awesome. Camping here, well? There are definitely pros and cons. First pro is those campgrounds are cheap!!! $15 a night plus a $10 online transaction fee definitely makes it cheap! BUT you can only bring a max of 4 people or "one family" whatever that means ha So for large groups of friends, you will have to be crafty and look ahead in getting two sites near each other. And you'll want to do that anyway because some sites are awesome here and other sites are not so secluded...So just try and study those sites out in advance if you can! And I hope you aren't a light sleeper, because the bathroom door every time it closes sounds like big bang that really just seems to resonate throughout the campsites, but I guess you get used to it. These sites are also drive in sites, so car camping if you are camping hoarders like we are, is definitely possible. But there is only one grill/campfire spot per site, so if you have 10-15 pounds of meat to cook like we silly campers all ended up bringing for one night (crazy I know ha) it may take you a while to get all of that meat cooked ha Long story short, cheap spot to camp, access to lots of lakes in the park some for swimming too, free parking lot, and rail trail! And with online reservations makes it easy to book something last minute too which we did about 2 days before we went ha

This is a beautiful campground with spring-fed ponds, tons of campsites, and the feel of New England woods out on the Cape! I recommend Area 6 for sites with a little more privacy, though you should not expect too much even then. The best thing about Nickerson is its location - close to Cape Cod attractions but a fraction of the price for other lodgings. The drawbacks - restrooms and showers need to be cleaned more often, and quiet hours rules need to be enforced.

Just stayed here for the long holiday weekend with my wife and 2 young children and had a great time! Many bathrooms have been recently remodeled, miles of biking for all ages, close to beaches, lighthouses, museums, shopping, etc. I took my kids sailing on my sunfish sailboat on one of several on-site ponds! We had so much fun here that we never swam in the nearby ocean, which is a first for me. Highly recommend this! I have stayed at many state campgrounds and private ones too and this is the best I have found!

Nickerson is fantastic. You can book the "perfect" spot for you online. Book early as Nickerson fills fast! Affordable place to stay on the cape. The sites are roomy- - you're not on top of one another.

Nickerson is a beautiful park right off the Rail Trail perfect for all things outdoors- running, biking, swimming, kayaking, and camping. Personally, I've been running and biking through the Nickerson trails for years and I never get tired of the quiet scenery. The loops make the paths easy to navigate and there are plenty of hills to keep you on your toes!

I was staying at the yurt. And then, shared a tent with my friend. It was so clean and convenient with the facilities.

Went camping at Nickerson in August 2013. It was a perfect and less expensive way to visit the cape. Lots of shade over the sites and bath room facilities are a short walk away. We had no problem with loud noise and enjoyed having a campfire every night. Brewster is a great location and an easy travel to other towns on the cape. We will be visiting Nickerson State Park again for sure!

Nickerson is a really affordable way to enjoy the Cape. This is the place that turned me on to camping. Went for 2 nights to try camping on for size in mid June, which was probably the best time of the summer, since it was still fairly quiet on the Cape. Our site was directly behind bathroom/shower facilities but still had a quiet, secluded feel. There are two swimming ponds, with sandy beach front. One was a five minute walk away from our site. Boat rentals are available in the park, but are really expensive and by the hour. Out of the park, you can rent boats cheaper for the day. Rangers are very helpful and knowledgeable. Best part is- you're about 5-10 minutes away by car to most amenities (supermarket, restaurants, gas, beaches) in case you forgot anything.