Boston Harbor Camping

[detorres]

Hoping that that the Boston Harbor Islands open up for camping later in the season.Paddled the area but never camped on Lovells, Bumpkin or Grape. Looking for suggestions, experiences, stories,  to inform a planned group  weekend trip later. Good campsites, access, environment.

 

Regards

Pablo

[Joseph Berkovitz]

I haven’t camped at any of these but I have heard and read that Grape feels like the wildest of the bunch as a camping experience. 

[Ken]

Peddocks is likely the most civilized.  You can even rent a yurt with electricity.  

[Michael_Crouse]

Camped on Peddocks before the big renovations and after. The nice thing about Peddocks is it’s big, you’ll see wild turkey, deer, etc.. you won’t get that on Bumpkin. If you’re looking for exploring the island Peddocks is a great choice, you could also camp on a smaller island and paddle to George’s to explore the forts or over to Peddocks for a day. One bonus of Peddocks is it actually has fresh water at the campsites but the campsites are pretty far from the shore.

Best trip I did might have been when we went to Bumpkin and the ferry wasn’t working. I think there were 3 groups on the island and we all had waterfront sites!

[Dan Foster]

Lovells is my pick. Some great waterfront sites, way down to the left, furthest from the water taxi landing. All of the sites feel very remote and private. The group camping area (may not be open in COVID times) is a grassy field, in the middle. Less interesting than the individual beachfront sites. You can walk all the way around Lovells on easy gravel at lower tides. Have seen bioluminescence there. The downsides are that it's the hardest one to get to (an upside, in my book), and it's closest to Logan airport. Bring earplugs for sleeping.

Peddocks: Short access from the tip of Hull, if you can park still there. We used to be able to park overnight at the high school in summer, but finding parking was always a challenge. "Easy" paddle across Hull Gut at slack, otherwise, it's an adventure. The yurts and tent sites are up a fairly large hill. They may have carts to haul stuff, but it's at least a 10 minute walk up a gravel road from the water. Group site is a grassy field near some of the abandoned buildings. This is a great island for a big group, a group with mixed interests or early and late risers (some can go a big day paddle, others can walk and explore the history...)

Grape has a great group site with water views on a grassy field right at the water's edge, with a big shade tree. The campsites on that island were hacked into the overgrowth and you would be hard-pressed to fit a second tent in any of the individual sites. Not impressed (this was 2012, perhaps they've made improvements). We got lucky and they bumped us to the group site.

Overnight parking in Hingham harbor proved to be the best option - just call Hingham PD and give plate info for permission. It's a mud flat at lower tides, so pick the right weekend dates. Good food/beer directly across from boat ramp.

It may still be possible to schedule a landing and coast guard tour of the lighthouse on Little Brewster.

[eneumeier]

Does Grape still have skunks? There were lots of adorable ones when I camped there many years ago. They were used to people and did not spray. Liz

[detorres]

Don't know, but skunks I can live with.Poison Ivy is my nemesis

Pablo

[Benjamin Rechel]

What do folks think of camping on Langlee? Small island with 3 sites and no ferry. I've read that permission is from the Hingham Harbormaster. 
 

Edited April 5, 2021 by Benjamin Rechel

[detorres]

Thanks,

Nice to know it might be available

I would prefer something closer to the outer harbor islands for the most interesting day trips. 

On a rough day a Hingham Bay trip out of Peddocks would be a good option.

Pablo