Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/996797
t's hard to believe that a stone's throw from car-clogged Route 1 in Saugus there's the 65-acre Camp Nihan, an idyllic expanse of woods and marshland where camp- ers and hikers escape the city. "Once the foliage grows in, you can hardly tell you're less than a mile from Route 1. It's pretty amazing," says Tom Walsh, North Region director for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. Camp Nihan is also home to Peckham Pond, where nature lovers can spot beaver dams, osprey, heron, cormorants, and other wildlife. "ere's a lot of activity going on in that park in terms of the different natural elements," Walsh says. "e birding over there, depending on the time of year, can be excep- tional." e campground is also contiguous to Breakheart Reservation—a favorite for hiking, swimming, and other outdoor activi- ties—and a trail connects the reservation to the campground. Camp Nihan has only a handful of tent campsites, but thanks to its group cabins, with bunkbeds, tables, refrig- erators, and pellet stoves, it's a great spot for fall and winter camping, too, Walsh says. mass.gov/locations/camp-nihan-education-center CAMP NIHAN S A U G U S WINTER ISLAND PARK S A L E M 106 Above, Winer Island Park is home to Fort Pickering Light in Salem and only a few miles from downtown. Opposite page, Lorraine Park Campground is part of Harold Parker State Forest in Andover. PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALLAN WOOD/SHUTTERSTOCK, HANNA WHIRTY (OPPOSITE PAGE) Some are hidden in plain sight in the heart of cities, others are tucked into the woods, while still others are right at the beach. What are they? Beautiful campgrounds, right here on the North Shore, which prove that you don't have to travel far to experience camping this summer.