I love camping. Nothing beats a nice summer weekend sleeping in a tent, roasting marshmallows by a campfire, and taking naps in a hammock under two tall trees. Camping is even better when I can throw some gear in my car after work on a Friday, drive to a campground, set up my tent, and start a fire all before it gets dark. When I first moved to Boston, I never imagined that I could continue to go on quick weekend camping trips. Most people recommended Maine and New Hampshire for camping, which are great recommendations but are not exactly a short drive. After some trial and error, I was able to find the perfect spot to camp outside of Boston.

Wompatuck State Park in Hingham is the best campground for a quick weekend camping trip near Boston. Even with Friday afternoon traffic, the drive is under an hour from the city. It has beautiful wooded camping spots that you can reserve online with Reserve America. The online map shows you how close each spot is located to other campers, a water source, and the bathrooms (that have showers). After you make your reservation, you print it out and show it to the ranger when you check in. You also can buy wood for a camp fire once you get there. In fact, never bring your own wood camping because that you risk carrying a tree killing insect or disease in your firewood.

I recommend making a few camp meals before you leave and bringing them with you on your trip. That way, when you arrive you can throw the meal over the fire or on top of the coals wrapped in tinfoil.

There are plenty of activities to keep you busy while camping. If you like to bike, Wompatuck has great biking trails. You can do some hiking or bring a hammock and simply relax in the trees. I definitely recommend drinking from Mount Blue Spring, which is a popular source of fresh drinking water. It’s free and easy to get to from the campground.

Lastly, the Wompatuck State Park is a short 10 minute drive away civilization, so if you forget something you can stop by REI or even check out some great restaurants, if your camp food gets burned or eaten by squirrels!