Head off RV camping to the Cape Cod Canal, and you'll find yourself pitching camp in one of the prettiest spots in Massachusetts. The Cape Cod Canal intersects the Cape Cod Peninsula, separating the popular vacation destination on its northern tip from the rest of the state with its five-hundred-foot wide stretch of tidal waters. The seventeen miles of artificial waterway is maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers who also look after one of the two campgrounds on the canal. While the channel was initially constructed to provide a short cut for shipping, it now has as much recreational boat traffic as it does commercial.
Park your rig at either of the campgrounds on the Cape Cod Canal, and you'll be ideally located to participate in a variety of diverse activities. From fishing along the canal banks to cycling, walking, and jogging down the seven miles of service roads running parallel to the canal, or simply taking time out to watch the ships sail by. There are great hikes near the canal too where you'll come across WW2 fortifications and indigenous meeting places. Motorized boats can be launched from the ramps in the marina in the East Boat Basin near Sandwich. While you can't swim in the canal because of the strong currents, if you've been hiking through the Shawme-Crowell State Forest and need a refreshing dip, you'll find there is a beach nearby in the Scusset Beach State Reservation Park.
You'll find it a relatively easy drive wherever you're coming from to get to Cape Cod Canal in your RV. It's main highways all the way across the state, though you can expect some heavy traffic – you won't be the only one with the bright idea of heading to Cape Cod for a few day's getaway. The two campgrounds are located at different ends of the canal. The Bourne Scenic Park campground is to the east and the Scusset Beach campground to the west.
If you're motoring down from Boston, you'll be on the MA 3 all the way until turning off onto the Scusset Beach Road and into the campground. If you're coming from Boston and pitching up at the Bourne campground, you'll need to take a right onto the MA 6 scenic byway for a short distance before getting to your campground. From the direction of Providence, it's I-195 all the way crossing over the stunning Mount Hope Bay and through the city of Fall River and by the Falls River Heritage State Park until you need to take the junction onto the MA 25 to get you to the Bourne campground. If you going to Scusset Beach from Providence, just hit the MA 6 westbound and you'll be there in no time.
Scusset Beach State Reservation is a fantastic Corps campground by the Cape Cod Canal. With ninety-eight campsites for RVs plus a safari field for RV group camping that can cater for twenty to seventy-five vehicles, it's got a lot going for it. Some of its best features are the one and a half mile beach plus the fishing pier, and that's on top of all the other amenities you could hope for.
The paved RV campsites have electric hook-ups suitable for different amperages, though water hook-ups for most can be some distance away. While the campground stays open for weekends during the wintertime, utility hook-ups are only available during the high season months.
The Bourne Scenic Park campground is one of the more popular spots for RV camping along the Cape Cod Canal. With four-hundred and sixty-five standard electric campsites, that's not surprising. RV campers flock there to enjoy the campgrounds swimming pools, recreational hall and store as well as the fantastic views of the canal. All of the campsites, apart from a few, have water and fifty amp hook-ups and there are on-site showers and flush toilets. What more could you ask for when you're RV camping on the Cape Cod Canal?
Don't miss taking a tour around the Cape Cod Canal Visitor Center in Sandwich when you're RV camping at Cape Cod Canal. It's full of eye-opening interactive exhibits about the history of the waterway and the area's wildlife, and even has a simulator that lets you steer a boat along the canal – yes, the kids will love it. The center is open from May through to October only and during the open season, there are film and ranger-led presentations.
Whichever campground you've pitched your rig at, you'll have easy access to the service roads on either side of the canal. Each one is asphalted and a very straight seven miles long. Do the full run and you'll come across the radar tower used for controlling and monitoring the movement of maritime traffic along the canal, the Old Bourne Abutment Bridge, the Aptucxet Trading Post Museum and lots more fascinating places.
All the stopping points of interest are denoted by numbered poles so you won't miss seeing one no matter how fast you're pedaling.
If you're RV camping at Cape Cod Canal in summer with youngsters or just a big kid at heart yourself, you won't want to miss having a day of aquatic fun at the Water Wizz of Cape Cod. Located on the Cranberry Highway just outside of East Wareham, the massive water park is open from June to early September. Take a slide down the Pirate's Plunge or Hurricane Hill if you dare.
As well as walking along the length of the service roads next to Cape Cod Canal, you'll have access to several interesting hikes from both of the campgrounds. From the Bourne Scenic Park, you'll be straight onto the one and a half-mile long Bournedale Hills Trail which leads you from the park to the Herring Run.
In the Scusset Beach State Reservation, there's a rustic trail through some pretty forested areas which includes the historical sites of a WW2 bunker and a native American meeting point. The climb to the top of Sagamore Hill will reward you with impressive views of the canal and Cape Cod.
You don't need to have your own motorized craft to cruise the Cape Cod Canal. You can take a narrated two or three-hour cruise along the waterway from Onset Town Pier. The cruise has both morning and afternoon departures as well as special sailings during the summer months to see the fantastic Massachusetts sunsets. You'll not only see all the canal's points of interest while sailing but be informed about their interesting history too. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy the ride.
Cast your lure into the waters of the Cape Cod Canal and you're sure to come up with something. It could be a striped Canal bass that weighs in over fifty pounds or it could be a tiddler that gets away and just becomes another angler's fishy tale. Anglers take note that there are a few catch restrictions regarding herring and alewives so read up about what you're allowed to catch and what's not permitted before you go.
