First Camping Trip of the Season

The first weekend of summer break, we joined some friends Robin and Joy and their two boys Gabe and David for a camping trip to Tully Lake. They not only shared the location of this, which I've determined is the most beautiful campground in Massachusetts, they generously shared their campsite, too. And while Joy deemed the site as not the "best" in the campground, it was right on the lakefront, so it was easily the third-best site, with fulltime access to the water plus limited tree cover and, thus, prolonged daylight.

Tully Lake is a reservoir built by the Army Corps of Engineers, but the lake and campground are managed by the Trustees of the Reservation, a land conservation organization in MA. The best thing about the campground is that the sites are walk-in only (hand carts available at the ranger station for shuttling gear to your site). That means tent camping only, and NO cars driving in the campground, so the kids can pretty much roam free. Also, canoe and kayak rentals are available, and with no motor boat traffic on the lake, it is safe enough for the kids to paddle themselves.

This is the campground we've searched for years to find, and I'm grateful to Joy for sharing it with us. All of us are anxious for a return trip, and I predict that this will become our own preferred campsite.

Beau and Gabe canoeing on Tully Lake.


Early morning paddle through the mist.


Casey fishing from the shore


Happy campers: Beau, Gabe, and David