Over ten years ago our family began camping at a place that has never ceased to satisfy our summer need for cooler temperatures, much swimming, and a night sky free of city lights. This summer alone, I have already returned three times to this beloved ground and now I wish to wax eloquently on all her virtues.

Nickerson State Park on Cape Cod sits in the crux of the Cape’s massive elbow just a half a mile south of its bay side shore. All 1,900 acres lay available for any citizen of the Commonwealth to rent for the current price of only $22 per night (slightly more for out of state and nicer accommodations like a yurt). Just bring your tent, some folding chairs and maybe even a portable shelter and the park provides the rest: a fire pit with grill, a picnic table, and a close by water spigot, bathrooms, and even showers! And best of all, when you go for 2-3 days during the week at Nickerson, there is almost always availability to book last minute and still have a decent choice of spots.

Most of what I have said so far applies to any park in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Now I would like to tell you what makes Nickerson especially great. Six capacious kettle ponds provide ample opportunities for swimming, boating, fishing and whatever else people do on water. And if fresh water ponds are bit enough, the ocean beaches are just a bike ride away from the park entrance. If you go to the ocean after 4pm, you may even park your car at the beach for free. The other great thing is that almost all the camping sites in the various areas sit just several hundred feet away from one of the six ponds. It feels almost like your own private beach. At night I often hike with the kids around the ponds on well marked trails that are just long enough for an eight year old to have an adventure but not too long or hilly to be prohibitive. We like to hike the circles around the ponds in the evening because frogs and other creatures flood the paths during that time.

If you have never camped before and the experience sounds intimidating, find a friend to show you. And go to a park like Nickerson where the experience will almost always be a positive one.