The overnight after Old Sturbridge Village is a shoreline site at Walker Pond, in Wells State Park. Oak-hickory and white pine ring the 104-acre pond, and the campsites sit along that shore, close enough that you fall asleep to water. A rugged ledge trail climbs to the Carpenter Rocks cliffs if you want a walk before the village opens. The park is west of Worcester on MA-20, off Route 49.
Old Sturbridge Village is 240 acres of living history, the largest outdoor history museum in the Northeast, and it is the reason people reserve Wells for a Sturbridge weekend. You walk the grounds as a day, then the pond is the night.
Wells State Park has no hookups. As of September 2026, camping at Wells State Park requires a reservation from Memorial Day weekend through Columbus Day weekend, does not offer winter camping, and no longer has a dump station. If you need more sleeping space than a campervan, look at RVs for rent in Massachusetts.
Lake Dennison and Otter River
Lake Dennison Recreation Area and Otter River State Forest sit in Winchendon and share the north-county weekend. You camp, ride the connected mountain-bike trails, and swim. Otter River is the campground, and Lake Dennison is the beach and the long trail day from the campground. Both properties have no hookups, so a self-contained van is the fit.
The Lake Dennison page lists 50 miles of trail access from the campground, with the beach open late May to early September. The trails leave from camp, so the overnight and the ride are the same place. Reserve the campsite first, then match a van to that pad.
Otter River State Forest permits only one vehicle per campsite as of September 2026. Plan on the campervan being that vehicle.
Purgatory Chasm and Wachusett Mountain
At Purgatory Chasm State Reservation in Sutton you pick your way between boulders in a narrow cut. The trail is lined with named formations, The Corn Crib, The Coffin, and Lovers' Leap, and it is a scramble more than a walk. The reservation keeps 2 miles of trails, and the Chasm Trail closes in winter for wet, icy conditions.
The summit road at Wachusett Mountain State Reservation in Princeton climbs to 2,006 feet, and the Midstate Trail also crosses the reservation. The summit road is open Memorial Day weekend through the last weekend of October as of September 2026. Neither Purgatory Chasm nor Wachusett lists camping.
Douglas State Forest is a day-use swim and boat at Wallum Lake on the Connecticut and Rhode Island line, with Midstate Trail access and no campground.
Tully Lake's campground is walk-in tent camping with no cars at the sites. Quabbin Reservoir has no camping at all.
The Big E and the Berkshires are on the Massachusetts campervan page. If the trip turns east, use the Boston campervan page.