Fourth Cliff Recreation Area

This military campground is difficult to rate. First, I was in Site 11 for 11 days, where we had a view of both the Atlantic Ocean and the river. So the view from our campsite was spectacular. However, setting up on the site itself was one of most challenging sites I've ever experienced in five years of RVing. The site is perched where the cliffs are deteriorating, so in order to keep campers and RV's safe, a new fence was installed. The location of the new fence eliminated approximately 20' of the previous old pad which was at a certain elevation. Instead of rebuilding the entire pad, they left sloped conditions, so half the site is about 12" higher than the other half! So we were either going to use alot of blocking or we were going to remain set up on the lower level. In addition to a leveling challenge, all the hookups are on the opposite side, so that especially makes the sewer hookup a challenge. The condition I describe is the same at Sites 9, 10 or 11. As I walked to other sites, they all looked to be challenging to get level, regardless of where they were. I was in a small Class A (31') but if you were in something larger, this campground may not work for you at all. So now that I've described the challenges, let me describe what is great about Fourth Cliffs. Location, Location, Location!!! The water views here are amazing. The ease to catch a commuter train from Greenbush Station to the City of Boston is very close and easy. And it's so nice to spend a day in the City visiting historical sites and to return by train to your RV and the quiet and peaceful space here at Fourth Cliffs. In addition to Boston, we visited the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy and the Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord and Lexington. Great history you shouldn't miss. Also, you must have lunch or dinner at the local Bridgeway Restaurant. It's delicious.

Fourth Cliff was our first military campground and it was fantastic! We had good views of the Atlantic out the front of our camper and of the North & South Rivers out the back of the camper. The pull-through campsites are nicely spaced so you're not on top of your neighbors. There was a very nice breeze on the sites at the top of the cliff. If I could change one thing about the campground, I would reduce the number and intensity of the street lights. It's a perfect location to enjoy the night sky, but the street lights make it difficult.

Fourth Cliff is certainly one of the nicer park locations in the military system. It sits on the south bank of the North River where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. If you love water this is the place. The park is owned by Hanscom AFB which is more than an hour away. There is another park on the base proper. Here is a short list of positives and negatives. POSITIVE: Location - Right on the Atlantic. Great beach to walk or fish from. Staff is friendly and knowledgeable. Great restaurants nearby. Boston within easy reach via the Hingham Ferry about 30 minutes up route 3. Unless you live there don’t even think about driving in Boston. No need. The ferry drops you off right on the edge of town. History abounds here. Plymouth Colony within an hour, Cape Cod a day trip. Brand new bath house just finished this spring. Laundry has 4 washers, 8 dryers all working while we were there. If you are a marsh rat there is a nice one to gunk around in adjacent to the park. Boat watching is very good. The North River estuary is right here. Lots of small craft coming and going. I counted 51 out in the Atlantic one afternoon. Free basic cable tv, but you have to ask for the box when you register. NEGATIVE: Security is nonexistent. I saw none. Locals drive through to check it out and some park here to use the beach. It’s small. The park is only 56 acres, and features 17 cabins along with the RV Park. There are 13RV spots and they are small. Pretty much shoulder to shoulder. Two are overflow with no services. Bugs can be bad when the wind isn’t blowing. Bring Deep Woods Off. Winds can be spirited. Don’t put up an awning unless it is heavily supported. I lost one here in 2006 in a sudden gust. No BX, no commissary and nothing within an hour. They have soda, beer and ice at the park store, but few grocery items. Park population on a summer weekend can be very heavy. Lots of beach partiers. During the week the park may still be full, but not so many people using the facilities. The wifi in the office area is fast. It is not transmitted out to the park. There are three computers supplied or you can use your own. If you have a Verizon Jetpack fast 3G service is present.

The Good: Great views of the ocean and river. The Bad: Extremely small RV sites with awnings nearly touching your neighbors rig. Gate security-there is a gate but it is unmanned and unlocked. Fish-I couldn't find any in the ocean or the river! The Ugly: Office staff disregarded my complaints of power problems for 2 days blaming the weather "this always happens when it is windy and raining". Eventually, when I displayed photos of my multimeter showing only 77 volts and my neighbor at 155 volts they took action. Property manager Dale was great once he believed there was a problem. Electricians came at midnight from Hanscom AFB (about an hour away), found multiple wiring problems at the pole that serviced 3 sites and fixed the problem. Hats off to Dale and the electricians.

If you like the ocean you will love this place. Bring your camera. About an hour south of Boston, a great place to relax and walk. If you arrive at night you need to push the gate out of the way and find your spot. (Close the gate behind you). Its not as bad as it sounds. Each spot is well marked. Laundry available. Enjoy the area and enjoy the nearby restaurants.

A great campground for visiting Boston. We took the advise of one of the other reviews and drove to Hingham ($8 pp) to take the commuter ferry to downtown Boston. From there we walked to the visitor center and walked the Freedom trail ending up at the USS Constitution. There was a inner harbor ferry ($3 pp) back to downtown and then the Hingham ferry. Very easy. The campground sites were not totally level but site 2 was good for our 30 ft motorhome. Be sure to ask for a cable box at the office, our cable did not work on the lower channels but OK on the upper #'s (we used our antenna for the lower channels). The beach is right there and wonderful and so are the views. The campground is very busy but I had no problems with reservations when I called at first opportunity for retired.

We were 5 people and stayed in a Chalet, it was very nice. First day it was stormy and the heat with the fireplace worked well, than we had a nice sunny day and the beach was very nice for adults and the kids. A lot of space and a great view to the ocean from the house. We definitely will come back.

Great place to spend some time and hang your hat up for a few days of RR. We stayed in a two bedroom cottage. We had everything we needed. The only down side was that the bath towels are very old and small in size. The kitchen had everything we need it to cook a full meals. The location is very convenient, we drove to Quincy and visit the USS Salem for a few hours ( a must see for all) then took the ferry to Boston, spend the whole day walking in Boston the took the ferry back. This is a definite return place for us.

We were finally able to get reservations at the Fourth Cliff by getting on the phone 75 days and two minutes before our desired arrival date. They did not answer the phone until 8 AM and I was told I had the last slot available. The big business here is the renting of cabins. This also increases the beach traffic which is on the bay side. As for the Campsites, there was only about 6 feet between sites but the reason all were here was to appreciate the ocean and the bay and it can’t be beat for the price. All of our neighbors were from within 30 miles and they use it as a get a way to the ocean and then bring in the family to visit. It is a very reasonable vacation paradise. The kids, and there were loads of them, even have many things to do including a game room. The one way street on check in has you parked going up a hill. If they changed the one way direction, you would be on level ground. The young staff also figures you need a cable box to get their cable TV. There is no deposit on this but you do sign for it and will be charged if you depart without returning it. If you have cable ready on your TV, you do not need the box. We occupied site #6 which was a concrete slab but only 20’ long. It was not level and we had to adjust with the jacks. 50 AMP was a welcome addition. All campsites are in full sun. The rest rooms are brand new and very clean. With the many environmental restrictions, I do not see them expanding the campgrounds and for the beauty surrounding you, we will accept it as it is. It is a very busy place during the daytime but extremely quiet at night. If you love the ocean, it is a wonderful place to spend a week. WIFI was available at the camp office and the manager wants to extend it to the campgrounds. His primary concern at the moment is to save the north end of the cliff as erosion has even taken out a part of the road. Nothing is more beautiful than to watch the sun set over the bay. We will return. Since this was a time of increased security, We had AP’s on duty during the entire time.

I stayed in one of the chalets and it was very well kept. A very pleasing atmosphere. I live approximately 20 minutes from the area and the view of the beach is beautiful. I would recommend this site to anyone, it's very peaceful. I am going back as many times as I can go.

The Good: Great views. Convenient to both Boston and Cape Cod. We drove to Scituate and caught the train from there to Boston which was really convenient. Clean bath house, staff very helpful. Good antenna tv coverage for us. Really loved the location. Hard to beat the price for all of the things nearby. The Not So Good: No wi-fi (at least at our site). Other than small gift shop in office have to drive into town for any supplies. Driving directions are accurate but roads in the area are not well marked and can be confusing. Other: Unfortunately erosion has required closing of three RV sites (2,3,4) and the road in front of them. Because the road is closed, backing into site 1 is challenging with a large rig. Campsites were full almost every day even though our visit was at the end of the prime tourist season. No change machines or supplies in laundry room. We did not have a problem with security. Campground was extremely quiet in the evenings with no traffic (may be because roads are dead end now instead of a loop). We didn't ask about cable tv since we were doing the tourist thing during the day and used the campground as a home base. As someone else already commented, winds can be strong or gusty on the point but no problem unless you leave your awnings out. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and look forward to returning for another visit in the future.

We had pre-paid reservations for 2 nights (Sunday and Monday). I had the impression that the staff were teenagers. I realize that it was the end of the weekend, but the place was a real mess. All trash cans along the road were overflowing and the toilets and showers were in the worst condition I have ever seen. Sand, water, and trash was all over the floors. Trash was in the sinks and one sink in the Ladies was full of sand. The 3 RV sites for smaller rigs (Ours is a 21' Rialta) are very tiny. There was room for our RV, about 4' of free space and then the picnic table. As I sat on the picnic bench for dinner I was almost on top of the sewer line for the adjacent unit. After dinner, my wife and I looked at each other and together said' "Lets not stay two days". We called our next stop, got a day added to our reservation, left the $25 for Monday and departed early in the morning. The next stop, Camden Hill SP in Maine, was a delight and worth leaving the $25 at Fourth Cliff. Needless to say, "Don't expect us back".

If you are an ocean lover, this facility is an absolute gem and an outstanding value for money. The location is perfect for a get-away with beach access just steps away from your site, while at the same time convenient to Cape Cod and Boston. Few camping facilities give you such a wide range of immediate area activities for such reasonable cost. Facilities are well maintained by the friendly staff, but definitely need updating/renovation, including better Wi-Fi service. Overall, we had a great time and look forward to our next visit to this exceptional facility.

P.M. left this reicew using the Directory software: Overall a very nice place to visit. $25 per night. We were there for six days (Sunday to Saturday). Narrow streets can make it difficult to navigate a big rig, especially on busy weekends - but we managed okay. Pam, the person in charge, was easy to work with. Very high water pressure - be sure to use a regulator to avoid possible damage to your rig. We never did rid of a water leak at the connection. 11 RV spaces - ours was site 4 with great views of the ocean. We needed a second sewer hose to make a sewer connection. Good electric voltage. As might be expected (being right on the ocean) the sites were pretty narrow and packed in. We never did our rig exactly leveled. We stopped for a beer at the store - ended up paying a dollar more and bought the whole six pack. There's a gate but one could never know if it would be open or closed after 5 PM - but it was certainly never locked. Several nice local places nearby (by car) to eat. A million kids around so be careful driving. We saw what looked like a nice playground there but we didn't visit it. We didn't use the laundromat but it looked just fine. A perfect place to relax and enjoy the beach. We'd go back in a heartbeat.

An excellent physical location that is not being utilized to it's full potential. We stayed at an RV site for (7) days. If there are sites available when you arrive if you have made a reservation, go to the sites and visually check them out and pick one out that suits your rig. Although the MWR rep is a nice person, do not rely on her to make your site location decision for you. We were there in May and it was so windy I pulled in my slide as I was concerned about the toppers. No facilities(PX/NEX/Commissary) as the parent command is 1 1/2 hours away. Grass needed cut, concrete repaired and the showers/bathrooms are unheated and dirty. That being said, the location is nice and the price is very good. The facility manager (RV/Cottages/Picnic area) didn't share my security concerns in that this is a remote site where you open and close the gate as you come and go and the sign says close the gate after you enter/exit. The construction personnel working on the cottages were always leaving the gate open. The "manager" said he has told the command about the lack of security and they haven't done anything about it.. It appears locals come and go to walk on the beach etc. I ran non-military in POVs off the base by telling them that as far as I am concerned, they are trespassing and/or terrorists and I am calling military police immediately. I will be discussing this with the base commander via letter shortly. Again this RV area has excellent potential if some MWR dollars were spent to upgrade the RV sites and bathroom/showers as military RV camps are very limited in New England. This could be a big money maker for Hanscom AFB if they got their act together.