Massasoit State Park

This is a beautiful park with trails for adequate long relaxing strolls. However, if you enjoy water activities then be prepare to come with your own equipment. There are no rentals for kayak or paddle board. My friend and I found this out the hard way. Shame on us for not doing our research.

Ahhh there’s so much to say! Well first off, I LOVE Massasoit State Park. It is a beautiful place to take your dogs, kids, friends, lovers for some nice quality time with nature. There are plenty of trails to explore. There are also a few «beaches» around Lake Rico, which is a beautiful lake located at the beginning of the park that extends back. The beaches are excellent areas for dogs to swim, and I’ve also seen many people swimming there. I have been in up to my waist with my dog. There is also a long paved road that leads to a trail that you can take, that will eventually bring you to the camp ground which you can cut through to reach the paved road again. The campground has been closed for quite some time, but it is kind of kool to explore.
There is a decent amount of parking, and on the weekends and evenings, especially during the summer, you will often see people riding horses, mountain bike riders, people fishing, and families just enjoying their time here.
As wonderful as Massasoit is, it pains me to see how much upkeep this place is in need of. So many of the trees are dying, and the trails need constant upkeep (I think many of the awesome people that ride the trails keep up with this)…It would be awesome if this park could get funding, so that the campground could open back up, and so Massasoit could receive the respect it deserves. GREAT PLACE!
OH and one warning! People tend to have their dogs off the leashes a lot of the time. A few time, dogs have randomly appeared and have ran up to me and my dog which can be kind of sketchy, and can result in a good, bad, or uneventful situation. Just beware of this because it happens often!

I really do love Massasoit State Park! I live just a few minutes away so I go their frequently for a walk, hike, or with my dogs.
The campground has been closed since 2009, so now it is a day-​use area. There is a medium size parking lot that is open dawn to dusk and it is free to park there. On nice weekend days the lot fills and people park on the side of the entrance road. I would say that the park is used primarily by two usergroups: mountain bikers and dog walkers. I also occasionally see parents with young kids bike riding on the paved park road (no cars allowed on it).
I would suggest downloading and printing a park map before you go. Although there is a box for park trail maps at the little building next to the parking lot, it is often empty (although I was there Sunday and it was full so I grabbed a map and threw it in my glove box). The trails aren’t particularly well marked, except for the Healthy Heart Trail, marked with green hearts. But if you have a trail map and pay attention to where you are going, I would think it would be hard to get lost. There is a great trail that leads you through the woods along Lake Rico to Middle Pond and around Middle Pond. 9 times out of 10 that’s the loop I do — probably about 2.5 miles and easy hiking. There is also a cranberry bog right there that you can walk around and check out. I’ve been fishing at Middle Pond and Big Bearhole Lake and that was fun, too. My husband and I just got two kayaks last month and can’t wait to put them in Lake Rico this spring (there is a parking lot on Middleboro Ave a little ways from the main entrance that is specifically for people who want to put a small boat (no motors) like a canoe or kayak in.
There was surprisingly little litter. I did see a bunch of full dog poop bags on the sides of trails. Come on, people! If you’re going to take the effort to put your dog’s poop into a little plastic bag, don’t leave it on the side of the trail! They have a large trash barrel that is a solar compactor at the parking lot so that probably helps.
Great place to take a walk, go fishing, go boating, or just enjoy the outdoors. Get outside!

This State Park is great for a number of different things. They have a very large popular campground open in season. They have a ton of dirt trails that are great for biking and hiking. There are lakes for kayaking and fishing and there is even a cranberry bog you can meander around. Great in the fall, but I love it here year round. Definitely enough to explore for a full day. Bring lunch!