“34 of acres of beauty”
Canoe River Campground consists of 34 acres of mostly wooded land surrounding a 10 acre body of water called Mill Pond with the river channeling through it. Mill Pond is appropriately named because it has been the home of several types of mill industries throughout the years.Its rich history begins with Ephraim Leonard who, with support of slave labor, excavated this pond to be used to mine bog iron. His foundry is considered to be the oldest industrial site in Mansfield. When Mill Pond was exhausted of iron, Ephraim Leonard had bog iron shipped down by mules on tipcarts from Massapog Pond in Sharon, Massachusetts. Mill buildings on the property were then used by sheep farmers to wash wool.Later, a gristmill was built to grind corn for cornmeal and to mix grains. When farmers could buy their own grain, the gristmill was transformed into a sawmill. Remnants of a sluiceway, an open lagoon used to store logs (to prevent worms from getting into the wood) still exist. This wood was used to build shooks (packing boxes) for tomatoes.At the end of World War II, this land became a large duck farm with its major product being down for fill in bedding. Joe and Emma Gonsalves purchased this duck farm in 1959 to initially use the land across Mill Street as a sandpit for Joe’s construction business. Land behind the sandpit still hosts the gravesites of Ephraim Leonard, his wives, and former slaves.In 1972, Joe built Canoe River Campground with Emma running the reservations from a small camper. Some of the duck farm's original buildings, used for hatcheries, still exist on the grounds (store/office/front recreation hall, workshop). Canoe River Campground continues to be owned and operated by the Gonsalves family and has 290+ sites including upgraded pull-through sites.
Reviews of Canoe River Campground
4 people have reviewed this location
Ratings Summary
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G/5G
Confirmed by 2 users | Last reported on October 14, 2023T-Mobile 4G
Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on September 17, 2021Our preferred campsite is typical of most state parks, we prefer some space among the trees and a quiet campground and shy away from the "glampgrounds". If you are looking for a campground with lots of amenities you may want to look elsewhere. We chose Canoe River in order to visit family in Boston and the state parks were still closed for the winter months. Check in was easy, the staff is friendly, the gated campground was clean, quiet and secure. The sites were a little bit closer together than we would have preferred but the bathhouse is clean.( You need some quarters for a hot shower) The campground roads need some attention after a New England winter but the WiFi ($10/week) is excellent. Fishing in the lake was also successful. There are some longterm rigs at Canoe River, probably about 20% of the sites, and they also have some small cabins for rent. The camp store was well stocked and there was plenty of firewood at $10/bundle. If you want a campground that is a little bit off the beaten path with some peace and quiet then Canoe River would be perfect.
Nightly Rate: $49.00
Days Stayed: 6
Site Number: -
There is no river, nor canoes here. The roads are not maintained and sites are too close. The main plus is we had full hook ups. They will sell pine wood for $10 if you want a camp fire. The main attraction to this campsite is for locals that want a cheap winter storage option. I was told they charge $30/mo.. This leads to the vast majority of sites being used by older trailers which is a eyesore. We traveled to Falmouth on the Cape from Mansfield. Over the next 7 weeks we stayed in 13 campgrounds in 13 states. This was the worst campground of the bunch. There are better choices everywhere.
Nightly Rate: $58.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: 18B
Cell Coverage Rating
T-Mobile 4G
Stayed here as a pivot point for touring. Well situated and reasonably price given the scarcity of campgrounds this time of year (mid Oct). $58 for 3 hook ups and 50 amps. Just over an hour to Salem. Close to Providence too. Had a private pull through site with our unit facing trees. Bonus.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: -
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
Nice half way point between Boston and RI. The place is very wooded with bumpy dirt roads. Nobody was on either side of us in October but if they were it would have been too close for comfort. Nights were dark and peaceful. WiFi costs extra and didn’t work from our site anyway.
Nightly Rate: $53.00
Days Stayed: 5
Site Number: -
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 5G
Big campground. Kind of a tight fit for class A but manageable. Arrive during the day. Night navigation is almost impossible. Didn't use the facilities but the staff was nice and helpful. Excellent location and driving distance to the Cape and Boston as well as Providence. Low prices. Great water pressure and power was adequate and we were in spot LS02. Which is way out there. You can extend your checkout from 1pm to 6pm for $10. Not a bad deal. Don't let the bad reviews scare you away. I'd stay here again for sure.
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Canoe River Campground
Hours
- Sun - Sat: 8:30 am - 10:00 pm
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Has RV parking changed? Let us know.
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Parking
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Pets Allowed
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Restrooms
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Wifi
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Wheelchair Accessible
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Credit Cards Accepted
- Max Length
- 65ft
- Season End
- fall
- Sites Count
- 280
- Season Start
- spring
- Last Nightly Rate
- 49.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 49.0
- Back In RV Sites Count
- 30
- Standard Tent Sites Count
- 30
- Pull Through RV Sites Count
- 23
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 37.0
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Sites
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Laundry
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Propane
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Showers
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Big Rigs
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Boondock
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Firewood
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Fifty Amp
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Tent Sites
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Cabin Sites
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Full Hookup
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Paved Sites
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Dump Station
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Mobile Homes
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Public Water
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Pull Through
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Sewer Hookup
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Water Hookup
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Swimming Pool
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Age Restricted
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Rec Facilities
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Dispersed Sites
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Open Seasonally
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Permit Required
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Back In RV Sites
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Group Tent Sites
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Fulltime Residents
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Standard Tent Sites
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Pull Through RV Sites
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Vehicle Wash Permitted
Campground, Parking, Pets, Restrooms
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