Picnic Area & Beach

The Burlingame Picnic Area is the free, day-use half of Burlingame State Park, on the shore of Watchaug Pond in Charlestown. It has a sandy beach with a swimming area, lifeguards from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in season when staffing allows, picnic tables, fireplaces and a covered pavilion. There is no fee to use the beach. Dogs are not allowed here from April 1 to September 30.

Two Halves of One Park

Burlingame State Park has two separate entrances. The campground is the large, overnight side. The picnic area is the day-use side, and it is what DEM's Burlingame State Park page describes. If you are coming for a swim or a cookout rather than to camp, this is the part you want. See parking and directions for both entrances.

The Beach and Swimming

DEM describes the picnic area's centerpiece as Watchaug Pond, "one of the largest freshwater ponds in Rhode Island," with a sandy beach and a swimming area. Because it is a pond, not the ocean, there is no surf, and DEM classes it as a non-surf beach.

Key points from DEM:

• No fee: DEM says there are no fees to access beaches within state parks.
• Lifeguards: on duty seasonally from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., as staffing allows. When no lifeguard is on duty, swimmers are responsible for their own safety.
• Supervision: DEM stresses that children and teenagers should always be supervised in the water.

In 2026 the beach inside the campground stayed closed for construction, and DEM named the picnic area, along with the town's Ninigret Park, as places for campers to swim instead.

Picnicking

The picnic area has picnic tables and fireplaces set under the trees near the pond. DEM's photos show tables with rustic cooking fire pits in a grassy area shaded by trees.

DEM's park page says tables outside the pavilion are first come, first served. Rhode Island's state park regulation, though, lists the Burlingame Picnic Area as one of four places where nobody may use a picnic table without first getting a permit (the others are Colt, Goddard and Lincoln Woods), and sets the table fee at $5 a day. If you are bringing a group, call the district office at (401) 322-8910 to ask how that is being applied before you go.

The Pavilion

The covered picnic pavilion holds six picnic tables. From the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, it needs a reservation and a rental fee. Outside those dates, it is first come, first served with no fee. The state fee table lists a six-table shelter at $75 a day. DEM's photos also show a log cabin pavilion and a historic Civilian Conservation Corps cabin at the picnic area; the CCC built much of the park's early picnic grounds in the 1930s (history).

Groups and events: for any organized gathering, at any time of year, contact the park office or RI State Parks headquarters at 401-667-6200 or DEM.RIparks@dem.ri.gov to find out whether you need a Special Use Permit.

Boating and Fishing Next Door

DEM notes a boat launch close by for boating and fishing. Its freshwater boat ramp list puts the Watchaug Pond ramp on Sanctuary Road, past the picnic area where the road turns to dirt. Fishing needs a Rhode Island freshwater licence. See fishing and boating.

Restrooms and Season

DEM lists restroom facilities at the picnic area from May 1 to October 31. Like every Rhode Island state park, the area is closed between sunset and sunrise.

Dogs

State rules ban animals from the Burlingame Picnic Area from April 1 through September 30, except service animals. Outside those months, dogs must be on a leash no longer than six feet. The Gormley Trail, which starts nearby, welcomes leashed dogs. Full details are on the dogs page.

What Else Is Here

DEM lists swimming, picnicking, sightseeing, freshwater fishing and photography as the picnic area's experiences. The nearly 8-mile John Vincent Gormley Trail loops around Watchaug Pond from here, through the park and the Kimball Wildlife Refuge. For more on the pond itself, see Watchaug Pond.