Plan Your Visit

Burlingame State Park is two places: a day-use picnic area with a free pond beach, and a large rustic campground with no hookups. For a day trip, head to the picnic area on Sanctuary Road. For camping, book through Reserve America, bring everything you need for a stay without electricity, and check DEM's construction map, because the restroom rebuild continues until April 2027.

Pick Your Burlingame

• Day trip: swim at the picnic area beach on Watchaug Pond, picnic under the trees, walk part of the Gormley Trail, or launch a kayak at the Sanctuary Road ramp. Free, sunrise to sunset. Start at picnic area and beach.
• Camping: about 700 rustic sites and 20 cabins, from $18 a night for residents. Start at the campground guide and reservations.
• Beach base camp: DEM points out the campground is near numerous ocean beaches, including Misquamicut, Charlestown Breachway and East Matunuck. See Charlestown beaches.

What to Pack for a No-Hookup Campground

DEM says utilities are not available at Burlingame: no electric, water or sewer at the sites. Pack accordingly:

• Power: battery lanterns, headlamps and power banks. A generator may run only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and medical devices must run on batteries.
• Water: jugs or a filled RV tank. There is a water filling station, and each reservation includes one septic dump and/or water tank fill a week.
• Showers: coins for the coin-operated hot showers in the new restroom buildings.
• Cabin campers: air mattresses and bedding, since cabins have bare board bunks (cabins).
• Firewood: buy it locally. DEM asks you not to bring wood from out of state.
• ID and paperwork: the primary occupant's photo ID, vehicle and camper registration, and a rabies certificate for any pet.
• Supplies: the camp store sells camping necessities, but plan on bringing most of what you need.

The Restroom Construction, 2023–2027

DEM is replacing the campground's old restrooms with six new shower buildings, in two phases:

• Done (opened June 2026): Mills Camp, Midpark North and Fish Camp.
• Under way: Legiontown, Midpark South and Main Camp, with completion expected by April 2027.

During the work, fewer sites are offered, weekday construction runs from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the campground beach is closed. The new buildings are ADA compliant, with coin-operated indoor and outdoor hot showers and a separate family room with a toilet, sink and changing table. Review DEM's construction map before booking (maps).

Restrooms and Water at the Picnic Area

DEM lists restrooms at the picnic area from May 1 to October 31. DEM lists no restroom season outside those dates.

Accessibility

DEM states it is working to improve access across the park system, and that most of its campgrounds were built decades before the Americans with Disabilities Act. At Burlingame:

• The new restroom and shower buildings are ADA compliant, each with a fully accessible family room.
• DEM lists the Watchaug Pond boat ramp on Sanctuary Road as handicapped accessible.
• Service animals are allowed throughout the campground, though not in public swimming areas.

Ask the campground manager about specific needs before you book: (401) 409-1138.

When to Go

• Summer: peak camping and swimming season, with lifeguards at the picnic area beach when staffed. Minimum stays apply to bookings made before June 1.
• Spring: trout season on Watchaug Pond opens on the second Saturday in April, and spring migration fills the woods with birds (fishing).
• Fall: quieter campground and good hiking, but hunting season in the Burlingame Management Area means blaze orange on the Gormley Trail (hiking).
• Winter: DEM's history notes Watchaug Pond as a place to look for wintering bald eagles.

Programs

The Burlingame Nature Center, run by the RI State Parks naturalists and open to campers, sits next to the campground playground and has a small pond of native aquatic species. As of October 2026 DEM lists it as closed for now, so check before promising it to the kids.

Safety

• Swim only when lifeguards are on duty if you can; otherwise you swim at your own risk.
• Watch for traffic where the Gormley Trail follows the road.
• Check for fire bans at dem.ri.gov/wildfirestatus.
• Emergencies: call 911.

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