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.

Not impressed. Quite pricey, I guess because of location. We had a pull through, full hookup site at top of hill. Just gravel, side by side, so nothing to write home about. There is a grassy area in front that has picnic tables and grills. Overlooks the ocean, kind of, past 2 high chain link fences protecting everyone from the cliff. Below is a gravel beach that wraps around, not small gravel, river rock. This is supposed to be a family rec area, but I don't feel there is much recreation.

Be prepared to be seriously unlevel. We stayed in Site 10 overlooking the ocean. Sites 9, 10, and 11 have been moved back about 5 feet from the 2017 fence line. The power posts which were at the fence are moved back to where the water and sewer are located. The hookups are arranged for a motorhome to nose into the site for an overlook to the ocean, so a travel trailer or 5th wheel will need to have water, sewer, and power lines long enough to go underneath the RV to reach the hookups. Because the fence line has moved, the level pad area is shorted considerably. We have a 40ft motorhome and needed to build ramps from 2x12 pressure-treated lumber. The ramp plus hush pads raised our rear axle over 6 inches and we still were low in the rear. The visit to the hardware store for the lumber is worth the view. There is also a cable hookup at the pedestal. The cable is encrypted, so you need to go to the office to get a cable box. You then have to call Comcast to have the cable box activated. I spent over 20 minutes waiting on the phone for an agent only to get disconnected 10 seconds after the conversation started. Needless to say, I returned the cable box to the front office and stuck with OTA channels. You can get 60+ channels from Boston easily from this location. T-Mobile coverage is excellent with 5G signals.

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.

Ditto with the 2018 posting. Good location if one wishes to visit Boston etc. One major problem. Some of the sewer connections are higher than the RV discharge. So much for gravity.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.