Greenfield State Park has reopened for camping at reduced capacity, and has filled each of the 50 available campsites every weekend since they opened on May 21. The park was originally supposed to open on May 1.
“Most people have been pretty thankful that they can get outside,” Park Manager Alec Woolley said. The park has 256 campsites total, he said, although some would be unusable anyway after a budget freeze halted renovations, leaving some without access to water, he said. The governor’s orders allow state campgrounds to serve New Hampshire residents only, and some Massachusetts residents have called the park office after the online booking system won’t take their information, Woolley said. Current guidance prevents them from opening their day use area, which means there’s no swimming or boat rentals for now. Some campers have been frustrated to learn the campground’s shower building isn’t eligible for reopening, Woolley said, although they usually come around after park staff explain why. Bathroom cleanings are more thorough than ever, he said, with staff coming through three times a day.
The Greenfield Fire Department has resumed their campfire wood sales since the campground’s reopening. “Sales are somewhat down from years past,” public information officer David Hall said, but it’s clear there are folks using the park, he said. “To the best of what we can see, things are going OK,” he said.
Woolley said he hadn’t noticed signs of overuse at the State Park prior to it opening for camping. Earlier in the spring, he said the parking area never quite filled its 15 spots. “Most people are coming to walk dogs or walk along the roadside,” he said, and that practically every visitor was local.