Parking & Directions

Myles Standish State Forest headquarters is at 194 Cranberry Road, Carver, MA 02330, at the end of Cranberry Road in South Carver. DCR charges a daily parking fee from May 23 to September 7 (2026 dates): $8 for cars with Massachusetts plates and $30 for other plates. DCR's 2021 fall trip guide listed no parking fee at the headquarters lot or the Cutter Field Road pull-outs for fall visits. The paid lot is the College Pond day-use area.

Day Parking Fees

DCR set the 2026 fee season as May 23 to September 7. Massachusetts plates pay $8 a day and all other plates $30. DCR decides resident or non-resident by the license plate, not where the driver lives.

If you visit state parks often, DCR sells an annual Massachusetts state parks parking pass, and offers a lifetime senior parking pass for Massachusetts residents. Both are linked from DCR's park page.

Campers park at their site; DCR says on-site parking is available at most campsites. See camping.

Directions to Headquarters

From Route 495

DCR's directions: take Route 495 to its intersection with Route 58. Follow Route 58 north and Tremont Street, then turn right onto Cranberry Road. Forest Headquarters is at the end of Cranberry Road.

From Boston and the North

Take Route 3 south to the Long Pond Road exit in Plymouth. At the bottom of the ramp turn right onto Long Pond Road and drive about 3.8 miles. The forest entrance is on the right. Follow the signs to Headquarters.

From Cape Cod

Cross the Sagamore Bridge and take Route 3 north. DCR's route turns left at the top of the ramp, goes half a mile, then turns right onto Long Pond Road. After about 3 miles on Long Pond Road, the entrance is on the left. Follow the signs to Headquarters.

DCR's posted directions use Route 3 exit numbers from before Massachusetts renumbered its highway exits, so this page gives the road names instead. For a GPS, use 41.83917, -70.69222 or the headquarters address.

Where to Park for What

• Forest Headquarters (year-round): camping check-in, the Interpretive Center, restrooms, the bike paths and the East Head Reservoir Trail.
• Bentley Trail Lot, off Upper College Pond Road (year-round): Bentley and Frost Pocket loops and the Pheasant Wildlife Management Area. DCR's Frost Pocket guide calls the start Parking Lot 2.
• East Entrance, on Long Pond Road in Plymouth (year-round): picnicking, the Friends' Loop, the Pine Barrens Path and the Frost Pocket bike path.
• College Pond Day-Use Area (seasonal): the paid lot for swimming and picnicking.
• Charge Pond (seasonal): the Charge Pond Loop and the Camping Pond Loops bike trail.
• Equestrian Lot near Barrett Pond (seasonal): for riders.
• Fire Tower Lot (seasonal): views and the Rocky Pond Path bike trail.
• Rocky Pond Lot, Parking Lot 7 on Bare Hill Road (seasonal): the Rocky Pond Bog Loop.
• Cutter Field Road pull-outs: the Quail Wildlife Management Area and birding. Follow signs toward Camp Squanto, turn right onto Cutter Field Road and use the paved pull-outs on the left. No fee and no restrooms.

Seasonal lots close in the off season, so in winter plan on headquarters, the Bentley lot or the East Entrance. Every lot is on the trail map.

Accessible Parking and Facilities

DCR lists the forest as wheelchair accessible, with accessible camping, accessible fishing with a beach mat at Fearing Pond, accessible restrooms, beach wheelchairs and a beach mat. The restrooms at College Pond are not accessible.