Drinking water — bring your own
Please bring drinking water for the weekend. Do not count on potable water at Inman Hill. Wash stations may be available for hands; they are not a drinking-water supply.
On-site
Water, bathrooms, first aid, fire rules, and maps for a weekend at Inman Hill. Rain or shine, the event is on.
What’s on site
Bathrooms
Portable bathrooms on site, including an ADA-compliant unit, with handwashing/sanitizing stations. No showers.
First aid
First aid at headquarters. In a life-threatening emergency, call 911 first, then notify HQ. See the Emergency Action Plan.
Food
Saturday turkey dinner is provided. All other meals are bring-your-own. There is no snack bar on site.
Event Rules
Everyone follows these rules. Exceptions are approved only by the 1926 Committee.
Campfires & Open Flames
Campfires and open flames are only allowed in portable fire pits — raised metal fire pans or other approved, contained units. No ground fires. Keep water or an extinguisher at hand.
All fires are subject to approval that weekend by the Mendon Fire Department Chief. In overly dry conditions we may need to run a fireless weekend — the event will go on either way.
Cooking & Stoves
Use portable fire pits or camp stoves. Follow fire department and event staff instructions.
Leave No Trace
Pack out all trash, restore campsites, and protect trails. This is town conservation land. Nothing permanent is built — the fields return to the town unchanged.
Site & Boundaries
Camp only in the assigned camping area. Stay within event boundaries and follow posted instructions. Drive only during approved times and on approved access routes.
Alcohol, Tobacco & Drugs
Alcoholic beverages, marijuana, and illegal drugs are prohibited on the grounds — in campsites, in vehicles, and anywhere on site. Smoking, vaping, and other tobacco use are limited to adults, away from tents, dry grass, and fuel, and out of sight of youth.
Anyone who arrives under the influence will be asked to leave the site.
Hunting Season — Stay Visible
Parts of the surrounding land are a state Wildlife Management Area where hunting is legal in season, and Massachusetts archery deer season is open during our Friday and Saturday. Hunting is prohibited statewide on Sundays.
- Stay inside the marked event boundary. The camping-area boundary on the site map is also your safety line.
- Wear blaze orange on any hike or trail walk — a hat or vest is enough.
- No off-trail wandering outside the event footprint, and no travel outside the boundary after dark.
Event rules apply to everyone inside our footprint, but they do not bind lawful hunters on adjacent state land. Verify current season dates with MassWildlife.
For a rule exception, contact the 1926 Committee in advance: info@mendoncentennialcamporee.org. Fire exceptions are the Mendon Fire Chief’s call, not the committee’s.
Trail Access & Parking
- Primary area: Inman Hill Wildlife Conservation Area & Quissett Wildlife Management Area
- Event & overnight parking: 98 Inman Hill Road, Mendon, MA 01756 — follow event signage on arrival
- Trail map document: Trail 179 PDF (town facilities page)
- Interactive trails: Trails of Mendon
- GPS coordinates: 42.0779° N, 71.5493° W
Allowed Uses
- Dogs: Yes
- Horses: Yes
- Bicycles: Yes
- Motorized off-road vehicles: No
- Hunting: Allowed in season (no hunting on Sundays per state law)
- Camping/fires in conservation area: only with required written permissions and permits
During the Gathering, event rules apply.
Site Maps
Explore the live map below, or tap any image to open it full size.
How to read it: green = camping area · blue = program area · slate = parking.
Event parking: 98 Inman Hill Road, Mendon, MA 01756
Tap the crosshair (top-left) to show your location on site. Use the Legend (bottom-right) to find any zone, point, or trail.
Who can go where — text version of the map
Every area on the site map, and who each one is for.
- Camping areas
- Camping, Camping Overflow and Hiker Camping — for people staying overnight at the Gathering. Kept separate from public traffic and from the adjacent gathering area.
- Program area
- Program Area — the outdoor-skill stations and the Saturday program. For Gathering participants.
- Community zones — everyone welcome
- Community Zone and the Community Demonstration Area — open gathering areas on the grounds. Family and visitors are welcome here during the day.
- Parking & shared facilities
- Parking — event and overnight parking at 98 Inman Hill Road. Follow event signage and parking staff on arrival. Portable bathrooms (including an ADA-compliant unit), handwashing stations and the first-aid tent are shared facilities.
A dashed dark-green ribbon on the drawn map marks the camping-area boundary. The printable map (PDF) shows the same areas.
