Devil's Hopyard State Park Campground

Camped here on a Friday night in Site 16, yet another campground recommended in“Best Tent Camping: New England.” Overall I was not impressed. The campsites are right next to each other and are marked with posts. The sites are so close that the posts are marked with the site number on both sides which tells me that there has been confusion in the past.

The sites along the creek mostly have worn paths to walk to it but it’s nothing impressive and I wouldn’t want to eat fish that came out of it. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, some have the kind where the top flips over and others have the moveable grate that goes up and down. There is a large dumpster in the campground and several porta-potties. The old outhouses have been permanently closed and locked shut. My campsite had a lot of trash in it, old tent stakes, plastic bottle caps, plastic fork, broken glass, etc. Not good.

Some of the people there were camping in a group and were blasting music. I didn’t see a single park ranger the entire night so I’m not sure how often they police it. Someone in a pickup truck came into the campground, did a u-turn, and sped out at 30 mph which was really annoying and unsafe.

Across the street from the campground is a trail to Chapman Falls, which will take less than 10 minutes to hike to, but it’s a pretty waterfall despite all the foam and garbage around it.

This is a pretty basic campground and is nothing special. Out of all the sites I think 22 looked the best, it is more isolated and you can hear the waterfalls from it, which would be relaxing. The downside is that it’s right next to the entrance and road so you’ll get car headlights at night.

I woke in the morning to a gray sky and hundreds of birds singing– it was my favorite part of the trip. I delayed getting up to enjoy the moment. I also didn’t see any ticks but I’m sure there are plenty based on other reviews.

I’ve always thought that if states were condiments Connecticut would be mayonnaise– relatively unremarkable and bland. This campground fits that description perfectly.

Devil's Hopyard is a small state park and the campground here provides open sites with a few large trees near a stream and across the street from a waterfall. There is a slight slope to some of the sides, Latrines are provided, but water is not; due to contamination, you'll need to bring your own. Picnic tables and fire rings provided. Sites 4 & 5 are next to the latrines. Sites 1-3 have a slight slope. Sites are large enough for an RV. Cell phone coverage poor.

Sites are inexpensive if you are a CT resident, only $14, but there's a $10 surcharge for out of state campers (2021). The season opens early, in April, and runs through early October. On a Wednesday afternoon in July there were still 5 site available for the upcoming weekend, so it may be a reasonable option for last-minute plans. And by mid July they are allowing campers without prior reservations, but no guests (again, 2021 COVID restrictions)

Available activities include hiking the trail network, fishing for brook trout, picnicking near the river, or mountain biking.