Hopeville Pond State Park Campground, near Griswold, Connecticut, is a lively spot perfect for families and friends looking to enjoy the great outdoors. With a mix of tent, RV, and cabin accommodations, it caters to various camping styles while providing easy access to swimming, fishing, and kayaking.

The campground is known for its clean facilities and friendly staff, making it a comfortable place to unwind after a day of adventure. Visitors often highlight the beautiful views and the large beach area, which is great for swimming and sunbathing. As one camper noted, “The campground is clean and well maintained,” which adds to the overall experience.

For those who love to explore, there are plenty of hiking trails nearby, and the pond offers excellent opportunities for canoeing and kayaking. Just be mindful of the chipmunks; they’re known to be sneaky little critters! While some campers mention that the sites can be close together, the vibrant atmosphere and community spirit make it a fun place to connect with fellow campers. Whether you're roasting marshmallows by the fire or paddling on the water, Hopeville Pond State Park Campground has a little something for everyone.

Fish, swim, or camp under an old growth forest canopy on the serene shores of Hopeville Pond, an amazing spot for a tranquil day on the water. Once a major fishing ground for the Mohegan Indians and home to successful woolen mill industry, local history intersects with the park’s natural beauty and outdoor recreation opportunities. The most popular activities center around the placid waters of Hopeville Pond, an impoundment of the Pachaug River.

Pets are not permitted at the campground or beach.

Hopeville Pond State Park Campground

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Griswold

The Best Camping Near Griswold, Connecticut

This campground has a minimalist approach that most campers will love. It is just off the highway, and most sites don’t use electricity or water. They are great for all types of camping equipment (tents, campers, etc.), and they are spacious enough to fit two vehicles per lot. There are sites that have the amenities that people may want... canoe access, a beach, and certain sites do have water/power hookups. The bathrooms are minimalistic and don’t use water or chemicals to be processed, but they do have running sinks and showers! The beach is within walking distance of almost all sites, and there is a larger beach that is accessible at the beginning of the park. There are even cabins to stay in, and they are beautiful! The staff and rangers are amazing and will address any concerns you may have.

Minimalist Park With Fishing, Swimming, and More!

Stay at least once or twice a year. Always a good time. RV and Tent sites with one cabin as well as canoe sites off the beatin' path. Public beach with another beach for campers. Store on site for firewood and ice.

Great for families 

The campground is clean and well maintained. There are many trails for hiking and a beach for swimming. There is a boat launch too.

Beach and Campground 

This state park has a campground and a separate day use area for swimming and picnicking. The campground is family friendly and most of the sites are near the water. If you are looking for privacy and quiet, I recommend the F Loop. The other loops have sites close together and it is generally quite loud during the day. Quiet hours at night are not strictly enforced so you may hear people up and around until midnight or later.

  

We launched our kayaks from the day use area because the campground boat launch was extremely crowded. From here, we paddled south to the end of the pond and up the Pachaug River, eventually reaching the dam at Pachaug Pond. It's an 8 mile paddle with some tricky spots to navigate, but very pretty! This park also has plenty of trails for hiking and geocaching. The pond has some really big fish, but it's heavily covered with lily pads and there are a lot of submerged trees. If you're going fishing here, a weedless rig is the way to go.

A very busy park in summer

Hopeville Pond is a moderate sized state park campground located along a river and offering fishing, boating, and swimming opportunities. Some of the site have 50A/20A electric hookups and there’s a dump station available.There’s a small boat ramp without trailer parking Neither pets nor alcohol are permitted. It opens for the season earlier than many of the others, in early April. 

  

Loop F is not along the water, but there the large beach has a parking area, also used by day visitors. The sites in this loop offer more privacy; there’s also a cabin at the beginning of this loop. There’s also a section called Canoe Sites, 4 of which are available for booking. As their name would indicate, they’re right on the waterfront and are tent only sites, but parking is available and they’re reservable. Latrines are available in this section. Sites in loops A-E tend to back up to one another and are wooded, but not a lot of low brush providing privacy. A few of the E loop sites are right on the water; some of the C loop sites are across from a grassy beachy area.

Moderate sized river campground with large beach

Friendly staff, stayed during tropical storm. Rained every night of stay. Great place to kayak 

Beautiful views and clean campground 

Beautiful forest, but campground affords very little privacy between sites. RVs mixed with tents and noisy generators running all day and night.

Very noisy

Well this is one of Connecticut's State Parks that offers camping, so we took advantage and made several new friends. We camped, swam, fished, hiked and picnic. Be careful of the chipmunks, that are great sneaks that will sneak a chip or some small morsel if avail. Kids were pedaling their bikes, as the adults visited one another, my wife and I joined in and visited many fire pits, met good family people, and found we shared in similiar and positive beliefs, it's a simple life in which if you allow yourself, you will enjoy. Come on out and share a log by the campfire and meet your neighbor, you will see that everyone is not a 'taker' just someone getting out to enjoy and relax.

Camping and Canoeing

**General:** There are three sections to this campground: five canoe sites; 16 sites including one cabin behind the ranger station and what I would assume is the main section with 61 sites. Some sites have water and electric hookups, but the majority of the sites have no utilities. **Note: Pets are not allowed at this campground!**

  

**Site Quality:** We arrived in the rain after the Ranger station had closed and circled the main section several times trying to find the site with the least amount of water. We did not know until the next morning when we went to pay that we ended up in an ADA-accessible site. It was not marked in any way and I’m guessing that the only reason it was designated as such was its proximity to the restrooms. All sites appeared level and even though they were supposed to have gravel pads, they were mostly a mix of dirt (or mud) and grass with a little gravel. 

  

**Bath/Shower House:** In the main section, there is a very large and clean indoor bathhouse with free showers. Did not use the shower so cannot comment. Appreciated that there was immediate hot water at the sinks. The other two sections have vault toilets. 

  

**Activities/Amenities:** In season there is swimming, but the beach is very small. Fishing, canoeing, and kayaking are also popular. There are also some trails for walking/hiking, a basketball hoop, a dump station, and recycling. 

  

This was an overnight stay for us but the rate for out-of-state campers, while higher than for residents, was reasonable at $30. We would return to this campground.

Small campground in three sections on Hopeville Pond

This is a large campground and overall it's pretty nice. But the gem is the canoe sites at the north of the campground. These are tent only. You park and walk about 100 yards to the site. There are only four sites in this secluded section of the campground. Sites CN02, CN03 and CN04 have direct waterfront on the pond. You can launch kayaks, paddle boards, etc right from the site! There is an outhouse in the parking lot or you can walk 5 minutes to a nicer bathroom elsewhere in the park with showers.

Photos of Hopeville Pond State Park Campground

Real photos from real campers