Searching for the best camping near Bristol, CT? There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. Discover great camping spots near Bristol, reviewed by campers like you.
Lake Compounce Campground is a one-of-a-kind family camping experience located steps away from Lake Compounce Family Theme & Water Park. Lake Compounce Campground provides one-bedroom cabins, two-bedroom cabins, cub huts, tipis, RV spaces, and tent sites. Plus, perks like discounted single-day admission to the park, themed weekends every weekend, family activities, and tons of amenities.
Hammonasset Beach State Park is the largest of Connecticut’s shoreline parks. Two-mile beach, facilities for swimming, camping (third weekend in May to Columbus Day), picnicking, saltwater fishing, scuba diving, hiking and boating; concessions. Nature center and interpretive programs. Bicycle rentals available through Labor Day, rates begin at $10 per hour and range up to $75 per week, with discounts for children. Helmets provided free to use and are mandatory for riders 15 and younger. Note: Lifeguards on duty on Wednesday through Sunday. Pricing: Weekdays: free for CT vehicles; $15/out-of-state $7 after 4:00 pm. Weekends and holidays: free for CT vehicles; $22/out-of-state $7 after 4:00 pm William F. Miller Campground. 558 open sites. Concession, dumping station, bathrooms, showers. Saltwater swimming and fishing. Individual fireplaces not provided. No pets.
$20 - $45 / night
White Pines is here to offer camping guests a wonderful campground experience in the beautiful northwest corner of Connecticut. Located in Litchfield County, White Pines is situated in a quiet neighborhood, on top of Wallens Hill, in Barkhamsted. You will find plenty to do during your stay, both on-site and off-site, or you may choose to simply relax at your site. Take a stroll along our Happy Tails Trail, with your pawsome friend, as you head to our dog park. Fish in our stocked pond, or visit the nearby Farmington River for some world class fishing. Join any of our offered activities, or create your own fun times. Whatever you choose, White Pines is a great family campground, where life is simple, friends are plentiful, and campfires burn brightly.
$74 / night
30 sites in pine woods. Dumping station, bathrooms, showers, fishing. No swimming. One pet/site permitted. *Early season is designated as rustic camping only - no bathrooms, showers or running water available. Portable toilets available. Water is anticipated to be available by May 1st, depending on weather.
$17 - $60 / night
Nestled in the natural beauty of the Litchfield Hills in Bantam, CT, Cozy Hills Campground welcomes all types of camping enthusiasts. Whether you are looking for a place to stay for one night, a weekend, or the six-month season we can accommodate! Bring your own tent, trailer, or even large motor home, or perhaps camp the easy way and rent one of our ten RVs or Cabins! Spend your time with us enjoying the natural wooded campground facilities, entertainment or investigate all the diverse attractions that are available in the northwest corner of Connecticut! While the property FEELS like camping, it is loaded with well-maintained amenities, from outdoor laser tag, fishing ponds, in-ground pool, arcade, restaurant, store, pavilion, to the playground and so much more!
$72 - $122 / night
Gentile’s Campground is a beautiful and relaxing place to get away with family and friends. The safe and comforting environment lets you get away from the busy work days. The services that we provide add to make your stay more enjoyable.
We provide various activities for persons of all ages. Spend your days hanging out by the beautiful pool, playing a good game of mini golf or brushing up on your basketball, baseball or tennis skills. Take the kids to the playground or to play the video games. You can enjoy your meals or just relaxing time in the Picnic Grove. You can even stroll down the road to each area of the grounds. On Sundays enjoy a service in our Chapel.
We pride ourselves on our clean and friendly environment where you and your family can spend your days on or off the grounds and your nights by a warm campfire or in the recreation hall where many activities occur.
$55 - $150 / night
Lake Compounce Campground is a one-of-a-kind family camping experience located steps away from Lake Compounce Family Theme & Water Park. Lake Compounce Campground provides one-bedroom cabins, two-bedroom cabins, cub huts, tipis, RV spaces, and tent sites. Plus, perks like discounted single-day admission to the park, themed weekends every weekend, family activities, and tons of amenities.
Hammonasset Beach State Park is the largest of Connecticut’s shoreline parks. Two-mile beach, facilities for swimming, camping (third weekend in May to Columbus Day), picnicking, saltwater fishing, scuba diving, hiking and boating; concessions. Nature center and interpretive programs. Bicycle rentals available through Labor Day, rates begin at $10 per hour and range up to $75 per week, with discounts for children. Helmets provided free to use and are mandatory for riders 15 and younger. Note: Lifeguards on duty on Wednesday through Sunday. Pricing: Weekdays: free for CT vehicles; $15/out-of-state $7 after 4:00 pm. Weekends and holidays: free for CT vehicles; $22/out-of-state $7 after 4:00 pm William F. Miller Campground. 558 open sites. Concession, dumping station, bathrooms, showers. Saltwater swimming and fishing. Individual fireplaces not provided. No pets.
$20 - $45 / night
White Pines is here to offer camping guests a wonderful campground experience in the beautiful northwest corner of Connecticut. Located in Litchfield County, White Pines is situated in a quiet neighborhood, on top of Wallens Hill, in Barkhamsted. You will find plenty to do during your stay, both on-site and off-site, or you may choose to simply relax at your site. Take a stroll along our Happy Tails Trail, with your pawsome friend, as you head to our dog park. Fish in our stocked pond, or visit the nearby Farmington River for some world class fishing. Join any of our offered activities, or create your own fun times. Whatever you choose, White Pines is a great family campground, where life is simple, friends are plentiful, and campfires burn brightly.
$74 / night
30 sites in pine woods. Dumping station, bathrooms, showers, fishing. No swimming. One pet/site permitted. *Early season is designated as rustic camping only - no bathrooms, showers or running water available. Portable toilets available. Water is anticipated to be available by May 1st, depending on weather.
$17 - $60 / night
Nestled in the natural beauty of the Litchfield Hills in Bantam, CT, Cozy Hills Campground welcomes all types of camping enthusiasts. Whether you are looking for a place to stay for one night, a weekend, or the six-month season we can accommodate! Bring your own tent, trailer, or even large motor home, or perhaps camp the easy way and rent one of our ten RVs or Cabins! Spend your time with us enjoying the natural wooded campground facilities, entertainment or investigate all the diverse attractions that are available in the northwest corner of Connecticut! While the property FEELS like camping, it is loaded with well-maintained amenities, from outdoor laser tag, fishing ponds, in-ground pool, arcade, restaurant, store, pavilion, to the playground and so much more!
$72 - $122 / night
Gentile’s Campground is a beautiful and relaxing place to get away with family and friends. The safe and comforting environment lets you get away from the busy work days. The services that we provide add to make your stay more enjoyable.
We provide various activities for persons of all ages. Spend your days hanging out by the beautiful pool, playing a good game of mini golf or brushing up on your basketball, baseball or tennis skills. Take the kids to the playground or to play the video games. You can enjoy your meals or just relaxing time in the Picnic Grove. You can even stroll down the road to each area of the grounds. On Sundays enjoy a service in our Chapel.
We pride ourselves on our clean and friendly environment where you and your family can spend your days on or off the grounds and your nights by a warm campfire or in the recreation hall where many activities occur.
$55 - $150 / night
Scout
Very peaceful overnight camping, no permit required. Small campsite, first come first served basis. Other posts claim you can park right the site, but you can not. It’s up the yellow or blue trail depending on which one you take. However, it’s not a long walk to the parking area from the campsite.
Legend
We generally only stay in KOAs or similar RV parks when we need showers, laundry, or a dump station. This one was in a convenient location plus many campgrounds had not yet opened for the year when we were there. It had rained for a few days before our arrival and that did not help our first impression as we drove on the rutted and muddy road to our site. There was a sign that improvements are underway, but I am not sure what those planned improvements are and when they will be implemented.
On the plus side:
*Friendly and helpful staff. Not sure why when we are given a map an employee escorts us to our site but that is a KOA thing. Later an employee asked if I wanted help carrying our clothes to the laundry.
* Warm showers (but it did take a while for the water to get warm)
*Brand new pool that was uncovered but it was way too cold in April to use*Sites were spaced a decent amount of space apart (although there is little physical separation). This was helped by the fact that there was no one on either side of us during our stay.
*In season, there are many activities to occupy families (pool, playground, mini golf, daily firetruck rides, complimentary shuttle into the town of Niantic); however, we could not take advantage of most of these.
*Reasonably priced laundry, although the washing machines were smal, and it took two to do what should have been one load. However, the dryers give you 60 minutes so although it took longer to dry, I only had to use one.
On the negative side:
*Unmaintained roadways. The main one was once paved but has not been maintained; others were dirt (and mud after a rain)
*High price for what we received. Not sure if we received an off-season rate but at $87 per night for a water/electric site and not being able to take advantage of amenities seemed high.
*Allowing political flags to be displayed at sites. I understand that on private property, this can be allowed at the owner's discretion, but this was offensive to us.
Again, this is not our preferred type of camping. Initially, I struggled to give this two stars but once the rain stopped, our stay improved somewhat.
Scout
There are no hookups. Need to change the profile on the Dyrt.
Traveler
I was only up there for a few days for work. But it was really nice and had great play scale
Scout
Quiet (besides occasional plane overhead) lots of trees, spacious sites, clean and modern bathrooms and showers, nice friendly helpful staff.
Traveler
I stayed there for 3 weeks for work it was quite priced very reasonably for full hook up and about a half hour from stunning views.
TravelerStayed in cabin #1. Clean & had all the amenities but very dated & dark. Could use brighter light bulbs!! Beautiful & quiet. Enjoyed my stay.
Scout
We love camping at Odetah. Clean facilities. Great staff. New pool and hot tub. Will definitely come back
Traveler
Campground is a bit crowded with sites close together. The facilities were clean but quite old. There are some nice hiking trails along the river.
Scout
We booked last minute (2 hours before we arrived) and were met with the friendliest staff ready to help us at 7:30PM and get us checked in. Perfect spot if you don’t mind a 40 minute ride over to The Big E fair which is what brought us out to this part of MA. The restaurant was so nice, and to my surprise more than accommodating as I have celiac, they really went above and beyond. We will definitely be back next summer for a longer stay.
Scout
Needed a place to stay for 2 nights , My wife and I were going to show at the Garde Theater. Which was walking distance from the boat yard.
Had a bite to eat at the Blue Duck, it was fine. Saw the show and walk back to the boat yard.
The next day we took the ferry to Block Island which was also walking distance from the boat yard. Block Island a must see. Took the 5 pm ferry back.
Had dinner at a Thai restaurant which was 5 minutes walking and it was great.
Sunday we went and visited Fort Trumbull which is also walking distance away. Very nice place to visit and learn.
Also took a tour of the Coast Guard Ship at Fort Trumbull.
Head home around 12 pm stopped a Logee's Greenhouse on the way home.
All and All it was a great get away weekend.
Thank You Crocker Boat Yard!
Scout
I like everything about it. It's a nice thing to share a great story io games
Traveler
Was only $25 night. Great looking facilities and friendly staff.
Guide
Camping Review:
This campsite is beautifully located in the woods, offering a peaceful and serene environment. There are no busy roads nearby, which ensures a quiet setting during the day.
However, there are several downsides to consider. The camping spots are uneven, making it challenging to set up tents or campers. Additionally, swimming at the nearby beach is restricted to residents of the village, so visitors are not allowed to swim there.
During our stay, there were multiple large groups, including a Christian group that preached (screamingly) and played loud music until midnight, despite the designated quiet hours. Unfortunately, the management did nothing to enforce the rules, which was disruptive.
Another significant issue was the state of the sanitary facilities. They were extremely dirty, with feces present in various places. It took a long time before anything was cleaned, which obviously kept us from using the facilities.
Overall, while the location is beautiful, the poor management, noise issues, and dirty sanitary facilities seriously detract from the experience.
TravelerThis is a hiking trail only- no camping per website: https://www.mass.gov/locations/jug-end-state-reservation-wildlife-management-area
ScoutSecure and convenient location. Site can be a bit loud but calms down during the evening . Bathrooms were clean and the pool was amazing. Definitely going back!
Legend
I had a hankering for East Coast seafood, so I picked Hammonesett Beach State Park for Connecticut. Our 2nd state of 5.
Hammonesett Beach has a huge campground. They divide the loops with names. I unfortunately chose Pequot. This loop has THE WORST bathrooms/showers on the South side of the campground. Looks like they were built in 1950s with rotten wood siding. Dirty. The showers were outside the bathroom- there was a bench & hooks OUTSIDE! We found out all the other loops had modern bathhouses.
My first impression of this campground is it's loud, crazy busy & there's traffic noise from the beach road. I actually liked it! This is a fun campground for families. There were kids on bikes, scooters, skateboards,roller blades. Watch your speed! They don't always watch out for your car.
I found out most people stay through Sunday & leave on Monday. There were still lots of campers left. Lots of tent campers.
I chose site 14 on the Pequot Loop because I thought I would have a view of one of the ponds. There was tall vegetation, so that was out.
The sites on the other side of the loop were right by the main beach road. Noisy during the day, but quiet at night.
There are some sites with shade, but most are sunny.
There's no electricity at most of the sites. Our site was full sun(yay for the solar panel!). On Beach Road in the campground there's 2 rows of full hookup sites, but they go FAST! I tried.
NO PETS! Including dogs.
No WiFi, but there's cell service. At least 5 dump stations.
The beach was popular.
There was a stream running from a pond that kids were playing in.
They have a beautiful Nature Center. A couple of easy hikes through one of the preserves.
This was a good base camp for the area. Gillette Castle & other state parks are within driving distance. Connecticut is a beautiful state!!
ScoutIt is a beautiful spot to visit the Taconic region, however this campsite is not up to pace. There is a lot of noise, a lot of people, and not much enforcement of the rules of candy clicker.
Scout
JUNE 30,2024 my husband & I were seasonals at waters edge campground Lebanon Connecticuit gave them a 30 day notice we were leaving this place wasnt for us just awful the owners are just money hungey thieves they told us they were keeping our deposit wich we expected because it says non refundable deposit so okay fine but we paid for the whole season its open april15 to october15 gave a 30 day notice left june 30 they refused to give us back the money for july ,august,september,to october 15 they ket 750 plus 2500 dollars told us were not getting our money back So iam sure they rented the site thats double dipping so fair warning I dont want this to happen to anyone else they will Rob you blind oh and they broke our ice maker when they dewinterized our trailer and never owned up to it came down to my floor in camper soaked with water from my freezer and didnr bother to clean tthe mess and said it must have been broken nefore so they are also dirty liars I didnt want to even give a one star rating but had to put somethin i give the a big fat 0
ScoutEasy access to the boatyard at night; pulled in, picked a spot and all good.
Enjoyed the pool.
Walked to Fort Trumbull.
Recommend Crockers.
Traveler
Dyrt says $17-$54 went through all the hoops to book one for tonight said $17 per night went to check out expecting a few extra fees, $58.50.....that's over the max advertised....DYRT YOU NEED TO GO THROUGH AND DELETE BAD ENTRIES. YOU ARE A DISSAPOINTMENT.
Traveler
First off no same day reservations or walk ups allowed, second it yells you that the fee is $17.50 per site, I expected a little added extra fee for booking etc.... check out was $58.50 per night. I would have if they weren't so manipulative about it.
ScoutWe were here on an extremely hot and humid couple days. It was great to have electric and water hookups. Also being able to use their pool with our grandchildren was great. They were very accommodating with all our questions and needs. No trees but its a boat yeard. And very interesting to watch the goings on at a boat yard
Scout
I booked site 5 for the week. Great experience! Quiet woods atmosphere with trail’s. Wonderful place to camp. Very clean
GuideI can here to spend time with friends and i feel like we got lucky with our site. It had a nice wooded area behind us and felt more private than some of the other site.
The swimming there felt really clean and I loved the dock. Close to great hiking.
Scout
My family has been camping at Lake Waramaug for over 20 years. I can say most of what’s been said is true or partially so but whether it’s bad or good depends on your point of view. Note that we are a Scout family and my husband and son have camped many days well off the grid with only the gear and food in their backpacks. That skews our point of view.
First off, Connecticut’s state campgrounds are not KOA’s.
Do not expect top of the line activities that private campgrounds have.
What it does have are clean, large sites that are partially wooded and not out in the open.
The lake is great for kayaking, paddle boarding, canoes and for fishing. Bring your own gear but kayak and canoe rentals are available. The swim area is marginal- best for little ones.
This park is remote from all conveniences- pack it in or expect a drive. There have been several times I’ve driven to the Dunkin Donuts miles down the road for coffee but I find using a French press is more convenient. For takeout there’s the White Horse on 202. It’s ranked a top restaurant in the state - the food is good.
Never have we had issues with wildlife besides squirrels and ducks. Leave no trace is important - it keeps the unwelcome wildlife out.
There have been issues with the bathrooms off and on over the decades. It seems like they’ve finally fixed everything. Our trip of 7/27-28 showed everything was fine.
The only on-site services are firewood and ice sales. The little food shack is out of business.
Yes, cell service is basically non-existent. Our trip this weekend was the first time we received more than 1 bar in 20 years. Actually we were a bit disappointed because this camp ground is a great place to disconnect and relax. Being forced to put away the devices is heaven in my mind. You can drive about 5+ minutes out and get cell service. Regarding rowdiness, of the 20+ times we’ve camped only twice was it a problem.
Also, this place is not glamping. The area is rural, so cows do moo at 6am, and kids are up even earlier. If you like to sleep in skip and rent a B&B.
Also if you want a better place to swim go to Mt.Tom state park about 10 minutes up the road. It’s a day use only park-no camping- but the lake is gorgeous and there are very few people there.
Traveler
We had our very first camping experience with our new camper at this campground and it was everything we could have imagined and more. It’s a beautiful campground, the gentleman and his family who own it are sooooo nice and they helped us a lot when it came to learning how to properly use our camper. All the fellow campers that we met were extremely nice. It’s a quiet campground, located right on a river. My children spent hours in it playing and fishing. Looking forward to returning.
Camping near Bristol, Connecticut, offers a mix of beautiful nature and family-friendly activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a fun-filled adventure, there are several campgrounds to choose from.
Camping around Bristol, CT, offers a variety of experiences, from family fun to peaceful retreats. Whether you're in a tent or an RV, there's something for everyone!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Bristol, CT?
According to TheDyrt.com, Bristol, CT offers a wide range of camping options, with 123 campgrounds and RV parks near Bristol, CT and 3 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Bristol, CT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Bristol, CT is Lake Compounce Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 11 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Bristol, CT?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 3 free dispersed camping spots near Bristol, CT.
What parks are near Bristol, CT?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 17 parks near Bristol, CT that allow camping, notably Northfield Brook Lake and Hop Brook Lake.
