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Best Tent Camping near Danbury, CT

469 Reviews

The forested hills surrounding Danbury, Connecticut offer several tent camping options within a 30-mile radius. Webb Mountain Park in nearby Monroe provides tent campsites with fire rings and picnic tables in a wooded setting. Tent campers seeking more established facilities can head to Ward Pound Ridge Reservation in Pound Ridge, NY, approximately 15 miles southwest of Danbury, which features both tent sites and lean-tos with access to hiking trails. For a tent-only experience, Windmill Hill at White Memorial Campground in Litchfield offers peaceful sites with basic amenities including toilets and trash disposal.

Tent sites throughout the region vary in terrain and accessibility. At Ward Pound Ridge, campsites sit on well-maintained but somewhat manicured grounds with portable toilets positioned near tent areas. A maximum of eight people in two tents are permitted at each site. Campers should note that comfort stations can be quite distant from the actual tent sites. Bear activity occurs throughout the region, particularly in more remote areas, so proper food storage is essential. Many primitive tent camping areas require visitors to pack out all trash and follow strict Leave No Trace principles. Fire regulations vary by location, with some sites offering established fire rings while others require portable fire containers.

Walk-in tent sites often provide the most rewarding camping experiences near Danbury. According to reviews, Onion Mountain Park offers primitive spots that require "more of a hike" than a simple walk-in, with one camper noting they "found a very primitive spot off the blue trail on top of the mountain." For backcountry tent camping, the Appalachian Trail corridor provides options like Ten Mile River Shelter and the Brassie Brook Lean-to near Bear Mountain. One visitor described Brassie Brook as "a pretty great little site for being in the middle of nowhere" with space for tents and access to bear boxes. Campers frequently mention the need to prepare for insects during summer months and recommend smaller tents for the limited space available at more primitive sites.

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Best Tent Sites Near Danbury, Connecticut (30)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Danbury, CT

23 Photos of 30 Danbury Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Danbury, CT

469 Reviews of 30 Danbury Campgrounds

  • Emma N.
    Sep. 27, 2018

    Beaver Pond Campground — Harriman State Park

    Lacking in privacy

    I stayed at Beaver Pond Campground in Harriman State Park for two nights with my husband. We chose this campground because of its close proximity to Schunemunk Mountain. We found a lovely 6.4 mile lollipop/loop route hike that weekend, complete with beautiful rolling meadows, gradual hills, and steep climbs.

    Due to some mentally-draining traffic on the way, we arrived to the campground around 9:30pm. The camp office was closed, but we were able to check in at the ranger station across the parking lot. At the ranger station we were greeted by a bunch of spiders in their webs. I'm not going to lie, I freaked out! Once we were all checked-in, the ranger explained the usual rules (quiet hours are from 10pm-7am, check out by 11am, etc.). A rule that he made sure to stress was that no alcohol is allowed in the campground.

    Harriman State Park is located in a densely-forested area, and there is very little light pollution, so we didn't notice until the morning how little privacy there is between sites. There are hardly any trees within the campground, and you can see and hear just about everything. We had some rowdy neighbors, so it was a long night.

    We stayed in a regular tent site, but there was also the option of sites with platforms. Each site had a picnic table and fire ring. The campground had restrooms with flush toilets and showers. There were a good amount of insects crawling around in the restrooms, including what we think were ticks. The showers were a bit dirty and old-looking. However, the showers were free and hot, so I won't complain. :)

    My 3-star rating mainly stemmed from the noise an major lack of privacy.

  • Shelly B.
    Oct. 3, 2017

    Clarence Fahnestock State Park Campground

    Busy Place on Weekends - Quiet On Weekdays

    Fahnestock State Park, Carmel, NY

    Busy Campground on Weekends!

    This park has a nice open beach on Canopus Lake with a concession area and bathhouse, which we found to be quite clean! They even have boat rentals - or you can bring your own boat to launch! If you are into fishing, there is another lake and two ponds that our neighbor campers said were great for catching panfish - one fisherman said he had caught several bass weighing over 3 pounds!!

    Weekends - this park is FULL! Make sure to reserve at least two weeks out. Weekdays? You should be in luck! We stayed in site number 1, and I found it to be just wooded enough. Almost all of the sites offered privacy.... Even when the campground was full. I do feel the campground bathhouse really needed more attention... while it had clearly been painted this past year, it was very “buggy” - and did not appear to have been thoroughly cleaned since spring... (yuck!).

    PRODUCT REVIEW: As a ranger for Dyrt.com, sometimes I am offered the opportunity to test and review various products. At Fahnestock State Park in New York state, I reviewed my Gregory Maven 55L Women’s backpack (see accompanying video).

    Weighing in at 3 pounds 6 ounces, the Gregory Maven was a nice mid-weight pack for me to take on my yearly 2 1/2 week Appalachian Trail hike.

    Normally, I like to save the best for last when I do a review; however, this time I just can’t wait to spread the news about my favorite features! The Maven has a Matrix Ventilation System, which provides exceptional ventilation on the pack’s back panel. This kept my back from being its usual sweaty mess! The second feature that blew me away was how cool my water stayed in this backpack! With other packs, the water gets warmed up from heat radiating off the hiker’s back. This didn’t happen with my Gregory pack! Every pull off my water - from the beginning of the day until hours later - provided me with a refreshingly cool drink. I actually questioned other hikers with Gregory packs to see if I was the only one experiencing this - The other hikers, who had different Gregory models, confirmed that their backs and water were staying cooler too! Added bonus: I was able to pull out the hydration sleeve and use it as a daypack a few times!

    The Maven’s pockets helped me keep my pack much more organized than in the past. It has a lower sleeping bag compartment, top pocket with separate zipper areas (one has a place to attach a car key!), side pockets, hip pockets, and even pockets on the shoulder harnesses! I can’t forget the front pocket, which held the rain fly!

    The pack fit was great, but do be careful to check your sizing if you are looking at both the 45L and 55L. While I am a XS/S with the 55L, I would have been a S/M with the 45L.

    I used this pack for 2 1/2 weeks backpacking over 200 miles on the Appalachian Trail through the states of New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. The Maven did an outstanding job keeping my possessions organized and dry as well as keeping me comfortable and happy on the trail! This will definitely be my pack of choice for future hikes!

  • R
    Aug. 22, 2018

    Beaver Pond Campground — Harriman State Park

    Quiet, off-season, mid-week retreat

    We stayed here on a Thursday night in September prior to taking off backpacking. The campground was clean and quiet. RV hook-ups, tent platforms, and rustic tent sites were available. Our rustic tent site had a few good options for pitching a tent, as well as picnic table and fire ring.

    Ranger said that during summer weekends the grounds fill up and can be quite noisy, but mid-week during the off-season it was great. Expect to purchase firewood, although scrounging for kindling was possible. Facilities were clean and what you'd expect from a campground.

    Would definitely return!!

  • T
    Sep. 5, 2023

    Heckscher State Park Campground

    Good Campsite For Families And Weekend Trips

    I camped here solo on Friday and Saturday over the Labor Day weekend. Overall my experience was positive.

    Camping Sites

    Each camping site has a picnic table and barbeque grill. The sites are designated by printing on the roads and do not have clear boundaries between them. My site had good shade coverage and was free of rocks and other hazards. 

    I had enough space that I didn't feel like I was intruding on my neighbors and vice-versa. That said, there aren't clear paths to the restroom building so it's not uncommon for people to cut through the edges of sites to get there. In my experience I (and others I saw) tried not to go right through the middle people's setups to do so.

    If you're looking for privacy, the sites at the rear seemed to be less-densely packed, even though every site was occupied. Quiet hours are generally adhered to but not enforced - there were some campers that had noise running later.

    Amenities

    The restroom building is in the middle of the campground and was clean and had plenty of stalls.

    Potable water is available at regular intervals, about at the corners of each group of four campsites.

    Cell phone reception is limited - I had data but it was very slow which led to my phone's battery draining quickly.

    Access

    A car is an absolute must for this part - the entrance is directly off of Southern State Parkway with no pedestrian access. Train stations are nearby so you could take the train most of the way and rent a car from there.

  • S
    Jun. 2, 2019

    Beaver Pond Campground — Harriman State Park

    Lovely campgrounds an hour north of NYC

    Drive-in tent campgrounds. Adequate restroom facilities sprinkled amongst tent sites. Some campsites have raised platforms. All sites have picnic tables and fire ring with flip-top grill. If looking for privacy, back end of campgrounds (#’s 1, 13, 15, 21, 23, etc) provide adequate quietness, a bit hidden and tucked away from the rest. Very near many trailheads and the expansive Lake Welsh. Alcohol prohibited... Uploaded photo/vid from off-season 2019.

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 6, 2025

    Alander Trail Camground — Mount Washington State Forest

    Amazing Dispersed Camping

    Absolutely love this spot and highly recommend if you’re looking for a super private, true primitive camping experience. You have to park at the entrance and hike in about 1.5-2 miles with everything on your back to get to the spots. Once you get there, theres quite a few sites to choose from and each offer quite a bit or privacy. It’s completely free and it usually isn’t too busy since most people don’t like having to carry all their stuff in that far. You will be in the heart of the forest/woods so definitely make sure to be prepared. We had some scares with coyotes and bears in the past but never anything crazy. They give you a semi-flat area for a tent, a fire pit and grill rack, one picnic table, and a bear box you would be sharing with other campers nearby

  • K
    May. 27, 2021

    Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground

    Awesome location!

    Shawangunk was SUCH a nice place to stay. So many good things - though a few things to keep in mind when you're booking, too. 

    I definitely recommend trying to get the walk-in (meaning you can't drive to them) sites (8-15) because they're just a little bit more set back and kind of wonderfully wooded all around. 8 & 9 seemed like the star sites, because they're up and away a little bit more than 10-15.

    Here goes:

    The Good:

    • The nicest, most level tent site you'll ever find. So easy to set up, and no worries whatsoever about roots or rocks.
    • Bathrooms and wash area, water access, etc. are all very easily accessible from any campsite
    • Nice new picnic benches
    • Gorgeous area - especially in the walk-in sites (i.e., not car accessible), where you're a little separated from the pavement
    • Holy crap is this the perfect location for exploring the Gunks, Mohonk Preserve, etc. You couldn't be more central to everything that's going on around it.
    • Phenomenal access to a trash can. It's very central and made throwing out dog poop really, really simple.

    The just okay:

    • Campsites are pretty close to a road. It's not particularly busy, but the speed limit is 55 so you do get some pretty decent whooshing sounds while you're trying to sleep.
    • The tent site is literally the only flat part of most campsites. Even our picnic table at site 13 was slightly tilted. Not an issue, really, but it was noticeable.
    • With all the heavy bear traffic signs that were up, I was surprised to see how close bear boxes were to our tents. They seemed to be 1-10 feet away from tents in each campsite. 
    • Take with a slight grain of salt my recommendation of sites 8-15 - 8 & 9 are up a little higher and might be better, but 11-15 are within 50 feet of a wet area, and the bugs in late May were pretty annoying. I'm guessing other sites would have been better, and our hikes were almost bug-less.
    • Campsites are CLOSE together. I was relieved to be in a site we had to walk to, because having the car right there combined with other tents would have been a little claustrophobic. 

    Overall we really did love staying here. It was pretty empty and we were able to have two cars in the parking spots (usually you can only have one in the assigned spot) without putting anyone out. It was full of friendly people and my dog had an awesome time romping through the leaves and people watching. Definitely recommend this site if you're hiking or climbing in the area!

  • Eugene T.
    Aug. 15, 2019

    Jellystone Park Gardiner

    Great for beginners

    The camp is set up in a “blank slate, parking lot” type style, with a big field, center for tent camping or to be used for sports or other activities. There’s a “lazy river” at one side and a small RV village on the other, and tent sites with water or dry tent camping. Restrooms are available with hot and cold running water, showers and toilets.

  • Katherine P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 1, 2020

    Rudd Pond Area — Taconic State Park

    A Cozy Spot

    We stayed here in August 2020.

    This is a really interesting campground that's situated on a hill overlooking Rudd Pond in Taconic State Park.  Almost all of the sites have platforms to pitch your tent on, although there are a couple of flatter spots without platforms (although they still have a slope.)

    There's space near the platform that is flat-ish with a picnic and a fire pit.  Some of these are better than others, ours was not that flat, but we made it work. You get a pretty decent view of Rudd Pond, and the sunsets are pretty. There is also a trailhead at the end of the campground that connects to the other trails in Taconic State Park. There's a swimming beach and during non-covid times, boat rentals.

    The campsites are pretty close together, so if the campground is full, you are rather close to your neighbors. It was close to half full when we were there, and it still felt like a fairly noisy campground, even after quiet hours. 

    My one complaint in these covid times is that compared to the NY-DEC campground we stayed at, I felt that the safety measures were less adhered to here. They had signs asking people to wear masks in the bathroom building, but far fewer people were. I also didn't see the staff do any cleaning of the restrooms while we were there - the paper towels ran out at one point and I had to flag the staff down to get them to go take care of that.  

    Still, I thought it was a really cute place to stay, and I think we would stay here again.

Guide to Danbury

Tent camping near Danbury, Connecticut provides access to the diverse ecosystems of the western Connecticut highlands where elevations range from 400 to 1,000 feet. The region features a mix of hardwood forests, wetlands, and rocky outcroppings that create varied camping terrain. Summer temperatures typically reach 80-85°F during the day and drop to 60-65°F at night, with higher humidity levels than inland camping areas.

What to do

Hiking trail networks: Ward Pound Ridge Reservation offers over 40 miles of trails with varying difficulty levels. As Ethan K. notes, "The best part of this campsite are the endless trails in the area. I believe there are over 40 miles of trails in this area."

Lake activities: Mountain Lakes Park contains several lakes for recreation. One camper shared, "The area, as the name implies, is home to several lakes which can be used for various recreational purposes. There are also many hikes which can be trekked straight from the campgrounds."

Stargazing opportunities: Open fields in some camping areas provide excellent night sky viewing. Seth K. mentioned Ward Pound Ridge has "elevation gain, creeks, and open fields for stargazing."

Rock scrambling: For more adventurous campers, Suffern-Bear Mountain from Gate Hill Road Primitive offers challenging terrain. According to a review, "At one point of the trail is a very difficult, but doable, rock scramble up the side of the mountain. At the top of the scramble is a primitive camping site with amazing views."

What campers like

Privacy between sites: Many tent campers appreciate the spacing at select campgrounds. At Ward Pound Ridge Reservation, Jeremy S. commented, "The shelter sites are large and private with access to hiking trails and make for a unique experience."

Year-round accessibility: Several camping areas remain open through winter. Paul R. noted, "They have great sights and are open all year round. I've stayed in hammocks, tents, lean-tos, and even did a good share of car camping."

Water features: Lakes and streams enhance the camping experience. About Croton Point Park, one camper shared, "This must be one of the most breathtaking camp grounds right on the Hudson. Tent sites are very private with some dirt roads to exit out but that's what make it unique experience!"

Shelter options: Beyond standard tent sites, some campgrounds offer alternatives. Will L. remarked about Ward Pound Ridge, "Stayed three nights and had an amazing time, super cozy by the fire in our shelter and our site was minutes from some amazing trails."

What you should know

Reservation systems vary: Many campgrounds require in-person booking. As noted for Ward Pound Ridge, "The one downside is that you need to book in person but it can be done well in advance if need be."

Wildlife considerations: Raccoons are active in some camping areas. At Croton Point Park, a camper advised, "Keep your food in the dry bag and away from the tent or benches provided or face the packs of fearless raccoons at night."

Limited facilities at primitive sites: Sebago Cabin Camp offers basic accommodations. Sara P. explained, "These cabins are VERY rustic, four walls, a cot, and a fridge. You still feel like you are 'roughing it' but with the convenience of a fridge."

Campground rules: Some parks have strict regulations. Jonathan C. noted about Croton Point Park, "The site was very loud (dance music) until after 11pm. Quiet time at 10pm. Great site for a party, try to stay away from this end of the site or choose a site away from other bookings if you'd like quiet."

Tips for camping with families

Playground access: Some campgrounds offer dedicated play areas. At AMC Harriman Outdoor Center, families can enjoy a variety of activities. Thomas M. shared, "Very clean. They offer a meal plan (Option for breakfast, lunch, dinner) that you can get at their dining hall and I HIGHLY recommend that option."

Programming for kids: Seasonal activities are available at certain locations. Hashim C. mentioned that Sebago cabins "have movie nights they do big bon fire on Saturday very kid friendly ranger Joe is great with the kids."

Swimming options: Supervised swimming areas provide safer recreation. Anil S. noted that Croton Point Park has "a private beach which is opened from Wednesday to the weekend with life guards on duty!"

Transportation considerations: Some campgrounds are accessible without a car. Ilya F. pointed out, "This campsite is accessible by public transportation. There is a shuttle run by the campsite to and from Tuxedo Park Train Station (reservations on shuttle required)."

Tips from RVers

Site selection strategy: At Croton Point Park, RV sites have specific layouts. Lee D. advised, "The FHU sites were back-to-back and although there were trees separating the sites, they were close together."

Noise considerations: Proximity to transportation can affect the camping experience. Andrew A. noted about Croton Point Park, "Only down side is there is a train depot right outside and you can hear them shunting trains all night."

Limited hookup options: Most tent camping areas near Danbury don't accommodate larger RVs. Thomas C. mentioned at Croton Point Park, "Tent site is after the RV site, so use their LX before you get to site if you can. Dumpster and water near sites."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Danbury, CT?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Danbury, CT is Ward Pound Ridge Reservation with a 4.4-star rating from 9 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Danbury, CT?

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