Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Derby, CT

The actual beach isn't too nice; not soft sand, broken shells, and cigarettes. However, the campgrounds have nice facilities like a shop, good showers, a playground, and volleyball courts. Be noted PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED in the summer. We were not aware of this.

This is a nice family friendly campground that makes for easy trips. There are a variety of sites available, from open field sites to more wooded and private areas. The campground also has a lake for swimming,trails for hiking, and some nice quiet areas for fishing. Well maintained bathrooms, with available showers, are also spread throughout the grounds. Not pet friendly unfortunately.

   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!!

While the Farm at Carter Hill offers a truly unique experience, it's important to note that this is a boondocking campsite. There are no electric or water hookups available for RVs. This might not be a concern for those well-prepared for self-sufficiency, but it's worth planning ahead to ensure you have enough power and water for your stay. The campsite is set up for easy in and out, making it a great option for RVers looking for a convenient overnight stop.

The farm boasts a prime location, just minutes away from the bustling junction of Interstate 91 and 84. Travelers seeking a quick and easy layover, this campsite proves to be a gem. The proximity to major highways makes it incredibly convenient to reach, whether you're passing through the area or looking for a unique spot to spend the night.

What sets the Farm at Carter Hill apart is the immersive farm experience it offers. My kids interacted with farm goats, ducks, and chickens, the farm provides an opportunity for a hands-on encounter. Feeding and petting the animals was a highlight, and our kids were absolutely enthralled by the experience. 

The night we stayed, the farm played host to several live blues bands, creating a lively and entertaining atmosphere. Food and drinks were also available and ensured that we had everything we needed for an enjoyable evening. It's worth checking ahead to see if any events are scheduled during your stay.

This park is about 6 minutes away from our home. It's a small park. It's great if you have little ones. Dogs are welcome.There's a large dog run so the fur babies will have a great time too. Staff is super nice. Bathrooms are just okay. Sites are close and very buggy but "tis the season". We didn't explore the trails but heard they were good.

Camp on grass! Lovely trees. Everyone is nice. Hiking trails are beautiful. Dog friendly. Clean bathrooms

This date run campground is grey for a few reasons, the biggest being : the beach! We enjoy the good size, clean, grassy campsites and the open space. The kids can ride their bikes all over the park safely and the bathrooms are clean. Only down fall- sometimes there are loud late nights, and dogs are not allowed. We love this beach and look forward to our stay every year

So it's about a mile to three miles to the closest campsites on the western side. Very secluded, and peaceful weekend by the water. Make sure to get a reservation if you're going in between march 15 and labor day. The only disappointments were that there are no campfires allowed and no dogs, but it's very understandable why. The park and is protected which is the only reason it has stayed beautiful all this time, so let's not stop now!

Hawes is one of the few campgrounds in CT that's dog friendly. The sites are nice and large, with room for trailers, and they also have a few cabin sites as well.

There is access to the Farmington River from the campground for your fishing and paddling pleasure.

In the summer, this place is mosquito central, so bring lots of bug spray or be eaten alive!

The camp office only sells ice and firewood, but there's a Stop and Shop nearby, as well as a couple of general stores.

Last but not least - no cellphone service, which is either a good or bad thing, depending on how you feel about it.

This place is off Route 9 in Connecticut on the east side of the Connecticut River (major RT 9 highway is on west side). You need to cross the river via bridge to Goodspeed Opera house and past to get to the RV campground. Nearby attractions are Gillette Castle and Goodspeed Opera. The campground itself is realy nice. Cable TV at most sites. Only electric 30 or 50A, and water; but there are a few dumpstations around in the camp. Very peaceful. There are activities on Friday and Saturday (like Bingo). Great store with extended hours. The camp staff will help you with anything. Really long or tall RV will need to stay close to the front of the campground, as typical older campground is not designed for 40 foot long or 10 foot high campers.

We purposefully chose a drive in spot close to home to try out our dogs in a tent for the first time. The site was lovely with a nice sized fire pit and grill. It was hidden back so gave us some privacy from the neighbors. We were only there one night and it’s not probably somewhere I’d stay more than that. The dense woods made for mosquito heaven. The biggest issue is we had incredibly noisy neighbors and despite the fact there are “quiet hours” we didn’t have a single park ranger or official enforce them. These people were yelling, screaming, blasting music until nearly 3am. There was no way to contact anyone either as the numbers provided were to the offices that were closed.

My wife, 14 month old, two dogs and I did an overnight trip on site 77n on a Wednesday evening. We had a very nice time. The site was mostly clean other than small camping detritus. We had a good amount of space between us and the other sites and we had no disturbances other than our son wanting to play all night.

The site had one picnic table, a stand up coal grill, and a fire ring with drop down grill. There were a good number of dumpsters around the camping park and a bathroom building with a shower stall in the respective rooms and a hot water sink on the outside.

My only complaint is that the check in time is on the late side (5pm) and the check out was a bit early (10am).

With Covid/social distancing requirements, many sites are closed so it’s extra quiet and spread out. I stayed at site 6 with my seven year-old daughter from Tue-Thur. Site was close to bathroom but secluded enough to feel safe. It wasn’t wooded so almost no shade during day. Sites 7, 8, and 9 next to us were closed for social distancing. Camp grounds were clean and well maintained. Friendly staff. Dog friendly. Not much to do with kids besides beach during day.

Beach is across the street from camp grounds....2 min drive. Very nice complex with new concession stand and bathrooms. Got very crowded after 10a and water is murky in certain areas, not much space to spread out and swim. Didn’t feel comfortable in water with so many people at times but we went during heat wave so that most likely played a part.

Beautiful Connecticut beach sits just steps away from your campsite. Well kept showers and bathrooms are abundant and the camp store has the majority of what you need. You can ride your bike from your site to the playground, store, beach, local ice cream shop, coffee shop, or our family favorite, meig’s point nature center. We make it a point to spend at least a week here every summer!

I have gone to lone oak campsites for 32 years. We have gone as a family since I was a fetus. Tons of kids activities to keep the little ones busy and great hikes around! Tons of waterfalls in the area and the highest point in Connecticut. Stars can be seen well and tons of kind and friendly campers.