Best Tent Camping near Higganum, CT

Recent Tent Reviews in Higganum

586 Reviews of 17 Higganum Campgrounds

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 10, 2024

  Hopeville Pond State Park Campground

  Small campground in three sections on Hopeville Pond

  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.

• 

  Ricky H.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 5, 2024

  Onion Mountain Park

  Quiet overnight

  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.

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 1, 2024

  Niantic KOA

  Future potential?

  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.

• 

  Prashant M.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 17, 2024

  Indian Island County Park

  Very Busy! Close quarters! Can be loud and neighbors are ignorant of rules

  Stayed at this campground this past weekend and yes it was a long weekend so the campground was packed. All the camping spots are pretty much right next to each one with hardly any space, packed like Sardines. Neighbors are loud and some of them are ignorant of the park rules. Staying on the phones in the middle of the night while talking so loud that all camping neighbors can hear their whole story

  Its a pity that they take a nice park and remove the fun out of camping. 

  However the walk to the beach area was very serene, especially early morning before sunrise and didn't feel like we live in dense suburbia and sunrise from the beach was worth the trip

  Camp site itself was pretty flat, had a water station, bathrooms were well kept , no fire ring (BYOFP)

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 7, 2024

  Burlingame State Park Campground

  HUGE state park

  General: HUGE state park with over 700 sites. It does not fully open for the season until May 1 and when we were there in mid-April, only two sections, Fish Camp and Mills Camp were open. The Ranger station is staffed 24 hours a day, with a ranger on site until 11 pm. You need to show your pass to get inside the gate leading to the campsites. There are no hookups in any site (as far as I could tell). Sites are designated for tents, small trailers, large trailers, and RVs. As with other RI state parks, non-residents pay double the price of residents which kind of ticks me off (I don't mind a nominal upcharge but double is excessive IMO).

  Site Quality: The site numbers throughout the park are painted on rocks but the sites themselves are not very clearly defined. There is no designated camping pad. Our site (114) had a water view but was not level. It was large enough for us to park horizontally and make it work for one night. Some sites had excessive roots and also were not level. Some picnic tables have been replaced with new ones, but others badly need it.

  Bath/Shower house: The one in Fish Camp was adequate and clean. There is hot water, but you need to run it for a while before you get any. There was no garbage receptacle, and the toilet paper is so thin, that you can see through it. Showers are $.75 to get it started for the first three minutes. After that, the amount per minute increases to $1, $1.25, $1.50, and so forth. Machines take up to 22 quarters. There is a change machine at the Ranger Station. I did not use the shower so I cannot comment on how well they work. 

  Activities/Amenities: There is a camp store that offers wood, ice, coffee, basic groceries, propane, and canoe rentals. It was open with limited hours during our stay. Fishing, boating, swimming - all in season. Even though the park was only about 10% occupied, there was a strong Ranger presence. He circled our small loop three times just before check-out time and wanted to make sure we were leaving not a minute past the designated time. 

  This was just an overnight stay for us in a convenient location but there is no way I would stay at the height of the season!

• 

  Matt O.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 25, 2024

  Odetah Camping Resort

  Great place

  We love camping at Odetah. Clean facilities. Great staff. New pool and hot tub. Will definitely come back

• 

  Kathy T.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 23, 2024

  Salt Rock State Campground

  Clean, but dated facilities

  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.

• f

  fallon

  Scout

  

  Sep. 21, 2024

  Sunset View Farms

  Lovely spot in the woods

  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.

• A

  Arno W.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 10, 2024

  Kettletown State Park Campground

  Great location, but not a good experience

  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.

• 

  Accounting-Robert M.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 4, 2024

  Strawberry Park

  Updates

  Updates 

  Note that some of the photos submitted to this site were taken in areas that were NOT IN the Park. Also the Park is NOT under new ownership.

• 

  Cynthia K.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 29, 2024

  Hammonasset State Park Campground

  Connecticut

     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!!

• 

  carol T.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 23, 2024

  Waters Edge Family Campground

  BEWARE WATERS EDGE CAMPGROUNDS THEY WILL KEEP ALL YOUR MONEY

  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

• D

  David P.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 18, 2024

  Stateline Campresort & Cabins

  Clean and easy

  Very clean campground with a big pool and pond to fish at. There always easy to make accommodations and it’s always a good time with the family there

• 

  SomadNomad M.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 17, 2024

  Granville State Forest

  Gotta chance

  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.

• 

  Jeffry D.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 5, 2024

  Quinebaug Cove Campground

  Awesome Campground

  The best activities for children and adults, great amenities, clean restrooms, Awesome pool thanks to ASHTON, Thanks so much.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 5, 2024

  Mystic KOA

  Great campground for coastal CT & RI

  We stayed at Mystic KOA in North Stonington, Connecticut, to be tourists in Mystic. Spoiler alert… we had a great stay! 

  This campground is just 15-minutes from Mystic and about an hour’s drive to Newport, Rhode Island. It’s just a few minutes from I-95 and so close to Mystic Aquarium, downtown Mystic, Mystic Seaport, and all the local spots. 

  It’s a well-maintained campground with 2 pools(though the larger one was closed for maintenance during our stay), lots of play areas and daily activities for little ones, and a cool“pub truck” for adult drinks. Our site(#408) was about 85’ long with plenty of room for our 45’ motorhome and toad(and then some!). It was level and gravel with a nice fire ring and picnic table. The hookups worked fine with 50-amp electric and decent water pressure. Cable TV had nearly 50-channels, but the wi-fi didn’t quite reach our part of the park. 

  Due to a family issue, we needed to leave about a day-and-a-half early. We called the office as a courtesy to let them know as we were pulling out and received a partial credit for a night’s stay on our credit card. Didn’t even ask, they just did it. Thanks Mystic KOA! 

  We’ll definitely be back. This is a great place to stay when visiting the coastal Connecticut/Rhode Island area.

• 

  Sara R.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 4, 2024

  Windmill Hill - Connecticut White Memorial Campground

  Quiet woods

  I booked site 5 for the week. Great experience! Quiet woods atmosphere with trail’s. Wonderful place to camp. Very clean

• 

  ml Z.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 1, 2024

  East Beach State Campground

  q

  ee

• 

  G Y.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 29, 2024

  Lake Waramaug State Park Campground

  Quiet Rustic Camping

  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.

• K

  Kristi J.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 29, 2024

  Burlingame State Park Campground

  Pros outweigh the cons

  Stayed for a week mid-July; during the week had almost an entire loop to ourselves which was wonderful - it felt like having the entire park to ourselves. Things picked up on Friday/Saturday but overall we lucked out with no neighbors who were disrespectful of the quiet hours (10p - 7a). Bathrooms, dumpsters, and portapotties are plentiful, but not always well maintained. Staff are seen frequently throughout the park and are very willing to be helpful when asked - our site had a few Yellowjacket nests and they took care of them for us almost immediately when asked. It’s worth investigating the various sites ahead of time - there are a number of sections much more likely to be busy than others, and lots of low-lying sites that show signs of easily being washed out in anything more than a moderate rain. With multiple great east coast beaches minutes away (as well as conveniences like fuel/stores) we will definitely be back.

• L

  Lauren H.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 23, 2024

  Peppertree Camping

  Amazing stay

  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.

• 

  Laura D.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 10, 2024

  Brialee Family Campground

  Best Camping Experience

  This was our families first time staying at Brialee Campground.  The cabin was absolutely beautiful and clean.  The staff were friendly and helpful. The activities were great and kept my grand children busy.  Swimming and the lake were fun.  I cannot say enough wonderful things.  We had such a great time I booked my reservations for Next July 2025 before I left.

  A special thank you to Sherri for the personal tour and showing us the ropes!  She is the best.

  The D'Avanzo Family

• R

  Robert M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 10, 2024

  Strawberry Park

  Large campground with 3 pools, many amenities and scheduled activities

  Large campground with 3 pools, many amenities and scheduled activities

• 

  Eddy B.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 8, 2024

  Whispering Pines Campground

  Fun for the family

  Great privately owned family campground. The pool, splash pad, live music and activities for the kids were great!

  AT&T service had only one bar. Couldn’t stream but worked for calls and texts. Campground WiFi was strong but as expected struggled to keep up on this busy 4th of July.

• 

  Beth R.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 5, 2024

  Mystic KOA

  Nice amenities

  Pros: 15 minutes from Mystic CT 50 AMP, sewer & water hookup Nice amenities

  Cons: Gravel site No shade Tight site & hard to get in/out for big rig

• M

  Michael

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 1, 2024

  Charlie Brown Campground

  Riverside Delight!

  This was our first time visiting and my entire family enjoyed themselves so  much, that we've already reserved a site for a few weeks from now. Arts and crafts, tractor rides, and of course the tubing down the river. Lots of built in entertainment for the kids! The grounds were clean, the playground was nice, and the people were all friendly.  We did a late checkout for $5 extra, but the noon checkout and two dump stations would make leaving on time a non-issue as well. 

  Of note: We camped with friends, who were given a spot next to a large group of people (weekend prior to 4th of July is to be expected). The group were very polite and abided by quiet hours, but they were having fun and a bit loud for my buddy's 2 month of baby. They requested to move sites, and the management was super accommodating and apologetic. Helped him move his site and threw in some firewood for the troubles.

• 

  Jason L.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 27, 2024

  West Thompson Lake Campground

  Pleasantly surprised

  We had an excellent experience at this camp ground. The Staff and Rangers were polite and welcoming. We were able to see some boat races and played a round of disc golf on property. Once the boat races finished each day the camp was very quiet and peaceful. Had a great weekend