Searching for the best camping near Portland, CT? There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Connecticut camping has to offer. Find the best campgrounds near Portland, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.
$20 - $70 / night
"Running water and full bathrooms. Also close local shopping and restaurants. Campground is extremely reasonably priced."
"_Hammonasset Beach State Park Campground is huge, family-friendly, and has direct beach access from the campground."
"Restrooms are clean and spacious. Showers are great. Whoever planned this campground is/was a camper. They have cabins, teepee and tent sites."
"As I am set up for bed I see one other large green tent that looks deserted."
"This place is off Route 9 in Connecticut on the east side of the Connecticut River (major RT 9 highway is on west side)."
"Mini golf, pool, tennis, basketball, volleyball, lots of playgrounds for the kids. Family oriented park. Bingo, board games, and other activities available. Honey wagon available. Grey dump at site."
$45 - $100 / night
"Most amazing weekend with tons of woods (privacy is huge for us). Very friendly guests and staff! Amazing weekend with lots of fun for the kids and even the dogs!"
"We weren’t sure what to expect- we picked this campsite last minute because of the location."
"The lake is perfect, the river needs work. But this an awesome small campground. The kids who work here are so friendly and the playground is nice."
"Decent location, not overrun with seasonal campers. We stayed for 3 nights, kids loved the area and playground. Wi-Fi was not so great unless we paid $6 a day for premium access."
$30 - $70 / night
"Not much privacy but very spaced out"
"My first glamping experience was a winner! Machimoodus is one of the newest outposts just outside Boston and NYC."
"every campsite has its own fire pit with a grill attachment and a picnic table. my site was tent only and you couldn’t pull your car up to the site so unloading and loading was a hassle. beach is a short"
"Park staff were very friendly and helpful. Stayed on an inner loop site at Heron and found it very difficult to back in my small trailer due to the alignment of the sites and other vehicles."
"Tucked away in the woods I never knew this was there! Beautiful pond and a good mix of seasonal and overnight sites as well as cabins. Plenty of areas to walk our dogs and have them swim."
"The lake is great!! The pool area is a little small, but the attraction is the lake. The splash area at the pool is great for little kids."
$74 - $80 / night
"Pet friendly with plenty of area to walk. Close to I-95 and 15 minutes from the beach. fishing areas for the kids. Spots are well organized and no issues with hookups."
"Pull through sites also have lots of space between them so you don't feel like you are on top of the neighbors."
LegendI've never camped in Rhode Island, so I was curious to see what a state park campground had to offer. Rates are reasonable for state residents, but quite high if you are out-of-state, given the amenities. There are no hookups, but dump stations are available. Bathrooms have flush toilets and coin-operated showers. There's a small beach at the pond, a boat ramp, and proximity to wildlife refuges and the ocean. It's a HUGE campground, with 700 sites and 20 cabins. Canoes are available to rent.
There's a nice playground, a camp store, and a naturalists cabin. Trails are available for hiking and biking. The beach is sandy and there's a small parking lot there, but I suspect most people walk to it. No alcohol allowed.
I didn't see more than a handful of level sites, with varying degrees of slope, but many are quite large. If you have an RV, plan to level; if you have a tent, be sure to bring good mattresses to protect you from the roots and rocks and orient your head to the uphill side. Most of the sites have some degree of visual separation from their neighbors, but there are places where it's hard to tell where one site ends and the next one starts. Site have fire rings and picnic tables, but if you plan to cook over the fire, bring your own grate or plan to use sticks and/or aluminum foil.
If you don't have a tent, consider reserving one of their rustic cabins. These offer two sets of bunks (no mattresses) and a small porch with a picnic table and fire ring outside. Some are located along the pond.
3-4 bar cell phone coverage. No road traffic. East Beach is nearby, but parking fills early.
ScoutThis 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.
RangerDidn’t quite feel like camping, but it was still a lovely weekend away at the Mystic KOA. We decided to head down to check out the aquarium and stayed at a deluxe cabin. It was cute and clean and furnished with linens, cookware, utensils, kitchen essentials, keurig coffee maker/pods, and full-sized fridge. Only complaint was an odd, musty smell we couldn’t quite figure out.
The grounds are large with vast amounts of space. Be forewarned that it’s right off of 95, and the sound definitely carries. Trees are sparse in areas, but the sunsets were a nice trade off. Amenities seemed nice from what we could tell - cool outdoor movie screen, pools and playground, though we certainly didn’t get to enjoy these things in February.
ScoutThis campground has great sites with great beach access. Running water and full bathrooms. Also close local shopping and restaurants. Campground is extremely reasonably priced. You have to book early as this Campground books extremely quickly during peak season.
RangerGetaway is fabulous! My first glamping experience was a winner! Machimoodus is one of the newest outposts just outside Boston and NYC. My bf and I went during one of the snowiest weekends all winter, but it was completely worth it!
First of all, the huge picture window in the cabin is AMAZING. It is just so rejuvenating waking up to freshly fallen snow on the trees - corny I know, but 100% accurate. The cabin was beautiful and rustic, and outfitted with cookware, dishes, a Bluetooth capable radio, essentials like coffee for purchase, books and a shovel for the snow.
Since the outpost was new, the fire pit was brand new, and despite the snow, we were able to cook on it. Very easy to use.
Only critiques would be the lackluster water pressure in the shower and how icy the walkway leading up from the driveway got in the cold weather. The water pressure was a small price to pay, however, and the icy walkway is resolved easily enough wearing micro-spikes.
I can’t recommend enough. It can be a pricy excursion, but the outposts are established in very beautiful settings. I cannot wait to check out more!
GuidePros: Helpful staff, morning garbage pickup, excellent laundry facility, plenty of activities and amenities for children. Cons: Wasps!! Wasps everywhere!! We did our best to keep them at bay by lighting some sage but they were persistent. Not much privacy back in the tent/cabin areas, camp sites very close together and people have the ability to stare right into your site.
GuideWe stayed at site 85 in Sunny Crest and liked having some privacy. The sites nearby had some trees providing space between each site. A lot of the sites we drove by were pretty sloped- I would recommend a drive though if you can beforehand.
The picnic table was chained down so there weren’t many options to set up having the fire pit and picnic table where they were.
Hiking trails were nice, good variety of easier and more difficult terrain.
RangerI’ve lived in CT all my life but never used the Rocky Neck State Park Campground until now.
The campgrounds are named after water fowl: Crane, Egret, Osprey, Heron etc...We stayed in Egret. We camped at site #4 (sunny) then moved to #38 (shady).
Both spots were quiet, music low and people minded their business. Equal mix of RVs big and small as well as many tents.
Bathhouses and toilets were not as cleaned as I would have liked but passable. Coronavirus social distancing required.
Sites include one paved parking spot (ours was very muddy) a fire pit and a picnic table. No water or electric hookup. Wi-fi not available at this campground. Fire wood is sold at camp office. There is no store in park - no ice either.
A lot of you children. Short walk to Rock Neck beach. Nature Center has movies on weekends for kids.
Anyone with kayaks can’t easily get to boat launch. It’s 4-5 miles by car at 4 mile river boat launch. See photos.
TravelerClean, family friendly campground. Pet friendly with plenty of area to walk. Close to I-95 and 15 minutes from the beach. fishing areas for the kids. Spots are well organized and no issues with hookups. Propane is available at the store.
Cabin camping near Portland, Connecticut offers a unique blend of nature and comfort, perfect for families and outdoor enthusiasts alike.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Portland, CT is Hammonasset State Park Campground with a 3.8-star rating from 39 reviews.
TheDyrt.com has all 51 cabin camping locations near Portland, CT, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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