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Tent Camping near Salisbury, CT

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    Tent camping opportunities near Salisbury, Connecticut center around the Appalachian Trail corridor and nearby state forests, offering primarily hike-in backcountry experiences. Brassie Brook Shelter and Riga Lean-To provide designated tent sites along the Appalachian Trail, while Mount Washington State Forest's Alander Trail Campground offers primitive tent camping within Massachusetts state land just north of Salisbury.

    Access to most tent sites requires significant hiking with equipment. Brassie Brook and Riga shelters can be reached via the Undermountain Trailhead off Route 41, with a challenging uphill hike involving steep inclines and rocky terrain. Primitive tent sites typically feature minimal cleared areas for tents, established fire rings where permitted, and occasional picnic tables. Most locations provide pit toilets, but drinking water is rarely available. Bear boxes are provided at several backcountry tent sites including Alander Trail Campground, where a review noted that "each site offers quite a bit of privacy" after the 1.5-2 mile hike in.

    Walk-in tent camping locations provide a more secluded experience compared to drive-in options found farther from Salisbury. The tent platforms at Laurel Ridge in Mount Everett State Reservation require hiking but reward campers with scenic views. Sites generally lack amenities beyond the essentials - a fire pit, flat tent space, and occasionally a picnic table. Most backcountry tent sites remain uncrowded due to their remote access. One camper described Alander Trail Campground as "super private, true primitive camping experience" where sites are "completely free and usually not too busy since most people don't like having to carry all their stuff in that far." Wildlife encounters are possible, with bears and coyotes occasionally reported near tent camping areas.

    Best Tent Campgrounds near Salisbury (30)

      1. Brassie Brook Shelter - Bear Mountain — Appalachian National Scenic Trail

      5.0(2)4mi from SalisburyTents

      "We started our hike at the under-mountain trailhead, located right off route 41, and climbed up the mountain. Be prepared for steep inclines, and lots of rocks."

      "The lean-to fit our small tens, and there is a picnic table. There's also a bear box near by. Room to camp your tent on the ground too if you wanted to or had more ppl along."

      2. Alander Trail Camground — Mount Washington State Forest

      4.3(3)7mi from SalisburyTents

      "Absolutely love this spot and highly recommend if you’re looking for a super private, true primitive camping experience."

      "Each spot is easy to find off the trail. They also have bear boxes at each site!"

      3. Laurel Ridge — Mount Everett State Reservation

      4.5(2)5mi from SalisburyTents

      "We actually started this hike in by Race Brook Falls area, and ended it where the GPS coordinates are noted. See the map in my photos marked with yellow lines."

      "We packed on our backpacks early in the morning and arrived there mid-afternoon. Very beautiful view, and an awesome spot! No fires allowed, however."

      4. Riga Lean-To

      5.0(1)3mi from SalisburyTents

      "We absolutely loved this little lean-to next to Bear Mountain. I'll make this review short, as we also stayed at the Brassie Brook lean-to which is located only about a mile apart from each other."

      5. Jug End Dispersed — Appalachian National Scenic Trail

      4.5(2)11mi from SalisburyTents

      "Between Sage's Ravine and Jug End Road there are five backcountry campsites on the Appalachian Trail."

      "Trash cans, but carry out is preferable."

      6. Rustic Lean-To

      5.0(1)18mi from Salisbury1 siteTents

      "We're happy to have this property on our platform. This site feature a fire-pit, wooded platform and picnic table. Check them out and leave them some love."

      from $43 - $45 / night

      Check Availability

      7. Windmill Hill - Connecticut White Memorial Campground

      5.0(1)20mi from SalisburyTents

      "Quiet woods atmosphere with trail’s. Wonderful place to camp. Very clean"

      from $25 / night

      Check Availability

      8. Ten Mile River Shelter — Appalachian National Scenic Trail

      4.0(1)22mi from SalisburyTents

      "Sure, anyone can camp there, but it is designated for folks hiking the A.T., whether thru-hikers, section hikers, or whatever."

      9. Onion Mountain Park

      4.5(4)30mi from SalisburyTents

      "We arrived at the parking lot of Onion Mountain Park at around 2 pm and proceeded to get our bags packed for the hike."

      "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."

      10. Chester Railway Station

      5.0(1)31mi from SalisburyTents, Cabins

      "The caboose is stationed on a big grassy field, near a real railroad. It sleeps 4 and you can set up tents outside too.  You hear the trains running at night. Very clean and comfortable."

      from $50 - $100 / night

      Check Availability

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    Tent Camping Reviews near Salisbury, CT

    678 Reviews of 30 Salisbury Campgrounds

    • Nancy W.The Dyrt Pro User
      Oct. 28, 2026

      Lake Compounce Campground

      Amusement Park Camping

      This campground is associated with a large amusement park. We were there in the fall when the amusement park was closed so the campground was not very busy but image it would have a very crowded feel if you were there during the summer. The RV sites are buddy sites which is never our favorite set-up (unless we are traveling with friends). Luckily, there was no one in the site next to us during our stay. The campground is big rig-friendly with roads and sites wide and long enough to accommodate any size RV; however, the road and roundabout you encounter when entering the campground is tight. There was very little traffic when we entered so navigating the entrance booth and roundabout was doable. The RV slots you pull into to check in at registration are far too short to accommodate large RVs with their tow vehicles and we ended up taking up four spaces. The tent sites are set away from the cabins and RV sites. Some are nicely tucked up against the tree line while others are in a grassy area and others are sandy nestled under some scrubby pine trees. One of the problems with the location of the tent sites is that they are far away from the bathrooms. Garbage cans are scattered throughout the campground so you don’t have to walk very far to dump your trash. There is no sewer but the electric (50-amp) worked well. There is cable but the channels were not HD so we switched to our over-the-air antenna and got great HD reception with about 60 channels. There is wifi but we could not get it at our site so we just used our Verizon hotspot (which had great reception). The water pressure is very high so we dialed our regulator back to around 45.  Roads and sites are gravel. All the sites are level and have a picnic table and fire pit.  We noticed that some of the fire pits needed to be cleaned out because rude campers littered them with water bottles, cans, and other garbage in the fire pits. One of the downsides is the noise from local recycling/transfer station. There is a dump station set to the side as you enter/exit. It was a little tight for us getting our 45’ RV in there but it was doable. There is only one sewer dump so we can image that it can be pretty backed up on Sundays when everybody checks out.

    • WThe Dyrt Pro User
      Oct. 28, 2026

      Schodack Island State Park Campground

      Camp is pretty close together but most spots have a thick tree line between them which is nice. You still get a bit of road noise off the bridge and surrounding areas but it’s not to bad and the views at the boat launch on the Hudson are gorgeous

    • Kai F.
      Oct. 27, 2026

      White Pines Campsites

      Did Some Fishing

      After a busy few weeks, this was exactly the break we needed. The kids went swimming, we did some fishing, and everyone came home tired in a good way lol.

    • T
      Oct. 23, 2026

      White Pines Campsites

      Bunch Of Extra Trips

      White Pines made a really good home base for our trip. We spent most of the days checking out different spots around northwest Connecticut and came back here in the evenings. Made dinner outside, had a fire, and just relaxed. The campground itself had everything we needed without having to make a bunch of extra trips into town.

    • H
      Oct. 21, 2026

      White Pines Campsites

      Some Actual Downtime

      We brought our camper up for the weekend and the kids immediately wanted to go to the pool.😂 They also loved the fishing pond and exploring around the campground. There was plenty to keep them busy while we got some actual downtime.

    • E
      Oct. 17, 2026

      White Pines Campsites

      Rest Of The Day

      One thing I really liked was having wifi when we needed it. Nice to be able to check in on work and then put the phone away and enjoy the rest of the day.

    • D
      Oct. 15, 2026

      White Pines Campsites

      Perfect Camping Day

      Nice campground with a good mix of activities. We went fishing one morning, spent the afternoon at the pool and had a fire that night. Pretty much a perfect camping day.

    • WThe Dyrt Pro User
      Oct. 15, 2026

      Mills Norrie State Park Campground

      Car camped

      Made a reservation (site44) since I arrived as the sun had set. Office registration was open until 8. Staff was neither friendly nor unfriendly. Bathroom was dated but fine and a short walk from my site. CG was emptier being a Tuesday night in mid-October, so was plenty of space.

      Great trail following the Hudson River. Beautiful fall colors.

    • Jeremy A.
      Oct. 14, 2026

      Allaben Campground

      Great free spot close to Belleayre Mountain

      I stayed here in March 2026 for a night before going snowboarding at Belleayre Mountain. It was in the middle of a snowstorm on a Tuesday night, so I had the whole place to myself, which was nice.

    Guide to Salisbury

    Salisbury, Connecticut offers primitive camping opportunities in the Berkshire foothills where elevations range from 700-2,000 feet. The area features deciduous forest terrain with moderate temperature fluctuations between seasons. Trail-accessible campsites in this region typically require preparation for changeable weather conditions, especially in spring and fall when temperature swings of 30°F between day and night aren't uncommon.

    What to do

    Hiking to Bear Mountain summit: Access the highest peak in Connecticut via the Undermountain Trail from Route 41. "We started our hike at the under-mountain trailhead, located right off route 41, and climbed up the mountain. Be prepared for steep inclines, and lots of rocks," shares a camper who stayed at Brassie Brook Shelter - Bear Mountain. The trail intersections are clearly marked with connections to the Appalachian Trail.

    Overnight backpacking circuits: Create multi-day hiking loops connecting shelters. "We started this hike in by Race Brook Falls area, and ended it where the GPS coordinates are noted. Basically left a car where we were ending the hike, and took another car with everyone crammed in to the Race Brook Falls parking lot," explains a visitor to Laurel Ridge. The elevation changes make for challenging but rewarding journeys.

    Rock climbing excursions: The Shawangunk Ridge (the "Gunks") offers world-class climbing opportunities a short drive away. As one climber notes about Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground, "This is the closest campground to world renowned rock climbing in 'the gunks'... People travel from all over the world to rock climb here." Guide services are available in nearby New Paltz for beginners.

    What campers like

    Secluded lean-to shelters: The AT shelters provide simple but practical accommodations. "Brassie Brook has a small lean-to as well as about 4/5 campsites located all around. Firepits, toilets but that's about it. Leave NO Trace!" explains a camper who stayed at Brassie Brook Shelter. These rustic structures offer reliable protection from weather.

    Pristine backcountry sites: Many dispersed sites maintain exceptional cleanliness standards. A camper at Alander Trail Camground reports, "Although we were the only campers at the time the area was emmaculate and not one piece of trash on the ground anywhere! The outhouse was even clean!" Sites often include bear boxes for safe food storage.

    Communal camping atmosphere: Some campgrounds foster social interaction through shared facilities. "All of this happens, its just a little earlier in the night! Most go to sleep relatively early with a full day of climbing ahead of them," notes a Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground visitor about the climber-focused community. The campground features a communal fire pit instead of individual ones.

    What you should know

    Bear safety precautions: Black bears inhabit the region, requiring proper food storage. "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," explains a camper who stayed at Alander Trail Camground. Most backcountry sites provide bear boxes.

    Frequently Asked Questions

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

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Salisbury, CT is Brassie Brook Shelter - Bear Mountain — Appalachian National Scenic Trail with a 5-star rating from 2 reviews.

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

    TheDyrt.com has all 30 tent camping locations near Salisbury, CT, with real photos and reviews from campers.