Best Glamping near Sherman, CT

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.

Mountain Lakes park is a great place to camp within driving distance from NYC. A fun option available at Mountain lakes is to rent a yurt to camp in. 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 which is always a huge plus in my mind. When we were there it was right after a rain storm and everything was a bit muddy and slippery. We will definitely be planning a trip back to Mountain Lakes when the weather gets nicer though!

We stayed here out of necessity due to power outage in NW Connecticut for a week. This was the closest location with WiFi and electric that allowed us to work. After we arrived saw on website that health department had sited them for covid violations. I see why. When we arrived there were sign ups for basketball, tennis, and other activities. There was a corn hole and cancer fundraiser competition going on with several hundred campers interacting and no masks in site. The only place I saw any kind of following guidelines was in the office area. Our site was more like camping in a Walmart parking lot with hookups. Golf carts everywhere. A concert and bonfire took place on Saturday night, but did shut down by 11 pm. Not a place we will ever go back to.

I happened upon Lone Oaks Camp Site when looking for someplace to stay in north eastern Connecticut. Leery of just reserving at a larger campground, we were pleasantly surprised especially since there was a 50% special so we got 2 nights for the price of one. We arrived with 2 children under the age of 5 and pulled in. The facility was very clean and neat. Upon getting our site (#14) we were shocked at the size of it. We could have fit 3 campers in it and were a good distance from the neighboring sites (there are some places that you are packed in like sardines, not this one). There were 2 good size pools, one for older individuals and one for children. There was also a whirlpool. Although there was no lifeguard, there was a pool attendant that kept the area clean and neat. The playground was clean and had many different pieces of play equipment. The camp store was fully equipped and had a variety of foods including soft serve ice cream. My 5 year old grandson loves to fish and was thrilled when he pulled in a 5 inch fish from their fishing pond. There were many organized activities for both young and old and the staff were very friendly. They have rentals at a reasonable cost along with cart rentals. There were hiking trails and it was close to Action Wildlife in Goshen. For Adults it had adult beverages sold in their lounge on the weekends and felt much more secure to see they had overnight security.. I was really impressed. Many times this late in the season campgrounds are a bit ragged. Not this one. My hats off to the owners and staff for keeping it clean, neat and welcoming.

One of my favorite so far , went with family , to comply w covid and social distancing, the camp only rent your site and no one on your left or right or across ! Amazing ! If you like lakes and water sports , make sure you target this place . Great for kayaking, canoeing, water skiing and more ! People were fishing and swimming. You can’t tie any thing to trees , so no hammock tied to trees :( , bathrooms were clean , only 2 showers at the camp so you gotta wait your turn.scenery is breathtaking , mesmerizing and you forget yourself looking at the nature ! Have a great camping .

1. Plan on bringing your own food and cooking. It is a 10 mile drive that takes about a half an hour to complete to get any take-out.

2. The Snack Shack is only open on weekends and its future is in doubt as this year's owners said they don't plan to renew contract. Cash only at present.

3. If you have your own paddleboard or canoe or kayak, this would be a good place to use them. If you don't there are very expensive rentals available on site.

4. Ice is $2 a bag and firewood $5 a bundle. Cash only. Good quality.

5. The camp office is only staffed until 5 pm!

6. There is a really great (but very short .65 miles) hiking trail behind the campground and a cool big rock to climb on near the bathrooms further away from the office and a field that would be good for flying kites, model airplanes or drones behind the state park parking lot.

7. It is possible to get a phone signal up at the "lookout" of the hike.

8. Monday apparently is trash day in the area for all the homes around the lake. They start collecting very early and the sound really carries over the lake.

9. Bring scooters or bikes for little kids to use within the camp.

10. There is a lot of good hiking that can be done within a 20 min-1/2 hour 8-12 mile drive. A good one would be the Steep Rock Association's Macricostas Preserve, where you can hike up and see the sun set over the lake.

11. The swimming area is an absolute joke, unless you are 18 months old, and then its probably perfect. (Extremely small, extremely shallow, and some sand to dig in.)

12. You will not feel like you are getting out in nature. The lake area is very built up and all private, except for the nice promenade area of the state park campground, which is not at all rustic, but good for drinking coffee or reading by the lake.

13. Every campsite has deep drainage ditches,  likely roots, and stumps as well, but not too much pine in the immediate vicinity to make a mess of your gear.

14. The roads around the campground are very narrow with a lot of blind curves. Be careful and aware when driving, and I think cyclists are taking a gamble.

15. Fair number of motorcyclists on a sunny Sunday afternoon, but they seemed fairly quiet and aware, so weren't bothersome.

16. A car alarm at a nearby house went off, and didn't turn off until the battery died.

It was not at all what we expected, but we tried to make the best of it. We were disappointed. I don't even know why anyone would go to the regular state park at all. CT has much nicer ones with more to do.

Pros:

Sites are HUGE.

Bathrooms, water, showers are close by.

You will almost always have a view of the water.

There is easy access to the swimming area.

The general area is rural and pretty.

Great brewery nearby.

Good spot for a week-day group to stay.

Cons:

There is ONLY swimming and biking on a somewhat busy road, no playground.

The campground store is likely not going to be open so bring everything you need.

The staff are kind of a pain in the butt.

There are lots of skunks and squirrels that will get into EVERYTHING even in a bin.

Wouldn't even TRY to stay here on a weekend unless you like seeing/hearing your neighbors' every move as there is zero privacy.