Best Tent Camping near Stafford Springs, CT
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Best Tent Sites Near Stafford Springs, CT (18)
1. Hammonasset State Park Campground
Clinton, Connecticut38 Reviews•71 Photos•288 SavesHammonasset Beach State Park is the largest of Connecticut’s shoreline parks. Two-mile beach, facilities for swimming, camping (third weekend in May to Columbus Day), picnicking, saltwater fishing, scuba diving, hiking and boating; concessions. Nature center and interpretive programs. Bicycle rentals available through Labor Day, rates begin at $10 per hour and range up to $75 per week, with discounts for children. Helmets provided free to use and are mandatory for riders 15 and younger. Note: Lifeguards on duty on Wednesday through Sunday. Pricing: Weekdays: free for CT vehicles; $15/out-of-state $7 after 4:00 pm. Weekends and holidays: free for CT vehicles; $22/out-of-state $7 after 4:00 pm William F. Miller Campground. 558 open sites. Concession, dumping station, bathrooms, showers. Saltwater swimming and fishing. Individual fireplaces not provided. No pets.
- Pets
- Electric Hookups
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- Tents
- Trash
$20 - $45 / night
2. Onion Mountain Park
West Simsbury, Connecticut3 Reviews•9 Photos•146 SavesThis town-owned park consists of 190 acres of wooded, rocky mountainside. Trails here are relatively easy on the flat but significantly more difficult on the hillside. The ground can be very wet after rains. Onion Mountain Park is accessed on the west side of West Mountain Rd. just south of Shingle Mill Rd. Visitors will find a good size parking lot.
- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Tents
- Alcohol
5. Tully Lake Recreation Area (MA) — Tully Lake
Royalston, Massachusetts9 Reviews•90 Photos•3 SavesOverview
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers invites you to come relax at Tully Lake. There are a variety of outdoor recreation activities for you and you family. Although the dam was built primarily to reduce flood damages on the Millers and Connecticut Rivers, the 1,300-acre reservoir area provides a place for you to get away from it all and connect with nature.
Recreation
Tully Lake offers many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Activities in and around the lake include mountain biking, camping, disc golf, hiking, picnicking, boating, and fishing and hunting in the appropriate seasons.
Facilities
The Tully Lake Pavilion is located in the recreation area and offers picnic tables and grills. Maximum group size is 50 people with parking for 25 passenger vehicles at the upper gravel lot. The recreation area has a small playground for young children, volleyball court, and a horseshoe pit. Bathrooms are provided, but there is no running water.
Natural Features
The 1,262-acre Tully Lake property is managed to sustain a healthy ecosystem for future generations. The thriving biodiversity of the Tully River Valley and the interconnections of our forests, wetlands, waters, and wildlife are valued and managed for the long term. Tully Lake is home to a wide variety of wildlife, from tiny insects and song birds, to large mammals such as deer and moose. Fifty-five percent of the reservoir area is wetlands, providing habitat for fish, waterfowl, song birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals such as beaver, mink and otter. The rest of the property provides habitat for upland species such as deer, coyote, fisher, owl, fox, raccoon, skunk, porcupine, rabbit, and squirrel. The forest within Tully Dam's reservoir area is composed primarily of white pine, providing habitat for owls and woodpeckers, red-tailed hawks, and white-tailed deer.
Nearby Attractions
When visiting Tully Lake there are several opportunities for visitors to explore in the surrounding area. At the north end of the lake there is a tent only campground run by the Trustees of the Reservations which provides a perfect launching point to enjoy the outdoor attractions nearby. Ten miles away is the Birch Hill Dam, another Army Corps project that provides miles of trails and river to explore. The Quabbin Reservoir is also within a short ten mile drive of Tully Lake and serves the city of Boston as its water supply. The Quabbin is a unique area; there were four towns flooded to create it, and it has some of the most interesting blends of human and natural history in the region.
Charges & Cancellations
Please review the cancellation and refund policy at the bottom of the webpage. In general, we will require at least two weeks prior to your reservation to consider a request.
- Pets
- Fires
- Reservable
- Tents
- Group
- Trash
$40 / night
6. Gillette Castle State Park Campground
Hadlyme, Connecticut2 Reviews•26 SavesFour public camps along the Connecticut River at Hurd, Gillette Castle, River Highlands and Selden Neck State Parks offer primitive, riverside sites with fireplaces and pit toilets for individuals traveling on the river.
Use of river campsites at River Highlands, Hurd and Gillette Castle is restricted to canoers and kayakers only.
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Tents
- Market
- Trash
- Picnic Table
7. Selden Neck State Park Campground
Hadlyme, Connecticut1 Review•10 Photos•11 SavesSelden Neck offers 4 sites: Cedars site - 20 campers Hogback site - 6 campers Springledge site - 8 campers Quarry Knob site - 12 campers
- Pets
- Fires
- Reservable
- Tents
- Picnic Table
- Toilets
$5 / night
8. Hidden Lake Farm
Higganum, Connecticut1 Review•5 Photos•19 Saves***Very quiet and private in back woods horse pastures on a small farm with free range chickens, a dog, and a couple of horses. Your pets are welcome too! ***
Locally there are state parks with beaches, and state forest for trails & lakes, hiking and biking. Or you can just relax and enjoy the serenity!
*** Each campsite has its own fire-pit and table with chairs. ***
We cannot allow any wood for camp fires to be brought in form the outside for environmental reasons. It can be purchased for $10 per bundle on site or $12 preordered with reservation.
Farm Fresh eggs daily when available for $4.00 per 1/2 dozen. And there are also blocks of ice $5. Garbage removal is available as well $5 per bag provided.
**Other attractions include local farmers markets, Gilette's Castle, and the famous River Ferry crossing the Connecticut River with a vehicle across to East Haddam. *
- Pets
- Fires
- Reservable
- Tents
- Trash
- Picnic Table
$49 / night
9. Chester Railway Station
Chester, Massachusetts1 Review•2 Photos•14 SavesCaboose Camper Rental! Camp in an authentic 1919 railroad caboose! Drive right to the site. Electricity available. Outdoor cooking/eating facilities. Camp beside the busy CSX Boston Line. Need more room? Set up tents on the lawn.
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- Tents
- Cabins
- Picnic Table
$50 - $100 / night
10. Federated Womens Club State Forest
Petersham, Massachusetts1 Review•22 Photos•25 Saves- Fires
- Phone Service
- Tents
- Group
- Picnic Table
- Toilets
Recent Tent Reviews in Stafford Springs
603 Reviews of 18 Stafford Springs Campgrounds
- K
Kevin A.
Traveler
Sun Ridge Resort
Nudist Campground
The Campers are very friendly and welcoming. This is a nudist Campground so you need to be nude around the pool and hot tub. Friday and Saturday night there are things going on in the Pavilion. Tennis courts have been converted into Pickleball courts.
Lee D.
Legend
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
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
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.
- Missi N.Scout
Northampton / Springfield KOA
Cute little campground
Quiet (besides occasional plane overhead) lots of trees, spacious sites, clean and modern bathrooms and showers, nice friendly helpful staff.
- Matt O.Scout
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
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.
- ffallonScout
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.
Lucy P.
Ranger
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Campground — D.A.R. State Forest
Ridiculous out of state markup
I don’t mind paying a little extra some places because of being out of state, but paying $54 a night for not even any hookups when MA residents pay $17 is insane.
Accounting-Robert M.Traveler
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
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!!
Shannon S.Scout
Otter River State Forest
Perfect escape
Very peaceful! Little hidden gem! We loved our weekend away
carol T.Scout
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
- DDavid P.Traveler
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
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
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
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
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
- LLauren H.Traveler
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
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
- RRobert M.Scout
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
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.LegendMystic 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
- MMichaelTraveler
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
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
Rae-Ann W.Guide
Peppermint Park Camping Resort
Relaxing & family friendly
We had a nice weekend at Peppermint Park. This was our 2nd visit with a camper (2022 & 2024) and stayed about 20 years ago in tents.
It's family and dog friendly, has a pool, hot tub, newer playground with a sandbox, camp store with large lodge attached, horseshoe, volleyball and other outdoor game areas. There were several activities planned for father's day weekend including a BBQ food truck, BINGO, corn hole, horseshoes, and kids crafts. There is also wifi, but the signal is not great. It did save me on data usage though so I appreciated it.
There is a large number of seasonal's and everyone we interacted with was very friendly. My 11 year old granddaughter quickly made friends with some of the seasonal children. We attended BINGO, which was packed, and it was clear they are a friendly group. The grounds, pool, buildings and bathroom are all well maintained.
Our site, 111, was a nice flat grassy site with water and 20amp electric. We were sunny in the morning and got nice shade starting late in the morning. We had season sites all around us with only a few of them occupied so it was pretty quiet in our section. Sites are a bit closer together than we prefer, but do have trees and brush in between.
We were in between 2 bathroom buildings. One of them having only 1 shower, 1 toilet and sink in each side and the other had 1 shower, and 2 toilets on each side. I believe there is larger bathrooms with more showers in the lodge but we did not check them out.
Our only negative is the wood for sale is on the greener side so it takes a bit to get it going. We had the same issue 2 years ago and ended up buying lighter fluid from the store then. We did not have any with us this trip and did not want to pay camp store prices so we used sticks from the area and some match light charcoal to get it going well.
We did not venture outside of the campground this trip, but do know there are some nice ponds/lakes close by and hiking trails.
Overall it's a nice friendly campground that we will continue to visit.
Theresa H.TravelerWest Thompson Lake Campground
Great campground
Came for the boat races, very relaxing weekend
Guide to Stafford Springs
Discover the charm of tent camping near Stafford Springs, Connecticut, where nature meets adventure. With a variety of campgrounds offering unique amenities and activities, outdoor enthusiasts can find the perfect spot to unwind and explore.
Tent campers like these nearby activities
- Enjoy a peaceful overnight experience at Onion Mountain Park, where you can hike scenic trails and immerse yourself in nature.
- Experience the beauty of the Connecticut River while camping at Gillette Castle State Park Campground, perfect for fishing and swimming.
- Explore the rustic charm of Federated Womens Club State Forest, where hiking and wildlife watching await.
Tips for tent camping near Stafford Springs
- Pack your gear for a hike-in adventure at Selden Neck State Park Campground, accessible only by boat, ensuring a secluded experience.
- Bring a smaller tent for the primitive sites at Onion Mountain Park, where space is limited but the views are stunning.
- Prepare for a unique stay at Chester Railway Station, where you can camp in a caboose and enjoy the sounds of passing trains.
Campground amenities that enhance your stay
- Enjoy the well-maintained facilities at Buck Hill Campground, featuring clusters of sites near Wakefield Pond for swimming and fishing.
- Experience the improvements at Sodom Mountain Campground, where renovations have enhanced the clubhouse and added activities for families.
- Take advantage of the amenities at Hidden Lake Farm, which offers drinking water, picnic tables, and showers for a comfortable camping experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Stafford Springs, CT?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Stafford Springs, CT is Hammonasset State Park Campground with a 3.9-star rating from 38 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Stafford Springs, CT?
TheDyrt.com has all 18 tent camping locations near Stafford Springs, CT, with real photos and reviews from campers.