Best Tent Camping near Thomaston, CT

Connecticut is LACKING when it comes to outdoor activities when compared to some of the places around the country. That being said, it's more rewarding when you find a little gem like Wilderness Lake Campground.

While this is about 60% RVs, the tent sites are great. The host gave us a secluded spot in the back to the point I didn't feel like I was at a campground other than the fire ring. We didn't need bathrooms, water or electricity, but there was a bathroom within walking distance. It also looked like they were building a little outbuilding for Women and Men's bathrooms near the tent sites. 

The lake was quiet and we saw kids swimming in it in the morning. There was a hiking trail on the property and the host mentioned they were building a Disc Golf course on the property. Whether you have an RV, want to Car Glamp or looking to feel deep in the woods, this place checks all the boxes. It's also conveniently located off I-84(exit 70).

The playground was awesome for our two year old. The tent sites had some shade, the showers and bathrooms were really nice.

Campground is only years old. Sites were large enough for RV. NO privacy, bit tent sites were ok. Fre showers for number of campsites, but very clean. Affiliated with Lake Compounce Amusement Park adjacent to campground.

This is an older campground with several options. Only 6 sites with electric. 50 & 51 are nice & private. Lots of large tent sites, some in an open area & others fairly private. 4 tent pads with obstructed river views. Assorted cabins, mostly above the river. Restrooms small but pretty clean by state park standards.

Kettletown State Park isn't just for camping. There are also hiking trails , a fishing area and a swimming hole, but the week I was there there was a high bacteria count, so no swimming was allowed. Also, when swimming is allowed, there isnt a lifeguard.

The campsites are varied, you can tent camp, use a camper, or they also have a few cabins you can rent. Be advised, there isn't a kitchen or bathroom in the cabins!

I flew up here from Louisiana and met my sister in a primitive tent site. The grounds were absolutely beautiful and very well maintained! Pool was lovely and refreshing. I do wish they had more bathrooms though. Especially by the pool!!! Camp staff was very friendly and helpful. The kids had a blast fishing and riding their bikes around. We are going to make this a yearly thing from now on!!

Good family campground with access to the ocean. No fire pits in the ground but you can bring your own ($50 on Amazon) or rent one (bring cash). I've done tent camping here in the summer but don't know much about the RV side, although I believe they have dump stations and such. Restrooms and showers are pretty good too, but typical campground bathrooms. 4 stars cuz I'm not a huge fan of the beaches, if I could give 4.9 stars I would.

Big and spacious state park with many camping options. Has options for trailers, tent sites, platforms for tents and even some cabins. Small store in park that sells firewood and ice and a few other things you may need. Big lake with swimming and boating as well as many hiking trails. Bathrooms on site as well as showers. Some sites are close together, but there are a few a little more secluded and set back. Fire pits are great. Can’t wait to camp here again!

Taconic State Park has a beautiful campground. No electric hookups, but plenty of water and tent sites are available with very large platforms. Bathroom facilities are adequate. There are 2 dog friendly loops at the back. Overall, very quiet and friendly.

2 lIfeguarded swimming areas — a kiddie pool and a deep area with floating dock to jump off of. Very short hike (or drive) to the beautiful Bash Bish falls

If you are traveling with a dog, be sure to bring proof of rabies— they ask.

Fees are $15 residents and $20 non residents plus processing fees.

This campground was one of the best I’ve been to. They have both platform and dirt tent sites, all sites come equipped with fire pits. The bathrooms and showers are clean and the water stayed hot until the last weekend of the season (Oct 12-14, 2018) which was when we were there. The campground has a lake with boat rentals. Late night, stargazing over the lake is a great pastime, because the water is calm and the light pollution is low.

The town of Hudson is also close by if you’re looking to get some of the comforts of a town while you’re out and about.

There are a mix of platform and regular tent sites as well as some camper sites. We stayed on a platform site, which I questioned the structural integrity of after looking underneath lol… it held up though and there were also some new platforms which looked nice. Sites are a little close together for my liking. Luckily we checked out early before the weekend started so it was peaceful for us. The bathhouse was awesome! New building and it wasn’t a communal shower area with all the stalls in one room, there were all separate rooms each with their own bathroom and shower stall. Overall I would recommend if you’re not looking for too much peace and quiet.

Sleeping Giant has been closed since May 2018. A tornado came through and knocked down many trees near the main entrance to and major parking lot for the park (on Mount Carmel Avenue across from Quinnipiac University).

This entrance area has been cleared and is being rebuilt. The picnic and pavilion areas were also affected (though less so) and will be renovated also.

In the past the picnic shelter and pavilion areas were well shaded by trees and were a wonderful place to bring the family or even large groups of people for a party. This will presumably be so at some point in the future after the park re-opens.

There were Sleeping Giant Park campground sites which could be reserved and used for tent camping back in the twentieth century. I remember them from the 1980s. They have not been available for many years now.

The campground has 3 sections, located on different tiers of a hill. The lower level has RV sites, middle has tent sites, and upper has a few yurts. Each level has a bath house (3 toilet stalls and 1 shower in the lower level; it was run-down but clean enough). Outside the entrance station (near the RV sites) is a HUGE power station that emits a hum constantly. Super annoying and an eyesore. You’ll see many vehicles drive-by with boats or ATVs in tow as the state forest also has areas suitable for their use. Accessible from the campground are a few hiking trails. Monument Mountain is a popular hiking spot about 20 minutes away and Bash Bish Falls State Park is about 45 minutes away. Note: Massachusetts does not allow alcohol in their parks.

The park is huge with tons of space for picnics, beachgoing and - weirdly - parking. (Someone must've gotten a tasty asphalt contract.)

Unfortunately, all of the campsites are jammed into one quadrant, with very little distance between each. Our site (#17) was quite small and was not clearly marked. It seemed to run into #18. We were told we could spread out into two sites since the adjoining site wasn't taken. (By the way: Site #19 looked to be the best in our neck of the woods.)

The roads to the tent sites are quite rocky and can be difficult to navigate. 

The facilities are a bit warn, but the maintenance staff does a good job of upkeep. Since it was raining during our visit, it was impossible to keep the individual shower/lavatories clean for very long.

Though the camp was mostly filled, noise was not a problem during our stay. 

The lake is quite nice and the swimming area is well-protected.

The beach is about a 1 mile walk or drive from the campground.  The walk is lovely and I have seen deer, turkeys, many birds, skunks, raccoons, and other wildlife along the way. There are several osprey nests too. Many families bring bikes. 

There are several camping areas at Rocky Neck - I think Crane is the best because it is quiet and the bathrooms are updated. 

The tent camping area is in a field without much privacy or shade. I recommend setting up your tent at a traditional site.

The beach is great for relaxing and beach combing. The water is warm and shallow, very calm. No floats or toys are allowed in the water, not sure why. Don't bring your kite either as the Amtrak is next to the beach, it's interesting when it goes by!

Sometimes generators are an issue, but there are limited hours at which they can run.

Lots of dumpsters for easy trash disposal. Firewood available for a low price on site, don't bring any outside wood. 

Campground is not too far from a Walmart if you forget something. There's a gas station close by too for ice.

This campground books up FAST, I usually book in the wintertime. I stay for a week at a time.

Ward Pound Ridge is very well known to the locals as a great place for sled-riding in winter (Pell Hill area) and a place for big group gatherings. The many different trails are frequented by the locals as well. In recent years, the county government also allow bow-hunting of deer to control its population during the months of October to December.

As far as camping as a family, it is not too exciting a place for us. The grounds are far too well trimmed, as you can see in one of the videos. There is wide open space and the paths are well paved so kids can have fun riding the bikes or running around. There is also many trails of various difficulty levels to suit everyone, including horseback riders. The Trailside Nature Museum is also fun for the kids.

There are lean-to sites as well as tent sites. A maximum of eight people in two tents are allowed at each site. But if you really do have a party of eight, one picnic table seems to be inadequate. The sites are much farther away from the comfort stations than most campgrounds we have been to. But there are port-a-potties very close to the sites, which is very important when you have young kids.

All in all, it is not a place I would recommend if you want to get close to nature.

I went here with two of my coworkers for a relaxing weekend getaway. I'm use to the rough and tough it of backpacking the AT Trail so this place had quite a few amenities I am not use to! Haha. We stayed at a platform tent site and were able to park two vehicles on site but the grounds had plenty of parking not too far from the sites. Each of the sites had a large platform (enough room for one very large tent or 2-3 smaller tents), a fire pit, and picnic table. You are very close to your neighbor in this area but when we were there everyone was very respectful. There was potable water a short walking distance away as well as flushing toilets. There was a very large open grassy field for play/sports, a playground and life guarded portion of the lake for swimming. This location was very accesible to the Bish Bash Falls trail and even had a few side trails to explore. This place is very good for easing on first timers and there were quite a few children so those who are parents should consider this a great place to get kids involved in the outdoors as well. There were other accommodations such as RV hook ups, events, and rentals but we weren't there long enough to take adavatage of those. Overall a great experience and relatively cheap for what you get. I believe it was around $30 for two nights which was the minimum.

Mixed reviews. Pros: State park is in a beautiful part of the country - the Hudson River Valley - with a good location for visiting the towns, villages and hamlets on the valley. State park also has a good hiking trail network with trailheads connecting to the campground. Cons: the campground itself needs some work. There’s only one bath house with just a few showers and toilets. It’s in pretty bad shape - dirty, bad drainage, and sometimes backed up toilets. I found one other restroom house in the park and the doors were boarded up and locked. The campsites are okay - mostly tent sites. Some are better than others. There are only a handful of sites with electric hookups and only one (site 51) is level. Some have a steep descent off the road, abs there’s a lip on the road that can scrape bottom of campers/RVs. This happened to our neighbor and it took out his RV sewer system, which will be not only a hassle but a costly repair. Back to pros: the campground and state park is nicely forested with beautiful tall trees. Everyone we met was very nice. Lots of families having a good time. We stayed here for 9 days in July 2021. Campground is empty during the week, and more crowded on weekends. We would return here if in this area again, but the state park & campground needs some upgrades.

Camped here on a Friday night in Site 16, yet another campground recommended in“Best Tent Camping: New England.” Overall I was not impressed. The campsites are right next to each other and are marked with posts. The sites are so close that the posts are marked with the site number on both sides which tells me that there has been confusion in the past.

The sites along the creek mostly have worn paths to walk to it but it’s nothing impressive and I wouldn’t want to eat fish that came out of it. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, some have the kind where the top flips over and others have the moveable grate that goes up and down. There is a large dumpster in the campground and several porta-potties. The old outhouses have been permanently closed and locked shut. My campsite had a lot of trash in it, old tent stakes, plastic bottle caps, plastic fork, broken glass, etc. Not good.

Some of the people there were camping in a group and were blasting music. I didn’t see a single park ranger the entire night so I’m not sure how often they police it. Someone in a pickup truck came into the campground, did a u-turn, and sped out at 30 mph which was really annoying and unsafe.

Across the street from the campground is a trail to Chapman Falls, which will take less than 10 minutes to hike to, but it’s a pretty waterfall despite all the foam and garbage around it.

This is a pretty basic campground and is nothing special. Out of all the sites I think 22 looked the best, it is more isolated and you can hear the waterfalls from it, which would be relaxing. The downside is that it’s right next to the entrance and road so you’ll get car headlights at night.

I woke in the morning to a gray sky and hundreds of birds singing– it was my favorite part of the trip. I delayed getting up to enjoy the moment. I also didn’t see any ticks but I’m sure there are plenty based on other reviews.

I’ve always thought that if states were condiments Connecticut would be mayonnaise– relatively unremarkable and bland. This campground fits that description perfectly.