Best Glamping near Waterbury, 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).

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!

This place is off Route 9 in Connecticut on the east side of the Connecticut River (major RT 9 highway is on west side). You need to cross the river via bridge to Goodspeed Opera house and past to get to the RV campground. Nearby attractions are Gillette Castle and Goodspeed Opera. The campground itself is realy nice. Cable TV at most sites. Only electric 30 or 50A, and water; but there are a few dumpstations around in the camp. Very peaceful. There are activities on Friday and Saturday (like Bingo). Great store with extended hours. The camp staff will help you with anything. Really long or tall RV will need to stay close to the front of the campground, as typical older campground is not designed for 40 foot long or 10 foot high campers.

I have gone to lone oak campsites for 32 years. We have gone as a family since I was a fetus. Tons of kids activities to keep the little ones busy and great hikes around! Tons of waterfalls in the area and the highest point in Connecticut. Stars can be seen well and tons of kind and friendly campers.

On our way to through Connecticut, we needed to stop for a night. This was on Long Island Sound and had walk-up sites available. $33 per night gets you a site with bath house/restroom close by but no hook-ups. There is a public "beach" nearby which is way different than our Florida ones. We had to walk under the railroad tracks through a tunnel to get there. Interesting but still a nice feature and probably the main attraction here. There was also a concession stand, nature center, picnic area and boat ramp here at this park. Since we were getting a walk-up site they let us drive around and pick our site from a list of available ones. Most of them were on the small side accommodating tents or pop-ups. We found one in the Osprey loop which was very shaded. The bath rooms were clean and up to date. Good for a night on our way to Rhode Island.

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.

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.

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.

Great little park. Lots of fishing, swimming, and overall fun. A main road does separate the camp sites from the water so it is important to look after little ones. Great biking in the area as well.

This is an elbow to elbow parking lot of a campground. All their campground rules were unenforced, so it is a dri king party atmosphere. The bathrooms are unclean (with paint pealing off the walls) and the showers were cold in the afternoon. The opulent homes around it make this a surprisingly depressing campground.

The skunk was very friendly and cute.