Best Glamping near Ashley Falls, MA

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.

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.

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.

There are many ways to camp at Lone Oaks. Tenting to a RV, very family friendly. There's a full bar with adult only dancing up stairs in the lounge Saturday nights, and a DJ playing dance music for the younger crowed down stairs. The pools are beautiful, great store and the activities are plenty. There is also a hiking trail with some gorgeous views once you get to the top.

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.

This is basic dry camping it is fun but there is no electric or water at the sites o LU in the bathhouse. So if you get a site close the the bathhouse you will have water close by and electricity close. Otherwise it’s dry camping.. the platform sites are great it makes it real easy to set up a tent because of the platform that the tent goes on and the lake is ok. The kids don’t like swimming with fish so we didn’t spend much time at the lake

This park had a nice pool and used to be a KOA now it is privately owned but I believe it is still just as nice. They have live music and it’s gated so only campers and visitors can get into the gates which is nice security wise.

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.

Nice campground, friendly staff, great trails around it. Would come back.

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.

The Taconic area is a nice location but this is a poor campsite. It's incredibly crowded, loud and rules are poorly enforced. Our neighbors had a 10 car party at one point and the sites near us were pretty loud and rowdy well into the morning (we went to bed at 3am). To their credit the grounds were clean and well maintained with a lot of amenities for people that like creature comforts.