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Best Tent Camping near Sheffield, MA

527 Reviews

Several tent campsites near Sheffield, Massachusetts provide backcountry experiences within the surrounding forests and mountains. Mount Washington State Forest offers the Alander Trail Campground, a free hike-in tent site requiring a 1.5-2 mile trek from the parking area. Mount Everett State Reservation's Laurel Ridge provides another primitive tent option accessible only by foot, offering views after a challenging hike. The nearby Appalachian Trail corridor features additional tent camping at Brassie Brook Shelter and Riga Lean-To, both located in Connecticut but within hiking distance of the Massachusetts border.

Most primitive tent sites in this region have basic amenities but require self-sufficiency. The Mount Washington sites include bear boxes, fire pits with grill racks, and picnic tables, but no running water or permanent restroom facilities. Many sites feature flat tent pads cleared in wooded settings. According to one camper, sites remain "emmaculate and not one piece of trash on the ground anywhere," though primitive outhouses may be available at some locations. Campers must pack in all water and pack out all trash, adhering to Leave No Trace principles in these sensitive mountain environments.

The tent camping experience in this region requires physical effort but rewards with solitude and natural beauty. The hike-in requirement for most sites naturally limits crowds and creates a more authentic wilderness experience. Tent sites around Laurel Ridge and Mount Everett offer stunning valley views from elevated positions. Sites in the Appalachian Trail corridor provide access to trail networks extending through Massachusetts and neighboring states. Seasonal considerations affect camping conditions, with fall bringing cooler temperatures that require proper gear. A visitor to Laurel Ridge noted, "It's quite a hike to get to this dispersed campground, so be prepared! We packed on our backpacks early in the morning and arrived there mid-afternoon. Very beautiful view, and an awesome spot!"

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Best Tent Sites Near Sheffield, Massachusetts (29)

    1. Alander Trail Camground — Mount Washington State Forest

    3 Reviews
    Mount Washington, MA
    7 miles
    Website

    "Absolutely love this spot and highly recommend if you’re looking for a super private, true primitive camping experience."

    "Each spot is easy to find off the trail. They also have bear boxes at each site!"

    2. Laurel Ridge — Mount Everett State Reservation

    2 Reviews
    Taconic, MA
    6 miles

    "We actually started this hike in by Race Brook Falls area, and ended it where the GPS coordinates are noted. See the map in my photos marked with yellow lines."

    "We packed on our backpacks early in the morning and arrived there mid-afternoon. Very beautiful view, and an awesome spot! No fires allowed, however."

    3. Brassie Brook Shelter - Bear Mountain — Appalachian National Scenic Trail

    2 Reviews
    Taconic, CT
    7 miles
    Website

    "We started our hike at the under-mountain trailhead, located right off route 41, and climbed up the mountain. Be prepared for steep inclines, and lots of rocks."

    "The lean-to fit our small tens, and there is a picnic table. There's also a bear box near by. Room to camp your tent on the ground too if you wanted to or had more ppl along."

    4. Riga Lean-To

    1 Review
    Taconic, CT
    7 miles
    Website

    "We absolutely loved this little lean-to next to Bear Mountain. I'll make this review short, as we also stayed at the Brassie Brook lean-to which is located only about a mile apart from each other."

    5. Chester Railway Station

    1 Review
    Chester, MA
    23 miles
    Website

    $50 - $100 / night

    "The caboose is stationed on a big grassy field, near a real railroad. It sleeps 4 and you can set up tents outside too.  You hear the trains running at night. Very clean and comfortable."

    6. Rustic Lean-To

    1 Review
    Stanfordville, NY
    25 miles
    +1 (484) 529-8957

    $43 - $45 / night

    "We're happy to have this property on our platform. This site feature a fire-pit, wooded platform and picnic table. Check them out and leave them some love."

    7. Windmill Hill - Connecticut White Memorial Campground

    1 Review
    Bantam, CT
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (860) 567-0089

    $25 / night

    "Quiet woods atmosphere with trail’s. Wonderful place to camp. Very clean"

    8. Onion Mountain Park

    3 Reviews
    West Simsbury, CT
    30 miles
    Website

    "We arrived at the parking lot of Onion Mountain Park at around 2 pm and proceeded to get our bags packed for the hike."

    "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."

    9. Sodom Mountain Campground

    1 Review
    Southwick, MA
    30 miles
    Website
    +1 (413) 569-3930

    "I wasn't going to come back again but it is very close to my grandkids. All roads are dirt and all potholes have been repaired.  The clubhouse is being renovated and activities are now back. "

    10. Getaway Catskill Campground - New York

    1 Review
    Palenville, NY
    34 miles
    Website

    $79 - $119 / night

    "We're so excited to have this gorgeous property on our platform. It's clear that the hosts take great pride in their location."

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Sheffield, MA

39 Photos of 29 Sheffield Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Sheffield, MA

527 Reviews of 29 Sheffield Campgrounds

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 9, 2021

    Echo Lake

    Lovely Camping in the Catskills

    This campground was my first backpacking trip and it was perfect!  There are tent sites around the whole lake with fire pits and 1 lean-to site at the end of the trail when you first arrive at the lake.  The sites are relatively flat and well shaded with trees.  Note, it can get swampy near the edge of the lake so you may want to bring bug spray.  Make sure you practice leave no trace principles and pack out what you bring in!  It does get a little crowded later in the day so you may have to share space with others and it can be a little noisy at night.

  • Nicole G.
    Aug. 24, 2025

    Tolland State Forest Campground

    Great Lakeside Campground

    This was only my second camping trip ever (and first tent camping) so grain of salt here - We had a great time at Tolland. The site was spacious and equipped with a bear box, fire ring, and picnic table. The ground at the site was large gravel which was not great in the tent, but walking around it looks like most sites are more dirt and pine needles.

    The swimming area is small but sandy, great for kids, and my daughter loved thethe campfire and nature talk given on Saturday night by park staff.

  • Ryan A.
    Jun. 12, 2024

    Mohawk Trail State Forest Campground

    Great Campground in Western Mass

    This is a great campground located off of highway 2 in western Mass. I stayed in site 51 and luckily the campground was mostly empty(it was on a Thursday though and was supposed to be full for the weekend.) Each campsite has a bear box and fire ring, there is easy access to hiking trails and flush-toilet bathrooms with sinks are located throughout. There is only one dumpster though and it’s a walk to get to – store your trash in your car or drive it each night, or enjoy the walk. 

    The campsites are very close together without much brush for privacy, so you should expect to see your neighbors up close and personal. Some of the sites are on Cold River(which is more like a creek). The bugs were awful, especially the gnats and I did see a large tick on my fire grill, so be prepared. The best sites are on the lower loop around the water. Avoid any site next to the bathroom as the lights stay on all night and will shine directly into your tent. 49 looked really nice and seemed dark. The hike-in sites were also close together, 22 is the most private. There are baskets with wheels provided. 

    The rangers are friendly and sell firewood in case you need any. You’ll need to check in before going to the campsite, they’ll give you a map and they take good care of the sites. Would definitely camp here again.

  • KThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 6, 2025

    Alander Trail Camground — Mount Washington State Forest

    Amazing Dispersed Camping

    Absolutely love this spot and highly recommend if you’re looking for a super private, true primitive camping experience. You have to park at the entrance and hike in about 1.5-2 miles with everything on your back to get to the spots. Once you get there, theres quite a few sites to choose from and each offer quite a bit or privacy. It’s completely free and it usually isn’t too busy since most people don’t like having to carry all their stuff in that far. You will be in the heart of the forest/woods so definitely make sure to be prepared. We had some scares with coyotes and bears in the past but never anything crazy. They give you a semi-flat area for a tent, a fire pit and grill rack, one picnic table, and a bear box you would be sharing with other campers nearby

  • K
    May. 27, 2021

    Samuel F. Pryor III Shawangunk Gateway Campground

    Awesome location!

    Shawangunk was SUCH a nice place to stay. So many good things - though a few things to keep in mind when you're booking, too. 

    I definitely recommend trying to get the walk-in (meaning you can't drive to them) sites (8-15) because they're just a little bit more set back and kind of wonderfully wooded all around. 8 & 9 seemed like the star sites, because they're up and away a little bit more than 10-15.

    Here goes:

    The Good:

    • The nicest, most level tent site you'll ever find. So easy to set up, and no worries whatsoever about roots or rocks.
    • Bathrooms and wash area, water access, etc. are all very easily accessible from any campsite
    • Nice new picnic benches
    • Gorgeous area - especially in the walk-in sites (i.e., not car accessible), where you're a little separated from the pavement
    • Holy crap is this the perfect location for exploring the Gunks, Mohonk Preserve, etc. You couldn't be more central to everything that's going on around it.
    • Phenomenal access to a trash can. It's very central and made throwing out dog poop really, really simple.

    The just okay:

    • Campsites are pretty close to a road. It's not particularly busy, but the speed limit is 55 so you do get some pretty decent whooshing sounds while you're trying to sleep.
    • The tent site is literally the only flat part of most campsites. Even our picnic table at site 13 was slightly tilted. Not an issue, really, but it was noticeable.
    • With all the heavy bear traffic signs that were up, I was surprised to see how close bear boxes were to our tents. They seemed to be 1-10 feet away from tents in each campsite. 
    • Take with a slight grain of salt my recommendation of sites 8-15 - 8 & 9 are up a little higher and might be better, but 11-15 are within 50 feet of a wet area, and the bugs in late May were pretty annoying. I'm guessing other sites would have been better, and our hikes were almost bug-less.
    • Campsites are CLOSE together. I was relieved to be in a site we had to walk to, because having the car right there combined with other tents would have been a little claustrophobic. 

    Overall we really did love staying here. It was pretty empty and we were able to have two cars in the parking spots (usually you can only have one in the assigned spot) without putting anyone out. It was full of friendly people and my dog had an awesome time romping through the leaves and people watching. Definitely recommend this site if you're hiking or climbing in the area!

  • Erin B.
    Sep. 11, 2019

    Clarksburg State Park Campground

    low key and beautiful fall getaway

    Keep in mind that this review is written after camping sept 8th (the week that school started for many) so it might not be relevant to peak camping season. We were pleasantly surprised with our weekend getaway to Clarksburg State Park. Nestled in the Berkshires and basically walking distance to Vermont, Clarksburg State Park provides a comfortable and semi-private tent site. Several spots (including ours 6) were very close to the rather large pond. While the trees obstruct the views, the site was waterfront and we were able to walk a few yards downhill to the waters edge where we launched our kayaks (there is a designated launching spot elsewhere). No electric and water hookups are provided but we were totally okay with that. Bear boxes were provided on each site so that you don’t have to keep stinky food or garbage in your car! Each site also had a fire pit with a grate so that you can cook right there on the fire. The bathrooms were some of the cleanest campground bathrooms and showers i’ve experienced (no bugs or webs also) and there was a dishwashing station on the side. The sites were large and well spaced but they had trees in between so that you felt privacy. The campground itself had plenty of sites, firewood for sale in the front and a pavilion and beach area on the day use side. There are plenty of trails you can hop on right outside your tent site and very little light pollution for optimal star gazing. We really enjoyed our time here and will definitely be back!

  • Dawn S.
    May. 30, 2020

    Savoy Mountain State Forest Campground

    Clean

    My pup and I spent two nights here and were very happy. While this campground is bare-bones (no pool) it is perfect for anyone who wants to just chill and do nothing or hit the mountains / local area and do some hiking. The entire campground was very clean, as were the bathrooms. At check-in they will give you maps of hiking routes. Firewood is for sale onsite as are a few necessities. They also had bear boxes, picnic tables and fire rings at each site. We will go back.

  • Katherine P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 1, 2020

    Rudd Pond Area — Taconic State Park

    A Cozy Spot

    We stayed here in August 2020.

    This is a really interesting campground that's situated on a hill overlooking Rudd Pond in Taconic State Park.  Almost all of the sites have platforms to pitch your tent on, although there are a couple of flatter spots without platforms (although they still have a slope.)

    There's space near the platform that is flat-ish with a picnic and a fire pit.  Some of these are better than others, ours was not that flat, but we made it work. You get a pretty decent view of Rudd Pond, and the sunsets are pretty. There is also a trailhead at the end of the campground that connects to the other trails in Taconic State Park. There's a swimming beach and during non-covid times, boat rentals.

    The campsites are pretty close together, so if the campground is full, you are rather close to your neighbors. It was close to half full when we were there, and it still felt like a fairly noisy campground, even after quiet hours. 

    My one complaint in these covid times is that compared to the NY-DEC campground we stayed at, I felt that the safety measures were less adhered to here. They had signs asking people to wear masks in the bathroom building, but far fewer people were. I also didn't see the staff do any cleaning of the restrooms while we were there - the paper towels ran out at one point and I had to flag the staff down to get them to go take care of that.  

    Still, I thought it was a really cute place to stay, and I think we would stay here again.

  • Amanda S.
    Jul. 17, 2018

    Copake Falls Area — Taconic State Park

    Great price

    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

Guide to Sheffield

Tent camping near Sheffield, Massachusetts offers a variety of scenic spots for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature. With options ranging from well-equipped campgrounds to more rustic settings, there's something for everyone.

Tips for tent camping near Sheffield

Some prices for tent camping range from $0 to $30

  • The Brassie Brook Shelter - Bear Mountain is free and allows pets, making it a budget-friendly option for hikers.
  • At the Riga Lean-To, you can camp for free and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, with no permits required.
  • For a unique experience, the Chester Railway Station offers tent camping near a real railroad, with prices that are reasonable for a memorable night.

Tent campers should check out Sodom Mountain Campground

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Sheffield, MA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Sheffield, MA is Alander Trail Camground — Mount Washington State Forest with a 4.3-star rating from 3 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Sheffield, MA?

TheDyrt.com has all 29 tent camping locations near Sheffield, MA, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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