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Best Tent Camping near Tolland, MA

495 Reviews

Primitive backcountry tent camping surrounds the rural Tolland area in western Massachusetts, with several established options accessible within a short drive. Mount Washington State Forest offers the Alander Trail Campground, a hike-in tent camping area with designated sites approximately 1.5-2 miles from the trailhead. The Appalachian Trail corridor provides additional tent camping opportunities at established shelters like Riga Lean-To and Brassie Brook Shelter, both located near Bear Mountain in neighboring Connecticut, about 20 miles southwest of Tolland.

Tent campsites at Mount Washington State Forest feature semi-flat tent pads, fire pits with grill racks, picnic tables, and communal bear boxes for food storage. Most backcountry tent sites lack running water and have minimal services, requiring campers to pack in all supplies and water. Mount Everett State Reservation's Laurel Ridge offers primitive tent camping platforms accessible only by hiking in. The Mount Washington campground is free but limits capacity with no reservation system. Several sites have primitive pit toilets or outhouses maintained seasonally, though campers should be prepared with waste disposal equipment during off-seasons or at unmaintained backcountry sites.

Backcountry tent camping in this region provides exceptional privacy and seclusion compared to developed campgrounds. Most sites have tree cover, and the dispersed nature of the sites ensures quiet camping experiences even on busier weekends. Terrain can be challenging, especially at Alander Trail Campground and Laurel Ridge sites, which require steep hikes with full packs. One camper noted, "Each spot offers quite a bit of privacy. It's completely free and usually isn't too busy since most people don't like having to carry all their stuff in that far." Wildlife encounters, including bears and coyotes, are possible throughout the region, making proper food storage essential. The backcountry tent sites serve as excellent basecamps for exploring the extensive trail networks throughout the Berkshire Mountains.

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Best Tent Sites Near Tolland, Massachusetts (22)

    1. Onion Mountain Park

    3 Reviews
    West Simsbury, CT
    17 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."

    2. Chester Railway Station

    1 Review
    Chester, MA
    14 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."

    3. Sodom Mountain Campground

    1 Review
    Southwick, MA
    13 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. "

    4. Laurel Ridge — Mount Everett State Reservation

    2 Reviews
    Taconic, MA
    22 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."

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

    2 Reviews
    Taconic, CT
    23 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."

    6. Alander Trail Camground — Mount Washington State Forest

    3 Reviews
    Mount Washington, MA
    24 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!"

    7. Riga Lean-To

    1 Review
    Taconic, CT
    22 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."

    8. Windmill Hill - Connecticut White Memorial Campground

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

    $25 / night

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

    9. Zoar Outdoor

    3 Reviews
    Charlemont, MA
    38 miles
    Website
    +1 (413) 339-4010

    10. River Highlands State Park River Campground

    1 Review
    Cromwell, CT
    37 miles
    +1 (203) 287-5658

    $5 / night

    "We only visited for the day and left around dawn, but the campsite was absolutely beautiful—especially with its location right by the river."

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Tolland, MA

27 Photos of 22 Tolland Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Tolland, MA

495 Reviews of 22 Tolland Campgrounds

  • 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

  • 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

  • Sara Q.
    Oct. 7, 2019

    Savoy Mountain State Forest Campground

    Small, loud, muddy

    Unfortunately, I was not a big fan of this small campground. Right from the start, upon checkin, I bought two $5 ea. bundles of wood after being assured they were "kiln dried".  The wood wouldn't catch no matter what I tried -- not even with the help of some fire starter.  The tent site itself was very small and barely fit my truck and tent.  It was made smaller still because of the mud and holes on the perimeter of the site. At night, there was a lot of traffic noise nearby and despite a posted quiet time, other campers were slamming car doors over and over and talking at the top of their lungs, making it difficult to sleep. The surrounding state forest was pretty and the trails were in decent shape.

  • Justin P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 4, 2022

    October Mountain State Forest Campground

    Peaceful and clean campground

    I tent camped here in night while exploring the fishing in Western Massachusetts.

    The campsite was peaceful and quiet and mostly tucked into the hillside.

    I did see the electrical station at the entrance but the sound didn’t reach where I was staying at site 33. To avoid that sound, I would suggest sites further up the road.

    The sites offered medium privacy. Site 33 was built into a slope in the hill, so it required walking up a short set of stairs, but the tent site was level.

    I didn’t explore the hiking trails but it seems very convenient that you could leave into the trails right from the campground.

    For any fly fishing folks, this campground is very close to the Housatonic (catch and release only!)

Guide to Tolland

Tent camping near Tolland, Massachusetts, offers a variety of scenic spots perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature.

Tent campers should check out Onion Mountain Park

  • This well-reviewed site allows for peaceful overnight camping without the need for a permit, making it a convenient choice for spontaneous trips.
  • Located near hiking trails, Onion Mountain Park provides a primitive camping experience with fire pits available for cozy evenings.
  • The site is pet-friendly, so you can bring your furry friends along to enjoy the great outdoors.

Tent campers appreciate these amenities at Brassie Brook Shelter

  • Situated along the Appalachian Trail, this spot features a small lean-to and several campsites, providing a rustic experience in the woods.
  • With picnic tables and toilets available, Brassie Brook Shelter ensures a comfortable stay while you explore the surrounding trails.
  • The site is free and does not require a permit, making it an accessible option for hikers and campers alike.

Explore local attractions near Laurel Ridge

  • The hike to this dispersed campground rewards visitors with stunning views, making the trek worthwhile for those seeking breathtaking scenery.
  • Located in Mount Everett State Reservation, Laurel Ridge offers a chance to experience some of the steepest sections of the Appalachian Trail.
  • While fires are not allowed, the natural beauty and tranquility of the area make it an ideal spot for a peaceful retreat.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Tolland, MA is Onion Mountain Park with a 4.7-star rating from 3 reviews.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 22 tent camping locations near Tolland, MA, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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