Looking for an adventure where you can explore Wales and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent camping near Wales, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. Would you prefer a quiet dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities? Either way, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers invites you to come relax at Tully Lake. There are a variety of outdoor recreation activities for you and you family. Although the dam was built primarily to reduce flood damages on the Millers and Connecticut Rivers, the 1,300-acre reservoir area provides a place for you to get away from it all and connect with nature.
Tully Lake offers many opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. Activities in and around the lake include mountain biking, camping, disc golf, hiking, picnicking, boating, and fishing and hunting in the appropriate seasons.
The Tully Lake Pavilion is located in the recreation area and offers picnic tables and grills. Maximum group size is 50 people with parking for 25 passenger vehicles at the upper gravel lot. The recreation area has a small playground for young children, volleyball court, and a horseshoe pit. Bathrooms are provided, but there is no running water.
The 1,262-acre Tully Lake property is managed to sustain a healthy ecosystem for future generations. The thriving biodiversity of the Tully River Valley and the interconnections of our forests, wetlands, waters, and wildlife are valued and managed for the long term. Tully Lake is home to a wide variety of wildlife, from tiny insects and song birds, to large mammals such as deer and moose. Fifty-five percent of the reservoir area is wetlands, providing habitat for fish, waterfowl, song birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals such as beaver, mink and otter. The rest of the property provides habitat for upland species such as deer, coyote, fisher, owl, fox, raccoon, skunk, porcupine, rabbit, and squirrel. The forest within Tully Dam's reservoir area is composed primarily of white pine, providing habitat for owls and woodpeckers, red-tailed hawks, and white-tailed deer.
When visiting Tully Lake there are several opportunities for visitors to explore in the surrounding area. At the north end of the lake there is a tent only campground run by the Trustees of the Reservations which provides a perfect launching point to enjoy the outdoor attractions nearby. Ten miles away is the Birch Hill Dam, another Army Corps project that provides miles of trails and river to explore. The Quabbin Reservoir is also within a short ten mile drive of Tully Lake and serves the city of Boston as its water supply. The Quabbin is a unique area; there were four towns flooded to create it, and it has some of the most interesting blends of human and natural history in the region.
Please review the cancellation and refund policy at the bottom of the webpage. In general, we will require at least two weeks prior to your reservation to consider a request.
$40 / night
$22 - $30 / night
Caboose Camper Rental! Camp in an authentic 1919 railroad caboose! Drive right to the site. Electricity available. Outdoor cooking/eating facilities. Camp beside the busy CSX Boston Line. Need more room? Set up tents on the lawn.
$50 - $100 / night
Four public camps along the Connecticut River at Hurd, Gillette Castle, River Highlands and Selden Neck State Parks offer primitive, riverside sites with fireplaces and pit toilets for individuals traveling on the river. Use of river campsites at River Highlands, Hurd and Gillette Castle is restricted to canoers and kayakers only.
Selden Neck offers 4 sites: Cedars site - 20 campers Hogback site - 6 campers Springledge site - 8 campers Quarry Knob site - 12 campers
$5 / night
***Very quiet and private in back woods horse pastures on a small farm with free range chickens, a dog, and a couple of horses. Your pets are welcome too! ***
Locally there are state parks with beaches, and state forest for trails & lakes, hiking and biking. Or you can just relax and enjoy the serenity!
*** Each campsite has its own fire-pit and table with chairs. ***
We cannot allow any wood for camp fires to be brought in form the outside for environmental reasons. It can be purchased for $10 per bundle on site or $12 preordered with reservation.
Farm Fresh eggs daily when available for $4.00 per 1/2 dozen. And there are also blocks of ice $5. Garbage removal is available as well $5 per bag provided.
**Other attractions include local farmers markets, Gilette's Castle, and the famous River Ferry crossing the Connecticut River with a vehicle across to East Haddam. *
$49 / night
Scout
Quiet (besides occasional plane overhead) lots of trees, spacious sites, clean and modern bathrooms and showers, nice friendly helpful staff.
Scout
We love camping at Odetah. Clean facilities. Great staff. New pool and hot tub. Will definitely come back
Traveler
Campground is a bit crowded with sites close together. The facilities were clean but quite old. There are some nice hiking trails along the river.
Scout
We booked last minute (2 hours before we arrived) and were met with the friendliest staff ready to help us at 7:30PM and get us checked in. Perfect spot if you don’t mind a 40 minute ride over to The Big E fair which is what brought us out to this part of MA. The restaurant was so nice, and to my surprise more than accommodating as I have celiac, they really went above and beyond. We will definitely be back next summer for a longer stay.
Traveler
Updates
Note that some of the photos submitted to this site were taken in areas that were NOT IN the Park. Also the Park is NOT under new ownership.
Scout
Very peaceful! Little hidden gem! We loved our weekend away
Scout
JUNE 30,2024 my husband & I were seasonals at waters edge campground Lebanon Connecticuit gave them a 30 day notice we were leaving this place wasnt for us just awful the owners are just money hungey thieves they told us they were keeping our deposit wich we expected because it says non refundable deposit so okay fine but we paid for the whole season its open april15 to october15 gave a 30 day notice left june 30 they refused to give us back the money for july ,august,september,to october 15 they ket 750 plus 2500 dollars told us were not getting our money back So iam sure they rented the site thats double dipping so fair warning I dont want this to happen to anyone else they will Rob you blind oh and they broke our ice maker when they dewinterized our trailer and never owned up to it came down to my floor in camper soaked with water from my freezer and didnr bother to clean tthe mess and said it must have been broken nefore so they are also dirty liars I didnt want to even give a one star rating but had to put somethin i give the a big fat 0
Traveler
Dyrt says $17-$54 went through all the hoops to book one for tonight said $17 per night went to check out expecting a few extra fees, $58.50.....that's over the max advertised....DYRT YOU NEED TO GO THROUGH AND DELETE BAD ENTRIES. YOU ARE A DISSAPOINTMENT.
Traveler
The best activities for children and adults, great amenities, clean restrooms, Awesome pool thanks to ASHTON, Thanks so much.
Legend
We stayed at Mystic KOA in North Stonington, Connecticut, to be tourists in Mystic. Spoiler alert… we had a great stay!
This campground is just 15-minutes from Mystic and about an hour’s drive to Newport, Rhode Island. It’s just a few minutes from I-95 and so close to Mystic Aquarium, downtown Mystic, Mystic Seaport, and all the local spots.
It’s a well-maintained campground with 2 pools(though the larger one was closed for maintenance during our stay), lots of play areas and daily activities for little ones, and a cool“pub truck” for adult drinks. Our site(#408) was about 85’ long with plenty of room for our 45’ motorhome and toad(and then some!). It was level and gravel with a nice fire ring and picnic table. The hookups worked fine with 50-amp electric and decent water pressure. Cable TV had nearly 50-channels, but the wi-fi didn’t quite reach our part of the park.
Due to a family issue, we needed to leave about a day-and-a-half early. We called the office as a courtesy to let them know as we were pulling out and received a partial credit for a night’s stay on our credit card. Didn’t even ask, they just did it. Thanks Mystic KOA!
We’ll definitely be back. This is a great place to stay when visiting the coastal Connecticut/Rhode Island area.
Traveler
We had our very first camping experience with our new camper at this campground and it was everything we could have imagined and more. It’s a beautiful campground, the gentleman and his family who own it are sooooo nice and they helped us a lot when it came to learning how to properly use our camper. All the fellow campers that we met were extremely nice. It’s a quiet campground, located right on a river. My children spent hours in it playing and fishing. Looking forward to returning.
Scout
This was our families first time staying at Brialee Campground. The cabin was absolutely beautiful and clean. The staff were friendly and helpful. The activities were great and kept my grand children busy. Swimming and the lake were fun. I cannot say enough wonderful things. We had such a great time I booked my reservations for Next July 2025 before I left.
A special thank you to Sherri for the personal tour and showing us the ropes! She is the best.
The D'Avanzo Family
ScoutLarge campground with 3 pools, many amenities and scheduled activities
Scout
Great privately owned family campground. The pool, splash pad, live music and activities for the kids were great!
AT&T service had only one bar. Couldn’t stream but worked for calls and texts. Campground WiFi was strong but as expected struggled to keep up on this busy 4th of July.
Traveler
We enjoyed our tent site with a wooden lean-to. Overall very private and peaceful, however the only drawback is that people took frequent casual walks pass the area all day long. There's really no way around that.
We did not get a chance to enjoy the amenities, but they all looked nice and well thought out.
We will return.
LegendPros: 15 minutes from Mystic CT 50 AMP, sewer & water hookup Nice amenities
Cons: Gravel site No shade Tight site & hard to get in/out for big rig
Traveler
This was our first time visiting and my entire family enjoyed themselves so much, that we've already reserved a site for a few weeks from now. Arts and crafts, tractor rides, and of course the tubing down the river. Lots of built in entertainment for the kids! The grounds were clean, the playground was nice, and the people were all friendly. We did a late checkout for $5 extra, but the noon checkout and two dump stations would make leaving on time a non-issue as well.
Of note: We camped with friends, who were given a spot next to a large group of people (weekend prior to 4th of July is to be expected). The group were very polite and abided by quiet hours, but they were having fun and a bit loud for my buddy's 2 month of baby. They requested to move sites, and the management was super accommodating and apologetic. Helped him move his site and threw in some firewood for the troubles.
Guide
We had an excellent experience at this camp ground. The Staff and Rangers were polite and welcoming. We were able to see some boat races and played a round of disc golf on property. Once the boat races finished each day the camp was very quiet and peaceful. Had a great weekend
Guide
We had a nice weekend at Peppermint Park. This was our 2nd visit with a camper (2022 & 2024) and stayed about 20 years ago in tents.
It's family and dog friendly, has a pool, hot tub, newer playground with a sandbox, camp store with large lodge attached, horseshoe, volleyball and other outdoor game areas. There were several activities planned for father's day weekend including a BBQ food truck, BINGO, corn hole, horseshoes, and kids crafts. There is also wifi, but the signal is not great. It did save me on data usage though so I appreciated it.
There is a large number of seasonal's and everyone we interacted with was very friendly. My 11 year old granddaughter quickly made friends with some of the seasonal children. We attended BINGO, which was packed, and it was clear they are a friendly group. The grounds, pool, buildings and bathroom are all well maintained.
Our site, 111, was a nice flat grassy site with water and 20amp electric. We were sunny in the morning and got nice shade starting late in the morning. We had season sites all around us with only a few of them occupied so it was pretty quiet in our section. Sites are a bit closer together than we prefer, but do have trees and brush in between.
We were in between 2 bathroom buildings. One of them having only 1 shower, 1 toilet and sink in each side and the other had 1 shower, and 2 toilets on each side. I believe there is larger bathrooms with more showers in the lodge but we did not check them out.
Our only negative is the wood for sale is on the greener side so it takes a bit to get it going. We had the same issue 2 years ago and ended up buying lighter fluid from the store then. We did not have any with us this trip and did not want to pay camp store prices so we used sticks from the area and some match light charcoal to get it going well.
We did not venture outside of the campground this trip, but do know there are some nice ponds/lakes close by and hiking trails.
Overall it's a nice friendly campground that we will continue to visit.
TravelerCame for the boat races, very relaxing weekend
ScoutOdetah Camping Resort called us today 24 hours prior to our arrival- after 4 years of camping there- to cancel our site unless we rented an RV and didn’t use tents. We were allowed to book and had the booking for 4 months. I was on the phone with them while I booked for assistance since it’s a group booking for 16. I called later to book a cabana too. They never once said anything. Then they called 24 hours in advance because our reservation said tent and that’s not allowed. Then they charged us a cancellation fee. Even tho they cancelled ON US.
But my favorite part is them saying that the camping industry is moving to no longer allow tents. They think they are*kind* to still allow tents-a handful of sites on a rocky hill that don’t have electricity or water. So those with medical needs cannot use those sites. Those with mobility limitations cannot either.
WHAT?!
Camping= tents. Change your name if you are going to discriminate. Don’t worry tho, you can put on a tent NEXT TO an rv on the sites. You just cant put only a tent.
Their customer service was horrendous. The experience was horrendous. What a shame.
Traveler
This was our first stay at Devil’s Hopyard campground. We enjoyed our stay and were happy with our site. It was great to hike and see the waterfall.
Guide
Spacious Skies Minute Man is a forested haven so close to Boston that you think you are in the country. There are so many cool things to do just a short drive away. The nearby town of Ayer is right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Concord is only 30 minute drive away with two full days of revolutionary historic sites, and famous people home tours such as Louisa May Alcott. Lots of good coffee spots and restaurants in historic downtown Concord so spend a morning in this special city.
Traveler
We visited for a our kids' spring break. Not many campgrounds open that early here in CT. The staff were super pleasant and helpful, and were all working hard the entire time we were there to prep that campground for their official "opening weekend".
The sites were all clean and seemed well spaced. The kids loved the playground, and they were putting a fresh coat of paint on things while we were there. The river that flows the length of the campground seemed clean and awesome. Staffers and other campers said kids tube down it when it's warmer, then just hop out and walk back through the camp to start over again.
Walmart & Aldi's is 10-15 minutes away. Pizza places/breakfast spots in the same area as well. Lots of state land to explore nearby.
GuideCamped 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.
Guide
Camped out here for two nights after reading about this place in the"Best Tent Camping: New England" book. It's better than the other campgrounds in Rhode Island that I looked at (Burlingame, Fort Getty) but isn't my favorite campground. If you're not a Rhode Island resident the fee for most sites is$36/night. Is it worth it? Eh, probably not unless you're really jonesing to camp for a weekend in the Ocean State.
It does have some great things going for it, namely the hiking trails and views of the lake. There are some tent-only sites which are numbered T1-T5. I stayed in T5 and it was the best of the bunch because it had the most privacy and space, including a grassy area. The other tent-only sites were fairly small and if you go to any mixed use sites you run the risk of having an RV next to you. The A1-A7 sites are remote and hike in, but you're going to have to hike either 0.4 or 0.6 miles through some uneven terrain. The next best group of sites would be 19-24 which are on their own small loop near the lake.
The things I didn't like were the streetlights over the port-a-potties that shine all night. There is a manned gate where you check in and you have to get let into the campground during the day, but at night the gates are wide open and it seems like some people know this because there are a few oddballs around in the early morning. There is swimming at the lake but it looked way too dirty.
Overall the place was managed very well, the sites were cleanish and the grounds were taken care of. The employees drove by at least once an hour, I thought they were collecting trash from dumpsters but the only place with a dumpster is near the entrance. I couldn't figure out why they kept driving by so often. I had a good time, it was relaxing and scratched the camping itch.
Traveler
Selden Neck State Park is an island in the Connecticut River with no roads or development other than 4 campsites. You have to kayak or boat in. There's a boat launch across from the island on the west side of the river at Deep River Landing where you can leave your car. (Entering and parking at the boat launch requires a permit Memorial Day to Labor Day.)
It's about a 20 minute paddle across the river to the island. If it's a nice day, you're going to encounter some wake from passing boats so make sure your gear is in waterproof bags. Once you get to the island, follow the bank north until you spot the sign for your campsite.
My 5-year-old and I camped at site 2, Hogback. I haven't visited the other sites, but probably will just book this one again because it was so good. Plenty of flat area to pitch a tent, nice picnic table and fire pit. There's a private outhouse. At low tide, a couple of beaches emerge to play on.
The sunset view was amazing. There was a little noise at night from boat traffic but it didn't keep us up. In the morning, we were completely socked in with fog which would have been an issue if we had to get back early. But it burned off before long and we headed back.
Camping near Wales, Massachusetts, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and family-friendly activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a fun-filled adventure, there are several campgrounds nearby that cater to different needs.
Camping near Wales, Massachusetts, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy the great outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Wales, MA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Wales, MA is Tully Lake Recreation Area (MA) — Tully Lake with a 4.7-star rating from 9 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Wales, MA?
TheDyrt.com has all 17 tent camping locations near Wales, MA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
