Best Equestrian Camping near West Hill Dam

It's hard to find much information about this equestrian, first come, first serve campground in Connecticut's Pachaug State Forest. The best source I could find was https://portal.ct.gov/DEEP/State-Parks/Recreation-Information/Horseback-Riding---CT-State-Parks-and-Forests

Campsites are located around a loop with a couple of composting toilets near the entrance. Water is available. There's space your your camping gear as well as a trailer and horseline. About half the sites were occupied in late October.

Three horseback riding loops leave from the campground. There's also fishing and hiking available in the forest.

The guy above me gave you most of the skinny, so I can keep this short and sweet. This campsite is superlatively convenient if you live in the Boston area, especially so if you’re like me and you’re one of those “Boston kids who don’t cross the bridge,” both proverbial and otherwise. The area around Ponkapog is beautiful, showcasing a wetland climate that, while common, is an integral part of the Massachusetts ecosystem that many people don’t even realize is within a stones throw. Why spend a summer weekend baking like a sausage next to a big of townies when you can chill in the bog with bogey-bogmen?

Highlights:

serviceable and cheap campground with limited amenities

some natural peace and quite close to the city

lots of good berry picking and trails

not far from the blue hills

good family fun

swimming

Lowlights:

bogmen

We planned a brief stop in the Boston area with the intent of seeing the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum and Normandy Farms appealed to us for various reasons. One reason was the fact that they have dog walkers that will come to your site and take care of your precious pooch while you are away. Not knowing how long we would be away from the campground that service was a great option. As it turned out, we did not need to use this service but for some it would be a great perk if you were going to be gone all day. And with Boston traffic, we can see how that could happen. By the way, the library is well-worth it.

When you enter Normandy Farms it is more like checking into a hotel than campground complete with a concierge and express check-in. The park is gated and a code is needed to enter and leave giving you a sense of security but I’m not sure it is necessary. Driving in you quickly realize how huge this park is with some 400 RV sites, tent sites, yurts, lean-to’s, safari tents, and cabins. 

There are plenty of sites to choose from the “premium” full hook-up (50 amp) to basic with just water and electric and many others in between. Both back-in and pull thrus are available as are sites with shade and full sun. Premium sites have paved patios while other sites are gravel. Roads are paved and plenty wide enough for big RV’s to navigate. They offer cable television that yielded nearly 100 channels. Wifi worked well at our site and other places throughout the park. All sites come with a fire pit and picnic table. 

We chose a paved full hook-up pull thru with paved patio (Site E1). Our site was easy to navigate in and out of and was definitely big rig-friendly with ample space for our motorhome and tow car. All utilities were well-placed and functioned properly. The site was level. At the time we were there in October the campground was not very busy but we imagine that things get a little crazy when the park is full. 

There is a really long list of amenities for this campground….four pools (include an indoor heated one), fitness room (with elliptical, treadmills, bikes, machine and free weights), creative arts center, camp store, 20,000 square-foot activities building (with adult only lounge, pool table, arcade, games, wide-screen televisions, sauna, Jacuzzi), restaurant, huge off-leash dog park (you can reserve individual day kennels), BMX bike park, horse shoe pits, baseball diamond, volleyball, fishing pond, shuffleboard, disk golf, and playground, and probably a few more things I missed. During the busy summer months there is a long list of activities ranging from yoga to kids games.

Normandy Farms is approximately 35 miles from Boston. If you don’t want to drive to the city, you can park at the nearby train or subway station and ride into the city. You are just five miles from Gillette Stadium (home of the New England Patriots) and Patriot Place (a hub for shopping and dining). About a mile from the campground is Foxboro State Park where you will find 20+ miles of hiking trails. Also within a five mile radius are plenty of restaurants, shopping, hardware store, grocery store, and more. 

Some of the really good features are the huge dog park which has a dog washing station, water fountains for dogs and humans, agility-type obstacles for them to play on, dog kennels, and a bin with balls and Frisbees. I also liked (and used daily) the fitness center which had functioning equipment and a large television to help pass the time while working out – and was never crowded. The large community building has and adult-only lounge which serves as a nice place for people to get together and watch television or hang out without kids. With everything this campground has to offer you can see why it is a destination park for some people as their kids would be busy all day. 

The downside really is the price and how many sites there are. If you are looking for a quiet, peaceful getaway this is not it.

This campground is quaint and is nestled in RI state forests. The sites do not have hook ups, but water faucets can be found throughout the camp, and there is is dump station. There are pit toilets around the camp, and there is a central modern bathroom. The beach is beautiful and would be busy on a hot summer day. We stayed in early October, so it was not crowded. The camp did fill up, even for October, however many sites were closed due to Covid. Tents, small and large RV’s occupied the many sites. Some sites are more level than others, bring some leveling blocks if your are towing a camper. We walked the 2 mile trail, there is a 6 mile and an 8 mile hike too. Dino’s supermarket is about 10 minutes away by car and has a traditional supermarket style, a welcome change from big box. I will come back here, it was peaceful, I need that.