Looking to find an RV campground or tent campsite near Fire Island National Seashore that allows dogs? Finding pet-friendly campgrounds in New York is easier than ever. Whether you're looking for a quiet location in the woods or a happening campground near the attractions, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to go camping with your dog.
Smith Point, on the Fire Island barrier beach, is a haven for sportsmen, surfers and beach lovers. An extremely popular facility, the park's white sands, rolling Atlantic surf and adjoining camping facility attract Suffolk County residents and tourists each summer season. Reservations are required for all the sites in the campground. All sites have water, and many have electric hookups and sewers. Outer beach camping is available on first come, first served basis, beach conditions permitting.
A nationally recognized team of lifeguards makes Smith Point its home base, providing ocean visitors with an extra-special safety feature.
Off-road vehicles, with permit only, may drive on the eastern portion of the outer beach. All beach-goers are advised to respect the marked, protective fencing around the nest sites of endangered shorebirds inhabiting the ocean and bay beaches.
The Carmans River flows through this scenic, pine-oak forested park. Southaven is a popular picnicking site, containing group areas capable of accommodating up to 1,000 people. Southaven's 1,356 acres also offer a bicycle hostel. Boating and freshwater fishing are permitted. Camping is also available, with sites for tents and trailers.
$33 / night
Hammonasset Beach State Park is the largest of Connecticut’s shoreline parks. Two-mile beach, facilities for swimming, camping (third weekend in May to Columbus Day), picnicking, saltwater fishing, scuba diving, hiking and boating; concessions. Nature center and interpretive programs. Bicycle rentals available through Labor Day, rates begin at $10 per hour and range up to $75 per week, with discounts for children. Helmets provided free to use and are mandatory for riders 15 and younger. Note: Lifeguards on duty on Wednesday through Sunday. Pricing: Weekdays: free for CT vehicles; $15/out-of-state $7 after 4:00 pm. Weekends and holidays: free for CT vehicles; $22/out-of-state $7 after 4:00 pm William F. Miller Campground. 558 open sites. Concession, dumping station, bathrooms, showers. Saltwater swimming and fishing. Individual fireplaces not provided. No pets.
$20 - $45 / night
Comprising 44 acres of campground and dense woods, Battle Row Campground is an ideal place to relax with family and friends. Battle Row has 64 campsites ranging in length from 40 to 45 feet as follows: 52 sites have water and electricity (31 sites with 30amp/125-volt electric hookups and 21 with 50 amp/125 volt); and 12 tent sites (must be 21 years of age or older to reserve).
A comfort station is equipped with restrooms and private showers. The campground also offers swings, a recreational field, a rally field for club group camping. Leisure Pass holders receive resident rate.
$5 - $60 / night
The campground consists of 74 Recreational Vehicle sites, complete with water, and 110V, 50/30 amp electric hook-ups. There are 66 sites with sewer hook ups. There are two (gray-black water) dumping stations which are available to campers and non-campers for a nominal fee. The comfort station is easily located and has showers that are wheelchair accessible. There is no tent camping. The Campground will be open from April through November if weather permits.
Scout
Stayed at this campground this past weekend and yes it was a long weekend so the campground was packed. All the camping spots are pretty much right next to each one with hardly any space, packed like Sardines. Neighbors are loud and some of them are ignorant of the park rules. Staying on the phones in the middle of the night while talking so loud that all camping neighbors can hear their whole story
Its a pity that they take a nice park and remove the fun out of camping.
However the walk to the beach area was very serene, especially early morning before sunrise and didn't feel like we live in dense suburbia and sunrise from the beach was worth the trip
Camp site itself was pretty flat, had a water station, bathrooms were well kept , no fire ring (BYOFP)
Legend
I had a hankering for East Coast seafood, so I picked Hammonesett Beach State Park for Connecticut. Our 2nd state of 5.
Hammonesett Beach has a huge campground. They divide the loops with names. I unfortunately chose Pequot. This loop has THE WORST bathrooms/showers on the South side of the campground. Looks like they were built in 1950s with rotten wood siding. Dirty. The showers were outside the bathroom- there was a bench & hooks OUTSIDE! We found out all the other loops had modern bathhouses.
My first impression of this campground is it's loud, crazy busy & there's traffic noise from the beach road. I actually liked it! This is a fun campground for families. There were kids on bikes, scooters, skateboards,roller blades. Watch your speed! They don't always watch out for your car.
I found out most people stay through Sunday & leave on Monday. There were still lots of campers left. Lots of tent campers.
I chose site 14 on the Pequot Loop because I thought I would have a view of one of the ponds. There was tall vegetation, so that was out.
The sites on the other side of the loop were right by the main beach road. Noisy during the day, but quiet at night.
There are some sites with shade, but most are sunny.
There's no electricity at most of the sites. Our site was full sun(yay for the solar panel!). On Beach Road in the campground there's 2 rows of full hookup sites, but they go FAST! I tried.
NO PETS! Including dogs.
No WiFi, but there's cell service. At least 5 dump stations.
The beach was popular.
There was a stream running from a pond that kids were playing in.
They have a beautiful Nature Center. A couple of easy hikes through one of the preserves.
This was a good base camp for the area. Gillette Castle & other state parks are within driving distance. Connecticut is a beautiful state!!
Traveler
Truly great spot. Amazing sites with plenty of room, though they are close together. But was worth it for the amenities and fantastic views. Stayed on the bayside (site 30), which had a fantastic direct bay view. Although most sites have views of the bay, some are blocked by seagrass (for example site 28 - huge corner spot but the flat spot to park has an obstructed view). Literally steps to the beach.
Scout
This is a nice campground - not crowded and centrally located. However, I cannot walk ANYWHERE without picking up ticks. Even on the large sand paths, going to and from the bathroom I find ticks. It’s amazing!
ScoutDer Camping Platz ist in der wunderschönen Natur gelegen. Das Personal ist sehr freundlich und die Camping Plätze sind grosszügig und gut gepflegt. Das Preis Leistungsverhältniss ist ebenfalls sehr gut. Einziger Nachteil: in den Waschräumen brennt die ganze Nacht das Licht und es gibt keine Türen. Damit wird aus den Waschräumen ein zu Hause für Moskitos und Ungeziefer…
ScoutOur 36ft motorhome backed up to a raised balcony overlooking the bay. Less than 100 feet from the front of our site was the beach and the Atlantic Ocean view. A stones throw away was one of several shower and rest room buildings. Clean and well lit. Our site had a trex picnic table on a cement patio. An on site firepit was cozy at night. A general store, complete with an ice cream shop window, on the grounds was a treat. And sweet deer. I watcheda momma deer nursing two of her babies. This is paradise.
ScoutBathrooms are a health hazard, have not been cleaned in who knows how long. Poop is smeared on the walls, floor and toilet. Showers are horrendous. There are young children that have to use those showers and bathrooms. I wouldn’t want to bring my kids here!!!
Traveler
Average compared to other state/county parks. The crowd was a little questionable. State police were called in the settled a dispute between campers. Neighbor ran a generator all night (luckily it was somewhat quite)I, but had no issues with anyone. There seemed to be a disproportionate amount of dilapidated trailers on the side of the campground with no electricity. I'm not sure how some of them even moved. The side with electricity was ok. Places to eat are very close, and a 15 minute drive to Smith's Point beach was a plus. You need a Green Key card membership for reservation which at least got me a 50% ($9) discount on beach parking.
Scout
We have a 42 ft 5th wheel toy hauler. A few Big Rig spots are available, but this is a Suffock Co Campground that is not well maintained. 2 miles of the Road have many areas of missing blacktop making a very rough ride with low branches. The dump station is basically not accessible to a big rig. Most of the longer sites were very difficult to level.
TravelerThe campground is very nice. Everything you need is right here, and if you need something else, it's literally 5 mins away. The manager, Harry is incredible! He takes care of everything, ground maintenance, if there's a problem with your rig, he'll do what he can to fix it(99 out of 100, he will) Greenport Long Island, need I say more? I hope you love seafood.
TravelerCamping on the beach with all the amenities. At nite an ice cream truck comes by, you get visits from the nearby deer. It is paradise. ONLY DRAWBACKS, 1- YOU HAVE TO BE A RESIDENT OF SUFFOLK CO, NY 2- ONE WEEK STAY AT A TIME. PERIOD. After staying there, you'll wish all campgrounds were like this.
Guide
I have lived 6 miles from this campground for the last 20 years and never knew they had tent sites. The park is clean the bathrooms are well maintained and there is a playground for the kids. Each site is set back off a common area so there is plenty of privacy. It's great if your local easy in and out
Traveler
Wir waren nur eine Nacht da. 50€ hat die für einen kleineren Camper gekostet. Im Oktober. Die Sanitäranlagen waren sehr sauber und das Personal freundlich. Wir waren fast alleine da.
ScoutNice campground. Facilities are in good shape, friendly staff. Sites are very close to one another. Level pull through site. Quit in the evening!
ScoutUpdate number 2: I told you I come here a lot, we did bingo and it was a blast. It was a beautiful day on the beach pond. They had great prizes for cheap cost. I spent 2 dollars for 10 long rounds of bingo with 4 cards. Who can beat that!!?? My son won a game prize worth 5 times that. I had to give the rest of the money I had as a tip because I was so happy with how everything worked out. They are always updating, someone broke the basketball 🏀 hoop on one side and it’s fixed 2 weeks later.
Update: They have changed days for me many times when I had issues with the camper. Never once asked questions or even treated me differently. No extra cost. You might have have to change spots but I don’t care. They are so easy to work with. Thanks guys
Great Value and Nice Family owned business. The lake is perfect, the river needs work. But this an awesome small campground. The kids who work here are so friendly and the playground is nice. They did a show on the beach one night that was fun too. We did bingo too. Have been going for 2 years and started with tenting up to a trailer. I love coming here and wish I could spend more time. Really close to Hammonassett beach and one of my favorite restaurants the “log cabin”. Make sure you bring Tupperware with you to this place.
Also don’t let other family’s ruin your trip. We had 3 family’s meet up on 2 sites near us and the father and mother just kept yelling at the kids. Made me feel bad for the children but doesn’t make me right a bad review about the campground.
TravelerBathrooms and showers were a good size. Rangers were driving around often but hand no issues with drink in red cups. Site 130 was a camper we rented then I got 131 to have more room and had tents
GuideWe visited in late July. Park was excellent. Grounds were as advertised. Family friendly. Lots of long haulers it seemed around the sites. Ranger drove around a few times to say hi. Trails were awesome. Row boat for fishing was great. Not a party or for party site as alcohol is not allowed but I believe if your an adult your good to have an adult beverage. If your playing beer pong I think it would be strictly enforced.
ScoutPerfect place to take the little ones has a beautiful lake and a really nice playground highly recommended
ScoutFriendly staff, clean, relaxing, enjoyable- our favorite campground yet. Nothing like bad reviews and rumors
ScoutWe booked for one week with intentions to book for another extra week
When we arrived we had a bit of trouble finding our site and asked someone on a golf cart passing to help they did and were very kind
Later that night we were told there were complaints of us trying to park our truck on a trailer spot though we were there for a tent sight
Then the next 3 days consistently staff would drive/ walk past our sight starting rudely they must have thought we were camping in the truck.
Though the complaints we enjoyed our stay so we decided to walk to the office and ask to extend our stay for just one more week and they very rudely stopped our sentence and said they only allow a 7 day booking
We did not see a single camper leave the entire time And most people lived there permanently
And the one time we asked for the laundry they told us we have a 2 hour window we booked for 10 am and they booked another lady for 11 am in conclusion she was also extremely rude and when we arrived to switch our clothes over she stood there watching us I felt very rushed and when we went to take clothes out of the dryer we found them tossed on the floor still half wet
Bathrooms were semi clean
Nice camp spot horribly rude people and staff
TravelerDecent location, not overrun with seasonal campers. We stayed for 3 nights, kids loved the area and playground. Wi-Fi was not so great unless we paid $6 a day for premium access. Nice activities for kids. Laundry was only accessible during business hours. Office staff were very friendly and there was a cafe on site.
ScoutNice location but previous campers did not clean up after their visit. Shore power was without any problems and park has clean heated bathroom and bike station near dump site.
Scout
TL;DR- Skip to last 3 paragraphs for summary/opinion section
I booked my site online as I believe is the only way to do so. The online system was not very informational and the camp site map didn’t really give any insight into any differences between sites for choosing one. So I chose the first site on the list, site#2. I’m guessing this is fairly common for a guest to book the first site on the list. This is important later.
I drove down from Connecticut to Long Island to find the main routes to the campsite all went through New York’s parkways. There are height restrictions on the parkways so RVs and semis cannot travel on them without a high risk of crashing into the bridges and getting the tops ripped off like a tin can. Google Maps doesn’t have an option for large vehicles so I made my way manually and the trip took an extra hour or more to arrive than planned. Not anyone’s fault- just divulging for awareness.
Arrived at the site, was greeted by a man who said he didn’t have anyone on the list arriving that day and if I could show him the email confirmation. I did, he confirmed, showed me to my spot- site#2- right by the entrance. He gave me rundown on campsite rules- quiet hours, gates closing hours, where to park if arriving afterwards, etc then he helped me back my 5th wheel into the spot. Very nice.
I booked the site for 1 week initially until 11/2- over the Halloween weekend during a nor’eastor. So much of the first week was rainy and windy. The campsite is flat and open, no trees, no nothing really. 2/6 days we had part sun. It was the last week the site was open for the season and there was only about 15 sites occupied. Not sure how many sites are there but it seemed like 100+. A day ahead of my departure date- Nov 1- I decided to just go ahead and extend my stay until the end of the campsite season, Nov 6. I again went to book online to extend. The site was giving a message saying“partial availability” and it looked as if the site I had had been booked for Nov 3 for one night. It was late at night so I planned on talking to the office the next day Nov 2 to see if I had any options to try and stay on site#2.
Nov 2- One of the site managers, Bill, knocked on my camper and said someone was coming tomorrow and that I was supposed to move over one site to site#3. I posited the chance that maybe we could contact the new reservation and see if they specifically wanted that site or if they just chose it first on the list and wouldn’t mind having another site, as the park was 90% empty. Bill understood and told me he had no control over that but I should talk to the office manager Michelle. Nov 2 was election day and the office was closed so I planned on speaking with Michelle the next morning Nov 3 before the new reservation arrived, as check-in time is 1pm.
Nov 3- 930am another camp manager knocks on my camper to tell me to move- I inform him I was going to ask the office to potentially stay, and he said he had no power over the move/stay issue but that Michelle was in the office.
I went to the office and was greeted by a woman at the reception desk- I asked to speak to Michelle- she asked what it was regarding- I said I was and RV camper at site#2 and would like to ask a question. Michelle came to the desk and immediately had a defensive posture. I didn’t have high hopes for this conversation. I said“Good morning! My name is Matt- I’ve been staying on site#2 for a week now and I believe you had a one-day reservation for my spot and I was wondering…-“ Michelle then cut me off and said“You have to move.” I said that I understood the reservation policy but if it wouldn’t be too much to ask to maybe reach out to the new campers on my behalf to ask if maybe they wouldn’t mind another site as all the sites are the same and they likely just booked the generic website by choosing the first site on the list…she cut me off again and said“You have to move.” I asked if she was interested at all in hearing me finish my question or didn’t care. She said“You have to move.”
I told her that her not even hearing me out was poor customer service and that I would write a review telling others of my bad experience. She said“That’s okay cause you’ll be blocked from coming back!” WOW.
Interesting customer service response to block a guest that just paid over a grand to stay at a basic site who only wanted you to TRY and find out if the new campers booked that site specifically.
__________________________
That was my explanation of the circumstances, here is my opinion: The campground is fine but nothing special. There’s industrial stuff going on right near the site I chose and along the whole east fenceline and there is no close entrance to any beach area. The closest fence line to the campground has no beach access and has a huge sign that says STAY OUT- TICKS! Its a good 10 minute walk to the beach through a concrete parking lot and basketball courts. I believe it was around$100/night to stay here. It’s hard to get to with an RV due to the parkways. The online reservation system is clunky and shows no photos or have much detail. The on-site staff has no authority to do anything other than enforce the rules set by the office. Michelle the office manager was curt and uninterested in anything I had to say at all. Then got very defensive and rude. It took me 35-40 minutes to unhook sewer, power, water, attach the fifth wheel to my truck, put the slide-outs in unlevel everything, re-park the the trailer 20 feet away, unhook the trailer, re-level it, hook up up sewer, water, power,& extend the slides- all because Michelle didn’t want to make a call or send an email to say“hey! we had a camper in site#2 extend his stay and was wondering if you wouldn’t mind site#3?”- I believe they would have 100% said yes and 100% believe they booked the site based on it being the first site open on the booking system just like I did. If they said no- I would have been fine with moving per policy- if the campsite had any differences whatsoever between sites(shade, trees, lake nearby, etc) I would have been fine with it- not even a“I’m sorry sir, but we have a policy to…and we are committed to abide by it. Sorry for the inconvenience..”- Michelle did not even care to allow me to finish asking my question before she rudely sent me away and threatened to block me from staying here ever again.
UPDATE- No one ever showed up and parked in that site.
I guess as a business owner who was also in customer service industries for over 20 years my philosophy is that if you can do something small or easy to try and help out a customer and make them happy then you should do so. Maybe I’m naive. I approached everyone I spoke with calmly and openly and the response was uncalled for at the least.
Michelle- Thanks for being a dismissive inhuman devoid of any empathy to remind me that there are people like you out there. Another example of enforcing blanket policies that aren’t really applicable to the current situation to excuse yourself from any responsibility for being a nice person.
Advice to future campers- stay here if you like- it’s close enough to the beach, train, food, Long Island things to do, etc- a little pricy, but expected in the area- but I hope that you do not need any reason to interact with office staff.
Guide
So my wife and I live 30 minutes from Smiths Point and been visiting the beach since childhood, but neither of us had ever camped there… so we decided to end our 2021 camping season with a quick stint at the beach. Being on the beach and camping in October is just awesome. The bugs are gone, the days are warm and the nights are chilly. All in all it a great place to camp. Be prepared for narrow campsites and book early. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because of the fact that since it so tight, people failed to respect their neighbors as far as noise is concerned. Not EVERYBODY likes the same music as you do! It also happened to be Trick or Treat weekend on the campground which really fun to see. Oh and the deer eat lettuce out of your hand. Shhhh- not supposed to feed the deer. Lastly, 10 stars to guys and girls in charge of maintaining such a busy place!!! You guys really do a great job- and those showers!!! Best ever….great water pressure and super HOT!!! See you next October!!
Guide
Spent Columbus Day weekend at Cedar Point. We pretty much the entire park to ourselves. Arrived on Friday afternoon and enjoyed a quiet peaceful weekend with cool weather and no bugs. Bathhouse with showers and dishwashing was close by. Plenty of space to walk and hike out to the lighthouse, kayak, biking or just relax. Will be next year!
LegendThis is a really nice family campground just a mile or so off I-95 in Clinton, CT. It is about 20 miles from Mystic and the historic seaport center. Most of the roads are paved, the sites are large and level, there are full hookups, and a dump station. There are a lot of seasonal residents, but still plenty of open sites for travelers. There is a playground, game room, “adult ” lounge, a laundry, a swimming pond, and river access for fishing and swimming. Internet is an extra fee! ($6/day) The road into the campground is narrow and winding, so larger RV mss as y have trouble, but there were several of them there when we were there. There is a security gate at the entrance.
GuideWe had a great time at Indian Island, even if it was just for a short stay. The beach was within walking distance, lots of little trails, and plenty of activities for the whole family. The bathrooms were mostly clean, and the shower was hot. The only reason I gave 4 stars is because the campsites don’t come with a fire ring. Not sure if this is because of maintenance, but it just wasn’t super apparent until we got there. We luckily had our camp stove and could make dinner on that, but a fire would’ve been nice that evening!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Fire Island National Seashore?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Fire Island National Seashore is Smith Point County Park with a 4.4-star rating from 9 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Fire Island National Seashore?
TheDyrt.com has all 19 dog-friendly camping locations near Fire Island National Seashore, with real photos and reviews from campers.
