Best Tent Camping near Block Island, RI

The best!! Our site was perfect for tent camping and pets!

Book early before memorial day, sites fill up quick and around 4th of July.  I went here for years with friends and family. Great sites. Flat level. Some of the best tent camping in the state.

Stayed at a great wooded tent site - quiet during the week and packed out by the weekend. Close to the bathrooms, with water spigot and electric hook up. Two small ponds with enough blue gill action to excite the kids. Worth checking out!

Stay at least once or twice a year. Always a good time. RV and Tent sites with one cabin as well as canoe sites off the beatin' path. Public beach with another beach for campers. Store on site for firewood and ice.

This campground is primarily RVs, although we still had a nice time at our tent site. The beach is only a few hundred feet away, and the campground has basic facilities. The beach is small and quiet, and has some great shells and rocks. All in all, a quiet campground with the fundamentals.

This is a cute little campground that’s easy to access. It’s 20 minutes from downtown Newport and about 45 minutes to downtown Providence.

It’s well shaded, has a nice playground, bathhouse, and a laundry room. My biggest complaint is the dryers are terrible. I had to dry my clothes 3 times ( that’s 3 hours). Nobody has time for that. Also if you’re tent camping, the bathrooms are very inconvenient.

Finally, our site was not angled and that made it tougher to get in to it.

$18/night if you live here, but $36 if from out of state. Large tent campground with lots of spaces, so everyone is in pretty close together. My main concern is there are showers in the bathrooms you can pay for, but ones outside that are free, but cold water and no curtain, so you literally have no privacy.

I've never camped in Rhode Island, so I was curious to see what a state park campground had to offer. Rates are reasonable for state residents, but quite high if you are out-of-state, given the amenities. There are no hookups, but dump stations are available. Bathrooms have flush toilets and coin-operated showers. There's a small beach at the pond, a boat ramp, and proximity to wildlife refuges and the ocean. It's a HUGE campground, with 700 sites and 20 cabins. Canoes are available to rent.

There's a nice playground, a camp store, and a naturalists cabin. Trails are available for hiking and biking. The beach is sandy and there's a small parking lot there, but I suspect most people walk to it. No alcohol allowed. 

I didn't see more than a handful of level sites, with varying degrees of slope, but many are quite large. If you have an RV, plan to level; if you have a tent, be sure to bring good mattresses to protect you from the roots and rocks and orient your head to the uphill side. Most of the sites have some degree of visual separation from their neighbors, but there are places where it's hard to tell where one site ends and the next one starts. Site have fire rings and picnic tables, but if you plan to cook over the fire, bring your own grate or plan to use sticks and/or aluminum foil. 

If you don't have a tent, consider reserving one of their rustic cabins. These offer two sets of bunks (no mattresses) and a small porch with a picnic table and fire ring outside. Some are located along the pond.

3-4 bar cell phone coverage. No road traffic. East Beach is nearby, but parking fills early.

I read the reviews and was excited to be in a state park near the water for such a reasonable price. Imagine my surprise when we found out that a water/electric site for an out of state camper was $45 per night! This was our first visit to a Rhode Island State Park so not sure if they are all like this but this one definitely caters to Rhode Island residents who camp in large RVs! The sites with the best views are the full hookups (water/electric/sewer) and the rates for out of state campers are significantly more than for residents. I’m used to paying $5 or even $10 more for being from out of state but here the fee is double or more for out-of-state campers. Geez– way to make us feel welcome! 

There are four areas, and each has advantages and disadvantages. Area One has the best views and full hookups but there is no bathhouse; Area Two also has full hookups, no view and some of the sites (55-65) are decidedly not level; Area Three is for tents only with no hookups but is close to the bathhouse; Area Four has water and electric hookups, the pads are not paved (as in the others) but most of the sites have more separation than in the other sections. See the photo below to understand the different areas. 

No matter where you camp, there are noise issues. Road noise continued throughout the night and there is a wind turbine on the property. I’ve never been this close to one and yes, there is noise, although the road noise bothered me more. Alcohol is prohibited throughout the campground. There are pay showers available. There are the remains of two bunkers but other than walking by them, you cannot go inside. One (in Area One) is a grassy knoll with stairs to a lookout. 

On the plus side: The bathrooms were clean, there is excellent cell service, Judith Point lighthouse is nearby, it is close to the ferry to Block Island, and there are numerous recreation options available (playground, tennis courts, volleyball net, and basketball courts). Also, the grouchy staffer I read about in reviews was not there the night we arrived and, in fact, the two staffers were very friendly and even recommended a good restaurant in the nearby town.

The beach is about a 1 mile walk or drive from the campground.  The walk is lovely and I have seen deer, turkeys, many birds, skunks, raccoons, and other wildlife along the way. There are several osprey nests too. Many families bring bikes. 

There are several camping areas at Rocky Neck - I think Crane is the best because it is quiet and the bathrooms are updated. 

The tent camping area is in a field without much privacy or shade. I recommend setting up your tent at a traditional site.

The beach is great for relaxing and beach combing. The water is warm and shallow, very calm. No floats or toys are allowed in the water, not sure why. Don't bring your kite either as the Amtrak is next to the beach, it's interesting when it goes by!

Sometimes generators are an issue, but there are limited hours at which they can run.

Lots of dumpsters for easy trash disposal. Firewood available for a low price on site, don't bring any outside wood. 

Campground is not too far from a Walmart if you forget something. There's a gas station close by too for ice.

This campground books up FAST, I usually book in the wintertime. I stay for a week at a time.

Lots of nearby beaches and restaurants. Campsites are simple. A patch of grass with a small bush or two, not very much shade, space or privacy. Tent sites do not have water or electricity but bathhouse is in easy walking range. A nice place to ride a bike around so definitely bring your bike. More of an RV park. RVs do have hookups. Bathrooms and showers are clean. $1.50 in quarters for a 6 min hot shower. Which is nice after a long day at the beach. Playground and courts on the premises and walking paths and an area that accesses the water if your wanted to throw a kayak in. It's a nice place for the location. But not much privacy really, and not much shade, but that will vary from site to site. It's nice because there is so much to do nearby and kept very clean. Our site ended up being right next to the bathhouse so there wasn't too much privacy there. I'd come back again though. And I would definitely come back in an RV instead of I could.

Fisherman’s Memorial State Park is a large 182 site campground in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

I booked this campsite by happenstance- ordinarily I’m very particular about where we park because we really like our privacy (our dog doesn’t like other dogs which can make camping difficult).

We wanted to visit Newport on our trip and Fisherman’s Memorial State Park was the closest (affordable) park to the island, so we opted to stay there- I lucked into grabbing somebody else’s cancellation. I had absolutely no idea what our site would look like and wasn’t expecting much.

We were very pleasantly surprised to find that we had ended up with one of the best sites in the park! Site 175- it is too small for a big rig, but fit our 20ft converted Sprinter van perfectly. We had tall, thick bushes on both sides of the van and could only see our neighbor across the way- and even then, when we covered our windows, it seemed like we were completely alone!

This park, and site, is close to the main road so there was a significant amount of road noise, but we thought given the price and the proximity to visiting Newport and Block Island, this one deserved four stars.

The bathrooms and showers were also clean, though we really didn’t use them as our site was quite far from them.

Definitely would visit this one again.

Worth mentioning: the park is staffed late, sometimes 24 hours a day, and they want you to check in when you get there, even if it’s after midnight. We didn’t know this and didn’t check in until the next morning, which the park employees were not happy about- they cited liability reasons.

Great campsite! Nice and clean sites, great location for Block Island Ferry, strong Verizon coverage.

great campsite. Clean and quiet. Bathrooms were super clean. Friendly park rangers. Love the closeness to the ferry to block island, shops & restaurants.

I camp at Fisherman's every August and I love this campground. If you are looking for a secluded spot in the woods this not it, but to be able to walk to the ocean for beachs, fishing, block island ferry, and great seafood you can not beat it; $20 with full hookup. It is such a good deal that you need to reserve a site twelve months in advance on the day they open up, even then don't wait but book it at 8am.

Boondocking at it's best! On the shore of the beautiful Block Island Sound. Upon checking in, pull over to air down...truck @ 20#, trailer @ 15#. If you haven't filled your tanks at home, you can fill here w non-potable water. Bring your poles for surf casting, generator during the day. No air conditioning, but w Maxx fan and ocean breezes, I've never felt the need. Wifi is spotty, as is tv. Bring plenty of wood for campfires. You're less than 3miles into town for replenishing supplies. Shovel, snap line, and you're good!

About a little over a mile walk to Narragansett, an adorable beach community with lots of shops and places to eat as well as close to the ferry to Block Island. The campground itself is broken into section depending on water/electric/sewer. My campsite was located in the water only loop and although didn't have to much privacy, there weren't too many other campers present. On a crowded summer weekend, don't come here for a quiet, private weekend. The park is dog friendly but don't forget your rabies certificates much like other east coast campgrounds.

Have been going here for the past few years with my family. Definitely sad that the virus messed that up for us this year and we weren’t able to get a refund for a circumstance we couldn’t control. Nice place to go with the RV to relax and to go around the area to shop, go the beach, or head over to Block Island. Also the fact that pricing increased pretty significantly for out of state residents was unexpected but is still cheaper than other campgrounds in certain circumstances. Also sad to be missing out on the clams.

Camped 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.

I have been camping at Rocky Neck State Park for decades, both tent camping, and now In a 30' camper. Located right off I95 ( which you can hear at times), the park is convenient to all the major interstates and state roads. If you can, stay away from the front gates during the typical peak arrival / departure times. Traffic jams occur, partly because you're also in-line with the car loads of beach goers. The beach and beach parking lots fill to capacity. Week ends are the worst.

The campgrounds are located within internal loops. Most sites are quite level. Park-like settings surrounding a large lawn. Bathhouses are being rehabbed, deemed adequate; can be seedy towards the end of the season. Park is routinely patrolled by State Conservation Officers who will put you out if needed. CT State Police and local officers also patrol. Camp roads are paved, and lots and lots of kids spend time riding bikes, coloring with chalk, skateboarding, roller blading.

No electrical hook-ups; potable water spigots located within the camping circles. Generators allowed, but there are quiet hours. Dump upon exit; its up top by the entrance booths.

There is a "tent-only area" which is nice and abuts a paved road for campers to walk / bike to the beach. Use this. Stay off the main road to the beach if you can. The speed limit is enforced, but sporadically. The fines are very stiff (you receive a State traffic ticket from the Officer).

This beach road leads you to a wonderful overlook where lots of people take their kids crabbing for Blueshells. There are size regulations so be careful. The regs are posted. Bring some raw chicken wings and kite string and have some fun. You can also follow the signs that will lead you to nature walks. Amazing.

During inclement weather some campers leave the park. We always recommend taking a right out of the park onto east bound Route 156. Follow into downtown Niantic for restaurants, an Irish pub, or a movie. Nice village area, and pedestrian friendly.

Rocky Neck is a very nice park, and if I had to list one complaint, it is that the State is in a financial tight-spot, and has been cutting services and personnel. Entrance booths go unmanned and that leads to traffic jams that extend out and onto the main road. Very , very messy. Life guard towers at the beach are empty at times. Bath houses can be filthy.

All things considered, I would recommend this park..

Love this campground, very clean grassy sites. Brand new bathrooms and GREAT location to the beach (3 min ride or short bike trip), block island ferry, restarants and shopping. Yes you can hear traffic, this is not a remote camp, if you want remote go somewhere else like Burlingame. Downfalls: tough to get reservations, you MUST book really early. We stayed in Area 2 site 33. The septic connections are a bit higher than the paved parking spot for your RV which makes it very difficult to dump on your site. We had the keep raising the hose the get it to empty which took a long time. Had I realized how tough it would be I would have just dumped at the dump station on exit. Many of the sites in area 2 are like this, so you need a really high RV to dump normally. Also the last row in area 2 is very slanted (sites 54 thru 64). Most sites have shade in this area and shrubs to give privacy between sites. Not alot of activities but they have tennis a d basketball courts, horseshoe pits, volly all net and playground area. The rangers are very nice, we locked our keys in the camper and they brought a ladder for us to crawl through our slideout window. Staff was very friendly. We will definitely be back

I would really like to break the review down into separate categories. The good news first. The location is amazing. You are close to the ocean beaches, ferry to Block Island, excellent dining, Narragansett activities, fishing boat harbors and some nice sites. There are a few sites that are booked 365 days ahead in the summer. Those are the sites on the pond. Those sites feel more private and are never available for more than a night or 2 because of the early booking option. I'm sure you could diligently search throughout the year for a cancellation. The majority of sites are fairly level pull through sites with hookups, not a lot of privacy and too close for my comfort but we survived and did have nice neighbors. We went on weekdays when you see a lot of seniors like ourselves. When we return, I will take a site Area 4 which is closer to the main road but also has more trees and privacy. The not so good… they strictly adhere to a no early arrival policy. I know the staff needs to clean the sites after departures. We sat in the parking line with several other folks for a few hours. Policy is policy but there is one woman who works there who is downright rude. Other campers complained about her and even some of the staff said "I know who you mean." They said even they were afraid of her. Management may be smiling to read this but she was really too sour of a person to work the desk. Other rangers deliver the same information nicely. I am attaching a photo from beautiful Scarborough Beach, just a mile from the campground. You can park in a grassy are and walk just behind the photo to the beach. Picnic tables are behind the trailer as well and this was our departure day when we parked for the day, before the drive home.

On our way to through Connecticut, we needed to stop for a night. This was on Long Island Sound and had walk-up sites available. $33 per night gets you a site with bath house/restroom close by but no hook-ups. There is a public "beach" nearby which is way different than our Florida ones. We had to walk under the railroad tracks through a tunnel to get there. Interesting but still a nice feature and probably the main attraction here. There was also a concession stand, nature center, picnic area and boat ramp here at this park. Since we were getting a walk-up site they let us drive around and pick our site from a list of available ones. Most of them were on the small side accommodating tents or pop-ups. We found one in the Osprey loop which was very shaded. The bath rooms were clean and up to date. Good for a night on our way to Rhode Island.

Burlingame state park campground is 3100 acres and many of the 739 reservable campsites are well spaced out and you could obtain great privacy if you know which site to pick. The condition of the park has steadily declined since about 2016. Plans are in the work to update all bathroom facilities, but it keeps getting pushed back year after year. Burlingame State Park campground is the only state park managed by an outside corporation who assumes the day to day responsibilities for campsites, dumpsters and bathrooms. Ongoing issues, especially on holiday weekends have been noted by hundreds of campers.  The new pre-registration offered through Reserve America has been a great improvement. It allows to avoid the long lines at the check-in station and drive straight up to the gate. Lack of staff on the management level, and Rhode Island state park department level definitely shows. Rhode Island DEM is allowing this wonderful campground to deteriorate. Flooding issues during even minor rainfall is apparent in a large portion of sites, so beware which campsite you reserve. Camper created group called Bound4burlingame has filmed every campsite and put them on YouTube and has created a private group on FB where the camping community of Burlingame contributes daily to an extremely popular public forum. Best place to gain info and insight. Get campsite recommendations straight from the people who actually camp there.