Best Tent Camping in Rhode Island
Looking for the best options for tent camping in Rhode Island? Find the best tent camping sites in Rhode Island. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your Rhode Island tent camping excursion.
Best Tent Sites in Rhode Island (5)
1. East Beach State Beach
Charlestown, Rhode Island2 Reviews•4 Photos•73 SavesSpecialty camping on three (3) miles of undeveloped beach frontage is available at East Beach State Campground, located in Charlestown, Rhode Island. East Beach is one of the least developed of the Rhode Island state beaches, with limited parking and a half dozen changing rooms. This barrier beach and 10 site campground location offers four Clivus Multrum Composting Toilets for restrooms along with 3 miles of undeveloped beach frontage. Parking is very limited and fills up early on sunny summer days. A small portion of the beach is staffed with lifeguards on a seasonal basis. Utilities ARE NOT available at this campground. Special Camping/Vehicle Equipment requirements are required for camping at this location.
- Pets
- Fires
- Reservable
- Tents
- Group
- Dispersed
$55 - $65 / night
3. East Beach State Campground
Charlestown, Rhode Island1 Review•5 SavesSpecialty camping on three (3) miles of undeveloped beach frontage is available at East Beach State Campground, located in Charlestown, Rhode Island. East Beach is one of the least developed of the Rhode Island state beaches, with limited parking and a half dozen changing rooms. This barrier beach and 10 site campground location offers four Clivus Multrum Composting Toilets for restrooms along with 3 miles of undeveloped beach frontage. Parking is very limited and fills up early on sunny summer days. A small portion of the beach is staffed with lifeguards on a seasonal basis. Utilities ARE NOT available at this campground. Special Camping/Vehicle Equipment requirements are required for camping at this location.
All camping units MUST BE self-contained AND equipped with 4-wheel drive. A self-contained unit is defined as “A camping unit which contains permanent holding tanks for potable water, grey water and black water. Bathroom equipment must be permanently affixed to the unit.” Tow trailers or Fifth Wheels are not allowed. All campers MUST obtain a Barrier Beach Permit prior to their stay. Beach Vehicle Permits/Trail passes can be purchased from the Rhode Island Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) A beach parking fee will also be required for any vehicle using the East Beach Sand Trail during the summer beach season unless registered for a campsite. Closure of part or all of East Beach Campground may occur during the camping season due to the nesting of a tiny shorebird called the Piping Plover. The Piping Plover is listed as a threatened species under the Federal Endangered Species Act. If a closure should occur, reservations will be cancelled and refunded in full. Registered campers after having checked in to East Beach Campground will be allowed to utilize the Septic Dump Station and Water Filling Station at Burlingame State Campground and/or Fishermen’s Memorial State Campground, one time at no charge. Additional dumping or use of the water filling station will be subject to the Septic Dump Station Pass Fee Must show proof of active and valid reservation. Tent camping is not allowed. Pets are not allowed. Registered campers after having checked in to East Beach Campground will be allowed to utilize the Septic Dump Station and Water Filling Station at Burlingame State Campground and/or Fishermen’s Memorial State Campground, one time at no charge. Additional dumping or use of the water filling station will be subject to the Septic Dump Station Pass FeeAddress: East Beach Road, Charlestown, RI 02813
- Pets
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- Tents
- Cabins
- Trash
$28 / night
4. Ginny B Camp Grounds
Be the first to review!Foster Center, Rhode Island•2 SavesSwimming Small fry fishing 2 Recreation halls Fireplace & picnic table on each site State tested water Camp store Ice & wood available 8 Modern restrooms with free hot showers Coin operated laundry Pets on leashes are welcome Horseshoe courts Volleyball court Basketball court 2 Softball diamonds Lending library 200 sites with water & electricity Sewer sites available Playground 2 Dumping stations Adjacent to public golf course
- Fires
- Tents
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- WiFi
$46 - $50 / night
Recent Tent Reviews in Rhode Island
159 Reviews of 5 Rhode Island Campgrounds
- BBarry S.
Scout
Newport RV Park
Nice and quiet
Good size sites. Trees. Decent WiFi. Clean and quiet. Not much for amenities - no camp store, pool, activities.
Lee D.
Legend
Burlingame State Park Campground
HUGE state park
General: HUGE state park with over 700 sites. It does not fully open for the season until May 1 and when we were there in mid-April, only two sections, Fish Camp and Mills Camp were open. The Ranger station is staffed 24 hours a day, with a ranger on site until 11 pm. You need to show your pass to get inside the gate leading to the campsites. There are no hookups in any site (as far as I could tell). Sites are designated for tents, small trailers, large trailers, and RVs. As with other RI state parks, non-residents pay double the price of residents which kind of ticks me off (I don't mind a nominal upcharge but double is excessive IMO).
Site Quality: The site numbers throughout the park are painted on rocks but the sites themselves are not very clearly defined. There is no designated camping pad. Our site (114) had a water view but was not level. It was large enough for us to park horizontally and make it work for one night. Some sites had excessive roots and also were not level. Some picnic tables have been replaced with new ones, but others badly need it.
Bath/Shower house: The one in Fish Camp was adequate and clean. There is hot water, but you need to run it for a while before you get any. There was no garbage receptacle, and the toilet paper is so thin, that you can see through it. Showers are $.75 to get it started for the first three minutes. After that, the amount per minute increases to $1, $1.25, $1.50, and so forth. Machines take up to 22 quarters. There is a change machine at the Ranger Station. I did not use the shower so I cannot comment on how well they work.
Activities/Amenities: There is a camp store that offers wood, ice, coffee, basic groceries, propane, and canoe rentals. It was open with limited hours during our stay. Fishing, boating, swimming - all in season. Even though the park was only about 10% occupied, there was a strong Ranger presence. He circled our small loop three times just before check-out time and wanted to make sure we were leaving not a minute past the designated time.
This was just an overnight stay for us in a convenient location but there is no way I would stay at the height of the season!
Jacob D.
Guide
Fishermen’s Memorial State Campground
Somewhere to stay, not the best
$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.
ml Z.ScoutEast Beach State Campground
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- KKristi J.Scout
Burlingame State Park Campground
Pros outweigh the cons
Stayed for a week mid-July; during the week had almost an entire loop to ourselves which was wonderful - it felt like having the entire park to ourselves. Things picked up on Friday/Saturday but overall we lucked out with no neighbors who were disrespectful of the quiet hours (10p - 7a). Bathrooms, dumpsters, and portapotties are plentiful, but not always well maintained. Staff are seen frequently throughout the park and are very willing to be helpful when asked - our site had a few Yellowjacket nests and they took care of them for us almost immediately when asked. It’s worth investigating the various sites ahead of time - there are a number of sections much more likely to be busy than others, and lots of low-lying sites that show signs of easily being washed out in anything more than a moderate rain. With multiple great east coast beaches minutes away (as well as conveniences like fuel/stores) we will definitely be back.
- LLEAH R.Scout
Fishermen’s Memorial State Campground
FEELS LIKE SUMMER
Nothing like coming home to NARRAGANSETT..... BEAUTIFUL, clean campground.... Quiet & peaceful..... Bathrooms are very nice..... Not far from ROGER WHEELER BEACH & SCARBOROUGH BEACH.....Right down the street from great RI food.....
- LLEAH R.Scout
Fort Getty Campground
HEAVEN ON EARTH
Such a beautiful destination for tourists, travelers, & beach goers....Talk about being right on the water with access to excellent swimming. Such a lovely vantage point with your tent location from the top of FORT GETTY. Who knew??? Mackerel Cove is awesome....beach, beach, beach.... Bathrooms are ok. Such a hidden gem on the wonderful island of Jamestown!!!! Bring your tent....
Eddy B.Scout
Whispering Pines Campground
Fun for the family
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.
Mia S.
TravelerBurlingame State Park Campground
Enjoyed myself this weekend
We camped here from Friday to Sunday. The staff in the main office was very inviting and friendly, the rangers kept everyone in check . The bathrooms were kept clean, but the showers in the Legiontown area are kinda crappy, it's mainly the shower heads...they feel like bullets hitting you and you can't even adjust the shower head nozzle. The showers are $1.50/8mins I only put $1.00 in for 5 minutes which was more than enough time for me. There's a beautiful lake and you can rent Kayaks or a canoe for the day I believe it was around $45.00. there's a nice general store, an arcade, playground, trails, cabins... And the sites are pretty big. No real big complaints, except that the staties are usually waiting for you to come back from the bars since there's no alcohol allowed on the property. So if you are to drink off the property, make sure you have a Designated Driver. They love handing out DUIs. (I did not have this issue, but my friends did.)
- BBill C.Scout
Fishermen’s Memorial State Campground
Perfect stay
My wife and I camped last weekend and it was everything we were looking for. Awesome staff, the perfect location, and clean bathrooms. We will definitely be back!
Jay H.ScoutFishermen’s Memorial State Campground
Quiet, with good amenities
Very lush and green, and the showers are close to the sites and make longer stays more comfortable
Ryan A.Guide
George Washington State Campground
An OK Campground but not Great
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.
Paul R.GuideBurlingame State Park Campground
Friendly but busy
This is a great spot that’s perfect for a weekend camping. I ended up getting a cabin here and stayed the night. It was thwir opening weekend and the weather was pretty cold so we didn’t have to foght the crowds too much. That said, they have a huge capacity and during summer the place is swarmed by RV’ers and folks staying for longer stays.
- cchrisScout
Newport RV Park
Top Platz!
Der Camping Platz ist super ausgerüstet. Die Plätze sind grosszügig und gut gepflegt. Auch wenn der Platz eher teuer ist, bekommt man dort sehr viel. Das Personal ist sehr zuvorkommend und flexibel. Von der Lage her ist man auf ein Auto angewiesen.
- NNameScout
George Washington State Campground
Top tier
Very clean, not as busy, and has all the basics. Everyone complains about the local small wildlife getting into your food but basic practices can keep them out so it’s not a problem I had
Sarah A.GuideNewport RV Park
Nice, but further out than we thought
This park was very nice, but they advertise being 5 miles away from historic Newport, and it’s more like 8. There are zero bike paths that are immediately accessible and Newport drivers are not walker/biker friendly. No sidewalks on the Main Street to get you here. Ubers and Lyfts can be scarce and very expensive depending on the time of day. Between $16 to $78 rides…so, if you’re not towing, just something to be aware of. Neighbors were super nice and there is a great dog park (we think it’s city owned) with super nice doggo humans. Was good for a short stay - we just wish we had known how far out it really was because we really would have loved to spend more time downtown.
- Laurie M.Traveler
Burlingame State Park Campground
Once a gem, but steadily declining.
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.
Laurie A.Scout
Oak Leaf Family Campground
Seasonal campground
If I had any idea before arriving that this was a seasonal parking lot I never would have booked here and suggest you don’t either. Rules are not enforced for seasonals, so it’s party time, all the time! The teenie swimming pool is wall to wall kids with adult swim for a single hour in the middle of the afternoon. If you’d like to jump into a cesspool be my guest. Water pressure in the showers was seriously lacking and the bathrooms needed to be cleaned. This campground is near nothing! And the dump station is located on the wrong side. I couldn’t wait to leave!!
- AAmy S.Scout
Burlingame State Park Campground
Wouldn’t return unless I had a self contained RV
The sites in the 500 section are nice and big, and that’s about where the positives end :( There was a huge party that went on till 3 AM with crazy loud music, if you like quiet nights this is not your place. I really don’t mind loud people though so if that had been the worst of it I would have been ok. For me the bathrooms and dumpsters were absolutely unacceptable 🤢 I think the bathroom was cleaned once the 3 days we were there. There was feces on the toilet 2 of the 3 days, people washing dishes in bathroom sinks, floors covered in garbage. The dumpster smelled so bad and you couldn’t even throw garbage away, it was so full people just kept tossing it on top. Most of the time there was one person checking people in at the desk and trying to let people in the gate which takes forever since they have to check papers and license plates. Also, the mosquitoes are relentless so bring bug spray, lots of it.
- MMonique C.Guide
Newport RV Park
Sites
Sites were not bad. They did have stone down for a base. Sites are 1/2 in wooded areas and 1/2 in open field. We went on a Holiday Weekend but they were not very personable and did not give us events going on around. There is no pool here. Beaches are about a 15-20 min drive
Robert & Jeanne C.ScoutFishermen’s Memorial State Campground
Great location
We booked online having never been here before, our mistake. The site we chose is very uneven so leveling the RV wasn't real easy. Our fifth wheel front jacks are on the ground and two of the four wheels are off the ground. This seems to be common among the first part of the campground some sites are fairly level but not most of them. Now the back half of the campground has 50@ full hookups with much longer and level sites. My advice is to book the back section if you're a big Class A with a toad, or a long fifth wheel. Sites in the back seem to have more room to them. Water pressure was @ 50 psi.
James and Susan K.
Ranger
Carr Point Recreation Facility
Small Navy RV and Tent Park overlooking Water
Nice, well separated sites.
Only 6 sites with Electric and Water. No Dump or Shower/restrooms. 2 clean porta poddies on site.
Dump station located at Newport RV Park 5 minutes up the road for $20 charge. NEX MiniMart close with NEX an Commissary located 5 miles at NAVSTA Newport.
Andrzej K.GuideFishermen’s Memorial State Campground
Amazing place
Very clean Spacious Bathrooms and showers are clean Reasonably priced Best experience 1 miles walk to the state beach
Sean R.TravelerWhispering Pines Campground
Went too Early
I believe we camped there too early in the season to fully enjoy the grounds. The pool, splash pad, and nearly everything else was non operational or locked up still. Bocce ball set was pad locked, no one working the rec hall for horse shoes, shuffle board was in op. Didn't see a place for renting boats for the pond. With that said, the location is great. We drove about 10 min to some awesome trails which literally crossed the Connecticut and Rhode Island border. Back to the grounds.. again, probably because it is off season but the grounds seemed cluttered from the seasonal campers. Construction debris was evident as they are building a new welcome center currently. There was debris from seasonals as well which have the appearance of cluttered. The spots seemed a little close too. I'm rating 4 stars for the potential of the grounds if we were there at the right time otherwise I would rate 2.5 to 3 stars based on our trip alone. I believe that an in-season visit would be really nice as long as all amenities were available.
- JJoseph S.Traveler
Dyer Woods Nudist Campgrounds
Rustic spot in northern Rhode Island
Camped on several occasions with large groups of Yale and Brown students; and, in later years, with family and friends: always had a good time
- CCharlesGuide
Whispering Pines Campground
PERFECT CAMPGROUND FOR MY FAMILY
glad we found this place on here. wasn't sure what to expect, but this campground has been around a really long time- so it doesn't feel like a KOA or Jellystone. But it has a splash pad and pool, rec hall, a cute little store with fun things for the kids, and good humor bars- which we loved since the snack bar was only open on weekends. There are pine trees everywhere in the park, so the owners don't cut down a lot of trees which makes it feel like a real campground and not a field of peoples RV;s. GOing to try to get back in 2023 because we found out there are weekends that the camp has special things for the kids to do and dj nights, which would be a lot of fun.
- CCharlesGuide
Newport RV Park
Absolute Gem of an RV Park
Pay one price, no hidden fees- the park was recently updated and was beautiful. Spoke to the nice gal in the office and she pointed out that the owners (who are the same one even though they just changed the name of the place from Melville Ponds) that there were these cute airstreams that can be booked on Air BnB- which would be a fun option for some non-camping friends we have who don't want to pay the high cost of a hotel in Newport. There's a cottage to rent to- but 3 bedrooms is more than anyone we know would need. So glad we found this place and we've already booked our 2023 stay!
Guide to Rhode Island
Rhode Island offers a unique tent camping experience, blending natural beauty with a variety of amenities and activities for outdoor enthusiasts.
Local Attractions for Tent Campers
- Explore the scenic surroundings at East Beach State Campground, where you can enjoy the tranquility of the beach and nearby nature trails.
Activities for Outdoor Enthusiasts
- Enjoy a family-friendly atmosphere at Frontier Family Camper Park, perfect for those looking to engage in outdoor games and activities during the camping season.
Features That Enhance Your Stay
- Experience the convenience of amenities like drinking water and picnic tables at Ginny B Camp Grounds, making it a comfortable choice for tent campers.