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Best Tent Camping in Rhode Island

161 Reviews
CAMPER SUMMARY PRESENTED BYFord

Rhode Island offers several tent camping opportunities, including established campgrounds in wooded settings. Buck Hill Campground provides rural, no-frills tent sites along Wakefield Pond in a heavily wooded area. The sites are organized in large clusters, each able to accommodate 10 or more tents, making this location suitable for group camping experiences. Arcadia Management Area contains multiple tent camping options, including Arcadia Backpack Camping Area and LeGrand Reynolds Horsemen's Camping Area, both located on Escoheag Hill Road in Exeter. Frosty Hollow Camping Area in Exeter offers additional tent camping opportunities within the state.

Most Rhode Island tent campgrounds feature basic amenities with varying levels of development. Buck Hill Campground provides minimal facilities with a few rough restrooms, some porta-potties, and covered patio areas with electricity at select sites. Many campgrounds permit campfires, including Water's Edge Campground in Coventry, which offers additional amenities like showers, toilets, and trash service for tent campers. Sites typically have picnic tables, and some locations provide drinking water access. Most tent camping areas in Rhode Island require campers to pack out trash and bring their own firewood, as availability at campgrounds is limited. Several campgrounds are accessible via multiple methods, including drive-in, walk-in, and even boat-in options at certain locations.

The tent camping experience in Rhode Island features scenic wooded settings with water access at multiple locations. Buck Hill Campground sits alongside Wakefield Pond, which is suitable for canoeing, kayaking, and swimming. The pond has a small sandy area for water entry, though no lifeguards are present. The heavily wooded surroundings provide natural shade and privacy between camping clusters. Several tent campgrounds in Rhode Island allow pets, particularly in the Arcadia Management Area, where tent campers can access surrounding hiking trails and natural areas. One camper noted that Buck Hill Campground is "a great rural no frills campground" where visitors come "to just unwind, fish, cook" in a peaceful natural setting.

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Best Tent Sites in Rhode Island (7)

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Tent Camping Reviews in Rhode Island

161 Reviews of 7 Rhode Island Campgrounds

  • Jean C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 1, 2020

    Burlingame State Park Campground

    Huge campground, not many level sites.

    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.

  • Ryan A.
    May. 15, 2024

    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.

  • K
    Aug. 20, 2022

    Fort Getty Campground

    No shade no rule enforcement. Great place for a big group to party if that’s what you want.

    Loud campers in large groups.

    Rules regarding quiet hours, no generators, number of tents per site and late arrival and setups were not enforced.

    People next to us crammed 8 tents on 3 sites. I counted a group of at least 20.

    There is no privacy, people were constantly walking through our site and stepping over our tent guy lines.

    People partied until 2:00am and woke up at 5:30am shining headlights and idling cars.

    Bathrooms were dirty, sites boundaries not marked and crammed together. No shade.

    Beautiful location, rangers were nice.

    RV folks were surly, seemed like a lot of them stay there for the entire season. One said hi, the rest stared when we drove by.

    We booked and paid for two nights and left first thing after just one night.

  • Laura M.
    Aug. 25, 2018

    Burlingame State Park Campground

    Nice campground

    Super large sites, store is adequately stocked, nice lake/pond. I came here because of the location. Super close to the beach. This is a state park, no alcohol is allowed, quiet time strictly enforced. Nice family campground. No hookups.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 16, 2019

    Fishermens Memorial State Park Campground

    Not the bargain it used to be!

    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.

  • Brad B.
    Jul. 28, 2021

    Newport RV Park

    Excellent Location & Clean Facilities !

    Excellent location for exploring the cites and beaches of Rhode Island! Call ahead to check on shade versus full sun sites if that’s important and take note of grass and course gravel pad material as well. The main campground is on a slope, so be prepared for some leveling requirements, especially sites #216 and #217 (front to back). Also, our site #215 was at the bottom of the hill, so it was a bit mucky. This site also sloped down on both sides of the pad significantly reducing the usable footprint of the area. Otherwise a perfect experience with friendly hosts, clean facilities and centrally located!

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 7, 2024

    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!

  • Jessica A.
    Feb. 7, 2023

    Burlingame State Park Campground

    A Camper's Campground

    Burlingame is a HUGE state park campground with over 700 sites. The location is fantastic, but with this many sites (so, with this many people), there are bound to be pros and cons.

    Pros:

    Lovely location - it's in the middle of the woods, has a pond, has pond swimming. It's just minutes to the ocean by car. Hiking and biking for miles.

    Camp store - well stocked.

    Price - dirt cheap if you are a RI resident, but pricey if you aren't.

    Spacious - even with all those sites, there's plenty of room between sites and tons of open space for kids to run around, fly a kite, play tag, hide and seek.

    Real camping atmosphere - fire rings at each site, wooded sites (and open grass sites if you like that better). Wildlife (listening to the several types of owls is a favorite pastime at night). While RVs are welcome (and we have tent and trailer camped here), this is NOT an RV resort. No hook-ups.

    Cons:

    No hook-ups, lol. This is a con in the heat of the summer if you want/need AC. 

    Bath houses - are usually pretty filthy, and that's because there are too many people per bath house, and people are gross.

    Noise / Parties / Drunks - again, too many sites means too many people and nowhere near enough park staff. On the weekends people can get out of hand with the partying and it's not uncommon to have to listen to noise late into the night. Do not come on a holiday weekend, it's packed.

    Overall, if you are a camper's camper, this is a great place. Close to CT so a day trip to Mystic is easy, close to several gorgeous beaches, close to great restaurants, ice cream, and shopping. Swim in the pond. Fish in the pond (catch and release). Bike. Hike. Hammock. Avoid holiday weekends and the heat of August if you can. Be prepared for dirty restrooms and come armed with hand soap (they no longer provide any), paper towels, and Clorox wipes.

  • Mia S.
    Jun. 24, 2024

    Burlingame 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.)

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the costs and reservation requirements for tent camping in Rhode Island?

Tent camping costs in Rhode Island typically range from $20-35 per night for standard sites, with prices varying by season and amenities. Frosty Hollow Camping Area requires reservations, which can be made through the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management website. Frontier Family Camper Park in Hopkinton may have different reservation policies as a private campground. Most state-operated campgrounds accept reservations up to 9 months in advance, with a booking fee of approximately $8-10. Many campgrounds have a one or two-night minimum stay requirement, especially on weekends and holidays. Always call ahead during peak summer season (June-August) as availability can be limited.

What fishing opportunities are available at Rhode Island tent camping sites?

Rhode Island tent campgrounds offer diverse fishing opportunities. Ginny B Camp Grounds provides access to nearby freshwater fishing spots with basic amenities for anglers. LeGrand Reynolds Horsemen's Camping Area in the Arcadia Management Area offers proximity to some of Rhode Island's best inland fishing waters. Many Rhode Island campgrounds are situated near stocked ponds and streams containing trout, bass, and panfish. A Rhode Island fishing license is required for anglers 15 years and older, available online through the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management. Seasonal restrictions and catch limits apply, so campers should check current regulations before their trip.

Can you camp on Rhode Island beaches?

Direct beach camping is generally not permitted on most Rhode Island public beaches. However, Water's Edge Campground near Coventry offers waterfront camping with beach access, providing a legal alternative to camping directly on public beaches. Rhode Island strictly enforces no overnight camping rules on state beaches, with potential fines for violations. For those seeking coastal camping experiences, look for established campgrounds near beaches rather than attempting to camp on public shorelines. Some private waterfront properties may permit camping with explicit permission from landowners, but this is uncommon and should be verified in advance.

Where are the best tent camping sites in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island offers several excellent tent camping options. Arcadia Backpack Camping Area in Exeter provides a more primitive experience for those seeking seclusion in nature, with reservable sites for tent campers. For a wooded setting with water access, Buck Hill Campground features large group sites that can accommodate multiple tents and sits along Wakefield Pond, perfect for canoeing and kayaking. The heavily wooded surroundings create a true forest camping experience, though amenities are minimal. These campgrounds showcase Rhode Island's natural beauty while providing different camping experiences from basic to more developed options.

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