RV Parks In Connecticut

It depends on what you need. For full hookups and big-rig room, the private resorts near Mystic lead the list: Mystic KOA Holiday in North Stonington runs year-round with 80-foot pull-throughs, while Strawberry Park in Preston and Odetah in Bozrah add pools and lake access. For scenery on a budget, the state parks win, with Hammonasset Beach in Madison offering the largest shoreline campground and Rocky Neck in East Lyme giving you another stretch of Long Island Sound beach. We suggest matching the park to your rig size and whether you want hookups.

Some do, but it splits by type. The private RV resorts near Mystic, including Mystic KOA, Strawberry Park, and Odetah, offer full hookups with 30 and 50-amp service and sewer at the site. The state-park campgrounds are mostly the opposite: most sites have no hookups at all. Hammonasset Beach is the main exception, with roughly 50 electric and water sites in one loop, and Rocky Neck has a single trailer hookup site. If full hookups are a must, plan on a private resort rather than a state park.

State parks are the bargain tier. Standard sites run roughly $17 a night for residents and $27 for non-residents, with shoreline sites in the mid-$20s to low-$30s, plus a $9 reservation fee. Most of those are dry sites with no hookups. Private full-hookup resorts near Mystic cost considerably more, often $60 to over $100 a night in peak summer, and climb on event and holiday weekends. If you are staying a month, ask private parks about seasonal rates, which lower the nightly cost a lot.

For state parks, as far ahead as you can. Reservations through ReserveAmerica open 11 months in advance, and the popular shoreline parks like Hammonasset and Rocky Neck book out within days for summer weekends, helped along by a 7-night Sunday-to-Sunday minimum in peak season. Private resorts book direct and also sell out on concert and holiday weekends near Mystic and the casinos. Midweek and shoulder-season dates are far easier. As a rule, lock in summer shore plans in the winter, not the spring.

For the shoreline, summer is prime, with warm water on the Sound, though it is also the most crowded and carries minimum-stay rules. For value and scenery, fall is our favorite: the Litchfield Hills light up with foliage in October, most parks stay open to around Columbus Day, and rates and crowds drop. Spring is cooler and wetter with a slow start as campgrounds open in mid-to-late May. Winter is mostly closed except a few year-round private parks near the casinos.

Yes, but choose carefully. The older state-park loops tend to favor rigs under about 30 feet, with tight roads and small sites, so a 40-footer can struggle there. The private resorts are built for big rigs: Mystic KOA has 80-foot pull-throughs sized for slide-outs and tow vehicles, and Strawberry Park and Odetah handle large rigs with full hookups. Just as important, keep big rigs off the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways, which ban anything over 8 feet tall or 24 feet long.

Not really, and this surprises people. Connecticut does not allow dispersed camping or boondocking in its state parks and forests; you must use a designated, reserved campsite, and rangers enforce it. Backpack camping is allowed only in specific permitted backpack areas, not for RVs. Overnight sleeping at highway rest areas is not prohibited and has no posted time limit, but that is a place to rest, not a campground. Plan on booking a real site rather than counting on free public land here.

Hammonasset is the largest shoreline campground in Connecticut, with around 550 sites, but the great majority have no hookups. One loop offers roughly 50 sites with electric and water, and those are the first to book when the 11-month window opens. There is no sewer at the site; you use the campground dump station. Many sites have paved pads, but the loops were built decades ago and favor moderate-size rigs. If you want the electric sites or an oceanfront spot, reserve the moment your date becomes available.

Base yourself in the southeast corner near North Stonington and Preston. Mystic KOA Holiday sits minutes from I-95 and a short drive to Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic Aquarium, and downtown Mystic, and it runs year-round with full hookups. Strawberry Park in Preston and Sun Outdoors Mystic in Old Mystic are also close, and all three put you within about 30 minutes of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. This cluster of private resorts is the most convenient home base for exploring the Mystic area by RV.

Yes, and it is one of the best reasons to bring an RV to Connecticut. The Litchfield Hills in the northwest light up in October, and you can base at public sites like Black Rock State Park near the hills or at private parks in the area such as Lone Oak and Cozy Hills. Kent Falls and the Housatonic River are nearby highlights. Foliage weekends do draw crowds, so book ahead, and route on US-7 and the interstates rather than the restricted parkways to the south.

State-park camping is booked through ReserveAmerica, the system Connecticut DEEP uses. You can reserve up to 11 months ahead and up to a day before arrival, except at Macedonia Brook and Mashamoquet Brook, which require booking at least 48 hours in advance. Each reservation adds a $9 fee. Summer shoreline sites carry a 7-night Sunday-to-Sunday minimum, so read the stay rules before you book. Set a calendar reminder for the 11-month window if you are targeting a popular weekend, because the best sites go quickly.

Mostly no. Nearly all state-park campgrounds close after Columbus Day and reopen in mid-to-late May, so the public system is a three-season option. For winter camping you are looking at the handful of private parks that stay open year-round, with Mystic KOA in the southeast being the most reliable near the casinos. Even those run a reduced winter operation, so call ahead to confirm hookups and amenities. If you want shoulder-season camping, target April at Devil's Hopyard, which opens earlier than the rest.

No. The Merritt Parkway and its continuation, the Wilbur Cross Parkway (Route 15), ban RVs, trailers, and tow vehicles. Vehicles over 8 feet tall or 24 feet long are not allowed, and commercial vehicles over 7,500 pounds gross weight are barred. The parkways have low, historic stone bridges that will not clear a motorhome. Route your RV on I-95 along the shoreline, I-84 across the north, I-91 up the center, and US-7 in the west, and ignore any GPS that tries to send you onto Route 15.

Connecticut has a genuine two-tier system. The public tier is CT DEEP state parks, which are affordable and scenic but mostly hookup-free and sized for smaller rigs, with shoreline standouts like Hammonasset and Rocky Neck and inland options in the hills. The private tier is the resorts, concentrated in the southeast near Mystic, which deliver full hookups, big-rig pull-throughs, pools, and year-round options at a higher price. Most RVers here mix the two, dry camping cheap on the shore and booking a hookup resort when they want power and amenities.

It depends on what you need. For full hookups and big-rig room, the private resorts near Mystic lead the list: Mystic KOA Holiday in North Stonington runs year-round with 80-foot pull-throughs, while Strawberry Park in Preston and Odetah in Bozrah add pools and lake access. For scenery on a budget, the state parks win, with Hammonasset Beach in Madison offering the largest shoreline campground and Rocky Neck in East Lyme giving you another stretch of Long Island Sound beach. We suggest matching the park to your rig size and whether you want hookups.

Some do, but it splits by type. The private RV resorts near Mystic, including Mystic KOA, Strawberry Park, and Odetah, offer full hookups with 30 and 50-amp service and sewer at the site. The state-park campgrounds are mostly the opposite: most sites have no hookups at all. Hammonasset Beach is the main exception, with roughly 50 electric and water sites in one loop, and Rocky Neck has a single trailer hookup site. If full hookups are a must, plan on a private resort rather than a state park.

State parks are the bargain tier. Standard sites run roughly $17 a night for residents and $27 for non-residents, with shoreline sites in the mid-$20s to low-$30s, plus a $9 reservation fee. Most of those are dry sites with no hookups. Private full-hookup resorts near Mystic cost considerably more, often $60 to over $100 a night in peak summer, and climb on event and holiday weekends. If you are staying a month, ask private parks about seasonal rates, which lower the nightly cost a lot.

For state parks, as far ahead as you can. Reservations through ReserveAmerica open 11 months in advance, and the popular shoreline parks like Hammonasset and Rocky Neck book out within days for summer weekends, helped along by a 7-night Sunday-to-Sunday minimum in peak season. Private resorts book direct and also sell out on concert and holiday weekends near Mystic and the casinos. Midweek and shoulder-season dates are far easier. As a rule, lock in summer shore plans in the winter, not the spring.

For the shoreline, summer is prime, with warm water on the Sound, though it is also the most crowded and carries minimum-stay rules. For value and scenery, fall is our favorite: the Litchfield Hills light up with foliage in October, most parks stay open to around Columbus Day, and rates and crowds drop. Spring is cooler and wetter with a slow start as campgrounds open in mid-to-late May. Winter is mostly closed except a few year-round private parks near the casinos.

Yes, but choose carefully. The older state-park loops tend to favor rigs under about 30 feet, with tight roads and small sites, so a 40-footer can struggle there. The private resorts are built for big rigs: Mystic KOA has 80-foot pull-throughs sized for slide-outs and tow vehicles, and Strawberry Park and Odetah handle large rigs with full hookups. Just as important, keep big rigs off the Merritt and Wilbur Cross Parkways, which ban anything over 8 feet tall or 24 feet long.

Not really, and this surprises people. Connecticut does not allow dispersed camping or boondocking in its state parks and forests; you must use a designated, reserved campsite, and rangers enforce it. Backpack camping is allowed only in specific permitted backpack areas, not for RVs. Overnight sleeping at highway rest areas is not prohibited and has no posted time limit, but that is a place to rest, not a campground. Plan on booking a real site rather than counting on free public land here.

Hammonasset is the largest shoreline campground in Connecticut, with around 550 sites, but the great majority have no hookups. One loop offers roughly 50 sites with electric and water, and those are the first to book when the 11-month window opens. There is no sewer at the site; you use the campground dump station. Many sites have paved pads, but the loops were built decades ago and favor moderate-size rigs. If you want the electric sites or an oceanfront spot, reserve the moment your date becomes available.

Base yourself in the southeast corner near North Stonington and Preston. Mystic KOA Holiday sits minutes from I-95 and a short drive to Mystic Seaport Museum, Mystic Aquarium, and downtown Mystic, and it runs year-round with full hookups. Strawberry Park in Preston and Sun Outdoors Mystic in Old Mystic are also close, and all three put you within about 30 minutes of Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. This cluster of private resorts is the most convenient home base for exploring the Mystic area by RV.

Yes, and it is one of the best reasons to bring an RV to Connecticut. The Litchfield Hills in the northwest light up in October, and you can base at public sites like Black Rock State Park near the hills or at private parks in the area such as Lone Oak and Cozy Hills. Kent Falls and the Housatonic River are nearby highlights. Foliage weekends do draw crowds, so book ahead, and route on US-7 and the interstates rather than the restricted parkways to the south.

State-park camping is booked through ReserveAmerica, the system Connecticut DEEP uses. You can reserve up to 11 months ahead and up to a day before arrival, except at Macedonia Brook and Mashamoquet Brook, which require booking at least 48 hours in advance. Each reservation adds a $9 fee. Summer shoreline sites carry a 7-night Sunday-to-Sunday minimum, so read the stay rules before you book. Set a calendar reminder for the 11-month window if you are targeting a popular weekend, because the best sites go quickly.

Mostly no. Nearly all state-park campgrounds close after Columbus Day and reopen in mid-to-late May, so the public system is a three-season option. For winter camping you are looking at the handful of private parks that stay open year-round, with Mystic KOA in the southeast being the most reliable near the casinos. Even those run a reduced winter operation, so call ahead to confirm hookups and amenities. If you want shoulder-season camping, target April at Devil's Hopyard, which opens earlier than the rest.

No. The Merritt Parkway and its continuation, the Wilbur Cross Parkway (Route 15), ban RVs, trailers, and tow vehicles. Vehicles over 8 feet tall or 24 feet long are not allowed, and commercial vehicles over 7,500 pounds gross weight are barred. The parkways have low, historic stone bridges that will not clear a motorhome. Route your RV on I-95 along the shoreline, I-84 across the north, I-91 up the center, and US-7 in the west, and ignore any GPS that tries to send you onto Route 15.

Connecticut has a genuine two-tier system. The public tier is CT DEEP state parks, which are affordable and scenic but mostly hookup-free and sized for smaller rigs, with shoreline standouts like Hammonasset and Rocky Neck and inland options in the hills. The private tier is the resorts, concentrated in the southeast near Mystic, which deliver full hookups, big-rig pull-throughs, pools, and year-round options at a higher price. Most RVers here mix the two, dry camping cheap on the shore and booking a hookup resort when they want power and amenities.

The highest-rated is Indianfield Campground with a rating of 4.6/5 stars.