Camping at Hammonasset Beach

Hammonasset has the biggest campground in Connecticut's state parks: 558 grassy, open sites a short walk from the beach, including eight rustic cabins. DEEP says it holds 40% of all the campsites in the state. A basic site costs $20 a night for Connecticut residents and $30 for everyone else. You book through ReserveAmerica up to 11 months ahead, and pets are not allowed.

When the Campground Is Open

The 2027 season runs Friday, May 28 to Monday, October 11, 2027 (noon). The 2026 season ran Friday, May 22 to Monday, October 12, 2026 (noon). Outside those dates the campground is closed, though the rest of the park stays open for day visits.

Peak summer weekends book up first. The booking window opens 11 months before your arrival date, so a July weekend opens the previous August.

Campsite Prices

Prices are per site, per night, and depend on where your license and the site's hookups fall. DEEP lists these rates, plus a processing fee on every reservation:

• Basic campsite: $20 for Connecticut residents, $30 for non-residents.
• Campsite with water and electric hookups: $35 for residents, $45 for non-residents. There are 88 of these.
• Rustic cabin: $70 for residents, $80 for non-residents, plus a 15% Connecticut room occupancy tax and a refundable $50 security deposit.
• Processing fee: $9 per reservation. Changing or cancelling a reservation costs another $9. A walk-in reservation at the park carries a $3 fee.

How to Reserve a Site

1. Book online at ReserveAmerica, Connecticut's state park booking system, or by phone at 1-877-668-CAMP (2267). All major credit cards are accepted.
2. Pick your dates. Reservations open 11 months before arrival and close one day before.
3. Stay at least two nights. That's the minimum for every state park reservation, except that a booking made one to three days before arrival can be for one night.
4. Plan around the 21-day limit. Hammonasset allows up to 21 nights in a row. After that, everyone on the site and all of your equipment has to leave the campground for five days before a new stay.

Unreserved sites can go to walk-ups on a first-come, first-served basis. Friends of Hammonasset says walk-up bookings are taken at the campground office during the season. On a summer weekend, don't count on one.

Cancellations and Changes

All changes and cancellations go through ReserveAmerica, not the campground staff. DEEP's refund rules are strict, so read them before you book:

• More than 7 days before arrival: full refund, minus the reservation fee and a cancellation fee.
• 2 to 7 days before arrival: refund minus those fees and the cost of one night.
• Less than 2 days before arrival: no refund, and no changes to the reservation.
• The name on the reservation can't be changed, and that person has to be there at check-in.

What the Sites Are Like

The sites are open and grassy, each with a picnic table, set along loops of paved road. Each site holds up to six people and two vehicles. Six sites are accessible and can be reserved. The campground is split into named sections, and DEEP's map marks walkways to the beach from the Quinnipiac and Podunk loops. Our campsite map page walks through the layout.

Expect sun. The sites are open rather than wooded, so a shade canopy is worth packing for July and August.

Campfires and Firewood

Campsites don't have fire rings. DEEP says you can bring your own raised fire pit or rent one from the camp store if one is available. Fires have to be off the ground. Don't bring firewood from home: Friends of Hammonasset says outside wood isn't allowed into the campground because it can carry the Asian longhorned beetle. Firewood and ice are sold on site. Fireworks, including sparklers, are banned in every state park campground.

Amenities

• Bathhouses with hot showers, dishwashing stations and drinking water. Friends of Hammonasset says a water faucet sits within a hose length of each site.
• A camp store, with hours that vary.
• Six dumping stations for self-contained RVs.
• An amphitheater, a playground with swings, slides and a sandbox, a volleyball court and adult exercise equipment.
• Recycling stations for small propane cylinders, plus trash and recycling bins.

Things to Do as a Camper

DEEP lists weekend movie nights, guided nature walks and bingo. Friends of Hammonasset says volunteer camp hosts run movies three times a week at Dowd's Amphitheater and bingo three times a week, plus a Fourth of July parade and bike decorating contest. Those programs are for campers only and change from year to year.

Bring bikes. The paved park roads and the bike path run from the campground all the way to Meigs Point, where the nature center is.

Rustic Cabins

The eight cabins rent for a full week only, Sunday to Sunday. Each is a two-room, 14-by-17-foot cabin with a double bed in front and two sets of bunk beds in back. It sleeps four comfortably and six at most. Mattresses are provided; bring your own sheets and pillows.

• Cabins have electricity but no kitchen or bathroom. The bathhouse is nearby.
• Each cabin site has a picnic table and a fire ring with a grate.
• No cooking inside or on the porch, no open flames inside and no smoking inside.
• Renters must be 21 or older. Check-in starts at 2 p.m. and check-out is by 11 a.m.
• The $50 security deposit is paid at check-in, by cash or check.

Campground Rules

• No pets anywhere in the campground during the season, and none in the cabins. Our rules page covers where dogs can go in the rest of the park.
• Quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.
• Alcohol is allowed in containers smaller than one liter, unless a park posts a ban.
• No firearms, archery equipment or other weapons.
• Up to six people and two vehicles per site.

Contact and Getting Here

The campground office is seasonal; its number is (203) 245-1817. Reservations go through ReserveAmerica at 1-877-668-CAMP (2267). The campground is just inside the main park entrance off Route 1, near I-95. Directions are on our parking page. DEEP's park page is the source of record for prices and dates.