“slumber upon Connecticut's largest public beach park”
On July 18, 1920, Hammonasset Beach State Park was opened to the public. The first season attracted over 75,000 visitors. The park's reputation drew tourists from across the continent as well as the state. During World War II, the park was closed to the public and loaned to the federal government as an army reservation. Meigs Point functioned as an aircraft range. Planes flew over Clinton Harbor, fired at the range, and then flew out over Long Island Sound. The stone breakwater at the Meigs Point end of the park was built in 1955. The stones were brought in by truck from quarries in northern New England. Today, over one million people enjoy Hammonasset Beach State Park each year. Swim in the salt water, collect shells, build a sandcastle, sunbathe, relax, and walk along the 3/4 mile boardwalk, gazing upon Long Island Sound. Launch a carry-in boat, take a canoe trip, or fish from the stone breakwater. Summer activities include nature talks, bingo, movies, horseshoes, bocce and volleyball. The children's play area offers a pirate ship, swings, and slides. Visit Meigs Point Nature Center and experience the hands-on saltwater touch tank or search for the hundreds of bird species present at the park. See displays of area flora, fauna and geology. As Connecticut's largest public beach park, Hammonasset offers over 550 grassy campsites, perfect for the nature enthusiast. Hammonasset's campground has 552 sites with many amenities, including restrooms, showers, a camp store, dump stations, and water. The Meigs Point Nature Center offers programs and activities for park visitors during the summer season.
Reviews of Hammonasset Beach State Park
6 people have reviewed this location
Cell Coverage
Verizon 4G/5G
Confirmed by 2 users | Last reported on July 07, 2024AT&T 5G
Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on July 19, 2022Reviews
We didn't stay here but visited friends who were camping to avoid paying more for the cottages we stayed at across the street.
Anyway, Connecticut state parks are pretty expensive, and non-residents pay up to $45 to camp in an RV in the park. Just to visit for the day, if you have a car, costs $22 on the weekends. Or you can bike in, as we did, for free as far as day access goes.
The campground is just a series of loops where you're essentially camping in wide open grass spaces, so there's no privacy at all. The beach is walkable or an even easier bike ride, and it's certainly beautiful. There was no trash and plenty of shells to explore. We went in September and the water was already frigid. A bike path from the park was fun and shaded, wide and well-maintained, and the bathrooms were clean.
The nearby town of Madison is pretty much a postcard of what I think everyone imagines New England small towns to be, and well worth the visit if you find yourself in this park anyway.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: -
Site Number: -
RV Type: Van
We camped here in early October 2020 and enjoyed our stay. We stayed in Beach loop which I think is the best area. Large grassy sites, just beautiful. We had a 27 foot Airstream and a large tent on our site and still had a ton of room. Most of the other loops were not in use due to COVID restrictions. Easy check in process, Clean bathrooms, clean sites. Kind of a bummer that there were no fire pits but you could rent one from the campground store. Sites were level and a short walk over the dunes to the beach. Other loop sites look closer together - it is a huge park.
Nightly Rate: $45.00
Days Stayed: 2
Site Number: BCH24
RV Length: 27 ft
RV Type: Travel Trailer
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 4G
The sites along Beach Road are pretty spacious! Plenty of room to set up a tent next to your RV and have 2 cars parked without feeling cramped at all. Our site was a 5 minute walk to the beach, so it's easy to set up a spot on the beach early and walk back to your campsite for lunch during the day. The sunset over the beach is beautiful, there are some great local seafood spots down the road, and a cute downtown area to check out in Madison. Bring a bike to cruise around the loops throughout the park or to take a ride down a dirt walking/biking trail.
Note that the $35/night rate is for a site with electric & water hook-up for CT residents, it's $45/night if you're from out of state. Cheaper sites without hookups are available.
Nightly Rate: $35.00
Days Stayed: 3
Site Number: BCH027
RV Type: Other
Cell Coverage Rating
AT&T 5G
Huge fields of campsites with little shade. If you are lucky, you might snag a larger perimeter campsite with a little privacy and a shade tree. The beach is awesome and we enjoyed kayaking. There is a smaller hidden beach to the East that is worth exploring. Our bathroom and showers were exceptional - I never tried another so I can’t report on them. We were dry camping and fortunately the temps were tolerable at night due to a light sea breeze.
Nightly Rate: $30.00
Days Stayed: -
Site Number: 28
I was reading reviews from alot of out of state visitors. ...there's alot of complaints about the sites not having shade..I don't disagree. I got sunpoison once from having no shade camping in a tent near friends in their RV. I And grew up down the street and I knew better.
I just wanted to explain most of this campground is set up for RV campers and don't have alot of shade. There is a section of the park that is designed for tents. If you see a site that says it's for RVs but you can use it for tents also that's a Pretty good indicator there's gonna be not very much shade. The area near the volleyball court and amptheater is better for tent camping.
Nightly Rate: -
Days Stayed: 5
Site Number: -
Cell Coverage Rating
Verizon 5G
Easy to find and such a beautiful place!
Be the first to add a review to the Hammonasset Beach State Park.
Hammonasset Beach State Park
Hours
- Sun - Sat: 8:00 am - 7:00 pm
Problem with this listing? Let us know.
Has RV parking changed? Let us know.
-
Parking
-
Pets Allowed
-
Restrooms
-
Wifi
-
Wheelchair Accessible
-
Credit Cards Accepted
- Max Stay
- 21
- Max Length
- 50 ft
- Season End
- September
- Affiliation
- State park or forest
- Sites Count
- 558
- Season Start
- April
- Last Nightly Rate
- 30.0
- Lowest Nightly Rate
- 30.0
- Back In RV Sites Count
- 20
- Pull Through RV Sites Count
- 275
- Longest Vehicle Length Reported
- 27 ft
-
Sites
-
Laundry
-
Propane
-
Showers
-
Big Rigs
-
Boondock
-
Firewood
-
Fifty Amp
-
Slide Outs
-
Tent Sites
-
Cabin Sites
-
Full Hookup
-
Paved Sites
-
Dump Station
-
Mobile Homes
-
Public Water
-
Pull Through
-
Reservations
-
Sewer Hookup
-
Water Hookup
-
Potable Water
-
Age Restricted
-
Dispersed Sites
-
Open Seasonally
-
Permit Required
-
Back In RV Sites
-
Group Tent Sites
-
Fulltime Residents
-
Standard Tent Sites
-
Pull Through RV Sites
-
Vehicle Wash Permitted
Campground, Parking, Restrooms
Nearby Hotels
Related Trip Guides
The top things to do on an I-95 road trip
- 50 Places
- 41:46
- 1,983 mi
The top things to do on a U.S. Route 20 road trip
- 23 Places
- 60:25
- 3,576 mi
The top things to do on an East Coast road trip
- 32 Places
- 48:54
- 2,584 mi