Connecticut camping Archives - Big Guy Tiny Trailer

New England Camping

We were happy to finally be able do a New England camping trip that was cancelled in 2020. The trip lasted 4 1/2 weeks and covered six states in the northeast corner of the country: Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, and Rhode Island. Those six states were new states in which we have not previously camped.

Stops and Miles

We towed our camper approximately 3,188 miles with a total of 18 stops. Also, there was a good bit of driving without the trailer attached because the Ram traveled 3,600 miles. Our focus was getting to the New England camping areas, so it was longer drives and one night stops until we got there.

New England camping path — Our New England part

The States

Connecticut

First, we camped on the western side of the state, near the charming town of Litchfield. Our campground was Cozy Hills, the most friendly of all our stops. We were near Hartford which allowed us a day in there. The majestic Connecticut State Capital was a highlight, made more enjoyable by a tour. Our Sophie stayed with a sitter who lived in Hartford, so we had plenty of time to enjoy the city.

After the capital tour, we had a delicious lunch at Pepe’s Pizza and then a tour of Mark Twain’s home. It was interesting and informative about his later years.

On our way home after many more stops, we camped on the eastern side of the state, but it was only an overnight stop. I really love Connecticut. More on our time there is at Connecticut Camping Summer 2022.

Maine

The highlight of our trip was Maine. We camped in three different cities in Maine: Bangor, Bar Harbor, and Kennebunkport for a total of eight nights. Each city was special in its own way, but Acadia National Park was unparalleled. We camped two nights at Hadley’s Point campground with full hookups in Bar Harbor and two nights of dry camping in the National Park at Blackwoods Campground. Inside the park was my favorite! The terrain in Bar Harbor was mountainous and rugged.

Bangor

Firstly, Paul Bunyan Campground in Bangor was our home for two nights. We used our time there to check out Stephen King’s house and the Cole Transportation Museum. It was cool to see Kings house, but the Transportation Museum was amazing. For example, it has tractors, snowplows, and vehicles that are over a hundred years old.

Bar Harbor/Acadia

Acadia National Park is small, but so very beautiful. It and Bar Harbor are on an island called Mount Desert. I wish we could have done more hiking, but am glad we were able to do a little.

New England camping at Acadia National Park — View from the top of Cadillac Mountain

We stumbled upon the beautiful garden below in Bar Harbor and just stopped for awhile to enjoy its serenity.

Kennebunkport

Kennebunkport is a beautiful, small coastal town. Most importantly, it is known as the summer home of the George H.W. Bush family for over a hundred years. We saw the home from afar, but we mostly enjoyed checking out the small town and the amenities at our nicest campground on our trip, Sandy Pines Campground.

This was the only time to get in a pool during our trip. It is a saltwater pool and it was exhilarating—the perfect temperature and no chlorine smell. Sandy Pines was our favorite campground because of the nice amenities.

All of our stops in Maine were great. The only regret was no autumn leaves. For more details, check out Maine Camping Summer 2022.

Massachusetts

Traveling through the Berkshires, our first Massachusetts stop was in Pittsfield at Bonnie Brae Campground. We were there two nights. We spent our free day at the Hancock Shaker Village and we stopped at a nearby winery for a tasting. Both were fun, especially the Village. The Berkshires was so beautiful and the weather good except for an afternoon shower.

When we came back down the eastern coast, Gloucester was our next Massachusetts destination with camping at Cape Ann Sites. It was very mountainous there with narrow roads. We didn’t like it at first, but our three nights there gave us a great appreciation for the area. So much was this that we would like to visit again. More photos and details about our Mass stops are at Massachusetts Camping Summer 2022.

New England camping in Gloucester — Fisherman’s Memorial

New Hampshire

The White Mountain range is in New Hampshire, so we got to see a lot of them. Our only stop in the state was in Wolfeboro at the Wolfeboro Campground. It was a nice, inexpensive campground in a lovely town with lakes all around. We took a day to ride the Cog Railroad to the top of Mount Washington, elevation 6,288. The railroad was a couple of hours away from Wolfeboro, but worth the trip.

We had three nights in Wolfeboro and stayed in town our other free day to take in the scenery and nice weather. I especially loved this small town! More about this stop is at New Hampshire Camping Summer 2022.

Rhode Island

Our worst weather was in Rhode Island. It was cloudy or raining during our entire stay. The goal was to take the ferry into Providence for a day, but there was actually some flooding there. So, it was a no go.

Despite the weather, we had a few hours to drive around a bit and enjoy Cliff Walk, a 3 1/2 mile walk alongside the ocean and the famous Newport mansions. I absolutely loved it! The views were stunning and the salt air felt rejuvenating for my lung condition.

New England camping near Cliff Walk — Cliff Walk

Our other free day was a visit to The Breakers, one of the most famous Newport mansions. I loved it and my husband tolerated it. I would have liked to visit others, but marriage does involve compromise. More on this rainy stop is at Rhode Island Camping Summer 2022.

New England camping in Newport — The Breakers

Vermont

The Green Mountains of Vermont were very beautiful. The state is crystallized in my mind for its incredible scenery, rich history, and covered bridges. Of all the states we visited on this trip, I think Vermont would be the most beautiful for the turning of the leaves.

Our time in Vermont was only at one stop, Camping on the Battenkill in Arlington. Most importantly, there were three nearby covered bridges that we got to enjoy. For more about our Vermont experiences, see Vermont Camping Summer 2022.

New England camping and covered bridges — Paper Mill Bridge

New England Camping in Conclusion

This trip was long awaited and delayed by COVID, but it was an incredible experience. We loved each of the new states we visited because each was special in its own way. So, we now have camped in forty-five states!

Happily, our New England camping had no snags and we certainly had gorgeous weather most of the time. Fall leaves would have been nice, so we have to go back!

Connecticut Camping

Our four nights camping in Connecticut were very pleasant because the people were very friendly and there were fun things to do.

Cozy Hills Campground

Cozy Hills Campground is a fantastic family campground because it has lots of activities for children. There is so much going on that there is an itinerary with each day’s activities. It has a small restaurant on site and a large, but shallow swimming pool. However, it was a bit more expensive than many campgrounds on our trip at $85 a night. One thing we liked about it was its location—just outside of Litchfield and an easy drive from Hartford.

Connecticut Camping at Cozy Hills — Camping at Cozy Hills

The people who run the campground were so nice and it was very well-maintained. It is one of the cutest and friendliest campgrounds we have visited. We also enjoyed beautiful weather every day during our three-day stay.

Connecticut camping at Cozy Hills Campground — Lots of things to do at Cozy Hills

Our site was large and level and we were so comfortable while there. The only negative was the dog park. They had one, but it had artificial grass and our pup refused to go on it.

The other campers were also very friendly, particularly one family that gave us a package of Def for our truck. I costs almost $20 and they wouldn’t let us pay for it.

Litchfield

The nearby town of Litchfield was founded in 1719. It was very charming with historic buildings and lots of nice restaurants. We had a delicious outdoor lunch at Difranco’s with our pup and did a little walk around the town. One of the buildings I really liked was the Superior Court pictured below. It looks great for over a hundred and thirty years old.

Bellamy-Ferriday House

We did a tour of the nearby Bellamy-Ferriday house. It has an interesting history of two separate families. Reverend Joseph Bellamy built the main portion of the house in approximately 1754. The tour included artifacts from the time and information about the family and how they lived.

Many years later, the house was occupied by Carolyn Woolsey Ferriday. She was a philanthropist who provided support to women subject to experimentation by the Nazis in Ravensbrück concentration camp. She is one of the characters in Martha Hall Kelly’s book, Lilac Girls.

Hartford

Hartford was only fifty miles from us and we spent one of our days there and got a Rover sitter for our pup. It was a fun and relaxing day!

State Capital Building

Firstly, we headed to the Connecticut State Capital. We try to tour capital buildings on our travels because they are so grand and you can learn a lot about a state’s history. We were happy to be there on a weekday because there was a tour available. The building is a gorgeous Gothic Revival structure that opened in 1879.

Connecticut camping near Hartford — Connecticut State Capital Building

It was very grand on the inside as well. One of our tour guides demonstrated the unique echo acoustics on the spot pictured below. The man on the right in the photo is U. S. Senator Richard Blumenthal doing an interview. However, we did not get an opportunity to speak with him.

There were many beautiful and interesting things in the Capital Building, but I thought Lafayette’s Bed was a most unusual artifact, dating back to battles with George Washington. This type of bed led to the phrase, “Sleep Tight.”

Frank Pepe Pizzeria

Friends who formerly lived in Connecticut told us about Pepe’s pizza. We visited the West Hartford location and it was in a modern building with phenomenal food and extraordinary service.

We ordered a medium pizza and it was enormous. There were leftovers so we had a snack later at the campground. My husband’s half was Amanti Della Carne (meatball, pepperoni, sausage, and bacon) and mine was Fresh Tomato Pie. So delicious!

Mark Twain House

After that, we managed to squeeze in a visit to the Mark Twain House where he lived with his family from 1874 to 1891. Twain’s biographer described the house as “part steamboat, part medieval fortress, and part cuckoo clock.” I can see it.

The tour provided lots of information I didn’t know about Twain in his later years. He was quite a character.

The Visitors Center is very modern and has several cute Twain images. I loved the Lego Mark Twain.

There is also a bench where you can sit beside a bronze Mark Twain.

Clinton

Clinton is on the eastern side of the state and we were there for one night as we made our way home. Riverdale Farms Campground was a nice campground near New Haven with full hookups at a reasonable price.

Connecticut camping at Riverdale Farms campground — Riverdale Farms Site # 61

New Haven

Frank Pepe’s pizza was our main draw to New Haven, which is the original location, established in 1925. Operations are in a building beside this original building. The pizza was very good, but I preferred the Hartford location. Surprisingly, the pizza and service was better there.

We also wanted to check out Yale University as some university campuses are quite beautiful. It turns Yale is a urban campus and parking was very challenging. We didn’t get a photo of any of the buildings because of traffic and limited time.

Connecticut Camping In Conclusion

Beautiful weather, great campgrounds, friendly people, and phenomenal pizza made our Connecticut camping a wonderful experience. Therefore, Connecticut is a place that we would like to visit again. Check out our page, States Visited, a Campsite Resource to read about other places we have been.