Rocky Neck State Park — Attraction in East Lyme

We went camping at Rocky Neck State Park from a Wednesday through Saturday in August, and reserved site 'W' in the Seagull - tent only section, where no cars or campers/RVs are allowed. The parking lot is a fairly short walk to the sites, and the only real drawback is that you have to carry all your belongings from the parking lot to your camp site, and obviously from the camp site back to your car. But hey, camping is never easy. The major positive about the no car rule is that you don't hear other people pulling in and out all the time, no cars to be weary of for the kids, and most importantly, you have no humming from the engines of the RVs and campers running all night long - which was fabulous. It truly is very quiet and serene in the late evenings (after 10pm).

The area we stayed in was next to the amphitheater, which only has 8 tent sites alloted, so there's plenty of room for each group to comfortably spread out and still have space between you. We were close enough to a bathroom/shower/dishwashing station (with plenty of powerful hot water) to be able to walk there in about 3 or 4 minutes, and if truly necessary, there was also a smaller bathroom station nearer by, but that happened to be a compost toilet, and the smell in there was just horrific.

The other people we met camping around us were all really pleasant and friendly. We felt comfortable enough leaving our cellphone plugged into one of the wall outlets in the bathroom without babysitting it while it charged up. A slightly different crowd began coming on the weekend, which brought a more rambunctious vibe in the park, but that was also fun. There was a family movie in the amphitheater one night, which was really nice for the kids.

The beach was about a half mile walk, and it was lovely. Not too crowded and plenty of room to comfortably spread ourselves out and spend the day. Worth noting about the beach is that there are signs posted when you first walk onto the sand area, warning about the potential of the shallower water having a high concentration of bacteria, so no swimming in those areas. But once you walk out a bit further, there's plenty of water to swim around in, though not many waves.

There's plenty to do in the park - biking, hiking trails, swimming at the beach, etc. There's a fire pit at each site with a grate to cook on, there's drinking water spigets around, a place to wash dishes, hot showers, and plenty of grass to play volleyball, or whatever outdoor game you're into. The park itself is very clean and well tended to. The common areas (bathroom and changing rooms) could get messy by the end of the day, but it's expected. There are lots of kids running around having fun, and lots of adults hanging out by the fires. Definitely worth checking out, we had a...

We tent camped here for 5 nights in the last week of August. Spent a lot of time at the beach. Will most likely camp here again, we had a lot of fun and there are some really unique features to this state park. I think it would be very nice for a day trip as well.

Pros; It’s very beautiful on the beach, on the salt marches, and on the campground. The sand was white and very clean, the water was lovely with very small waves for less confident swimmers, you can walk or bike to the beach from your campsite, there were some recreational nature programs scheduled by the park that seemed cool. There are neat landmarks to explore around the park and nice trails/paths for biking or walking. For the most part the rangers/staff and the other campers were very friendly and respectful. It is less than an hours drive to many cool things to do in Connecticut such as Mystic, Lake Compounce, Dinosaur State Park, Niantic. About an hour from Rhode Island and Massachusetts as well. Very affordable to camp here even if you are from out of state. $30 a night. When we looked at state parks in Massachusetts they wanted $60 or so a night for out of state campers at places even more basic. The trees around the campground are beautiful and smell so good.

Cons; No playground at the campground or the beach. I think it would be nice if a couple loops had some swings, monkey bars, climbing dome, or natural playscaping. A lot do kids and tweens playing in the road and such since there was no playground or sports fields. The campground bathrooms were in pretty rough shape. We tent camp in state parks a lot so are standards aren’t super high for bathrooms while camping and we made it work. But primarily the issue was they didn’t seem to be cleaned often and when they were cleaned it was the bare minimum of cleaning happening, if that. The showers especially are crying out for a deep cleaning. Some sites have a decent amount of space from other sites and a decent amount of privacy from trees and foliage but others are right on top of their neighbors with minimal to no foliage. Seagull and Osprey loops seemed the best to me for that but even then not all sites were equal. The other loops are more open and flat and better for trailers. The beach closes pretty early - 7:30pm, even for campers wanting to watch the sunset/dusk. The nature center was not open at all the entire time...

The beautiful, gently sloping, soft sandy beach, picnic areas, train watching, diverse trail systems and salt marsh viewing platforms make this park ideal for families.  Try crabbing or fishing.  Look for ospreys, cranes, and herons or other waterfowl.  Rocky Neck provides something for all members of the family.

Located on Long Island Sound in the town of East Lyme, 710-acre Rocky Neck is a popular recreation spot. The public now enjoys use of the park because of a few farsighted conservationists who secured the land in 1931, using their personal funds until the State Legislature authorized its purchase.Rocky Neck's varied terrain offers something for everyone. Clear waters and the stone-free beach with expanses of white sand make it ideal for swimming. Many beautiful picnic locations are scattered throughout the park.  The historic stone Ellie Mitchell Pavilion dominates the park's western shoreline.  In the 1930's, relief agencies constructed the curved masonry building of native materials and crafted supporting pillars with wood cut from each of the state parks and forests. Diverse trails within the park provide easy and interesting walks to the scenic salt marsh and to such points of interest as Baker's Cave, Tony's Nose and Shipyard. Family camping within walking distance of saltwater bathing is also popular at Rocky Neck with 160 wooded and open campsites offering weekenders and vacationers attractive overnight accommodations.Bounded on the west by a tidal river and to the east by a broad salt marsh, Rocky Neck was known to both Indians and colonists as a place of abundant fish and wildlife. Today, high spring tides allow schools of alewives (herring) to swim into Bride Brook toward inland spawning grounds. The osprey, or fish hawk, is a frequent early summer visitor. In the fall, cranes, herons and mute swans wade among cattails and rose mallow. Seasonal changes provide opportunities to fish for mackerel, striped bass, blackfish...