Wolf's Den Family Campground — Hotel in East Haddam

We were seasonal here summer of 2023. Pros are that it is generally very clean, bathrooms are clean (they have a weird smell but it's something to do with the water itself), staff was friendly when we needed something, pool was virtually empty on weekdays. The cons we experienced were that at the start of the summer, the gate broke, and it was broken for a long time. This made me worry about the security of our camper and the safety of my kids when vehicles could easily come in and out without a pass. It was not repaired for a few months, which led the campground to allow another camper to act as "security." There were rules in place - kids couldn't ride bikes after dark, they needed to be back on their campsite by 10. My kids abided by these rules religiously, they are rule followers and were scared. Still, even walking their bikes at dusk back to the site, they were stopped by security and reminded of the rule THEY WERE FOLLOWING and that scared them. They had to run to a friend's site and call an adult to come get them because they were scared to be approached again by security. These rules seemed to really embolden some of the seasonals, as not only did security stop the kids walking their bikes but drunk seasonals at their campfires felt the need to yell reminders at them while they were, again, following the rules and just trying to get back to our site, which made them really uncomfortable as respectful kids who weren't sure how to respond to a group of older men they didn't know yelling at them from a fire. Security's effort seemed somewhat misled, as I was also approached once on the basketball court to make sure I had a parent present (I am 38) within the allowed hours when everyone was behaving. Meanwhile, when adult campers weren't following the rules - screaming loudly past the quiet time, when all the kids were required to be in their campers, since they all have to be on site at 10, no playground past dusk, so they were stuck close to the loud adults, hearing the language vs. off playing - security would just intermittently stop by, give a friendly time reminder, and then when he left they would talk poorly about him for a few minutes and resume their loud talking. We eventually just stopped sleeping over on weekends because no one was getting any rest - the kids were constantly afraid of security and no one could sleep with all of the yelling past quiet hours. I tried fans, the AC (newer unit so of course its silent), white noise apps, we tried having them (supervised) run in the field for a while before 10 to tire themselves out but still it was too loud to sleep. It seemed as though for some of our neighbors common campground courtesy didn't exist. On many occasions I would look out my window and see another camper cutting through our site to get to the one behind us - these are all adults, just walking through out site to save themselves a few steps. We had lights around the edge of the site about 2 feet in from the edge, as it was not well lit at night and cars passed by frequently, and they were repeatedly run over. I think we went through 20 lights over the course of the summer. The laundry machines were also out of service for seemingly the duration, after a few months I honestly just stopped checking. There was a large dog that repeatedly got loose and although it didn't seem immediately aggressive it was still unnerving for our kids. We also had people allow their dogs to poop on our site, although maybe it was just our loose friend relieving himself. We enjoyed the activities and the food trucks. The DJs/bands are OK. Saturday morning crafts are CUT THROAT - no one follow age recommendations so if you're even 15 min late to the first session you may not get supplies, same with the second older group, they are often gone by then. The girls running it really do their best and try hard to make it work. For us, the lack of courtesy for our site, lack of sleep when there, and the kids being so heavily policed for no reason was too much...

Nice campground with good amenities, however, there are a lot of seasonal campers who are less than friendly- which the campground can't control, I know. But maybe a gentle reminder to them is in order, to remind them that the people coming in may not know where they are going when they first pull in, or how to navigate certain areas, or where to access things, and they may be new to the camping scene, and if they see a neighbor struggling, offer a word of advice instead of belittling, or just watching, waiting for something bad to happen. I remember camping to be a fun, friendly environment, and always value someone else's advice, if they know what they are doing or have been to the area before. It's much easier to know information ahead of time, from someone knowledgeable, than having to spend extra time later, correcting a mistake. The road signs are nice within the park, but pay close attention, as many of them don't have a place to turn around if you take a wrong turn! Close to several area attractions- within 10-15 miles- Gillette Castle, Bashan Lake, Devil's Hopyard, to name a few. A couple small grocery/deli stores nearby, but a little pricey. Due to COVID-19, the pool, playground, mini golf, and pavilions weren't open, which is understandable. The bath houses(very clean) had limited stalls open, also understandable. The entrance from the road and into the actual sites, are very tight- not much can be done for that, at this point, but if you have a larger than normal RV, be aware that it will be close quarters. The entrance gate into the sites is one- at- a-time and the exiting traffic can't see the entering person until you are both close to the gate- and then requires someone backing up, which can be tricky with something in tow! Maybe some type of 2-way mirror would help. The key card station is nice, but when arriving, with the camper behind you, you can't get close enough to the kiosk, without getting out of the vehicle to scan the card- maybe extending it out a few feet would help. And the sites near the entrance, pool, playground, are convenient, however, you have no privacy due to the constant traffic in and out, and there is a huge light off the side of the bath house/barn that remains on all night, and shines right into the first few sites along Timberland Trail. I realize it is a safety issue, but maybe angling it differently would help for better sleeping! Camper blinds are ok, but don't do the trick for that light! We had a very nice time overall, and I am not finding fault, just offering my opinion regarding some things I wished were a little more camper-friendly. Rates were reasonable, and staff were...

Mine is a mixed experience. I stayed the summer of 2023 while working a contract job. Wolf’s Den Campground is located in a beautiful area. The staff are wonderful. The pool is beautiful and well maintained. There are many seasonal campers that leave their campers for years, landscape their sites, build decks, and have storage units for lawnmowers. It’s truly their summer home. Many are wonderful people. BUT those who live near the exit gate are crazy. They feel they should be able to walk down the center of the road and any vehicle needs to stop for them to pass. If you don’t, they’ll claim you “almost hit” them. My last night, I was accosted at the gate as I tried to leave for work. The security guard pulled his Jeep in front of my vehicle to force me to stop, then moved to talk through the windows. While he moved, 3 men positioned themselves in front of me, blocking my exit. A whole bunch of people surrounded my vehicle, screaming at me that I’m dangerous and putting their kids lives in danger (at 10:30 pm). They continued for 10 minutes, then moved slightly away from the front of my car. I maneuvered around them and floored it. The guard complained to the manager that I ran over his toes. He meant is as proof of how poorly I drive, but only proved how intimidatingly close he was to me. Never been so scared in my life. I worried all night that they’d damage my camper or hurt my pet. I packed up when I got home. I asked my neighbors for help hitching my camper properly and shared why I was leaving abruptly/early. They went to the manager. I discussed it with him before I left. He agreed it was horrible and apologized. However he can’t do anything to prevent the seasonal crazies from forming a lynch mob. His accepting the behavior of the so called guard isn’t going to prevent this incident from happening to someone else. The guard is just another seasonal camper who offered to patrol at night. He was not wearing a campground shirt or have any proof that he worked there. Very scary for...