We needed a campground close to some towns just over the Connecticut line in New York State. Checked into some others in the area and they were more expensive, plus in late October a lot of places were closed. This campground is open till Nov. 1st. Bathrooms were next to the office and needed updating but were clean. Cable is available, but you need to hook up a box to the back of your TV which they provide, we opted not to do this. A fair amount of seasonal sights. Campers were all friendly and gave a big wave back when we went for a walk. Coming into the campground felt awkward on a single lane narrow driveway that was oneway. They have a second driveway to use as an exit. The owner was very friendly at check-in. I'd say this is a good campground for a few nights. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Cash or check only and $3 PER A/C unit. There are very few campgrounds in this part of Connecticut so you take what you can get and pay the high price. For us this is just a place to park while visiting family. Entrance/exit are very narrow and steep. You are warned to stop at the double stop signs every time when entering so that the owner check your car pass from her window. The seasonal sites are clean, a few could use a good washing. The playground has been updated from rusty to clean swings, seesaw, small wooden playhouse, plastic slide, etc., but it’s right by the busy curve of the road where everybody drives by to enter/exit. Pool was clean and a few chairs were provided. There are about 9 big rig back-in sites in the open area by the pool. They are not very level and your back end will be quite a bit higher than the front. The ground is covered with black cinders with some grass/weeds growing between sites and enough room to open your awnings. Stable electric and good water pressure. Wi-Fi and cable are not available in the big rig area. Never used the bathrooms/laundry. One evening there was a big, quick storm with high winds and rain. A large 6” diameter tree branch (from a tree on the property next door) fell on our roof. The park was a total mess of fallen branches and leaves. We ended up damage to the A/C and a gash in our roof that the owner helped us get patched. It took most of the next day of diligent clean up by the owners to get the grounds back in shape. We will come back here again since there really isn’t any other choice in the area. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Since we arrived on a weekday in off-season, the office told us we could choose any of the first 28 sites. We chose #4, which was fairly level, had a nice wooden deck, and a strong wifi signal. The signal dropped as distance from the office increased. It was apparent that the campground caters to primarily seasonal sites, since many sites, even if empty, had homemade decks, planters, chairs and other stuff, but nothing junky. Sites were average size. They converted the tent camping area into sites for campers needing open sky for satellite. The pool wasn't open, but the small playground looked okay. The showers we're awful. The mats were grungy, the metal on the fixtures was rusty, floor tiles were missing, the toilet stanchion was corroded to the point it had lost attachment to the floor, and there was no soap for hand washing. We were only there for one night, and the price was steep for the amenities provided and the overall state of disrepair. There aren't a lot of other options on the area, but next time we are passing through we will look elsewhere We camped here in a Motorhome.
Keep the speed down!! These folks are right on it and rightfully so for safety. As far as everything else, I am amazed that people can get as much as they do for camping here. It wasn't that great. It says cable but were we were there was no cable, sites we not very level and roadways could have been better kept, the staff was helpful. we will check around before camping there again. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Very nice park. Camped here while visiting family nearby. Some seasonal and semi-permanent sites, but overall well maintained. Asked for and got a open site to use my satellites. Stayed in site 66. Mostly level, no problem with well placed FHU utilities. Stayed over 4th of July weekend and was pleased by how quiet it was. I think the owners run a tight ship. Asked to check out a little (2 hrs.) late and was told no problem. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Campground has only two pullthrough sites, and only allows you to stay in them one night; they are also the only sites with 50 amp service. If you use an air conditioner, there is an extra $3 per night. We arrived after manager had left for the evening, and map to the site was confusing; the pool is only available until dusk. You can't get cable unless you stay at least three nights, and there is NO reception of local channels, even with the best antenna. Getting to the campground involves twists and turns, low overpasses, and steep grades. All in all, it is not worth the nightly fee. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is a clean and well maintained campground. As former CT residents we were pleasantly surprised. Sites are gravel or grass. Each spot has a fire ring and picnic table. We camped in site #5 which is in the 30 amp section, but had cable TV. There is another area which has 50 amp, but no cable TV. A word about the cable hook-ups. You need to borrow a box for reception. This is apparently the coming practice at campgrounds (so we were told). The entrance and exit are ok with a motorhome and tow. However, it isn't a speedway, so approach carefully. Owners are friendly and keep a very careful eye on the operation. That's good! Close to route 8. We'll probably stay again when we visit our daughter in southern CT. We camped here in a Motorhome.
We are currently staying here for a month. We checked out all the campgrounds in CT and based on a visit here liked it the best. Now that we're actually here and have spent over a week we couldn't be happier. It's very pet friendly (which helps because we have two greyhounds and lots of places restrict dogs based on weight). We love the quiet atmosphere and the people around us have been great. The owner has been super friendly and helpful. The person who wrote the negative August review was here last week while we were here (we could tell by the review who it was because one individual kept going to the office to complain about the cable boxes). I guess there are some people who you just can't please but it's unfortunate they had to post such a bad review over it. If you're looking for a fancy resort type place with a ton of amenities and attitudes to boot, this probably isn't it. But if you want a clean, fun, tranquil place to stay surrounded by nice friendly campers, this is it. We were invited to a pot luck that some of the full-time summer people were having and it was fantastic! Good food, great people. The only reason I'm not giving it a 10 rating is that there is a tiny bit of room for improvement (e.g paved roads would be nice). We camped here in a Motorhome.
The problem is that there are very few campgrounds located in the Western part of CT. We were visiting relatives in the area and this is the only choice except for the State parks which do not have hookups for water, electric or sewer. This park is a nice area and the sites are large enough, fairly level and most are shaded by large trees. The pool is clean and adequate. They say they have cable TV, but as hard as I tried I could not get the cable to work at my site. WiFi is only available in a very limited area near the office. There is a small brook that runs by the campground but there are no real activities in the campground. My real problem is the bathroom facilities. They try to keep them fairly clean but they are old and a mess. This is a place to have your rig parked while you visit the area. It is not a destination. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
The entrance to this campground is not for the faint of heart. Tightest one we have ever encountered. Stiff price for the lack of activities, which was zero even over the 4th. Charged $3.00 each extra for the dogs. Plus $3.00 per day for A/C and 3.00 more if you ran two A/Cs. They have plopped some newer extra 50 amp sites over by the pool with black gravel that tracked everywhere and needed boards to level. Doubt we would ever go back there again. Geared to the abundant seasonals in the park. We camped here in a Motorhome.
If you want a real challenge, find the driveway to this campground in the fall. The driveway is small/narrow and the sign is small and yellow in the midst of yellow leaves. We had to drive a ways to find a place to turn around safely. The campground is pretty noisy during the day but quiet at night. The laundry room is clean. We asked for a satellite friendly site which meant we couldn't get Wi-Fi from our site. They said we could get online from our laptop by the office. I tried it a couple of times but it kept asking for a user name/password. I went to the office twice to verify the network and to be told there was no password/user name needed before giving up. It's hard to find a campground in much of Connecticut. This is simply a place to park for a few days and explore the surrounding area. I've stayed in many that are much better and a few that are much worse. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
I like this campground even though some have called it old, tired and rundown. When we just want to get away from it all, we go to Branchbrook. Yes: the facilities are not the best but the owners are nice and the seasonal people are nice and friendly. If you want the resort style and crowd then yes, you certainly should stay away. If you want a nice quiet weekend then definitely make this a stop on your trip. Nothing at all special about this campground but we like it. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Expensive for what you get, cash only and $3 extra for a/c. Muddy due to rain, rusted playground equipment. Site in "new" area which used to be tent area. Site was short, sloped downhill and across from pool and open shed area storing tractors and junk. The pool had no chairs around it, just fenced in area. Very steep entrance/exit and both were narrow with bushes surrounding so you could hardly see to pull out into traffic. Across from Black Rock State Park but they don't allow pets. Lady at check in was nice. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is the perfect campground for us. We are full timers who enjoy natural beauty and quiet surroundings plus the modern amenities of cable TV, Wi-Fi, 50 amp., clean water. It is convenient to all that CT has to offer being near Route 8 and beautiful Black Rock State Park. Branch Brook is not a theme park and does not attract persons looking to be entertained by rides, games, etc., rather it is occupied by persons who are content with nature and sitting around a campfire relaxing. My wife, our two dogs and I enjoy this place very much. Oh yeah, the owners are hard working and very hospitable, friendly people. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 3 / 10 ]
October 2008
$40
We camped here one week past the peak season. The entrance was narrow to enter from the street and gave an unkept appearance. No one staffed the place. A chalk board message told people to tuck $40 cash with a filled out registration form in a crack in the door and go find a spot yourself. No contact number was offered. The facilities were shut down but who swims in Ct in October anyway. Mud was everywhere. There were nice hiking trails but they were short and that's all there is to do. The water was on, and the electricity worked, but there was very poor TV reception on our antenna. The trash dumpster had not been emptied in a long time and it looked like the seasonal residents cleaned out their places before they left. I would never recommend this place to anyone. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 9 / 10 ]
April 2008
$35
A lovely and quiet place to stay with lots of shade. There is a stream for fishing in the park and a nice large pool in the back. The owners are nice and helpful and keep the campground well maintained. Pets are welcome. We camped here in a fifth wheel for 2 months and enjoyed it very much. FYI-They do not accept credit cards. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
This is a tired campground. It has a nice location next to a nearly dry creek. The grass is almost completely worn off. It rained and so we contended with muddy site. Granted there is lots of shade but if they would fertilize they could have a nice lawn. The bathrooms are very tired. The plywood dividers are white with a pea green sponge effect that looks like it could hide lots of germs. The showers were not clean. One rusty folding chair for two shower stalls. No privacy outside of the shower. They are not into present day economics. At $38 they should accept a credit card. Expect to pay 2.50 per day per air conditioner additional. Unfortunately it seems they do not have much competition in the area. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Nice, clean, and quiet family-run park in the country. Sites are not paved, but well kept. The owners are nice and helpful and the office has a small supply of RV items. We were here for 3 months. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Good campground for a short weekend trip. Sites are large, level and grassy. Owners are pleasant. Small outdated playground for the children. Many seasonals but all in good repair. We camped here in 2006 also and had no problems. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
With very few campgrounds in Conn. this one is ok for an overnighter but directions to it are a little confusing and you don't want to miss it. The staff was very nice. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.