Camping in Rhode Island
America’s smallest state leaves plenty to be discovered on a camping trip, from colonial towns to state parks.
- Rhode Island
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Camping in Rhode Island guide
Overview
Rhode Island may be small, but its campsites are mighty. The state offers something for everyone, so check into an RV park near the Roger Williams National Memorial and wander the Blackstone River Valley National Historic Park. History buffs can enter the Gilded Age with a Newport getaway, while urban explorers can embrace all things culture from a Providence campsite. If you’d rather glimpse rural Rhode Island, pick a direction, as well as a park, forest, or beach. You really can’t go wrong, whether you rent an RV site near the George Washington Memorial State Forest or stick close to the coast in Narragansett.
Where to go
Lincoln Woods State Park
Put Rhode Island’s first state park first on your list of attractions. Not far from Pawtucket, this all-encompassing park lets campers design their own vacation, never far from the views—and beaches—of Olney Pond. Trails abound throughout the park, though how to traverse them is a decision best left to you. Horseback, mountain bikes, and good ol’ hiking boots all do the trick.
Along the Bays
Before you reach the Atlantic, a series of bays bookend eastern Rhode Island. As New England’s largest estuary, Narragansett Bay offers campers access to beaches and trailheads galore. To camp all the closer to the water, take the ferry from Bristol to Prudence Island. Meanwhile, further north, campsites near Goddard Memorial State Park get campers up close and personal with Greenwich Bay.
Down South
No visit to a coastal town is complete with a stop on the coast. Camp along Rhode Island’s southern end, where log cabins and RV campsites pepper the shoreline. Make s’mores around a fire pit at Fishermen’s Memorial State Park before biking to Point Judith Lighthouse. Or, head to Burlingame State Park, where campsites come with tree coverage and views of Watchaug Pond.
When to go
Summer is the best—but busiest—season to experience the full range of Rhode Island’s outdoor activities. Maximize your camping options by planning a warm-weather getaway, when temperatures in Rhode Island hover in the 80s. Come fall, the Atlantic Ocean quickly cools down, so look beyond coastal campsites in the shoulder seasons. Both fall and spring are best suited for hiking and exploring Rhode Island’s close-knit towns, while winter camping is all about cozy A-frames and snow sports.