Can anybody recommend any good campsites on the CT shore for a 2 day paddling trip to the Thimble Islands? I presume there is no camping on the islands itself so a place that we could basecamp and lauch from (if possible) would be great.
Thanks,
Jay
it’s easier than you think to
camp around the coast of CT. We paddled from NYC up the CT river last summer and spent every night on a different island. Charles Island was where we stayed the night before the Thimbles. At low tide it wasn’t very private as an isthmus forms with the mainland and the townspeople make a lovely habit of taking romantic sunset walks around the island. But they were all quite tolerant of us and our gears spread out to dry over the rocks. I think there is a public camping area on the shore near Guilford.
Goose Island is a beautiful little rocky spit of an island off the Thimbles, but only in perfect weather as there is no protection at all and the highest point is the flag that is planted there.
An option in less than perfect weather is Faulkner Island. It’s part of the a wildlife reserve (the same one that owns Outer Island in the Thimbles), so check on nesting season. There is a functional dock in a protected cove that you could pitch a tent on if necessary. The island itself is beautiful and has a highpoint that gives a spectacular view of the sound.
Have fun…Lyn