Bus Permits and Fees
Buses with seating capacity for 30 or more passengers:
- Are allowed only at selected State Park & Recreation areas.
- Must obtain a permit prior to entry. (A separate permit is required for each bus.)
- Are required to pay a bus fee (at times and locations when an entry fee is charged to the general public).
Mini-buses (seating capacity of more than 12 but less than 30 passengers):
- Are allowed entry at all State Park & Recreation Areas.
- Do not need to obtain a bus permit.
- Are required to pay a bus fee (at times and locations when an entry fee is charged to the general public).
Requests for a bus permit must be made through a reservation call center at toll free 1-877-668-2267 (1-877-668-CAMP). Calls will no longer be accepted at the State Parks Division office.
Call Center operating hours
|
May 1 – September 1
Monday - Wednesday: 8 am - 2:30 pm
Thursday - Friday: 8 am - 6:30 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 9 am - 12 pm. |
Off Peak Season
Monday - Friday: 9 am - 12 pm |
Reservations can be made up to 11 months prior to the planned arrival date and up to fourteen (14) days before the visit. Information required to make a reservation must include:
- Name of the park or recreation area requested.
- Name and address of organization.
- Date of arrival.
- Name, address and phone number of person responsible for, and accompanying bus or buses.
- Number of buses.
Once a permit has been issued, it will be emailed or faxed to the organization that has submitted the request. The permit must be brought to the recreation area with the bus it was assigned to.
Bus permits are issued on a first come/first served basis. A limited number of permits are available for each Park or Recreation Area.
A separate permit is required for each bus.
Buses MUST remain at the recreation area at all times in case of inclement weather or the need for an emergency evacuation.
Please be advised that if you are requesting a program, you must still contact the State Park directly to reserve
group programs. The reservation system does not handle program bookings.
Payment for a bus reservation may be made by credit card, money order or traveler's check. A $9.00 transaction fee applies to each reservation. Up to 10 reservations can be made per call.
A mini-bus will be required to pay an entry fee upon arrival at those parks or recreation areas where an entry fee is being charged to the general public. Payment must be made by cash or company check. Credit cards are not accepted at the entrance, except at Hammonasset Beach State Park.
Bus fee:
- $101 per bus with CT license plates
- $150 per bus for out-of-state license plates
- $33 per mini-bus with CT license plates
- $60 per mini-bus with out-of state license plates
Fees are waived for buses carrying Connecticut senior citizens and Connecticut public school students on officially authorized trips between the beginning of the school year and June 30th. However, these groups will still need a permit and will be required to pay the $9.00 transaction fee.
There will be a $9.00 fee to cancel or change a reservation.
| Black Rock |
Mashamoquet Brook (w) |
| Bluff Point (w) |
Mount Tom |
| Burr Pond |
People's Forest (w) |
| Chatfield Hollow |
Putnam Memorial |
| Gay City |
Quaddick |
| Gillette Castle (w) |
Rocky Neck (w) |
| Hammonasset Beach (w) |
Sherwood Island (w) |
| Harkness Memorial (w) |
Silver Sands |
| Hopeville Pond |
Sleeping Giant |
| Housatonic Meadows |
Southford Falls |
| Indian Well |
Squantz Pond |
| Kent Falls |
Stratton Brook |
| Kettletown |
Wadsworth Falls |
| Lake Waramaug |
Wharton Brook |
| Mansfield Hollow |
|
The parks denoted in bold letters with (w) allow buses on weekends and holidays. The rest of these parks allow buses only during the work week (Monday through Friday).
For additional information on bus permits and fees, please contact the State Parks Division at (860)424-3200 Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm or at
deep.stateparks@ct.gov.
Content Last Updated on September 6, 2011
