Camp at Lake Dunmore

The campground office for Branbury state park is on the opposite side of Route 53 from the pin on the map here, but the best campsites are where the pin is.  Start by going and talking to the rangers at the office, they are super friendly and very helpful for recommendations of hikes or things to do nearby.  You can always make a reservation ahead of time here although I feel its only necessary for summer months unless you really want to grab campsite 21 (and you really do want campsite 21, its the hands down best one.)  The map for the campground is here and you can see that the sites near the lake (1-17) are just too close together and out in the open.

Lake Dunmore is a huge lake and incredibly popular during the summer months with the locals and tourists alike.  The park "closes" at sunset but since you are camping there you can stay past and it is a really nice perk to have the entire park to yourself to watch the sunset over the lake each night.  In the campground is a trailhead which will take you up about 3/4 of a mile to a fantastic rock outcropping to watch the sunrise in the morning.  Also right next to the campsite is a really great hike to a scenic vista along the "Falls of Lana" trail, the trailhead is only about a half mile up Route 53 from the campground.  The nearby Moosalamoo Wilderness also has a lot of great options for hiking and I would recommend the Mt. Moosalamoo summit hike or the Silver Lake trail.