Leo C.
Scout
ScoutWinding Hills Park
Nice but dated
Nice campground, bathrooms are clean but dated, first come first serve for the sites.
Camping near Cedar Grove, NJ
122 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
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Cedar Grove, New Jersey provides access to mixed-use campgrounds within a reasonable driving distance, though immediate options are limited in this urban area. Camping near Cedar Grove ranges from developed campgrounds with full hookups and cabin rentals to primitive tent sites along rugged hiking trails, with Mahlon Dickerson Reservation about 25 miles west and Camp Glen Gray approximately 15 miles north. Many sites accommodate tent camping, RVs, and cabin rentals, with some offering glamping options. Liberty Harbor RV Park in nearby Jersey City provides urban camping with views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan skyline.
Reservations are recommended for most developed campgrounds in the region, particularly during peak summer months and fall foliage season. Many campgrounds operate seasonally, with Cheesequake State Park open from April through October and Panther Lake Camping Resort available from April to November. Terrain varies significantly across the region, from relatively flat coastal areas to the more challenging rocky terrain found along hiking trails like Stonetown Circular. Cell service is generally reliable at developed sites but may be spotty in more remote areas. A review noted, "Stonetown Circular trail is a 11 mile medium/high difficulty loop trail with primitive sites about 2-4 miles into the hike, so be ready for a difficult uphill rock scramble and pack light."
Campers seeking more rustic experiences gravitate toward Camp Glen Gray, which earned five-star reviews for its natural setting and hiking opportunities. One visitor mentioned that "cabins are always clean and stocked with firewood" and that the "trading post is well stocked." For those prioritizing urban convenience, Liberty Harbor RV Park serves as a base camp for NYC exploration despite its parking lot-like setting. While not offering traditional nature-focused camping, it provides practical access to public transportation and city attractions. Campgaw Mountain Reservation offers budget-friendly camping but reviews indicate trails run through campsites, affecting privacy during daylight hours. The region's campgrounds generally provide a mix of natural settings with varying levels of development and amenity access.
Best Campgrounds near Cedar Grove (122)
1. Liberty Harbor RV Park
"This is all about location. The closest RV park to NYC. It's basically a parking lot with a dump station. Not much else. Pick one of the larger end row sites to get a little extra elbow room."
"Basicly a parking lot, but the location can't be beat. 2 ferries that run to Manhattan. Path train is a 12 minute walk away that will take you yyo manhatten."
from $145 - $180 / night
Check Availability2. Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
"Located in the Skylands of New Jersey, Mahlon Dickerson Campgound is a perfect place to spend a few nights or a couple of weeks. The campsites are paved and mostly level. They are wooded and large."
"It's beautiful and quiet, and close to beautiful hiking trails, lakes, and other outdoor recreation opportunities."
3. Beaver Pond Campground in Harriman State Park
"Drive-in tent campgrounds. Adequate restroom facilities sprinkled amongst tent sites. Some campsites have raised platforms. All sites have picnic tables and fire ring with flip-top grill."
"The grounds are just steps away from Welch Lake, offering a lifeguard monitored sandy beach which is open during the summer season for swimming, fishing, and small boat craft further out."
from $21 - $24 / night
Check Availability4. Camp Glen Gray
"One rustic place with many hiking trails to choose from. Camp also provides trucking of gear weather permitting. No vehicles allowed to drive through camp. Trading Post for treats and other items."
"Lots of hiking trails. Trading post is well stocked and volunteers are always friendly and able to answer any questions"
from $5 - $200 / night
Check Availability5. Cheesequake State Park Campground
"I stayed at Cheesequake at the beginning of August and had a very positive experience."
"This park is on the list of 50 top NJ Hikes, and it has a few great trails. The trails range from easy to moderate with quite a few lookout locations."
from $200 / night
Check Availability6. Skyline RV Camp - Waterfront
"A little intimidating driving in to a nondescript gate at the end of a narrow street but the overall experience exceeded expectation."
from $130 / night
Check Availability7. Panther Lake Camping Resort
"Panther lake was a pretty good campground with lots of spots to camp at. Our campsite had a picnic bench and a fire ring. They offer both RV and primitive camping."
"The Lake is the gem of the campground with a really nice beach, good for fishing and kayaking. The negatives were the bathrooms. They are very primitive and quite dirty."
8. Sebago Cabin Camp — Harriman State Park
"It is a step up from cabin camping. They also have a beach behind it."
"This place is only an hour away from NYC with so much to do and see. These cabins are VERY rustic, four walls, a cot, and a fridge."
from $130 / night
Check Availability9. Campgaw Mountain Reservation
10. Staten Island — Gateway National Recreation Area - CLOSED for 2025
"You have a clear view of the Narrow bridge and at night the city lights light up your surroundings light a nigh light. The camp here has 7 campsites here and it fill up really fast."
"this place is awesome when it comes to finding an affordable place to stay while in NY, this camp ground isnt your usual forest camp sites, however there are some beautiful views, and it is located in"
from $30 / night
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Drive Time
- 30 min from New York, NY
- 43 min from Kiryas Joel, NY
- 1 hr 5 min from Trenton, NJ
- 1 hr 19 min from Bridgeport, CT
Recent Camping Photos near Cedar Grove, NJ
464 Photos of 122 Cedar Grove Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Campgaw Mountain Reservation
Staten Island — Gateway National Recreation Area - CLOSED for 2025
Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area
Wawayanda Group Shelter
Beaver Pond Campground in Harriman State Park
Tentrr Signature Site - Appalachian Trail Hilltop Hideaway - Coleman Cooking Site
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Cheesequake State Park CampgroundK
Kittatinny Valley State Park Campground
Croton Point Park
Woodland Trails
Recent Reviews near Cedar Grove, NJ
818 Reviews of 122 Cedar Grove Campgrounds
Thomas B.
RangerNeversink River Resort
Cool Riverside Campground
I'll start by saying this is a site-specific review (C20). I booked using Campspot and didn't select my own site but put in the criteria for my rig (30ft TT plus truck) and got a 50A back-in spot. The site was big but abnormal. Between the picnic table placement and the trees, I ended up right around 50ft from the electric and water, and the water spigot was so low I could barely put on my camco filter. With the uneven dirt roads, I had to unhitch with my truck in a gigantic puddle (lol). The site was otherwise fine aside from my gate code not working on Day 2. As for the campground as a whole, I thought it was pretty unique place by the river that offered several good amenities and activities, like downstream river tubing, an arcade, bathroom/shower facilities, a small store, little trails, and more. I would say this place borders the more primitive side.
Edwin R.ScoutCheesequake State Park Campground
Park uses county cops to shut down park by 9pm.
On Friday, September 4, 2026, I rented a trailer and brought my family to Cheesequake State Park to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary over the extended Labor Day weekend. Around 9:20 PM—well before the park's designated 10:00 PM quiet hours—we were sitting inside our canopy, playing Jenga, and listening to low background music. Two officers from the Matawan Police Department approached our campsite. They were polite and courteous, simply offering a standard reminder to wrap things up by 10:00 PM. Before they could leave, however, a third, senior officer intervened. Wanting to"show them how it's done," he made the two polite officers return and stand by to watch as he demonstrated how to aggressively harass campers. Flashlight in hand, the senior officer approached with an immediate hostile attitude, treating us like criminals as he demanded to know who rented the site. He began reiterating rules and claimed we had too many vehicles. We had three cars, one belonging to my brother-in-law's girlfriend, who was visiting with her daughter. She had paid the$10 visitor fee at the main office and was instructed by staff to obtain the gate access code from us, the primary renters, if she got locked in. No staff member ever informed her of an 8:00 PM visitor departure deadline, leading us to reasonably assume visitors were permitted until quiet hours began at 10:00 PM. The officer rudely snapped that she had been given wrong information. The senior officer then used profanity in front of three small children, aggressively telling her to ("get her shit and get the fuck out!") in that manner or use profanity, the officer went from hostile to furious. He angrily declared that these were official violations and threatened that he could be issuing us tickets instead. Desperately searching for anything and everything to throw at us, he demanded that we turn off our idling car—which was supplying power to our campsite—and instructed us to make sure the campfire was doused before shutting down for the night. He then proceeded to shine his flashlight into our private setup—including our canopy, tents, and the inside of our trailer—searching for any other possible violation while the two polite officers were forced to watch. What was supposed to be a special 10th wedding anniversary celebration with my family was completely ruined by a senior officer misusing his authority to put on an unnecessary display of intimidation. Worse than just ruining our night, he spent that evening teaching those two police officers how to be bad cops. He corrupted two officers in real time, demonstrating firsthand exactly why most people have lost faith in the police force. The next day we was ready for them. We turned off our lights and quietly by the fire while they went next door to harass an asian family that had just set up camp and had their leds lights on.
- eedgar V.Scout
Black Bear RV Park
Super clean and quiet
Past reviews has mentioned that the office seems to be closed often, while I found that to be true I had no reason to contact anyone. This is definitely one of the cleanest quiets site I’ve ever visited
- KKelly B.
GuideClarence Fahnestock State Park Campground
Check site photos first
Definitely a wide variety of sites—look at the site pictures before booking—there are two areas where it’s just an open field with bonfires and picnic tables that I’d avoid. I could see a large group going there or something but personally it doesn’t offer any privacy.
BUT if you book one of the other sites that DOES have privacy you’ll be in camping heaven. The “hike in” sites are more like “walk-in,” I was worried at first but it’s some are as little as a few yards from the road. The most annoying part was lugging the cooler back and forth, but totally worth it
- KKelly B.Guide
Stephens State Park Campground
Great last min getaway
Booked the day before—even on the holiday weekend! Just 1.5 hours outside of NYC, site was a bit close to the neighbors (fire pit was very far back and basically in the neighbors’ campsite, but we put up a “privacy clothesline” and hung a tarp over it for a bit of extra coverage.
The staff was friendly and helpful, they said it was the busiest they’ve seen the campground all year (there were lots of large groups but everyone seemed to settle down by 9:30pm
Poison ivy was EVERYWHERE at our site so make sure to stick to the open areas and the paths. Lots of families around, we felt very safe Bathrooms were fine—it was my impression they’re usually cleaner but the high traffic of the weekend left a bit to be desired, (lots of families around=dirty diapers in the bathroom trash bin) but it’s camping! I’m not gonna argue w a flushing toilet!
- KKevin F.
TravelerTri-State RV Park
A place to stay in an area lacking campgrounds.
This area seems to be devoid of campgrounds except for this one. It’s basically just a large parking lot with hook ups. Completely open, which is great for Starlink. Bathrooms were slightly above average; fairly clean and places to hang clothes for your shower. Has a laundry but be sure to bring quarters. It is about 100 yards from the interstate so you’ll get a lot of noise and diesel exhaust fumes.
- Sue B.Ranger
Delaware Water Gap / Pocono Mountain KOA
Great off season camping
We camped here in our pop up for our Anniversary in November. We were impressed with the cleanliness and available amenities for the time of year we were camping in! Close proximity to DWG and PA AND NJ attractions.
- JJayTraveler
Delaware Water Gap / Pocono Mountain KOA
Large sites & friendly staff!
Another great experience. Sites were large. Staff was friendly with many different things for kids to do. Great base camp for local hikes.
Guide to Cedar Grove
Camping options near Cedar Grove, New Jersey range from rustic mountain sites to more developed campgrounds with amenities. The area sits at the northern edge of the Newark Basin, with elevations ranging from 200-500 feet in most camping areas. Seasonal considerations impact campground availability, with most facilities operating from April through October when average temperatures range from 60-85°F during camping season.
What to do
Hiking opportunities: Beaver Pond Campground offers access to numerous trails in Harriman State Park. "Ranger said that during summer weekends the grounds fill up and can be quite noisy, but mid-week during the off-season it was great," notes Rebecca S., highlighting the timing advantage for trail access.
Water activities: Panther Lake Camping Resort features a substantial lake for swimming, fishing, and boating. "Big campground, lots of sites, nice pool, big community hot tub, boating is great, good fishing, nice playground, basketball court and great amenities," according to Richard V.
City exploration: Use campgrounds as a base for visiting NYC. At Liberty Harbor RV Park, "There is a ferry 100-yards away that takes you to Wall Street M-F. There is a great market about 1/4 of a mile away, and the path that can take you to WTC or 33rd Street area is only a mile away," explains Shawn B.
Outdoor education: Several campgrounds offer ranger-led programs during summer months. At Sebago Cabin Camp, visitors can participate in "movie nights they do big bon 🔥 on Saturday very kid friendly ranger Joe is 👌 with the kids," as Hashim C. mentions.
What campers like
Budget-friendly options: Mahlon Dickerson Reservation offers affordable camping with good amenities. One visitor noted it as "Very cheap as well. $15/night on Memorial Day weekend! You won't be disappointed!" according to Christina L.
Privacy and space: Campers appreciate sites that provide separation from neighbors. At Beaver Pond, "The biggest positive about Beaver Pond is how spread out it was. You definitely feel like you have your own space and are not camping on top of your neighbor," according to Ethan K.
Urban accessibility: The convenience of reaching New York City attractions while camping draws many visitors. Karen S. notes that Liberty Harbor has "2 ferries that run to Manhattan. Path train is a 12 minute walk away that will take you to Manhattan. Jersey city has a lot of restaurants and bars walking distance."
Rustic camping: For those seeking a more primitive experience, Campgaw Mountain Reservation offers basic sites. Jake R. notes, "Once the sun goes down, the campsite becomes a ghost town... There was also plenty to do during the day, like joining the hikers on those trails, disc golf, and sitting by the water."
What you should know
Seasonal operations: Most campgrounds in the region have limited operating seasons. Sebago Cabin Camp is typically open during summer months, with one visitor mentioning "This place is only an hour away from NYC with so much to do and see. These cabins are VERY rustic, four walls, a cot, and a fridge."
Varying amenities: Facilities differ significantly between campgrounds. At Cheesequake State Park, "The campsites are basic. You get flat land and a fire ring. There is only one bathroom facility on the property which we did not love. The facilities were clean," according to Kendra P.
Noise levels: Urban-adjacent campgrounds often have traffic noise. At Cheesequake, "We camped here once because it was easy for part of our family to get to from NYC. Sites were a little too close together... If you're truly looking to get away from it all I would go elsewhere since the parkway runs through/over the park," reports Katrina Z.
Wildlife encounters: Bears and other wildlife are present in the area. At Panther Lake, "Only issue was a skunk that visited our campsite multiple times in one night. Was not afraid of humans," reports Colleen C.
Tips for camping with families
Activity planning: Look for campgrounds with structured recreation. Panther Lake "was a pretty good campground with lots of spots to camp at. Our campsite had a picnic bench and a fire ring. They offer both RV and primitive camping. The grounds were fairly large and each campsite gets their own space with decent privacy," notes Ethan K.
Weekend considerations: Some campgrounds transform on weekends. At Panther Lake, "We went on 4th of July weekend so the place was packed. We were able to get a secluded spot in the woods which was great! 2 teenage girls had a blast in the lake and riding their bikes around," says Jojo P.
Lake options: Sebago Cabin Camp provides excellent swimming opportunities. "Sebago has a huge lake and great beach area. It was perfect for lounging and swimming in during a hot summer day," according to Ethan K., who also noted "It was definitely more on the pricier end for just a weekend camping getaway."
Educational possibilities: Several parks offer nature programs for children. At Sebago, "There's a few very cute small towns nearby with surprisingly modern restaurants and friendly people. In the same state park (Harriman) is several other lakes for swimming, hiking, and paddle boating (up the road)," mentions Sara P.
Tips from RVers
Site selection: At Liberty Harbor RV Park, "Pick one of the larger end row sites to get a little extra elbow room. If it's packed, your neighbor with be within inches of your rig," advises Keith and Tia S.
Urban convenience: Some sites offer excellent city access despite basic facilities. "We spent 3 nights here last week. I was in NYC for business and we took our RV. Very convenient location. My wife visited Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. The sites had electric and water and were in a fenced off section of the marina parking area," reports Kevin A.
Hookup arrangements: Note that some campgrounds have unusual utility setups. At Mahlon Dickerson, "Website lists water hook ups at long distances but they have hose reels to help with that. Our site (15) said 75' however the 50' hose reel made it to our rv connection," reports antruze.
Seasonal considerations: Many RV campers note off-season stays provide better experiences at the best places to camp near Cedar Grove, New Jersey. As one visitor to Beaver Pond noted, "Clean and quiet. Trash dumpster is an easy walk and the dump station has a flush hose point. Nice and easy little campground."
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Cedar Grove, NJ?
What camping is available near Cedar Grove, NJ?
According to TheDyrt.com, Cedar Grove, NJ offers a wide range of camping options, with 122 campgrounds and RV parks near Cedar Grove, NJ and 3 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Cedar Grove, NJ?
Which is the most popular campground near Cedar Grove, NJ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Cedar Grove, NJ is Liberty Harbor RV Park with a 3.8-star rating from 16 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Cedar Grove, NJ?
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Cedar Grove, NJ?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 3 free dispersed camping spots near Cedar Grove, NJ.
What parks are near Cedar Grove, NJ?
What parks are near Cedar Grove, NJ?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 9 parks near Cedar Grove, NJ that allow camping, notably Gateway National Recreation Area and Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
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