Best Glamping near Downe, NJ

Fun for the whole family. Lots to do and the beautiful beaches of Cape May, New Jersey are a short 10 minute drive. The different types of camping/glamping experiences exceeded my expectations. We enjoyed the Deer Crossing Teepee which had far more luxuries than any other glamping I have done. Highly recommend this campground resort.

We stayed here for 3 nights while visiting family In Philadelphia. It is a 20 minute ride into Philly and Uber was was quick and responsive.

*note- this does close for winter and reopens in April but call park for exact closure dates because they do change.

This is a nice KOA with full hook ups, tent sites,cabins, and even glamping cabins. There is a pool that is open Memorial Day- Labor Day. They also have a catch and release pond and we found a pickleball court at a nearby city park.

We did Chinatown and walked part of the Schuylkill River trail which we accessed by parking near Fairmount Park. This is a great area to explore with gorgeous views and easy access to the River trail. (There are rentals for everything here- kayaks/bikes etc)

IF we had a car with us- we would have considered taking the ferry from Camden’s Ferry Terminal next to Wiggins Park to Philly. (This is also near the Adventure Aquarium and the battleship New Jersey) Here is a link to information about the ferry-

https://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com/places/riverlink-ferry

This is a great location for exploring Philadelphia.

Happy Camping! Pamela and Keith

My husband and I stayed for a week in one of the glamping tents. The staff was very friendly and the tents were more glamorous than we had tried before, but definitely had a good combination of woodsy and comfort. The only thing we didn't really like was that there are A LOT of RV sites, and it's kind of a bummer to just stare at a bunch of RVs lol also next time we will look for somewhere with opportunities for hiking and various activities. This campground has a playground, so good for kids, but not so much an all adults stay.

Convenient to MD, PA, and DE side trips. Campground has 2 yurts right by the lake. There is no swimming, but your yurt rental gets you a double sit on top kayak, paddles, and PFDs. A/C has been added to the yurts. There is one bunk bed with a full size bottom bunk and a single top. A futon is also in each yurt. Across the lake is Going Ape Zip Line. An 8 mile loop trail circumnavigates the lake and can be used my bikers, walkers, or runners.

What a great little campground. Shaded well spaced sites with full hookups and yurts to stay in.

Atsion Family Campground

Off US 206 and about 1/2 a mile up Atsion Road in New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest, you’ll find the Atsion Family Campground. The facility is run by the Dept of Environmental Protection and offers Tent, Trailer and Group Sites. There are also Cabins for rent as well, but only available during the summer months, After Memorial Day until October. AFC is one of several campgrounds in WSF and is the largest with 50 camping sites. Amenities include a handicapped accessible restroom/shower building, several drinking water spigots, and a waste dump for trailers. There are no electric hook ups and cell service is low, but manageable. Plenty of sun (shady too) so bring your solar powered generators and cell signal boosters if you need to stay connected. AFC is also pet friendly, so bring your 4 legged furry family members, after registering them with the camp site.

The individual sites are spacious with a pic-nick table and fire ring grill. Some sites have lake-side water access, so bring your canoes and kayaks and reserve these sites (4, 8, 10, 12, 20 and 22) early as they are popular. The ground is sandy and relatively level for easy camp set up. Some sites are close to a roadway, so you do get some car noise, and like all unmonitored camp sites, loud, unruly campers can be lurking among the pines. Be sure to get your fire wood from the guy that lives across the street from the campground entrance. 5 bucks, on the honor system, a good amount of wood, open 24/7.

Nearby is the Atsion Recreation Area, which offers fishing, walking, biking and horseback trails, a life guard monitored beach by the lake with restrooms and snacks (Summer Months). Only 15 minutes away, a quick drive, is Batso Village, an old iron and glass community from the late 1700s to early 1900s. NJ State Park Rangers are working hard keeping the area clean, rehabilitated, and educational center allowing you to walk through the old buildings and time as you image what life was like back then. Wharton SF is huge, over 122,000 acres of sandy terrain, towering pine trees, lakes/rivers and off roading trails!! Y’all should come and play in the Pine Barrens

nice clean campsites with good electric and water hookups. Great activates at the lake and playground. Site was level. Bath house was a little run down , but serviceable.  Overall good value for the price.

LOVE!!!! I always get site #8 and it has an amazing view of the lake. While camping at atsion family campground, you have free access to the recreation center (the beach and some trails). In the area there are historic buildings and ruins you get to by “off roading” on all dirt roads. Great places to kayak and Pineland Adventures right down the street has wonderful trips!

Great campground with lots to offer for families with children. Nice walking and biking trails. Trails and campground well maintained. Several beach access points and nice fishing pier. Nature center, historic military structures and watch towers. Very nice playground designed for varying ages and basketball courts. Great place for active families and those who want to relax. Only down side to RV camping is there are no sites with sewer hookups, however, bathhouses are located fairly close to most sites.

We are annual visitors to Yogi Jellystone in Elmer, NJ by virtue of location, as it is close to home and a convenient spot for several people in our x-large camping crew.

The pro's: This campground is well-designed with spots that can make most campers happy. There are wooded tent sites, field sites, full plug-in RV sites, and RVs and cabins for rent. There is a sizable splash park and pool with giant inflatable water. They have recreational activities for kids and families from ice-cream parties to bingo to hayrides to movies on a giant screen in the rally field. There is something for almost everyone.

The con's: It is our "per night" most expensive camping trip each year and runs us close to $165 for a weekend with a site with water and electric. This might seem reasonable for families who enjoy all the bells and whistles and activities but we are just looking for a place to gather with our camping friends and we rarely indulge in the activities. The other con is that someone akin to a "campground bouncer" (that is really a thing) will harass and threaten you and your group throughout the night for even so much as laughter and guitar playing after quiet hours. My group makes a concerted effort (and succeeds) in booking a large area away from most other campers. Regardless of the distance we create, they shut us down every year. But we are a resilient group and it sometimes takes until the wee hours until we truly shut down.

A pro: They haven't kicked us out yet.

I arrived on a Tuesday a few days after they closed the pool, and by Wednesday I had the whole row of tent sites to myself. Maybe that's why it was so peaceful, but every night after my cacophonous conference in Philadelphia, I couldn't wait to turn down Timberlane Road and see that little KOA sign glowing in the darkness. In addition to the peaceful vibe, the people are friendly, the little office store has everything you forgot to pack, and if you look around the campground edges or follow the walking trail into the woods, you will find wonderful native plants like blueberry, viburnum, clethra, and meadow beauty.

There were so many great things about this campground. It was beautiful and had so many different amenities including a little man made beach in the center of the campground. Our only issues were it was pretty pricey for tent camping (65 a night) and the mosquitos were INSANE! Also, a few of the showers were down, so it was difficult to get in there and everything cost extra. It was a quarter run shower. The location was perfect if you wanted to visit Cape May or go into Wildwood only 15 minutes away. I’d say it is perfect for RV’s, campers, or if you are renting a cabin for your family, but as a tent camp location it was a little extravagant for what we were looking for with our trip.