Best Tent Camping near Downe, NJ

Recent Tent Reviews in Downe

716 Reviews of 15 Downe Campgrounds

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 13, 2024

  Delaware Seashore State Park Campground

  Just steps to the beach!

  General: There are two units to this state park campground - one north of the Charles W. Cullen Memorial Bridge and one on the south side. We stayed on the south side, so this review focuses on this part of the park. The south side has over 300 campsites, some with hookups and some without. I don’t know what the difference is between the designated tent sites and the sites with no hookups. Regardless of which type of site you choose, there is NO privacy/separation between sites, however, we were there on a Monday the week after Memorial Day and while the sites with the hookups were completely full, there were plenty of empty non-hookup sites. 

  Site Quality: All of the non-hookup sites are sand/grass/gravel and completely level; the hookup sites have paved camper pads (and are also level). As mentioned above, there is zero privacy/separation between sites, but this is the price you pay for easy and close beach access! 

  Bath/Shower house: Reasonably clean, especially being so close to the ocean. No garbage receptacle which was slightly annoying. The utility hooks are outside of the showers compromising some privacy. I didn’t use the shower so I cannot comment further. 

  Activities/Amenities: This is a popular fishing spot on the inlet. There is direct access to the beach under the bridge where there are restaurants, concessions, and other activities at the Big Chill Beach Club. There is also a pedestrian walkway on the bridge which was kind of cool. The playground is large and modern. There is a camper store, but it was not open when we were there. The dumpsters are a bit of a walk depending on where your site is located. Our site was almost directly under the bridge (and also a power pole!) but this was cool, especially at night when the bridge was lit up.

  I’m glad we were not there on a weekend OR in the hookup sites; we had no neighbors directly on either side of us so it felt more private, but I would imagine that on weekends when all sites are completely full, it would be a different story!

• A

  Avrey S.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 9, 2024

  Blackbird State Forest Campground

  Beautiful and clean

  super pretty. shower up in the dark but was super easy to navigate with a map. people super friendly.

• J

  Jakob B.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 26, 2024

  Pomona RV Park and Campground

  2 months or so

  People are very friendly, never had a problem. Met some good people. They have internet, TV, open gear around, city water, sewer, always there to help.

• 

  Frank J.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 21, 2024

  Parvin State Park Campground

  Good size camp sites

  Bathrooms were clean but most of the faucets on the sinks were broken. The water has a very high iron content. I couldn't even use it for tooth brushing. Most of the showers were out of order. The toilets were clean but had the orange staining from the iron in the water. I stayed at Site#8 in a travel trailer. Site was level and easy in and out. Large site off the main road to other sites. Nice hiking trails. Staff very nice. The dump station is sometimes secured has a combination lock. Ask for the combination during check-in. Note: Some sites are right next to hiking trails. If you want privacy, don't choose them.

  Verizon cell service was between 1 and 2 bars.

• 

  Mina A.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 17, 2024

  Soroptimist Park

  No overnight

  This is just a park no camping…

• 

  Gary D.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 4, 2024

  Cape Henlopen State Park Campground

  Great biking

  Bike to the ferry and Rehoboth. Some sites too close together..check camp map before booking

• Z

  Zu Y.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 2, 2024

  Martinak State Park Campground

  Beautiful campground with cozy bathroom

  I love this campground very much. I called the office book my reservation, the representative put me in Acorn loop.

  When I arrived by the late evening, there are only two camper in a huge site. Then I drove to Butterfly loop, this site have much more peoples, some camper tell me, the Ranger will coming soon; finally the ranger help me move my site into the Butterfly loop. From my experience, better book campsite by yourself online, then you have an idea this site how many occupancy.

• B

  Bernie C.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 22, 2024

  Woodlands Camping Resort

  No frills, but OK

  Staying in the overnight section was just OK. Only 4 50 amp spots, luckily we secured one. No sewer hookup, but there is a dump station in the seasonal/ permanent section. The campground is gated and that is nice, because the surrounding area is not great. *Highlight- super fun restaurant very nearby, great food, live music, on the Elk river. Restaurant is Unwind on the Water.

• V

  Vanessa S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 16, 2024

  Tuckahoe State Park Campground

  A Gem of a State Park

  We were looking to explore Maryland's Eastern Shore and picked Tuckaho because they had electric sites available. We were so pleased with our stay. The campground is well maintained and the sites are great. We have a small travel trailer and our site was pretty level and nicely private. We backed up to a hiking trail which was nice. There's lots to do here. There's a disc golf course and the camp store has discs available to use. We've never played before but had a blast learning, now we're hooked. We also enjoyed kayaking on the lake. If you enjoy birding this park is great, we saw so many cool birds. There's an arboretum and horse riding trails. We will definitely be going back!

• J

  Jorah

  Guide

  

  Sep. 12, 2024

  Philadelphia South/Clarksboro KOA

  Peaceful New Jersey

  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.

• 

  Nicole S.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 31, 2024

  Wading Pines Camping Resort

  Close to home Campground

  The campground is very close to home, and a lot of people around our area (central jersey) go there yearly or have seasonal sites there, but for us, it was our first time at the campground. The campground was full of plenty of amenities like basketball, volleyball, cornhole, playground, pool, crafts, bands, a lake, and fishing. The place was clean, and there was no garbage around.

  The positives were there were plenty of things to do and they also have this great river that goes through the place so you can walk and throw your tube in and float to the other side of the park 30 mins later get out and do it again. They campground will also bring you up the river further and drop you off on a canoe trip. There is an added cost for rental. I like that they allow you to bring your own golf cart and/ or electric scooters or bikes. They had an old school playground which was better then any new one out there. The store was fully stocked with anything you could possibly want or need. They had a band which played Saturday night and people lined up golfcarts from all over and just lived for this concert.

  The negatives are for me campgrounds spots were right on top of one another but they were big spots they dont have tons of trees or shade which. They did have many seasonal sites, which sometimes turns me off and can make the place look a little trashy. The other negative was that the pool was freezing because they would pump water out every night. Someone told us there was an issue with the chemicals, and the pool looked greener every day. The bathrooms by the pool were older and always dirty.

• 

  Cynthia K.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 30, 2024

  Cape Henlopen State Park Campground

  Wonderful!

    The 5th & last state on our East Coast trek is Delaware! 

   We took the ferry from Cape May & it was a novelty for us. We enjoyed it so much! 

    The state park is just a half mile on the left when you pull out.

     For Delaware I had my heart set on Cape Henlopen State Park. The sites go fast & I felt lucky to get the site I ended up with. When we got there we found out a water main broke& there was no water. Fortunately, we only went a day without. 

   There are cabins  & primitive sites with their own bath house. The water/electric sites are in rows A-F. We were in B 14.The sites are laid out at an angle, but some were a straight backin. The even A sites- you park your rig or car on the road in a straight line & you get a big wooded site. Not sure if these sites have electricity.

  There's 2 dump stations on the way out. 

  There's shower houses for E/F/T, the G loop& on the B loop road. They were clean. There's an asphalt trail leading through the main sites for bathroom access. It's clearly marked on the map, so keep it in mind when you pick a site.

   There are some pullthroughs that can take big rigs. The sites are not uniform, some larger, some smaller. Watch the site dimensions or you might not be able to fit your vehicle AND camper on the site. It HAS to all be on the asphalt behind the white line.

    There are combo toilet/showers which I'm not fond of. You're a tenter & want to go for your morning BM& all the doors are locked with people showering. :(  They're clean.

  The camp store/ laundry is the building next to that. The playground is also right there.

   This was my husbands favorite campground on our trip. It was a very enjoyable place!

     This park has a LOT of activities: the beach, a nice nature center. Fort Miles for WW 2 history. Biking is hugely popular & they have bike rentals at the nature center if you forgot yours. You can climb a WW 2 watchtower. There's hiking trails, a fishing pier. So much to do.

  Lots of good restaurants in the area also.

  We had a great time there. Sorry we had to leave...

• L

  Laura G.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 21, 2024

  Atsion Family Camp — Wharton State Forest

  Ok camp spot- nice if you can get lakefront

  We did 2 weekday nights with our dog and 19’ RV in Aug ‘24.

  The dog friendly sites are limited & not the sites with lake access. It will also cost an extra $5/night.

  Check in was confusing as it is across the street & closes promptly at 4pm. (Not at the recreation area where we pulled in first)

  Site 34 was close to the road with regular traffic noise & car headlights even shined in the camper at night. There is also a fair amount of plane traffic from a small local airport…and several other campers were running generators so it was not exactly quite camping.

  Bathrooms are the typical old nj state park set up- it does the job but it’s seen better days. Dump station works well with trash & recycling drop off next to it. The roads are soft sand and can get rough after a rain storm.

  If you are looking to kayak or canoe on the lake it has a ramp to drop in. That is the main attraction here & there is a beach on the other side of the lake.

  Overall- nothing too special It’s not a site I would return to unless we could get water front, but dogs are not allowed there - so we won’t be rushing back because of that & the proximity to the road .

• E

  Emily A.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 12, 2024

  Sun Retreats Seashore Campsites & RV Resort

  Use to be Good

  This was our 5th and final trip to this campground. This time campground seemed to have LOTS OF little things that needed upkeep.

  Positive - close to Cape May, nice pool

  Negative - lots of airplane noise all day (due to local airport), nightly sites are slowly being turned into permanent sites. Lake seemed filled with algae on sides. Store was nice but not stocked as previous trips.

• 

  Becca U.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 24, 2024

  Sun Retreats Avalon

  Well Kept

  We stayed here for 4 nights.  We usually stay at a different campground but we unable to book there so we thought we'd try out SRA.  Upon arrival we were met by a pleasant man at the gatehouse who gave us our parking pass, gate key, and map.  Our site was easy to find and parking was easily maneuvered.  

  The grounds were well kept, the pool was clean, the bathhouse was clean AND air conditioned!!!!!  Loved the mini golf.  Every staff member we encountered was friendly.  This is a nice, flat campground so great for bike riding.  While there are MANY seasonal sites, we never felt unwelcome - quite the opposite!

  We were kind of annoyed by the loud music of other campers.  It was late (but not yet quiet hours), we were in our camper, with our air conditioner running and our TV on, and we could still hear their music.  This only happened one night but it went on for hours.

• Y

  Yoshi Y.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 8, 2024

  Bass River State Forest

  Close to restaurants and Walmart. Lots of bugs during summer.

  I went there in late June and it was my first time camping. The campsite was clean overall. Staff were friendly and helpful.

  There was no platform, so you need to set up the tent on the ground. Most of the sites were not on grass but just dirt ground.

  Going camping in a forecast during summer time might not be the best idea. There were many bugs and many of them got in my tent as I forgot to zip the door after setting it up.

  The bathroom (shower room?) was reasonably clean, but I have only been to this camp site, so there is no comparison. One of the restroom has broken lights.

  There is little to no signal inside the park. But once you drive out, you will have some signal. The campsite is close to a Walmart and a few other restaurants, which is good.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 17, 2024

  Jellystone Park South Jersey

  Relaxing Father's Day Weekend

  We stayed in Site 122, a Red Carpet Pull-Thru RV site, at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp Resort South Jersey for Father’s Day weekend. This was our third stay at this campground, but the first since new owners took over and converted it to a Jellystone. 

  THINGS I LIKED: 

  1. Everything, including our site, was in great condition, clean, and good working order 

  2. Our site was directly across from the Pavilion which was great for Saturday night’s live band 

  3. Our site included a nice concrete pad big enough to park our 45’ motorhome+ toad 

  4. Our site was roomy with plenty of mature shade trees 

  5. The pool and surrounding amenities are nice and clean including lake, snack bar, and ice cream 

  WOULD WE COME BACK? 

  Absolutely, this is a nice place for a few days of downtime.

• C

  Charles H.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 15, 2024

  Cecil County Permaculture

  Good campsite for great nature, animals, and a great deal!

  Has outhouse, fire pit, running water on side of house near outhouse. An is a wonderful person. Good reception with T-Mobile!

• 

  Trip Over Life

  Ranger

  

  Jun. 13, 2024

  Batona — Wharton State Forest

  Barona Campground

  Small campground right on the Batons Trail. Water is seasonal. Be bear aware.

• T

  Tyler S.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 11, 2024

  Cape Island Resort

  No overnight stays. Only full time

  .

• 

  Katie M.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 10, 2024

  Jellystone Park South Jersey

  Great

  Great spot

• 

  Gennifer K.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 3, 2024

  Bass River State Forest

  Great spot

  The campground was clean and well maintained.  It's very close to civilization but you get the camping experience.  There were a lot of ticks when we stayed in May so keep that in mind.

• 

  Stephanie J.

  Scout

  

  May. 26, 2024

  Tall Pine Campground

  Wonderful time!

  We loved our stay! A quick drive to the beaches and a gorgeous rail trail! Everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming which was the biggest selling point for us. Upon check in we were greeted by the friendliest man who made us feel right at home. We have a 25ft pull behind and our site comfortably fit the trailer and our whole outdoor setup. We will be back!

• J

  Jonathan L.

  Guide

  

  May. 19, 2024

  Bass River State Forest

  Still a great campground

  Bass River has become my go-to destination for quick weekend getaways. The south shore campground has a ton of sites with varying degrees of privacy, but all are easy to get to and within a short walk of the restrooms.

  The staff at this location is fantastic. I wanted to make some adjustments to my reservation and they took care of everything without issue. The only noise you’ll get is from Stage Road, but it doesn’t have a continuous flow of traffic, especially at night. Amenities nearby include Walmart, Tractor Supply and Wawa, all within a 10-minute drive. I haven’t done much hiking here, but they do have a few great trails.

  Overall, this a great campground for just about anyone.

• j

  john L.

  Traveler

  

  May. 11, 2024

  Holiday Park Campground

  No short-term rental

  Tried to reserve a site for August. Was told they only do long-term rentals.

• C

  Chuck M.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 29, 2024

  Lums Pond State Park Campground

  Great place to hike

  Had a nice time camping for two nights. If you like small breweries, about 20 minutes away is Stewarts Brewpub. They have been around since the 1990s!

• C

  Chuck M.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 29, 2024

  Delaware Seashore State Park Campground

  Nice place, great location.

  We took our travel trailer down for a long weekend at the end of the season. It was pretty full, but didn't feel crowded. There are a few (seasonal) restaurants with in a few minutes walk/drive.

  There is an unmarked speed bump on the way in, so go SLOOW.