4 campgrounds with availability this weekend
Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park - Elmer permits pets in all accommodation types including tents, RVs, cabins, yurts, and glamping options. Old Cedar Campground also welcomes dogs at their wooded sites, with many seasonal campers noting the family-friendly atmosphere. Both campgrounds provide full hookups, picnic tables, and fire rings for campers traveling with pets. At Parvin State Park Campground, leashed pets are permitted throughout the camping areas, with specific pet-friendly cabin options available from April through October. Pets must be kept on leashes no longer than six feet at all campgrounds, and owners are responsible for cleaning up after their animals. Multiple campgrounds in the Elmer area feature dedicated pet waste stations to maintain cleanliness. Visitors use The Dyrt to find real feedback on camping near Elmer, New Jersey.
Trails surrounding Parvin State Park offer excellent pet exercise opportunities, though dog owners should apply strong bug repellent as the area has significant tick and mosquito presence. Several reviews mention encountering ticks when walking pets through grassy areas, particularly during evening hours. Old Cedar Campground provides open space near cow pastures where leashed dogs can enjoy longer walks. Most campgrounds enforce quiet hours beginning at 10 PM, which includes barking regulations. For emergency veterinary care, services are available within 20-30 minutes of most campgrounds. The primitive camping options at Wharton State Forest's Atsion Family Camp area accommodate pets year-round, with nearby hiking trails and water access providing additional recreation for dogs who enjoy swimming.
"lake with water sports, hiking trails that are dog friendly, plenty of campsites. If you have kids staying longer for the lake would make sense. bring bug spray!!"
"Outside, to the back of the cabin, was a small deck with picnic table, a grill, and a fire ring. Beyond that you will find a path to the lake with beautiful swans."
from $20 - $65 / night
"Quiet Getaway Weekend
We went to Old Cedar Campground in Monroeville, New Jersey, for a quiet getaway weekend. This is a small and basic campground, not a resort. No fancy amenities."
"Not close off the highway, but wooden sites. Seems as though people spend their summers there. Pool was beautiful and looked new. Mini golf was decrepit and looked abandoned. Store was nice."
from $31 - $50 / night
"Beautiful campground — lots of trees, pond, kids play equipment, dog park, etc. facilities all clean and whole place is well maintained. Easy late arrival."
"We did Chinatown and walked part of the Schuylkill River trail which we accessed by parking near Fairmount Park."
"we went to Jellystone in Elmer last year. this is an excellent campground for kids. large splash park keeps kids busy all day. they also have activities thorough out the day. great campground."
"They are new-ish Shasta campers, queen bed, 1 slide, rear bunks, 2 entrances. Very clean. Water area is great, splash pad is very fun so is the large blow up slide and pool area."
"The park was easy to find and located a short distance from the highway. We were met at the entry gate with a personalized folder containing lots of helpful information for our stay."
"We love the lake side campsites."
"We hiked the 7.5mile lake trail with our two pups. It was beautiful and along the way there were opportunities to kayak/sup, beach it, or even play on a ropes course."
"The site itself was set back some, and felt secluded while still being near the parking area. Walk to bathrooms and camp store was on the longer side."
Available this weekend
from $27 - $45 / night
from $48 - $60 / night
"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."
"This was a nice large site in the“pet-friendly” section(sites 26-34) of the campground. Site 34 is close to Atsion Road, so there was car noise, but it wasn’t really an issue to us."
"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."
ScoutWe stayed at the group site campground with our horse. We found the sites to be large, and clean. The staff is very friendly and helpful, and they have fall activities for the family, at the lake and nature hikes. The porta potty's are very clean, have hand sanitizer and plenty of paper. Will be returning again in a few weeks. Plenty of trails to ride on. A true gem in our own backyard.
TravelerMany long term seasonal sites. Good community. Large shower house good and clean . Pool. Game room. Off leash dog park. Wooded/shady sites or no shade sunny sites. Lots of area to walk or play. Large field, basketball couture, frisky golf, play area and laundry room. We were here all summer (June-october). Lots to do in the area. Good food nearby. Ocean city 10 minutes away.
ScoutThis is one of the largest, if not the largest, campgrounds in Southern New Jersey. While on the pricier side, everything is top-notch. The roads are all paved, and not gravel (I hate trying to sleep and listening to the sound of stones grating together). The sites are more spacious than most campgrounds, so it doesn't seem so crowded. The bathrooms are all modern and spotless. There are numerous bathrooms which means most sites have one nearby. They do charge a quarter for showers to encourage water conservation and donate the money to conservation causes. The pool is large, as is the lake. Both are well-maintained. The camp store is enormous and is really nice and well-stocked with everything one might need from food to pool and beach stuff to camping supplies and equipment. There is a nice cafe with indoor and outdoor seating. The camp store has a lending library of books and DVDs. There are numerous activities that appear to be well-run, The grounds are shaded with many trees for a great wooded campground feel. The campground is so large that it has an internal shuttle with stations scattered about to help people go between the various important sites such as at the pool, the lake and the store. I found other campers, particularly the seasonals, to be more friendly than other campgrounds at the shore. This requires constant tree care including removing dead trees and branches which they do regularly. The staff is friendly and well-trained. I was in a tent, and when a rare October nor'easter came through, I was offered the opportunity to use a cabin free-of-charge. Fortunately my tent and equipment made it through days of rain and high winds just fine . On my first stay in May, I had to run my dog back to Baltimore towards the end of my trip where he was sadly diagnosed with incurable metastatic cancer. When I returned, I was late and unable to check out by 11, but they allowed me to take as much time as needed to clear the site, as nobody was staying there the next day, which was deeply appreciated - I was an emotional wreck. Oh, and I found the complimentary Wi-Fi to be a great service, and sufficiently fast to allow me to stream ultra-high-definition movies at my site - Most campgrounds charge extra for less-than-good service - a lot more. I find that a big bonus. Overall, I LOVE this campground and highly recommend it.
GuideThis campground is part of the Wharton State Forest and has several campgrounds in the area. Great wooded sites right on a lake. Pretty good separation between sites with good tree separation between sites. Some road noise not overly affecting site.
ScoutRestrooms are filthy with mold and mildew.
Water puddled on the restroom floor.really gross.
Cabin was mostly clean. The windows were full of dirt and bugs on the tracks.mattresses were terrible.The fireplace was nice. Kitchen was clean.
Can t wait to move on to a cleaner park.
ScoutI’ve stayed here multiple times over the past 15 years and I have enjoyed each trip.
Depot Travel Park is a well-maintained family-owned campground. It is also reasonably priced, especially given the location that is within a bicycle ride to the beach, the ocean, and lots of shops and restaurants in Cape May. It is the only campground on the Cape May side of the canal.
Please note that this is not a resort campground and it doesn’t have a pool. There is so much to do in Cape May that is doesn’t need to be a resort.
Since it’s not a resort campground, there are not many golf carts, so most people use their bicycles or cars to get around. That also makes the campground pretty quiet, even during the peak of summer.
The campground sells firewood and propane, but there is no camp store. Again, it doesn’t really need one, since there is a farmers market at the end of the driveway, and a CVS and an ACME supermarket within bicycle riding distance.
If your site doesn’t have a sewer hookup, the dump station is a little awkward to access, but they have a daily honey wagon for a reasonable fee, which is great. If you notify the office the day before you need it and they are usually there in the morning.
They close for the season n October, but they reopen briefly during the Cape May Christmas Parade weekend in December. That’s one thing that I’d like to do soon.
I really like this campground and I am always recommending it to friends.
ScoutMy check in was for 8-6-2026, and bc I’m a new driver and wanted to beat traffic I got there early (7am) so I sit there waiting till check in time. When suddenly the park police show up. He’s accusing me of camping over night there. I told him simply I wasn’t and where I was night prior (would never sleep somewhere without permission). So we go to the store to kill time before we check in. Come back for Check in and the whole staff in just the office alone were so arrogant and cold to my mom and I, leaving rude comments to us and not only where they like that but the staff outside the office was acting like that alongside the rangers and park police. They would watch us the whole visit in the distance parking there cars a little ways watching everything we did,even driving by slowly a bunch of times in just an hour alone. My mom and I couldn’t do anything with out them showing up 2 mins later. Example we were walking our dog enjoying our time(trying to) and all of a sudden one of the office ladies pulls up right in front of us speeding, parks their car, gets out and walks a distance from us standing there and taking pictures of us…. For walking our dog who’s on a leash and didn’t even do anything. The whole trip we felt uncomfortable and unwanted and to find out they police when we were going on walks where coming up to campers near us bribing them with free firewood to get any information on use (told to us by other camper). I paid a lot of money to be harassed and followed the whole time. We never did anything we abide by every rule and keep to ourselves everywhere we go. They even made my mother cry…
GuideBeautiful campground but made the mistake of going on a holiday weekend, the campgrounds next to us were screaming and blasting music all day and throughout the night so we ended up leaving early. A beautiful campground when there aren’t noisy capers ruining it.
ScoutFirst time at this campground really like it a lot will be returning. The bathrooms are always clean. The grounds are always kept up. Just a really nice place to stay. Most of the sites have some kind of shade.
Campgrounds near Elmer offer varying levels of access throughout the year, with many open from April through October when temperatures range from 45-90°F. The region features sandy soil typical of southern New Jersey, resulting in well-draining but sometimes dusty camping conditions. Winter camping options are limited with Wharton State Forest being one of the few locations maintaining year-round primitive sites.
Paddling on Cranes Lake: Hospitality Creek Campground provides direct lake access with convenient boat rentals. "We rode our bikes around, enjoyed time on the lake in a rented paddleboat, and had a blast at the 70s-themed live concert at the pavilion on Saturday night," notes Matt S., highlighting the combination of water recreation and evening entertainment.
Trail hiking with maps: Lums Pond State Park Campground offers well-marked trails suitable for various skill levels. "The trails were well marked, and the day we took a hike, we ended up on the equestrian trail that runs all the way around the pond. It was a long, but easy hike," according to Mark, who appreciated the clear signage.
Fishing opportunities: Both large and small lakes provide fishing throughout the Elmer area. "Good fishing and nice trails. Nice campsites, some big enough for trailers. Bathrooms were very clean," reports William W. about Parvin State Park, noting the combination of accessible fishing and clean facilities.
Large, level sites: Philadelphia South/Clarksboro KOA receives praise for site quality. "The park is clean, quiet, full of families. The staff are friendly and welcoming. It's easy to navigate to the park from the interstate, and big rigs fit easily," according to Jason E.
Clean bathhouse facilities: Many campgrounds maintain well-kept restrooms. Frank J. noted about Parvin State Park, "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."
Privacy between sites: Old Cedar Campground offers wooded separation between many campsites. "Nice little place. We were here about 10-15 yrs ago and swore we'd never go back. I'm glad we did. They've added a pool and are working on a mini golf area," reports Stacy D., highlighting recent improvements.
Water quality concerns: Multiple campgrounds have reports of mineral-heavy water. "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," notes Frank J. about Parvin State Park.
Weekend vs. weekday differences: Hospitality Creek Campground experiences significant activity changes between weekdays and weekends. "Quiet during the week - numerous seasonal campers. Reservation only includes 2 people - it's 8.00 per day for each additional person," shares Craig W.
Sandy soil conditions: Several sites around Elmer have sandy ground that can affect setup. Nicole S. observed at Jellystone Park, "The entire campground is sand and gets very dusty and messy. This was the dirtiest campground we've stayed at, meaning the trailer and truck needed a full bath once we got home."
Kids activities calendar: Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park - Elmer schedules regular events for children. "The campground is maintained and there are activities for the kids always brewing. We stayed fathers day weekend and they had a breakfast, games and crafts geared towards it," reports Nicole S.
Swimming options beyond lakes: Many dog-friendly campgrounds near Elmer feature pools as alternatives to natural swimming. "The pool and splash park were great but you needed to be at least 42 inches to go on the slide or bounce house," notes Nicole S. about height restrictions at Jellystone Park.
Playground proximity: Consider site location relative to play areas. "My wife and I chose site #10 based on its close proximity to the lake and fishing access... Site is great for people with families as there was a playground within 50 feet so it is a bit louder and busier," explains Rosie R. about their Parvin State Park experience.
Water hookup length needs: Atsion Family Camp — Wharton State Forest and other primitive sites require preparation. "Couple of negatives and tips: The water hookups are shared every other site. I was lucky my 75' hose barely reached the distance needed. Be sure to bring extra hoses," advises Matt S. about Old Cedar Campground.
Road quality considerations: Forest access roads can challenge larger rigs. "Campsite G014 was awesome! It was a great location, closest site to the water with beautiful views... Roads into the place are single car only, with a good amount of spots to pull off if you find yourself head to head with another vehicle. Pretty bumpy road," shares Brianna P. about Wharton State Forest.
Seasonal site availability: Local RV parks have different operating seasons. Cynthia noted about Parvin State Park, "Woodsy, nice lake and nature trails. Very narrow roads to sites, so not big rig friendly there but most sites are quite large. No gravel or pads on sites, just bare ground."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Elmer, NJ?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Elmer, NJ is Parvin State Park Campground with a 3.9-star rating from 15 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Elmer, NJ?
TheDyrt.com has all 88 dog-friendly camping locations near Elmer, NJ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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