Gateway National Recreation Area, NJ is a great camping destination for adventurers of all types. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your New Jersey camping adventure.
$149 / night
"If you want to visit NYC and surrounding areas, this is the place. Expensive but... When you look at local hotel rates, not so much."
"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."
$85 - $120 / night
"Small campground W/ 8 spaces in the main area and 7 in an adjacent area. All spaces are level concrete With fill hookups and attached concrete patio."
$130 / night
$45 / night
"We stayed in site #1 with our 21' travel trailer. In our opinion this is the best site because you have an unobstructed view of Stockton Lake & the horizon over the ocean."
$20 / night
"We stayed here in November-December to do some exploring around Jersey. Not a lot going on at the fam camp. Clean and gravel. Lots of military training nearby but overall a quiet stay."
$96 - $2500 / night
$42 - $79 / night
"Heavily wooded and supremely quiet, it’s located not far from anywhere you’d want to be. 30 minutes to the shore. Every site is a pull-through, large and spacious with great woodland views. 30amp and"
"This campground has all pull-through sites. Nicely wooded with water and electric."
$78 - $98 / night
"Many campers here are seasonal or long term stays and were very quiet and respectful."
"Our site was a big pull through site. Unfortunately, the bathhouse near our site had no hot water, but they were working on it, so I’m sure it won’t be for long. Well stocked store."
"Love the area lots to do hiking fishing nature walks, something for everyone."
"Lots of walking paths surround the park & you are also close to Belmar, Point Pleasant, Manasquan (all fun shore towns)."
LegendWe stayed at Adventure Bound Tall Pines in Elmer, New Jersey, for Memorial Day weekend for a quick getaway. Despite reserving and paying for a“Premium” site, it fell far short. But there were still a few things we liked…
THINGS I LIKED:
1. Super-friendly staff, especially Allie, who was courteous and seemed to try to make things right
2. Lots of mature shade trees
3. DJ at the pool Saturday and Sunday and live band Saturday evening
4. Close proximity to Delsea Drive-in Theatre and Cohenzick Zoo
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE SO MUCH:
1. I reserved and paid-in-full for a premium site which listed 50-amp service and a concrete pad. Nope. Only 30-amp service and no concrete pad. When I called the office, assuming there must’ve been a mistake, I was told by two different staff members that their website is“wonky.” I wouldn’t mind as much, but this weekend was 90-degrees each day and humid, so it would’ve been good to have air conditioning.
2. The entire park was dirty sand with weeds growing everywhere
3. This place is not big-rig friendly, difficult to navigate some of the turns in our 45’ motorhome and taking scratches from tree branches that should be trimmed
4. I paid$432 for 3-nights and feel like I was taken
WOULD WE COME BACK?
Nope. I’m sticking with campgrounds that give you what you paid for.
ScoutWe have a 42 ft 5th wheel toy hauler. A few Big Rig spots are available, but this is a Suffock Co Campground that is not well maintained. 2 miles of the Road have many areas of missing blacktop making a very rough ride with low branches. The dump station is basically not accessible to a big rig. Most of the longer sites were very difficult to level.
LegendPros: 50 AMP, sewer & water hookup Nice amenities
Cons: Sand sites Overpriced Tight site & hard to get in/out for big rigs
LegendWe stayed at site 15 for 5 days. The sites are nicely wooded, very well spaced, fairly level with 50A service and water hookup. Although the water spigots were shared between sites, they provide hose caddies that should reach most RV hookups. No sewer hookup, but there is a convenient dump station. There are no fire rings in the RV section, only raised grills. We had the place pretty much to ourselves during the week, but the weekend did get busy. AT&T had ok data connection with 1-2 bars most of the time. There is no satellite coverage due to the heavy tree canopy. OTA TV was very inconsistent using an external omni antenna. There is no WiFi. There is a very nice network of trails in the reservation, most if not all were leashed dog friendly. There is a very nice restaurant, Stone Water, less than 10 miles away and is right on lake Hopatcong.
GuideWe stayed at Panther Lake as full timers all season. Great during the week but very busy on weekends. Could be noisy with children not very well supervised.
Friendly, helpful staff. Cable TV poor when it rains. Cell service spotty all carriers. No internet at sites. Lake beautiful and pool nice.
GuideTurkey Swamp Park is a great find! Heavily wooded and supremely quiet, it’s located not far from anywhere you’d want to be. 30 minutes to the shore. Every site is a pull-through, large and spacious with great woodland views. 30amp and water. Dump station.
The park has miles of shady forested trails for hiking and dog walking. there’s a large lake here too, for water based recreational activities.
The bathrooms, showers, and laundry are co-located in a centrally situated structure. Everything inside is clean and well-maintained.
We’ve got good cell signal with Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. (We use all three.) Good OTA television signal also.
We spent three days here in July 2021.
LegendWe stayed in site #1 with our 21' travel trailer. In our opinion this is the best site because you have an unobstructed view of Stockton Lake & the horizon over the ocean. Big rig spots are further back (around site 6-9 or so). 9 sites total & they are often booked, so need to do so in advance. Free beach just a few moments' walk down the road. Close to shore towns & many restaurants. Plenty of space for kids to play in the field/grass area. TONS of geese everywhere though. Pets are NOT allowed (but they'd probably help w the geese problem). You get access to the showers with a key card and when you check in, but I don't have anything to report as I used the bathroom/shower in our trailer. Price is great at $45/night. FULL hookups as well. Only annoying thing was the sewer hookup is about 18 inches off the ground so you need to lift the hose when emptying the tanks to ensure it actually fully drains.
Legend4½ Stars Quick Weekend Getaway
We stayed at Butterfly Camping Resort in Jackson, New Jersey, for a 2-night weekend in late-August. We’re so glad we did!
Our site(#90) was a level pull-thru with 50-amp electric, water, sewer, and cable. It was roomy, shady, and easy to pull in and out. The hook-ups were all well-maintained and worked fine. We had plenty of room to fit our car too. The site included a picnic table, charcoal grill, and fire ring.
The gated campground was clean and well-maintained. The swimming pool was large and the water crystal clear. The store was stocked with typical essentials like supplies, fire wood, and snacks. Most of the neighboring RVs were nice and in good shape. The park has bath facilities, a dump station on the way out, and lots of play areas.
The front office staff were all friendly and we love that, especially when checking in at a new campground. When I called for a last-minute reservation, they seemed glad to have us.
This park is close to Great Adventure and not far from the Jersey shore if that’s in your plans.
There were two observations I’d categorize as ‘no park is perfect.’ The site was sandy. The whole place is sandy. This is messy, especially after a bit of rain(which we had), and makes it a constant challenge to keep the sand out of the RV. If the site had gravel, grass, or some other surface, this would be a 5-star review. They offer wifi which is nice to have, but it didn’t work very well. I realize this is a common complaint at many campgrounds, but we’ve come to want to stay connected(at least, a little).
This is a really nice campground with inviting pool and facilities. We can’t wait to go back!
TravelerFun camping place to books groups. Very kid and pet friendly, lake to fish and kayak on, lots of activities, great pool and awesome hot tub. Only down side is that even though they say they have wifi, you can't hook up to it unless you are at the pavilion. And good luck getting cell service! its like a black hole of signals there. Otherwise, we really love this place!
RV camping near Gateway National Recreation Area in New Jersey offers a unique blend of urban convenience and natural beauty, making it an ideal spot for outdoor enthusiasts looking to explore the area.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular RV campground near Gateway National Recreation Area is Liberty Harbor RV Park with a 3.7-star rating from 14 reviews.
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