Best RV Parks & Resorts near Gateway National Recreation Area

We 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.

We 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.

Turkey 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.

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. 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.

4½ 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!