Whether you're an RVer or tent camper, Hackettstown, NJ is a great place to post up for the weekend—or longer. Hackettstown is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your New Jersey camping adventure.
"Tent campsites have benches and a fire pit. Group campsites have large stove. The cabins seem clean and well maintained."
"The "shelter" is what we would describe as a "cabin"; four walls, a roof, locking door, locking windows, large picture frame front window, four beds(two bunks), a wood burning stove, and a porch."
" Our 4rth state in our 5 state trip is New Jersey! We wanted to see Delaware Water Gap NRA & I found a campground by Newton called The Great Divide. This is a private campground."
"The pool was great and the laundry room was immaculate. Within about an hour from NYC...it appeared to be the closest nice campground we could find to explore the city."
"Very kid and pet friendly, lake to fish and kayak on, lots of activities, great pool and awesome hot tub."
"The campground is clean, the people who live there are friendly, very well organized, sites are big, street are easy to travel, the amnesties are good, the welcome center store is has the basic needs,"
$33 - $42 / night
"Easy access from Rt 80 and located close to the Lakota Wolf Preserve."
"Positives: sites are decent sized with fire pits and picnic tables. easy access to hiking, convenient to a beautiful vineyard, peaceful region, and the most amazing wolf preserve is right next to you. "
"The crystal-clear water is home to huge lake trout and the forests are bursting with wildlife. The sunsets across the lake are to die for."
"Fire pit had a medal grate to cook on. Beautiful area. we paddled in, the water is very clean and crystal clear"
"The actual site was nice and was close to the bathrooms. There was plenty of shade as the sun moved throughout the day."
"Great arrival experience—the office has their act together—but registration closes at 4pm."
"Arrived to campsite late but easily found. Campsite and lean to was clean. Fire pit with grill and picnic table."
"Located in the Skylands of New Jersey, Mahlon Dickerson Campgound is a perfect place to spend a few nights or a couple of weeks. The campsites are paved and mostly level. They are wooded and large."
"This campsite, CS52, was in the woods and we were able to get the illusion of privacy by parking the cars along the road as a makeshift wall and pitching our tents beside them, facing inward."
"This campsite was in the open grass area and not very private, but that was okay for this trip as I spent the days hiking around lakes and waterfalls in the area(45min drive)."
"Fire pits were provided and there’s a great campground store that came in handy for food and drinks.
The river is beautiful in this area and worth the stay."
"Leashes pets allowed, and they have a large store on grounds if you forgot anything."
$7 - $55 / night
"No pets or alcohol allowed.
The campground has a pit toilet and a well. Each large campsite has a picnic table, fire pit, and lantern hook. Some sites also have a tent platform."
"So it rained during set up and it rained during take down. It stopped raining for a bit and we took a nice walk around the campsite, out to the lake and back. Then night fell and so did the rain."
GuideEasy access from Rt 80 and located close to the Lakota Wolf Preserve. With tours leaving them campground twice a day on both Saturday and Sundays for the wolf preserve, I was glad there was camping so close. The camping selection of sites is excellent with Cabins, Glamping tents, primitive tent sites and of course RV sites. I choose to stay in one of the glamping tents and was pleasantly surprised at the space inside the tent even with a double bed and two other fold out couches to beds. Water is available at the site. A small lake for swimming and boating. And lots of trails linking you to the Delaware river water gap area.
RangerCampground Review
Stokes State Forest has four campgrounds. The Steam Mill Camping Area is tucked out the of the way and is the most primitive. It is the smallest of the campgrounds with 27 sites only suitable for tents or small trailers/campervans. No pets or alcohol allowed.
The campground has a pit toilet and a well. Each large campsite has a picnic table, fire pit, and lantern hook. Some sites also have a tent platform. Many sites are a bit rocky.
We selected site T219. It was a solid choice: private but close to the toilet and water. Some sites located around the opposite side of the ring back up to a babbling brook. The rushing water will soothe you to sleep.
Remember, this is bear country so proper food storage is a must. Bear lockers are not provided. The area also has ticks and rattlesnakes.
Outdoor activities in the area abound. Go fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, kayaking, and more. There are 21 marked trails that cover over 63 miles within the boundaries of Stokes State Forest. Twelve miles are part of the Appalachian Trail. Pick up a hiking map at the park office or download the Avenza Maps app.
This visit we hiked the Tillman Ravine trail (tip: make the trail a loop and visit both the ravine and the nearby old cemetery).
You can also drive or hike to Sunset Mountain Scenic Overlook for a view of High Point Monument. High Point Monument is the highest elevation in New Jersey and is located in High Point State Park which borders Stokes State Forest on the north. High Point State Park also offers camping, hiking, sightseeing opportunities. And, on the western border of Stokes State Forest is the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. So, there is lots of outdoors to get out and explore!
Product Review
We camped at the Steam Mill Camping Area in Stokes State Forest in our campervan over a chilly autumn weekend. We had the opportunity to cook some soup on our stovetop and chill out by the campfire. And, as Rangers for The Dyrt, we get products to test from time to time so we were psyched to try out some new dinnerware and cutlery. This included the FlexiBowl and GoBites from humangear.
What made these humangear products pretty awesome? Well, the fun colors to start. I mean, seriously, my orange bowl rules. The FlexiBowl also has some neat features: it’s flexible - just like the name suggests - and foldable. The bowl can be squished and stuffed anywhere. And, the top section can be folded down to create a smaller bowl. The FlexiBowl is versatile yet durable. It held my hearty, warm soup just perfectly.
I paired the FlexiBowl with one of the GoBites utensils (the Uno model). The Uno model is my favorite - it has a fork on one side and a spoon on the other side. Very simple and convenient. The other GoBites models include the Duo (separate fork and spoon that can snap together) and the Trio (a fork, spoon, and knife - with bottle opener - in a case).
PRO TIP: I keep the Trio GoBites model in my travel pack at all times. It recently came in handy on a (non-camping) trip to Sardinia. The knife on the Trio allowed me to slice some delicious local cheese to pair with bread, jam, and wine that was purchased from the grocery store. YUM.
ScoutMe and two friends do a yearly kayak trip down the Delaware river and have progressively moved north each year. This year, MDW of 2023, we were traveling between Narrowsburg, NY and Port Jervis, NY. Traveling 10-15 miles a day, we ended our second day of paddling at Slumberland on the Rivers Edge. The host put out a orange cone that made finding our campsite easy and a nice beach made unloading and loading kayaks pretty easy. The accommodations were top notch, with lights already on, and a table set, along with a grill, fire pit, and covered porch and canvas tent that housed two queen sized beds along with an electric stove and a woodstove. We were able to relax on the adirondack chairs on the deck as the sun went down and our fire (wood provided by host) and the porch lights remained glowing. It was nice change from camping in our tents and sleeping pads as we are used to along the river, as the beds were very comfortable, and the heater and canvas tent kept us warm during 40 degree temperatures at night. It was quiet and peaceful and you had your own space far from the other sites at slumberland (unlike many other campgrounds along the river). We all enjoyed our stay and had a great time and I would highly recommend to any kayak campers along the river looking for more than just a patch of grass to set up a tent on.
GuideNo electrical and no pets allowed in camp sites. But plenty of trees and huge fire rings in each spot. An RV would have a tough time but for car camping it’s great. The Delaware Canal is nearby with the tow path for biking. That makes this a nice Bikepacking stop.
TravelerHaving been here on a few occasions I will say it is def a beautiful spot in many regards. However, there are some downsides.
Positives: sites are decent sized with fire pits and picnic tables. easy access to hiking, convenient to a beautiful vineyard, peaceful region, and the most amazing wolf preserve is right next to you.
Negative: limited access to firewood. sites are picked clean, quiet hours are strongly enforced- which can be a good thing depending upon who you are, the lake is anything but refreshing.
RangerThe lake is gorgeous and there are nice hiking trails, but sites are very small and close together. Let’s are allowed in less than half of the campground, which means all the dogs are in a smaller area and barking at each other more than other places. The no-pet area was practically empty when we were there midweek but the pets-allowed area was much more crowded than we would have liked.
Also rules and signage are wildly confusing, lots of things contradict each other. Cell service exists but not great for remote work.
ScoutNice, family friendly campground with 3 levels to camp at. Top level has a pool, showers and bathrooms with laundry area and game room. Middle level has open field with bathrooms with sinks and running water. There is water and electric on the sites at the middle level. River level has more primitive bathrooms and some bathrooms with running water. You can camp right next to the river and it has a great view.
TravelerReally nice campground. Staff was friendly and helpful. It’s very secluded, no highway noise. Our spot backed up right to a creek and it was beautiful. Only giving 4 stars because the toilets had problems and the dump station didn’t have running water. Would definitely return regardless.
GuideStayed two nights at two different sites. Heavily recommend getting campsites in the mid-60s. They come with a little more room and seclusion. Come with fire pit, parking spot, picnic table, flush toilet, running water. Competitive pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Hackettstown, NJ is Jenny Jump State Forest with a 4.6-star rating from 14 reviews.
TheDyrt.com has all 58 glamping camping locations near Hackettstown, NJ, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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