Best Glamping near Lyndhurst, NJ

Campground 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.

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.

I stayed at turkey swamp for just one night we had to pack it in early because a storm was rolling in but otherwise a great campground! we hiked one of the few trails in the morning and it was clean and well marked. we kayaked after that and the one thing that wasnt very great was that we brought our own kayaks so we had a decent walk from the parking lot to the lake. the lake itself wasnt huge and we paddled it in about an hour but it was still beautiful, fun and clean. the way the camp sites are set up is great because it give you some solid privacy. the roads are one way and each camp site is a horseshoe off the road. we stayed on site C4 and it was less then a 1 minute walk to the bathroom which was very clean! the only complaint we had was some of our neighbors didnt respect quiet hour. otherwise a fantastic campground for a small group or family!

My first trip to this campground was September 2020. We wanted to get out of the house, but stay clear of other campers during the pandemic. 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. The other 3/4 of the campsite was bound by trees and shrubs which was nice and why we chose the spot. Other sites are more open and only the darkness of night will give you privacy. Each campsite has a firepit/ring, picnic table, and lantern hook.

We hung out at the campsite mostly, using the fire pit, playing frisbee, and relaxing in our hammocks. When we did roam a bit, there was a nice lake, with seating every so often and a boat dock ramp thing in the campground. There was also a playground, beach, pavilion, and picnic tables, but we did not use any of that. 

Campsite sells fire wood. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets and showers, masks required for the pandemic.

We stayed in a RV and a tent. There were eight people in total sleeping on the site. We stayed July 1 and 2nd. The actual site was nice and was close to the bathrooms. There was plenty of shade as the sun moved throughout the day. The park used to be a swim attraction but the water is not safe to swim in because of a dangerous algae bloom. While walking around, it gave off an abandoned summer camp feel. There were maybe six structures (concessions, changing rooms, etc) that were all boarded up. Thursday night was quiet. We were able to sit outside and enjoy the sounds of nature. The next night, there were many more people there. In one site, campers set up at least five tents. They were very loud past the curfew time of 10. Quiet hours were not taken seriously on that night.

I really enjoyed camping at Shotwell. To get there, you have to drive about 2 miles down a road away from the welcome center. This is nice because it is quiet from traffic from cars. Each campsite is fairly big and far enough away from each other so you feel like you have your own space. Some of the sites had a platform to set up your tent on which is nice, especially if you are going after it recently rained. Our site had a picnic table and fire ring. There was a communal bathroom which was fairly well maintained and a large dumpster near the front of the site to drop off your trash. They did have a cabin-like option but I did not stay in it and do not know much about renting those.

First time camping with my 10 yr old son during covid restrictions. Park rangers were nice. Check in was easy. $36 per night includes water and electricity on site. Didn't have anything to compare it to but the sites were kind of small and close together. If your neighbors have a barking dog or a crying baby you can kiss tranquility goodbye. Spiders in the bathroom, mold on the shower curtains. Because of covid-19 restrictions you couldn't rent a boat, (supposed) to wear masks in the bathroom, and the picnic grounds were supposed to be closed. The lake was nice. Plenty of trails to walk. Wouldn't exactly call it hiking though. You can fish the lake, bring your own kayak, and there's an archery range on site, and also some huge beautiful fields for whatever. The rangers come around and enforce quiet time and make you put fires out around 10 or 11 pm. All in all was a good time and we'll probably go back.

This is a good platform campsite, with a lot of gravel parking or extra tent space. It is not very private/secluded as it is right by the road, but we enjoy waving at neighbors driving or walking by. Short 5-10 min walk to the restroom and water, no sinks or showers. The weather was warm and while it didn't rain, there were some morning drips and drops from the mountain dew or whatever condensing in the tree tops.

The setup is a bit weird, with an upper campsite trail/path cutting through the lower campsite. Twenty-nine is the lower campsite, 30 is the one up the hill. There might be some awkwardness if you did have neighbors at 30. They would be walking in between your tent and campfire, which would be awkward. However, there is a marked parking spot for 30 down the road a bit and also a rocky, more adventurous path through the woods up to the campsite. If asked, we would probably let 30 park with us since there is so much space and safer footing. It would probably be awesome to get both campsites if you had a larger group, 6+. Party campsite at the top and business campsite at the bottom? lol.

We didn't have neighbors at 30, but the campsite across the road, down by the lake, did park nearby. Setting up the hammock was a bit awkward.

Spiders, omg, spiders. So many spiders! I had to clear off so many spiders from my "porch" to sit without fear from above. I will bring a broom now to brush off my foes, the bane of my camping experience. If you can get over that, this is a very good campsite.

We are avid campers ranging from our early days of remote, rustic tent camping with just the two of us and 20 years later upgraded to our travel trailer that houses our two kids and two dogs. We love going on different adventures and experiencing new ideas so when we came across Tentrr we really wanted to see what it was all about. This location was about an hour and a half away from our home so it was far enough to feel like we were getting away but close enough that we could be home quickly in case of an emergency since we decided to make this an adult trip. It was a beautiful drive to the campsite and we drove by a few times because I didn’t see the small Tentrr sign on the mailbox post. We eventually figured it out and we found the host aside of the dirt lane chopping wood. He greeted us and took up back to the campsite. It was at the far end of his property right up against the property line which was a small wire fence. We were a little disappointed at how close the neighboring structures were however that was behind the tents and didn’t impede the magnificent view looking out to the front of the campsite. He showed us around and made sure we were comfortable with everything. We had pre-ordered firewood and he already had it stacked by the firepit ready to be burned. We got settled in and unpacked our supplies and set up our camp. Already provided was a large canvas tent that housed a queen bed with two night stands along with some books, an air mattress pump, lantern and some bee spray. Behind that was another tent pad with a 4-6 person tent already set up with a queen size air mattress already blown up. It would have been perfect for another couple or kids. I was extremely excited to camp in a tent with a stove in it and once we had unpacked and the host left I noticed the stove was not in the tent. I was so disappointed. We packed assuming that there would be a stove to help keep us warm at night. It went down to 40 degrees that night so we had to make due with extra layers and bundle up but we made it through the night. However, the stove in the tent was the thing I was looking forward to the most and I feel like I didn’t get the whole experience. There were also two Adirondack chairs on a nice sized front deck of the tent along with tiki torches which definitely helped at night for late night trips to the bathroom. Along side of the tent was the privy and loo. Also provided was a small picnic table with cabinets which stored some additional supplies like baggies for the loo, paper towels, matches and newspaper for the fire. There was also a 5 gallon water container and we were advised of where we could fill up if need be which was just at the bottom of the field near the entrance to the campsite. However we also brought 5 gallons of water so we were good. There was also a small charcoal grill provided however we brought along our campstove because it is like an extension of me that I can’t camp without. Alongside the table were two hammocks. The way they were set up was a little awkward because they bumped into each other since there were only three posts they were hanging on. I tend to get really motion sick so I could only sit on it for a few minutes and had to get off. If you want to have a campfire at this site be prepared to walk for the firepit is a good distance away. Although you did get a nice view of the steer and sheep in the next field while watching the fire I think it would have been much better to put the pit out in front of the tent and hammocks instead of off to the side. When I make my site I like my fire to be in the center of my campsite whenever possible. The way this was set up made it feel like we were just sitting out in the middle of a field. Although, I really did enjoy being able to cook over the fire as there was a swinging fire grate on site. We roasted some jalapenos over the fire and then made jalapeno popper dip. It was awesome! We cooked dinner over the fire as well which was just as delicious. The best part of this trip was definitely the views. You look out over the field and see the mountains in the background with the river running between them and it just takes your breath away. We also happened to be camping when there was a full moon. The stars and moon were absolutely amazing. We got some great night shots and the moon is so bright it actually looks like the sun in the photos. As I mentioned earlier we did a lot of rustic camping and we did that in a state forest where we were the only people around sometimes for miles. We have also done the family campgrounds and state park camping as well. This site was probably a good compromise in between as far as how remote the site was and the noise factor. I think this would be great for a family who are just starting to get interested in camping and would like to experience it first without making a large investment into buying your own equipment. I would do this again for a special occasion however I don’t think I would spend that amount of money each time when I already have all of my own equipment and can go more remote camping for much cheaper. It was definitely fun and we had a very relaxing time just hanging out with our dogs and each other. The whole process was smooth from the booking online to checking out. Our host, Tigran, was very nice and communicated very well before and during our camping experience. This was a great way to social distance so if you need to get away this is a great place to start. Adventure is out there!