Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Madison, NJ has a lot to offer. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Madison campgrounds just for you. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Madison, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
"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."
"It's beautiful and quiet, and close to beautiful hiking trails, lakes, and other outdoor recreation opportunities."
"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."
"Once you get to the campground trail it’s pretty easy going on asphalt surface."
$149 / night
"This is all about location. The closest RV park to NYC. It's basically a parking lot with a dump station. Not much else. Pick one of the larger end row sites to get a little extra elbow room."
"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."
"Panther lake was a pretty good campground with lots of spots to camp at. Our campsite had a picnic bench and a fire ring. They offer both RV and primitive camping."
"The Lake is the gem of the campground with a really nice beach, good for fishing and kayaking. The negatives were the bathrooms. They are very primitive and quite dirty."
$200 / night
"I stayed at Cheesequake at the beginning of August and had a very positive experience."
"This park is on the list of 50 top NJ Hikes, and it has a few great trails. The trails range from easy to moderate with quite a few lookout locations."
" 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."
"All the positive reviews about this place are accurate! Beautiful, clean, well maintained, lots to do, great value for your $$"
"Park employees and park police drive around through the day. Some big groups of campers got a little rowdy at night. The bathrooms were absolutely disgusting."
"The actual site was nice and was close to the bathrooms. There was plenty of shade as the sun moved throughout the day."
$529 - $1200 / night
"The article also mentions the benefits of camping on Governor Island, such as feeling close to nature, relaxing and enjoying a peaceful space, away from the noise of the city."
$21 - $24 / night
"Drive-in tent campgrounds. Adequate restroom facilities sprinkled amongst tent sites. Some campsites have raised platforms. All sites have picnic tables and fire ring with flip-top grill."
"The grounds are just steps away from Welch Lake, offering a lifeguard monitored sandy beach which is open during the summer season for swimming, fishing, and small boat craft further out."
"The bathroom/shower was only a few steps away which was convenient and clean."
"All the sites are set up nearby the office where people are all day should you ever need anything. The workers are super friendly and regularly make rounds of the grounds."
LegendLocated just south of I78 and near the small hamlets of Clinton and Lebanon, what I love most about Round Valley SP is the fact that it has its very own eponymous fresh water reservoir, which spanning some 2,350 acres and is 180 feed deep in the middle, this body of water provides a solid amount of upside for anyone wanting to kayak, canoe or swim. One of the greatest assets at this particular SP CG are the wonderful rangers who keep this place in such tip-top condition year-round. From the North Picnic Area, Bray’s Hill Preserve and Round Valley Beachhead to the East Picnic Area, Round Valley Farm on the eastern side of the reservoir as well as Round Valley Rec Area, there’s a lot to explore at this SP.
One interesting fact about this place– believe it or not– it is the only NJ SP that actually offers up true wilderness camping(a.k.a. primitive), which can only be accessed by hiking 3 to 6 miles– or if you come with your own boat, you can access by water– and can be found on the SE corner of the reservoir. There is a second area nearby called Spruce Run Recreation Area that can be accessed by driving to this location, which is on the other side of I78 NW of Round Valley SP. That said, if you’re looking to camp here at Round Valley, I highly recommend you boat in as the hiking path is incredibly difficult to manage without hauling all of your camping gear, so coming in with a ton of gear is even more difficult/ prohibitive.
When you finally do arrive to this primitive CG immersed in NJ’s thick wild foliage, you’ll experience waterfront bliss with a crystalline bevy of trout-infused reservoir water, and you won’t get much in the way of amenities, apart from a few random water pumps and some rocks piled in a circle that, um, I guess makes up a fire ring. While there are backwoods-style bathroom pits, these are very ill-managed and you’ll come across the‘stank’ well before actually even arriving here, so we just didn’t use them. There’s picnic tables, but the one we had was in pretty rough condition. The thing I found odd about the place is that after hiking so far in to get to this location, you’re not allowed to swim in the reservoir, which kind of defeats the entire point IMHO. That said, the views are amazing and because there’s nothing else in these parts, you will experience true peace in nature.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few:(1) Whether hiking or kayaking to this CG, you will want to bring as little with you as possible– packing too much to come here just isn’t worth the work;(2) We found parking in the Southern Lot to be perfectly fine and while we were initially worried about leaving our vehicle parked there for a few nights, we were reassured by the park rangers who patrol the lot constantly;(3) While the water in the reservoir may look crystal clear, it is not crystal clean and I would STRONGLY encourage anyone who thinks that it is OK to drink from the reservoir to at least use a Life Straw to ensure they don’t get sick;(4) I have hiked throughout the entire US and consider myself somewhere between a moderate to skilled hiker and I found these trails challenging and uneven, so while the hike we made was only 3 miles, it was not easy and I would be worried about someone breaking an ankle getting to this CG– so at a minimum, ensure you are wearing proper hiking boots. Seriously, for what this SP puts you through to access this CG one really needs to question why they’re being charged anything at all in the first place.
Happy Camping!
ScoutWe went camping with our 2- and 3-year-old kids. We were worried about bugs, but we didn’t even use mosquito repellent and didn’t get a single bite! The campground was super clean too. It was perfect!
ScoutThis campground is very clean, staff and campers are very friendly. It’s a great spot if you have kids because they have many different activities(pool/arcade games/movie nights/ and more.)
GuideStayed 2 nights and it was really nice. Camping for summer is pretty limited to Sawmill Lake, as the other locations are for groups or winter camping. Camps are secluded from each other and most if not all have an elevated space to put tents or chairs. Each place comes with a lamp hang, a fire pit, and a picnic table. Bathrooms are spaced out. No running water except for pump founded outside of the bathrooms. Toilets are pump flushed. Showers are only located INSIDE High Point State Park, not throughout the campsites, but entry is free for campers. One hiking trail is accessible in Sawmill campground, 3 others are accessible on the road outside of the campground and the rest are located inside the park. When you arrive you have to check in with the park office for your campsite tag. Hours are 8-4. Park officials come through the campsites pretty regularly, a few times a day which is nice. Areas are clean and well maintained.
ScoutIt’s not a campground. It’s where people stash their rvs, some of whom seem to live here permanently. Caretaker was rude. Sites were all rocky and many on steep inclines. Complete waste of our time. Plus, the site looks nothing like the pictures they post, which is an area you can’t camp at. Don’t stay here.
ScoutCroton Point Campground is a modest little campground, located along the Hudson River within Croton Point Park in NY. In addition to camping, the park itself offers many of its own attractions, including swimming, hiking, kayaking, cabin rentals, and a host of other family-oriented activities just along the Hudson.
The park, which is honestly probably the largest attraction here, is located just an hour and a half outside of the city. This proximity is both its perk and its downfall, as the park itself, but particularly the campground, has become laden with all sorts of inexplicable and burdensome rules, endless guidelines, and restrictions only a New York State-run bureaucracy could ever make sense of, let alone hope to justify.
This includes all manner of restrictions on how you can camp, where you can camp, what equipment can be used, and use in relation to what particular site you may have been lucky enough to reserve. Much of this you can understand while imagining what may have taken place here to bring them to such measures, but it doesn't make it any easier to contend with.
In terms of the actual camping conditions Both the tenting section and RV sites are each very clustered together, and quite crowded, with regular patrols🚓(actual patrols) being made day and night, by both the Park Rangers and what appears to be general park staff members, all looking to see if you or your family might be doing something that they might consider outside of the guidelines or not in compliance with the many restrictions.
This is not to say you can't possibly have a good time here. It just might mean being a bit more diligent toward reviewing the potential legitimacy of your normal camping routine to ensure it meets with many restrictions and guidelines imposed, while also making yourself comfortable with some fairly regular surveillance during your stay here. These all being things we hoped to get away from while camping ourselves It just turned out to be a bit much for our particular liking.
ScoutIt’s a gravel parking lot. Plenty of shade. No one bothered me.
GuideGreat open spot with some shade, depending on when you go we have noticed there tends to be a lot of loud disrespectful people who are there to party not camp. It’s nice to be on the Delaware and not many campgrounds have water access or a boat ramp so that’s a plus. Showers, sinks, and toilets are available.
ScoutIf we could rate this a 0 we would. We were expecting a weekend of kayaking and relaxation when in fact we got an overcrowded, noisy and dirty weekend that was overpriced. I will give the river a 10, it was beautiful, welcoming and refreshing in the warm sun. We arrived at about 8:00 in the evening with several camps blaring different genre of music, not a problem, considering we still like it as loud as possible sometimes, but it didn't end at quiet time, it continue until well over midnight. The campsites are so close together it was like being packed into a sardine can. The campsite across the pathway didn't have their dog on a lead and we woke up with a pile of dog excrement next to our trailer, that was a howdy-do morning for ya. We were super excited to take our kayaks out on the river, paddle up stream and float down with our pup, but we were told that we couldn't launch from this location. (What kind of crap is that) This location was a receiving location only and "absolutely no launching" was allowed. If you are looking for a party spot to come with your friends, this is definitely the place for you! If your looking for a chill place to camp next to the river where you can tube, kayak and enjoy your peaceful weekend, this is NOT the place. The amount of money we spent for 2 nights was outrageous for such a sucky weekend, will not be going back!
Camping near Madison, New Jersey, offers a mix of beautiful nature and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventurous getaway, there are several campgrounds nearby that cater to different needs.
Camping around Madison, NJ, offers a variety of experiences, from family-friendly parks to serene nature spots. Whether you're tent camping or RVing, there's something for everyone to enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best campgrounds near Madison, Wisconsin?
The Madison area offers several excellent camping options. High Point State Park Campground provides beautiful lakeside sites with hiking and biking trails accessible directly from your campsite. The park's location in the skylands region offers opportunities to hike to monuments at the state's highest point. Turkey Swamp Park is another top choice with 2,283 acres of natural beauty, a 17-acre lake for fishing and paddling, hiking trails, and well-maintained campsites. Both parks receive high ratings from campers for their scenic settings and recreational opportunities.
What amenities are available at Madison area campgrounds?
Madison area campgrounds offer a range of amenities to enhance your camping experience. Mahlon Dickerson Reservation provides paved, level sites with water and electric hookups, a dump station, and access to hiking trails. Butterfly Camping Resort features family-friendly amenities including a large playground, organized activities for children, clean bathrooms, and a fishing lake. Many campgrounds in the region also offer picnic tables, fire rings, and access to nearby recreational activities. Amenities vary by location, with some offering more rustic experiences while others provide more comfort-oriented facilities.
Are there any free camping options near Madison?
Free camping options near Madison are limited, but there are some affordable alternatives. Sandyston Boat In Campsites in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area offers primitive campsites at minimal cost. These boat-in sites provide a more remote experience away from crowds. Similarly, Namanock Island in the Delaware Water Gap area offers primitive camping options. While not entirely free, state forests like Stokes State Forest sometimes have lower-cost camping areas with more basic amenities, such as the Steam Mill Camping Area which is suitable for tents or small trailers.
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