Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Manville, NJ

Some things you should be aware of before booking: The office, playground, dog park, pool, laundry are located at the top of the hill. Camping spots are downhill, a good distance from the office and amenities. Trash is located off site in a pullout on the road you drive in on. There are 2 showers for women and 2 for men. Both are old and not well maintained or in our experience clean, either. In general the camping spots are not well maintained, weedy, un-level and picnic tables are weathered and warped. This resort campground is composed of mainly residents, the rules (we observed) apply to the overnight campers, not the residents. Children of the residents run free all day and past curfew in the evenings unsupervised. The setting is quiet, the views from the upper level are lovely. With some updating of bath facilities, cleaning and leveling of campsites, uniform enforcement of rules, Pleasant Acres could become a resort destination.

Delaware Water Gap was a massive campground that was incredibly well kept and had spaces for both RVs and primitive camping. The site was very kid and pet friendly, outfitted with both a pet and children's playground(see pictures and videos). The primitive sites were separated from the RV area which is nice because it felt like we had more privacy that way. Each site had its own fire pit as well. If you stay here, be aware of the wild grouse that roam the whole campground!

Proximaty to the Delaware makes this campground amazing. Bring your own kayaks to make it even more special.

We had tons of privacy and a view of the Delaware river right from my hammock. Leashes pets allowed, and they have a large store on grounds if you forgot anything.

Have been visiting Washington  Crossing State Park since I was a child.  I always look forward to going because it is consistently clean, great for riding bikes and taking pets for a walk and children for a stroll PLUS it is significant  historically and it is enjoyable for the entire family.  There are some fun, tasty custard stands nearby for a summer treat.

I will most likely not return to this campground, although it’s just because of my own personal preferences. The two main reasons are as follows:

1. When my partner and I drove up to the campground there were multiple signs posted reading, “NO DOGS ALLOWED IN CAMPGROUND”. The pet friendly policy must be new so maybe they just haven’t gotten around to updating the signage, but it led to a few unwanted encounters which made it hard to unwind. I was questioned or warned by other campers about my dog being with me — even though I paid the extra fees online to bring her along.

2. The park was incredibly noisy at night and there is little to no privacy between campsites. Everything could be seen by your neighbors. We were kept up all night because we could hear other campers snoring and talking (they didn’t even seem to be talking loudly, they were speaking at a normal level). Because of this we left after the first night, we couldn’t handle the amount of people and are more accustomed to camping in secluded areas that allow for more relaxation.

The reason I give this campground two stars instead of one is because the bathroom and shower area was very clean, and I had my first bear encounter which was exciting. Three black bears strolled by the campsite next to ours in the early morning — gave us more of an energy boost after a sleepless night than our coffee!

Love it!!Our favorite family campground! We've tried to camp at least one weekend a month from spring through fall and try different places,but we always come back to Mountain Vista! The staff is friendly and helpful and they have a ton of great activities from kids carnival, craft beer tastings,farmers market, bingo...the list goes on!Their pool and kiddie splash pad is well kept as are the rest of the facilities. We did the gas saver program for the second time this June and invited lots of friends and family up and everyone had a blast! Lots of great memories made! Also, very pet friendly! We'll be back!

Easy check in and check out. Our camp site was great (52), backed onto a wooded area and a big playground was directly in front of us, which worked out perfectly since we have school age kids. Bathrooms were and staff seemed very friendly. Firewood and groceries could be delivered right to your site. I thought the campsites seemed pretty big, but as in any campground some where bigger than others and the pull through looked smaller and cramped. They had tent camping, primitive camping and teepees and a conestoga wagon you could rent. They have mini golf and gem mining, they had a big fire every night AND a giant steer that would come out every night to graze. Also a small pet area. We enjoyed it and would go back.

We stayed at Kymer's on a whim for a weekend, so we could be close to Mountain Creek for a Spartan Race. It truly exceeded our expectations in all aspects. This is a family friendly, camper-friendly place. Lots of seasonals- everyone waves, everyone stops to chat. This is what a campground should feel like. The sound of laughter and play sitting around the huge, clean pool was refreshing. Our site was Oak 10. It was level, good placement of electric water & sewer connects. Camp store has all the basics you might need. There is a brook that flows adjacent to the property. It's peaceful & magical. Pet friendly, although we didn't have our pup with us. We will be back again. I almost feel like I'm revealing a hidden gem with this post. 💎

Nice little place just off the Delaware river. Nothing fancy, just basic camping with no frills. They do have a bath house, water and electric. Seems to have a fair amount of seasonal RVs set up there. Be very careful with the entrance, It is a extremely sharp right turn and then over a narrow bridge. The short road leading up to the campground is one lane as well. Pet friendly. Good cell service on ATT and Tmobile

Owner is very friendly and helpful, $33 per night cash only.

*WARNING do NOT come over the Frenchtown bridge. It is WAY too narrow- it’s hard to even have 2 Honda Civics passing-much less any type of RV or TT. Even taking the Milford bridge is a gamble at best, it’s still a tight fit with a 17 foot trailer being towed by my tundra.

One lane road into campground, with a drop of to the right. Not for the faint of heart.

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.

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.

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. Water and electric hookups and a dump station. Convenient for hiking and exploring, it's also only a 20 minute drive to a large mall in Rockaway.

Went for a 3 day weekend with my boyfriend, dog, & cat who thinks he is a dog. We have a teardrop camper and found that even though the campground was 80% full, sites had many trees that gave you privacy from your neighbors as well as shade. Site we stayed at had electric, water, fire pit, and picnic table. Had a very cute general store that sold basic needs as well as snacks. 

We were near the southern bathrooms which looked recently built. Womens' bathroom had 3 stalls - 2 which were out of order the entire time we were there. That left one stall and it was dirty most of time - most likely from being overused. The showers were clean - the most amazing water pressure I have had at a campsite and hot water. Felt like I was home. My boyfriend said his bathroom was clean so maybe it was just the fact that they had one stall but really should have fixed it asap. Also had a family bathroom that had a toilet and handicap shower. That one seemed to always have an inch of dirty water on the floor. 

The campground offered a service to drive us up to Milford Beach to launch our kayak. They also rented canoes or kayaks if you needed one. The staff was very friendly helping us load our kayak. The kayak trip down the Delaware River was beautiful! Saw about 6 bald eagles! When we got back to the campsite we had to go get our truck to bring our kayak back to the site. The campsite has a beach on the river that you can go swimming in. 

One thing that we really haven't encountered at other sites (and we camp a lot) was people having no clue about camping etiquette. Constantly people were walking right through our campsite to go to the bathroom. Our site was not much of a shortcut to the bathrooms and there was an empty site a little way down if they were to lazy to walk around. And I mean right through - seriously less than a foot from the teardrop. Peeked in on what we were making for breakfast. Thank goodness I have a very friendly dog. Other sites had dogs going crazy every time people walked through their sites but the people were oblivious. Maybe it was just the group there that weekend? Or maybe you could add it to your rules that you have us review?

We also hiked Tumbling Falls which was a beautiful shady hike with water falls. Check out our Instagram for more pics - @pawsfuradventure