Best Tent Camping near Old Tappan, NJ

Great first tent camping experience for kids. Lots of activities, clean restrooms. One thing to keep in mind is the tent sites on the opposite side of the road from the river has no shade. Site gets pretty hot on a sunny day. Sites by the river have some shade.

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. If looking for privacy, back end of campgrounds (#’s 1, 13, 15, 21, 23, etc) provide adequate quietness, a bit hidden and tucked away from the rest. Very near many trailheads and the expansive Lake Welsh. Alcohol prohibited... Uploaded photo/vid from off-season 2019.

I tent camped with my niece here in early July. We booked a campsite at the far end of the loop by the lake, which looked to be the right spot for some privacy, but a longer walk to the bathroom and water spigot.

The campsites included a picnic table and fire ring, and flat ground for tents.

The late was closed for swimming (lifeguard shortage at the time) but there were lots of smaller spots to tuck into for fishing and just relaxing.

By the main swimming are there are canoe and kayak rentals as well.

We did one loop hike which was mostly in the woods with a brief stop with a lake view. The better activities were around the lake.

This campground was perfect for our weekend. The tent sites more in the open field area (

The park itself is lovely and close to some other green areas. The nice thing about this campsite is that it’s so close to NYC. The bad thing about this campsite is that it’s so close to NYC. If you live in NYC this is a good, cheap, super quick escape accessible by public transport. If you’re visiting the area I’d recommend staying in Manhattan/Queens in an AirBNB for the full NYC experience or heading to Long Island, Pennsylvania, “Upstate” New York, or New Jersey for a better nature camping experience. For what it is, this site is a nice green little oasis. It’s National Park Service land and they try really hard to keep things clean and working well with so much traffic. Bring earplus for the airport traffic and the noisy neighbors. Tent sites are pretty and wooded, but there is also a TON of concrete from an old WW2 airfield.

Tent camping near the water - great for Jersey Shore adventures. Make sure to check out the lighthouses nearby!!

We stayed here on a Thursday night in September prior to taking off backpacking. The campground was clean and quiet. RV hook-ups, tent platforms, and rustic tent sites were available. Our rustic tent site had a few good options for pitching a tent, as well as picnic table and fire ring.

Ranger said that during summer weekends the grounds fill up and can be quite noisy, but mid-week during the off-season it was great. Expect to purchase firewood, although scrounging for kindling was possible. Facilities were clean and what you'd expect from a campground.

Would definitely return!!

State is really trying with this park, putting in new beach front cottages. Other then that the RV and tent camping is horrible, as the previous review stated sites aren't marked and the tables and BBQs are trashed.

This campground is old and there isn't much there, but it depends on why you're camping whether that matters to you.  We wanted to be by the beach and we were.

The playground is new and centrally located.  They also have a horseshoe pit. 

There are lots of RVs but not close to tent sites.  There were lots of showers but only 1 was unlocked (free and with hot water).  The bathroom was very clean and well stocked.

There are 5-7 tent sites.  Ours was #59, well shaded and spacious.  

The water spigot and the gray-water dump are not right by the tent sites.  Seems silly since the tents are the ones using them.

Our site was not clean when we arrived.  There was garbage in the woods and cigarette butts on the ground.  We cleaned up everything ourselves (except in the woods due to poison ivy), but I think they can do better.

There are NO fire pits, you must bring your own.  Fires are allowed but you must have a fire container or bucket for your fire off of the ground. 

The sites all have a table and raised BBQ "pit" for cooking only.

They are extremely nice there.

I still give this campground 4 stars because it was quiet, the campground itself was clean, the bathrooms were clean and it was centrally located to what I wanted to do plus the sites are very big.

Love the proximity to NYC - I always look for areas that are not too far, but not too close to NY. Beautiful but small-ish tent sites. Lots of great hiking in the area in addition to beautiful Cold Spring, NY for the small-town charm.

Close enough to NYC area for comfortable and scenic drive. Great setting for a spontaneous camping trip. Plenty of room in tent site area. One challenge was to know there was no clear separation in sites. Small camp ground but easy to move around. Staff was very helpful and concerned with our comfort.

We chose Korn's because it was close to home on our first trip in years.

It was a great time from check in to check out.

We had a nice tent site ( 92 ) along the river. I called myself captain planet because I fished a coffee cup from the river.

Will definitely be staying again

I have lived 6 miles from this campground for the last 20 years and never knew they had tent sites. The park is clean the bathrooms are well maintained and there is a playground for the kids. Each site is set back off a common area so there is plenty of privacy. It's great if your local easy in and out

Kettletown State Park isn't just for camping. There are also hiking trails , a fishing area and a swimming hole, but the week I was there there was a high bacteria count, so no swimming was allowed. Also, when swimming is allowed, there isnt a lifeguard.

The campsites are varied, you can tent camp, use a camper, or they also have a few cabins you can rent. Be advised, there isn't a kitchen or bathroom in the cabins!

I really enjoyed staying at Jenny Jump. It is set up nicely for primitive camping and you are able to hike out straight from the campsite(which is always a plus!). Theres a great look out point as well. If you want, they have the option of renting a small cabin/shelter that you can stay in if you are not into tent camping. There is also specific areas for group camping but always good idea to reserve in advance to make sure you can lock it down.

I have camped Beaver Pond for the last 45 years and have found something new and better each every year I've gone to the campgrounds. I have gone from tent platform,  tent camping, tarp, and now hammock camping. The sites can be a bit tight, at times and you may find a few visitors, not necessarily on two legs, but always a delight. It's great to be among the trees away from the hustle and bustle of the city in what I consider a majestic chapel that will always welcome and embrace your presence. Something for all, swimming, camping, access to bear mountain pool, or the appalachian trails, and lean tos, (not on the camp sites).  Prices all can afford to come. Great for all types of levels of campers.