Leo C.
Scout
ScoutWinding Hills Park
Nice but dated
Nice campground, bathrooms are clean but dated, first come first serve for the sites.
Camping near Paramus, NJ
106 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
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Camping options near Paramus, New Jersey span several state parks and private campgrounds within driving distance of the city. The region includes established sites like Camp Glen Gray and Mahlon Dickerson Reservation offering a mix of tent, RV, and cabin accommodations. Campgaw Mountain Reservation, located about 10 miles north of Paramus, provides tent and RV sites with basic amenities. For those seeking water activities, Beaver Pond Campground in Harriman State Park sits approximately 20 miles northwest of Paramus and features electric hookups and showers while accommodating both tent and RV campers.
Access to campgrounds varies significantly by season, with most state park facilities operating from spring through fall. Campgaw Mountain Reservation provides free camping but requires permits, while sites like Liberty Harbor RV Park remain open year-round for visitors seeking proximity to New York City. The terrain ranges from mountainous forests to lakeside settings, with varying levels of amenity access. Many campgrounds in the region limit alcohol consumption and enforce quiet hours. Cell phone reception can be inconsistent, particularly at more remote locations. A review noted that "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."
Waterfront camping receives consistently positive feedback, particularly at locations like Croton Point Park on the Hudson River. Several campgrounds feature lake access for swimming and boating activities, though water conditions can vary. Campers report enjoying the peaceful atmosphere at sites like Round Valley State Park, where hiking trails and clear water enhance the experience. Mixed-use campgrounds are common in the area, with facilities like Sebago Cabin Camp offering both tent camping and cabin rentals. Private campgrounds tend to provide more amenities but can be crowded during peak season. One visitor described their experience at Round Valley: "Round Valley is certainly a must see for any type of outdoors person. It is a semi-mountainous, forested setting with a very large lake. The crystal-clear water is home to huge lake trout and the forests are bursting with wildlife."
Best Campgrounds near Paramus (106)
1. Beaver Pond Campground in Harriman State Park
"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."
from $21 - $24 / night
Check Availability2. Liberty Harbor RV Park
"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."
from $145 - $180 / night
Check Availability3. Sebago Cabin Camp — Harriman State Park
"It is a step up from cabin camping. They also have a beach behind it."
"This place is only an hour away from NYC with so much to do and see. These cabins are VERY rustic, four walls, a cot, and a fridge."
from $130 / night
Check Availability4. Camp Glen Gray
"One rustic place with many hiking trails to choose from. Camp also provides trucking of gear weather permitting. No vehicles allowed to drive through camp. Trading Post for treats and other items."
"Lots of hiking trails. Trading post is well stocked and volunteers are always friendly and able to answer any questions"
from $5 - $200 / night
Check Availability5. Croton Point Park
"Tent sites are very private with some dirt roads to exit out but thats what make it unique experience! Bathrooms with shower is near by and has plenty porta potties all around."
"Was close to bear mountains state part and the train station is right there!"
from $30 - $60 / night
Check Availability6. The Stephen & Betsy Corman AMC Harriman Outdoor Center — Harriman State Park
"This was beautiful campground with an even nicer lake. You are able to do a hike around the lake."
"Great trails to hike for novices looking to branch out but not too large that you'll be lost forever lol highly recommend and can't do so enough 👍🏽"
7. Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
"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."
8. Campgaw Mountain Reservation
9. Skyline RV Camp - Waterfront
"A little intimidating driving in to a nondescript gate at the end of a narrow street but the overall experience exceeded expectation."
from $130 / night
Check Availability10. Stonetown Circular trail Primitive #1
"Stonetown Circular trail is a 11 mile medium/high difficulty loop trail. This is the first of two primitive sites along the trail. The trailhead is across the street from a large parking lot."
Drive Time
- 19 min from New York, NY
- 31 min from Kiryas Joel, NY
- 1 hr 2 min from Bridgeport, CT
- 1 hr 10 min from Trenton, NJ
Recent Camping Photos near Paramus, NJ
355 Photos of 106 Paramus Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Campgaw Mountain Reservation
Croton Point Park
Beaver Pond Campground in Harriman State Park
Staten Island — Gateway National Recreation Area - CLOSED for 2025
Wawayanda Group Shelter
Camp Gateway- Brooklyn NY - CLOSED — Gateway National Recreation Area
Mahlon Dickerson Reservation
Tentrr Signature Site - Appalachian Trail Hilltop Hideaway - Coleman Cooking Site
Moon Valley CampgroundD
Black Bear RV ParkT
Woodland Trails
Ward Pound Ridge Reservation
Recent Reviews near Paramus, NJ
633 Reviews of 106 Paramus Campgrounds
Thomas B.
RangerNeversink River Resort
Cool Riverside Campground
I'll start by saying this is a site-specific review (C20). I booked using Campspot and didn't select my own site but put in the criteria for my rig (30ft TT plus truck) and got a 50A back-in spot. The site was big but abnormal. Between the picnic table placement and the trees, I ended up right around 50ft from the electric and water, and the water spigot was so low I could barely put on my camco filter. With the uneven dirt roads, I had to unhitch with my truck in a gigantic puddle (lol). The site was otherwise fine aside from my gate code not working on Day 2. As for the campground as a whole, I thought it was pretty unique place by the river that offered several good amenities and activities, like downstream river tubing, an arcade, bathroom/shower facilities, a small store, little trails, and more. I would say this place borders the more primitive side.
Edwin R.ScoutCheesequake State Park Campground
Park uses county cops to shut down park by 9pm.
On Friday, September 4, 2026, I rented a trailer and brought my family to Cheesequake State Park to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary over the extended Labor Day weekend. Around 9:20 PM—well before the park's designated 10:00 PM quiet hours—we were sitting inside our canopy, playing Jenga, and listening to low background music. Two officers from the Matawan Police Department approached our campsite. They were polite and courteous, simply offering a standard reminder to wrap things up by 10:00 PM. Before they could leave, however, a third, senior officer intervened. Wanting to"show them how it's done," he made the two polite officers return and stand by to watch as he demonstrated how to aggressively harass campers. Flashlight in hand, the senior officer approached with an immediate hostile attitude, treating us like criminals as he demanded to know who rented the site. He began reiterating rules and claimed we had too many vehicles. We had three cars, one belonging to my brother-in-law's girlfriend, who was visiting with her daughter. She had paid the$10 visitor fee at the main office and was instructed by staff to obtain the gate access code from us, the primary renters, if she got locked in. No staff member ever informed her of an 8:00 PM visitor departure deadline, leading us to reasonably assume visitors were permitted until quiet hours began at 10:00 PM. The officer rudely snapped that she had been given wrong information. The senior officer then used profanity in front of three small children, aggressively telling her to ("get her shit and get the fuck out!") in that manner or use profanity, the officer went from hostile to furious. He angrily declared that these were official violations and threatened that he could be issuing us tickets instead. Desperately searching for anything and everything to throw at us, he demanded that we turn off our idling car—which was supplying power to our campsite—and instructed us to make sure the campfire was doused before shutting down for the night. He then proceeded to shine his flashlight into our private setup—including our canopy, tents, and the inside of our trailer—searching for any other possible violation while the two polite officers were forced to watch. What was supposed to be a special 10th wedding anniversary celebration with my family was completely ruined by a senior officer misusing his authority to put on an unnecessary display of intimidation. Worse than just ruining our night, he spent that evening teaching those two police officers how to be bad cops. He corrupted two officers in real time, demonstrating firsthand exactly why most people have lost faith in the police force. The next day we was ready for them. We turned off our lights and quietly by the fire while they went next door to harass an asian family that had just set up camp and had their leds lights on.
- eedgar V.Scout
Black Bear RV Park
Super clean and quiet
Past reviews has mentioned that the office seems to be closed often, while I found that to be true I had no reason to contact anyone. This is definitely one of the cleanest quiets site I’ve ever visited
- KKelly B.
GuideClarence Fahnestock State Park Campground
Check site photos first
Definitely a wide variety of sites—look at the site pictures before booking—there are two areas where it’s just an open field with bonfires and picnic tables that I’d avoid. I could see a large group going there or something but personally it doesn’t offer any privacy.
BUT if you book one of the other sites that DOES have privacy you’ll be in camping heaven. The “hike in” sites are more like “walk-in,” I was worried at first but it’s some are as little as a few yards from the road. The most annoying part was lugging the cooler back and forth, but totally worth it
- KKelly B.Guide
Stephens State Park Campground
Great last min getaway
Booked the day before—even on the holiday weekend! Just 1.5 hours outside of NYC, site was a bit close to the neighbors (fire pit was very far back and basically in the neighbors’ campsite, but we put up a “privacy clothesline” and hung a tarp over it for a bit of extra coverage.
The staff was friendly and helpful, they said it was the busiest they’ve seen the campground all year (there were lots of large groups but everyone seemed to settle down by 9:30pm
Poison ivy was EVERYWHERE at our site so make sure to stick to the open areas and the paths. Lots of families around, we felt very safe Bathrooms were fine—it was my impression they’re usually cleaner but the high traffic of the weekend left a bit to be desired, (lots of families around=dirty diapers in the bathroom trash bin) but it’s camping! I’m not gonna argue w a flushing toilet!
- KKevin F.
TravelerTri-State RV Park
A place to stay in an area lacking campgrounds.
This area seems to be devoid of campgrounds except for this one. It’s basically just a large parking lot with hook ups. Completely open, which is great for Starlink. Bathrooms were slightly above average; fairly clean and places to hang clothes for your shower. Has a laundry but be sure to bring quarters. It is about 100 yards from the interstate so you’ll get a lot of noise and diesel exhaust fumes.
- JJoyceScout
Beaver Pond Campground in Harriman State Park
Bare bones
No hookups. It was wooded, quiet and dark at night. I used the dump station on my way out. The first time I ever saw a poop fountain. The sewer opening sticks up above ground level. The cover swivels away, so I couldn't put it on top of my hose. And then, when I tried to rinse it, there was nowhere for it to go, because the inlet is elevated.
Deiludi P.ScoutKittatinny Campground
AWFUL
We reserved for a day. Very bad service. The river is super dirty and they did not even clean the trash cans. Besides, the fire ring has no grill cooking grate, so if you don’t bring your own NO GRILLING. Ryan was the person in front that took care of us, he was rude, my kids felt weird because he was not welcoming at all. Also, we try to ask for a partial refund since we did not felt comfortable since the beginning, and they said NO. We have experience camping, but this one was simply THE WORST. We lost the money but we won’t put our kids in a difficult situation. Thanks.
Guide to Paramus
Camping opportunities near Paramus, New Jersey range from rustic tent platforms to full-service RV sites within an hour's drive. The region sits at the northern edge of the Piedmont plateau where elevations average 100-400 feet, transitioning to the higher Highlands region to the west. Winter temperatures regularly drop below freezing between December and February, making many campgrounds seasonal operations with peak usage from May through October.
What to do
Hiking accessible trails: At Beaver Pond Campground, trails range from easy to challenging with connections to the historic Appalachian Trail. A camper notes, "Don't fret, trails that are rated easy and accessible to disabled are equally enjoyable and beautiful. They offer stunning views of the changing foliage, quick glances at the Hudson River and the rolling hills of the area."
Water activities: Sebago Cabin Camp features lake access for summer recreation. As one visitor shares: "Sebago has a huge lake and great beach area. It was perfect for lounging and swimming in during a hot summer day." Swimming is restricted to designated areas with lifeguards present during summer months.
Winter sports: Some locations near Paramus offer year-round activities. Campgaw Mountain Reservation maintains winter skiing facilities adjacent to camping areas. The terrain includes disc golf courses and hiking trails that remain accessible in warmer months.
What campers like
Platform camping: Raised platforms at several sites prevent ground moisture issues. A camper at Sebago Cabin Camp mentions, "It is a step up from cabin camping. They have rustic cabins. These do not have plumbing or heat." Another camper at Beaver Pond appreciated that "Many of the camping options were on platforms which is especially nice if it recently rained or if you are expecting rain during your stay."
Urban proximity: Campsites near Paramus balance natural settings with accessibility to urban amenities. Liberty Harbor RV Park exemplifies this: "This is a prime location for visiting the city or heading down the shore. The light rail is a block away, and the path train is about 8." Another visitor noted it's "Very convenient location. My wife visited Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island."
Wildlife viewing: Several campgrounds feature active wildlife. A Beaver Pond visitor cautions, "Welcome to Bear Mountain" grumbles the park ranger as he sits in complete darkness! He is in his ranger hut, checking in the late evening arrivals to the campground... He's nice, but you can tell he's given this welcome speech too many times to get overly excited about it."
What you should know
Site spacing varies dramatically: Reviews consistently mention differences in campsite proximity. At Croton Point Park, "Tent site is after the RV site... The site was very loud (dance music) until after 11pm. Quiet time at 10pm." Conversely, another camper notes some areas have "sites very private with some dirt roads to exit out."
Reservation systems differ: Some locations require phone booking while others permit online reservations. For Croton Point Park, "The reservation process is a bit wonky. You need to call (no online reservations) and then wait for an e-mail, but the e-mail does not tell you your assigned site."
Firewood regulations: Many campgrounds restrict outside firewood to prevent pest transmission. At Campgaw Mountain, fires are permitted but firewood is not provided. Campers must purchase from approved sources rather than collecting deadwood.
Tips for camping with families
Structured activities: Mahlon Dickerson Reservation offers family-friendly environments with spacious sites. A visitor remarks, "Very nice forest! The campground is clean, paved nicely and well run. Our site is easily the nicest- all the way in the back with only one neighbor. It is so quiet here."
Beach access: Several locations feature swimming areas with lifeguard supervision. Beaver Pond Campground has "a lifeguard monitored sandy beach which is open during the summer season for swimming, fishing, and small boat craft further out."
Cell service considerations: Coverage varies significantly by location. A Campgaw Mountain visitor mentions connections remain strong enough for communications, while at others service diminishes. One camper at Beaver Pond noted, "Your phone will have signal" - an important consideration for families needing to stay connected.
Tips from RVers
Site dimensions: Mahlon Dickerson accommodates medium-sized RVs with prepared sites. A camper notes, "The campsites are paved and mostly level. They are wooded and large. Water and electric hookups and a dump station."
Urban camping limitations: Camp Glen Gray restricts vehicle access: "No vehicles allowed to drive through camp. Trading Post for treats and other items." This limits RV options while providing alternatives for vehicle-based campers.
Hookup logistics: RV sites often require equipment planning. At Mahlon Dickerson, "Website lists water hook ups at long distances but they have hose reels to help with that. Our site (15) said 75' however the 50' hose reel made it to our rv connection."
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there any campgrounds with overnight facilities near Paramus?
Are there any campgrounds with overnight facilities near Paramus?
Stokes State Forest offers overnight camping options within driving distance of Paramus. The forest features multiple campgrounds including Steam Mill Camping Area with 27 sites suitable for tents or small trailers. Lake Ocquittunk area provides more developed facilities while remaining in a beautiful, remote setting that's still accessible to amenities. For RV accommodations, Liberty Harbor RV Park is closer to Paramus, offering water, toilets, and big-rig-friendly sites with the added convenience of being near urban amenities.
Are there private campgrounds available near Paramus for more secluded stays?
Are there private campgrounds available near Paramus for more secluded stays?
Yes, Great Divide Campground near Newton offers a private, secluded camping experience within driving distance of Paramus. This scenic campground features a small lake, pond, and is surrounded by woods, providing a peaceful retreat. While it tends to be more expensive than public options, the added amenities and privacy make it worth considering. For those seeking alternative private options, Camp Glen Gray provides a more secluded experience with reservable sites, water access, and toilet facilities in a quieter setting away from the busier public campgrounds.
Where can I find the best camping sites near Paramus, NJ?
Where can I find the best camping sites near Paramus, NJ?
For the best camping near Paramus, head to High Point State Park Campground in the Skylands region, offering beautiful lakeside sites with hiking and biking trails accessible directly from your campsite. The park features the highest point in New Jersey with monument access. Another excellent option is Mahlon Dickerson Reservation, which provides paved, level sites in wooded settings with water and electric hookups plus a dump station. Both campgrounds are within reasonable driving distance from Paramus and offer the perfect balance of natural beauty and camping amenities.
What lakes offer camping opportunities close to Paramus?
What lakes offer camping opportunities close to Paramus?
Panther Lake Camping Resort offers lakeside camping with swimming and fishing opportunities in a family-friendly environment within reasonable driving distance from Paramus. For a more rustic lake experience, Round Valley State Park Campground features camping near a beautiful reservoir with opportunities for swimming, fishing, and boating. The campground is set in a peaceful natural setting that feels removed from the busy metropolitan area while still being accessible for Paramus residents looking for a weekend getaway.
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