Best Campgrounds near West New York, NJ

The campsites are very close together without any defining borders so everybody just walks across each other site’s to get to a different one, a path, the bathroom, etc. No solitude, lots of families with kids, lots of music, I mean it’s basically a party. I didn’t realize this when I made my reservations. The place is great for families who want a safe space to camp and it’s a typical Long Island campground. Rangers came around checking on everyone often so it really did feel incredibly safe. I had a pick up truck w/ tinted windows follow me in the park for quite a while which was rather creepy and I couldn’t shake them. When I biked into the campground itself, the pick up truck couldn’t get past the check in area. Everyone I met was friendly and there’s a little shop in the front of the campgrounds that sells various items. I personally wouldn’t stay here again unless I was meeting up with friends or something and wasn’t trying to have more solitude. This is no fault of the park itself though, I’m just more of a woods girl.

The physical facilities are in good condition and are well maintained. The park is very big and is located inside and urban area.

The campsite appears to be designed as a disbursed camping design. However, there is not enough trees and folage to provide any privacy.

The camping area is located on a loop road I would estimate to be about a mile long. There is one restroom/shower house. Some campsites are close but our site was a 1/1 mile away.

The strangest thing is that hunting is allowed in the state park except on Sundays. There was a sign near our camp site saying don't shoot here because there is a city street 40 yards away. However they don't seem to mind if you shoot towards the camp sites.

Other campers near us were LOUD and stayed up well past the quiet time. They were annoying!!

Perfect place to get away and be in the calm nature. Only sound I’ve heard is the birds in the trees. Very open area with many sites with bear lockers, picnic tables and fire pits. We called ahead yesterday and they said it’s walk-in, so we will go register now because we came in late. Only $20 for out of state!! That’s the cheapest I’ve seen across all New England lol

Was my very first time camping out, went with my pups and my sons and did the van camping. The spot I had was very well shaded and pretty quiet. The only thing I wasn't big on was how far the trails are, would have to actually drive to it and park in a limited parking area. Due to weather didn't take the risk so am unable to give an opinion on it, but something to remember for the next trip. Only 30-35 min off the parkway, so nice and convenient.

Because of its convenient location, this is my"home" campsite and the one I visit most frequently. I like the platform sites that are available, the location close to the lake and beach, and the clean shower and bathroom facilities slope game.

Stokes State Forest is a beautiful park with a lot of different trails to check out, though some of them are difficult to access due to parking. The camping areas are split between two different entrances. If you’re in Lake Ocquitunk, like I was, you don’t enter at the main entrance, you have to go past the main entrance about another mile on rt. 15 N. and enter by the YMCA. All the other camping areas are near the main entrance by the forest office. The campsites themselves are a little too close together in some spots with little coverage or privacy. There is a day parking area which is only accessible going through the main entrance by the forest office— if you visit during the week park entrance is free, but on the weekend fees can be a bit steep. I wasn’t super happy with my campsite as I wasn’t able to physically have my car on the site like I thought. I had to park in a small lot above my campsite and carry my belongings down a short slope to the site. I like to car-camp so this was a bit of a let down having my car separate from my actual campsite.

The bathrooms were nice and had flush toilets, but the showers were out of service during my time. Bathrooms are extremely spaced out so you will have to walk a far distance unless you strategically choose a site next to one. I drove through the other campsite and only saw 1 set of bathrooms that had toilets and showers per campground, not including the outhouses I saw for those in the small cabins.

Doing this review because a lot of them feel extremely outdated, so here we go. 

Access: There are two ways to get to your campsite, boating and the great 3 mile trek. Starting with the hike, the path is not the best, filled with a ton of rocks placed by the lands-men. It makes the hike extremely difficult which could have been avoided. Moreover, theres a few points on the trail where you’re walking side by side from a highway, crossing driveways, passing construction zones, and past fencing. Extremely awkward and takes you out of the hiking experience immediately. Not ideal especially since you have to pay to camp on the site. I was extremely dissatisfied. Boating may be more worth it to avoid these downfalls and get your moneys worth. 

Amenities: There are two water pumps. One at the beginning of the camp site and one at the end. They tend to get far if you plan on camping further into the campsite so I would plan ahead. The primitive restrooms aren’t maintained at all but if you’re there more for the"outdoorsy" experienced not a huge downfall. Most of the campsites have access to a picnic table and fire ring which is a huge plus. 

Overall: For starters, the water is beautiful and clean, although there is no swimming, swim at your own risk and don’t get caught? I had a wonderful time at this location, the sites were big enough for play and privacy. The water was clean and provided a lovely view in the morning and it was quiet and dark as expected by sundown. But this site just missed with the awful trail of three miles. Although there were service roads throughout the campsite, visitors were not able to use them. The necessary carry in and out for 3 miles is a huge downfall. Moreover, the hike itself along highways, across roads, and down strategically places pebbles and rocks were a huge miss and made it extremely difficult and slippery. I highly recommend boating as hiking will probably make the experience a lot more sour than wanted. It shouldn’t be a"choose between the two" considering you’re paying but what can you do… pick boating if you really want to see it for yourself.

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. 💎

If you would like a peaceful, clean campground skip this place. This was the worst campground we’ve stayed at. The bathrooms are very outdated and not cleaned often enough. The sites are too close together with very little trees between sites allowing zero privacy. Their picnic tables also are disgusting, bring a table cloth! They have a lot rules one being “no amplifying speakers allowed” that they clearly do not enforce. It sounded like a rave throughout the night even after calling the ranger station and complaining. Guests were playing loud music until about 1:30 AM and starting up again right as quiet hours ended at 7 AM. There then was a religious service happening at 8 AM with a whole amp system we could hear clearly on the other side of campground. We absolutely will not be back.

I’ve been here twice now and it is a beautiful campsite. Individual campsites are separate from cabin and group sites.

Tent campsites have benches and a fire pit. Group campsites have large stove. The cabins seem clean and well maintained. 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.

Bathrooms are spread out so it’s never a far walk from your site. They are super clean with a shower and two stalls. There is a water fountain outside of them. One of the bathrooms has a playground next to it for people with kids. Hiking trails are also spread out among the campsites as well.

I solo camp and have always felt safe at these campgrounds. Not to mention the hiking and scenery are absolutely breathtaking.

The non camper public area has benches and a parking lot for visitors of campers or people doing day hikes.

Pros: 50 AMP, sewer & water hookup Nice amenities

Cons: Sand sites Overpriced Tight site & hard to get in/out for big rigs

The hike to get to the campground is a bit long (4 miles; we did it in ~2h). Since there were 95 degrees, it was challenging. The campsite was really nice, even if the pic nic table was almost completely broke

This is also an ideal place to relax and explore. 

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I recently had a camping experience at High Point that unfortunately did not go as planned. My family, friends and I rented a camping site and a cabin for a two-night stay, looking forward to a relaxing weekend in nature. However, our trip took an unexpected turn that left us feeling frustrated and disappointed.

On the first night, we received complaints about the volume of our music and karaoke around 7 pm. While we promptly lowered the volume, we later found ourselves facing further complaints about noise levels, despite our efforts to be considerate of other campers, especially since we had children with us and we were a group of about 28 people. The following day, we were taken aback when the police arrived at our cabin and informed us that we were being evicted from the site due to noise complaints and the placement of our tents in the cabin's backyard.

Feeling discriminated against and confused by the sudden eviction, we tried to explain our side of the story. We had moved some of our belongings to the cabin due to a marathon event taking place in front of our campsite, which was causing significant noise early in the morning “since 5 AM”. Additionally, there was confusion regarding the use of motorcycles on the premises, which further added to the misunderstandings that led to our eviction.

Despite our attempts to follow the rules and seek clarification, our family weekend was disrupted, and some members even opted to leave the site. The entire experience left us feeling uncomfortable and frustrated, especially considering the efforts we made to comply with the park's regulations.

While I appreciate the police officer's effort to provide us with another chance to rectify the situation, the manner in which the eviction was carried out and the lack of communication from the park management was disappointing. I believe that incidents like these should be reported to ensure that future campers do not have to go through similar challenges.

1. As returning campers, I meticulously reviewed all the rules, particularly regarding noise levels, knowing that moderate noise was permissible until 10 PM.
2. I made two calls to the park office to clarify the rules regarding the use of motorcycles for the youth children. While there was a misunderstanding, I made a genuine effort to adhere to the regulations and have documentation of both calls for verification.
3. Despite visiting the park office for check-in around 9:30 AM on Saturday, I was not informed about the unfolding situation. However, approximately three hours later, police officers arrived at our site and requested us to vacate immediately.
4. The marathon event generated significant noise, with a large number of participants being loud, some started to prepare on Friday and starting their activities as early as 5 AM on Saturday.
5. The decision to place our tents in the cabin site rather than campsite "A" seemed logical, given the disruptive nature of the ongoing marathon. The lack of prior notification about the marathon and the subsequent request to relocate the tents to campsite "A" or immediate evictions was perceived as inconsiderate and is definitely discriminatory, especially considering the inconvenience of dismantling and setting up the tents again and the ongoing marathon event causing noise disturbances, without considering the circumstances or providing adequate notice.

Moving forward, I hope that similar situations will be addressed more effectively to avoid inconveniences and unease for fellow campers. It is my hope that park staff will thoroughly investigate complaints, ensuring accuracy by confirming the exact site before taking action.

In summary, the manner in which the incidents were handled, the lack of transparency and fair treatment, and the impact on our camping experience all point towards potential discrimination. It is essential to address and report such instances to ensure that all campers are treated fairly and respectfully in the future

Yes, this is a military-only campground but, that doesn't take away from how incredible it is and that is properly advertised. 

This place is incredible.  Being military-only keeps standards high, the campground clean and well maintained.  We've spent years here, with Dan & Janet but, are looking forward to returning this year under new management, as they enjoy retirement after many years of hard work. Boy, does their hard work show! They have poured so much love and attention into the building and maintaining of Lake Frederick! 

Between rustic power-only campsites that give you a true camping experience and upgraded but, still simple cabins which allow campers of all ages and abilities to enjoy the outdoor experience, there is something for everyone.  The new docks around the swimming area create a safer swimming experience for even the most inexperienced swimmers, allowing them safe and obvious perimeters.  The bath house is always well stocked and clean, ready for end of the day cleanup and the laundry facilities are a great bonus for those of us who like to stay longer than a couple days.  

You won't want for anything at Lake Frederick and it will be a great way to unplug, kick back and enjoy God's Creation!