High Point State Park Campground

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

The campground is very wooded and beautiful but us campers need better information about each individual campsite.  The campground map they have is pathetic, I booked site 20 online because I liked the idea of being near the water but I thought I was going to be able to park my vehicle near my site to unload, not so unfortunately... We arrived late Friday night to discover that we had to leave the car on the road and carry all of our gear down a 200 ft long pathway covered in boulders... To make matters worse because of bears and other animals we couldn't keep any food at our site so every time we needed to make a meal or eat a snack we had to go back and forth to the car.  I got the workout of my life and went home at the end of the weekend exhausted.  Site 20,  however, is beautiful and very secluded, the only neighbors you can see are across on the lake.

Went here twice.  First time was to site 7 which was large, private, well maintained and mostly gravel (which I'm assuming is why there was less ticks). The second time I went to site 17 which was large, not maintained at all and ticks everywhere. There was a small gravel area because and we stayed there because of how many ticks there were. Zero privacy on this site. 

The bathroom is fine but no shower (which doesn't matter). 

Because of the lake (still water) the bug situation is out of control. 

Honestly I won't be going back here because of the tick issues and how they clearly choose which sites to maintain or not. There are many other options close by such as stokes or worthington that are much better.

The sites were pretty overgrown and rugged. Ours had deep ruts and was long and steep. It had a tent platform, but we camp in a roof top tent, so it took a little finagling to get it close enough to level...but all that said, I liked the camp.

Lots of space between sites and the lake and surrounding hills made a nice view.

Very private and excellent challenging trails!

I spent two nights camping with my niece and this campground was perfect. The site was maybe a 50-yard walk-in and we barely heard anyone around us and had a real wilderness feel.

We fit in a hike up to the Appalachian Trail from our campsite, swam at the pond (Lake Marcia), and got in a fishing session at Steeny Kill Lake.

The slight downside was that we had to drive between the different lakes.

Feeling adventurous? Feeling dangerous? NO? Feel like making friends so you don't twist an ankle trying to go to the restroom at night? We wouldn't want to walk down this rocky path through the woods to get to the road/car/restroom in the daylight. The path through the woods isn't bad until the very top where it is very rocky and a bit steep. However there is a nicely sloped gravel path to the campsite, but it runs straight through campsite 29! A bit awkward to walk by strangers and wave a greeting, but this path puts you right in between their tent and campfire. Hahaha, awkward.

This campsite is far from the road, which is great. Feels like you are really in the mountains with the view uphill. Only 5-10 minutes from the restroom/water. 

Overall a good campsite that makes you make friends. Or perhaps reserving both campsites for a larger 6+ gathering?

This is a good platform campsite, with a lot of gravel parking or extra tent space. It is not very private/secluded as it is right by the road, but we enjoy waving at neighbors driving or walking by. Short 5-10 min walk to the restroom and water, no sinks or showers. The weather was warm and while it didn't rain, there were some morning drips and drops from the mountain dew or whatever condensing in the tree tops.

The setup is a bit weird, with an upper campsite trail/path cutting through the lower campsite. Twenty-nine is the lower campsite, 30 is the one up the hill. There might be some awkwardness if you did have neighbors at 30. They would be walking in between your tent and campfire, which would be awkward. However, there is a marked parking spot for 30 down the road a bit and also a rocky, more adventurous path through the woods up to the campsite. If asked, we would probably let 30 park with us since there is so much space and safer footing. It would probably be awesome to get both campsites if you had a larger group, 6+. Party campsite at the top and business campsite at the bottom? lol.

We didn't have neighbors at 30, but the campsite across the road, down by the lake, did park nearby. Setting up the hammock was a bit awkward.

Spiders, omg, spiders. So many spiders! I had to clear off so many spiders from my "porch" to sit without fear from above. I will bring a broom now to brush off my foes, the bane of my camping experience. If you can get over that, this is a very good campsite.

Awesome campground, stayed right on the water . Parked at top of a hill and walked down to site. Some sites have platforms, some are drive in, some walk in

I was super impressed with our camping spot. It was very secluded from both the road and any neighbors. Our campsite had a raised platform for the tent which helped keep both the inside and outside of the tent clean. We also enjoyed all the trails throughout the park. Can’t wait to come back out. 

So, we got in with no reservation, which was great. It’s in the same park as the high point, also great. The sites are varied, some have tent platforms, it’s just off the AT, but we have a trailer and the “trailer” sites aren’t level. Showers are at the day use area, from 10-5:30, no trailer dump, website says laundry, but apparently not. All in all, serviceable and fine, but very much just here for the high point.

This was my second time camping at High Point State Park, Sawmill Area, October 2020. I chose this campsite, 031, based on the photos on the reservation website and boy was I disappointed. We wanted to setup our large tent on the **flat** gravel driveway and our hammocks and relaxation area on the platform. The photos did not convey the actual steepness of this site!! The gravel driveway is on a 30-40 degree incline. The tent was too long for the 12'x10' platform, so we had to set it up on the flattest part and hope not to roll down the hill in the night. We stayed 5d/4n. We ended up tearing down the large tent and setting up a smaller one on the platform for the last night, due to rain.

Beyond the tricky setup, it was nice fall weather until the rain the last night. The lake was beautiful in the morning with mist or steam. We took one afternoon to visit the High Point Monument, which was lovely. No room for yard games, but we spent the time relaxing and burning stuff. The site was very secluded. The weather was overcast so we weren't able to use our telescope at night.

Each campsite has a firepit/ring, picnic table, and lantern hook. Campsite sells fire wood. Clean-ish bathrooms with flush toilets, no sinks, no showers, with that awful outhouse smell. Bringing your own toilet paper is a good idea as the park didn't replace it enough and it ran out. Though that could have been pandemic personnel issues.

My first time camping at High Point State Park, Sawmill Area, September 2019. I chose a campsite close to the restrooms and water spigot. It turned out to be very secluded, minus the foot traffic to the restroom at all hours. The campsite is mostly gravel so the platform is necessary. There are no trees for hammocking, so I made the best of it with the platform and my car. There was also not a lot of shade during the day. I moved my chair around to chase the shade. It was hot during the day and chilly at night.

Campground is close hiking trails and the High Point Monument(20min drive).

Each campsite has a firepit/ring, picnic table, and lantern hook. Campsite sells fire wood. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets, no sinks, no showers, no bad smell.

Dug it. Not a fan of the platform for the tent. Nice hikes. The view from the lighthouse is worth it.

The group campsites are big enough for the amount of people you can have, have picnic benches, a fire ring, a composting outhouse toilet just for the site, and one of those flat charcoal ‘grills’. It’s located in a very nice area and the people who run the place are nice. Also a semi secluded spot so you don’t necessarily have to worry about others. Will go again.

You can drive to High Point monument that is 1803 feet above sea level and you get a spectacular panorama view. There are hiking trails and fresh water for kayaking. The campsite are ok , a little small and there is a pit toilet on site, but flush toilet and how showers are 5 min drive.

Drive in but ours had a drive in to a mini trail so it was a pain to load/unload. Camping right along the lake was nice , small trail to walk around river and trails to hike into the mt. Grill to be placed on fire ring

This was one of my favorite campgrounds in this area if you don’t mind a little seclusion. To get to each campsite, you have to drive up a big hill that circles around the entire grounds (and eventually the lake). The campsites peel off as you drive around. Each site is fairly secluded from the next so it offers lots of privacy. If you want to be closer to other people. there are options to camp closer to the lake. There is also a large covered patio down near the lake.The campground is big and quiet which I liked. There is a great lookout point that you can walk to and they also have a memorial that is worth checking out if you stay here.

This park has a lot to offer in the way of things to do like hiking, visiting scenic lookouts or visiting the moment. Also close to Port Jervis for an excursion away from the park. Sites are private but sound carries over the water. Bathrooms have chemical toilets.

Beautiful park with in the skylands region of New Jersey. Great campsites on a lake, with lots of hiking and biking trails right from your site. Hike to the monument at the highest point in the state, or maybe along the Appalachian trail, or maybe just a swim in the lake. Either way there’s plenty to see and do at High Point State Park.

The campground at High Point State Park has 50 spacious tent sites, many with direct lake access, located in a wooded area surrounding Saw Mill Lake. Store food properly as there are bears in the area.

Swimming in the park, with a seasonal lifeguard, is a few miles away on Lake Marcia. A bathhouse with shower is also here (no shower or running water in the campground bathrooms). Show your campground receipt to avoid the entrance fee.

We also hiked Monument Trail (3.5 mile loop trail) from near Lake Marcia to High Point Monument and onward. The monument was erected in honor of war veterans and on weekends it is possible to ascend the staircase inside the 220-foot monument to ~1800 feet above sea level for mountain and valley views.

I stopped at this shelter while hiking the AT in High Point SP. It was raining the entire day and the shelter provided a dry place to take a break. The shelter has the usual facilities, privy, water source (must be filtered), bear box, etc. I passed through mid-day and moved on to cover more distance but I would have been happy to spend the night.

We recently stayed at site 3 at the campground at High Point State Park in NJ. It was our first time there, and we were surprised at how nice it was.

There are about 40 to 50 sites around Sawmill Lake. Many of these sites , like ours, are walk in sites (about a 50 yard walk) that sit lakeside. The sites were large and spread out, and we felt like we had a good amount of privacy.

Our site had a picnic table, and a fire ring with a cooking grate. Although, we didn't have one, we saw some sites had tent platforms

There are a few sites that sit higher up, and further from the lake, for RV and or car campers not looking to walk to there site. These had less privacy because they sit close to the road.

The bathrooms with flush toilets were ok when we were there. There are water spigots around the campground, but there are no showers or sinks. It's noted that there is no camp store at the campground, and the closest grocery was about 1/2 hour away, so come prepared. They did sell firewood at the park headquarters , which is about 10 minutes away from the campground.

It was pretty buggy (including ticks), so don't forget your deep woods.