Swartswood State Park Campground - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

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 (

Great Experience and beautiful view for a last minute getaway.

My first trip to this campground was September 2020. We wanted to get out of the house, but stay clear of other campers during the pandemic. This campsite, CS52, was in the woods and we were able to get the illusion of privacy by parking the cars along the road as a makeshift wall and pitching our tents beside them, facing inward. The other 3/4 of the campsite was bound by trees and shrubs which was nice and why we chose the spot. Other sites are more open and only the darkness of night will give you privacy. Each campsite has a firepit/ring, picnic table, and lantern hook.

We hung out at the campsite mostly, using the fire pit, playing frisbee, and relaxing in our hammocks. When we did roam a bit, there was a nice lake, with seating every so often and a boat dock ramp thing in the campground. There was also a playground, beach, pavilion, and picnic tables, but we did not use any of that. 

Campsite sells fire wood. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets and showers, masks required for the pandemic.

This was my second time camping at Swartswood State Park. I got one of the last available campsites and it was okay, but not one I would have normally chosen. This campsite was in the open grass area and not very private, but that was okay for this trip as I spent the days hiking around lakes and waterfalls in the area(45min drive). I got back to the campsite just before dark and built a fire and relaxed before bed. I watched everyone pack up and leave while I had breakfast, before packing up and hiking the rest of the day. For a last minute, spur-of-the-moment trip, this campsite worked out well.

Campsite sells fire wood. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets and showers, masks required for the pandemic still.

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!

First, it is a state park so it has many of the things you would expect like a beach area, picnic areas, playground, volley ball, pavilion, etc. We went out of season so there were no lifeguards, or anything “open” at the pavilion. We are always after campgrounds with as little going on as possible other than the nature so this would not be a place for us during the summer when I imagine it gets quite packed. There are about 50 camp sites but many of them, from 1 to 30ish are wide open with ZERO privacy. That said, it’s great for large groups that book a few sites next to each other. There were 3 groups during our stay. Which got pretty loud if you were in sites in the 30s. Starting there, sites get more separated and a wee bit secluded. There are only 4 dog friendly sites, which we need. They are 42-45. Be careful with site 44, no good place for a tent. The other are nice. There is one spot for showers and bathroom. They were really clean. Same for dishwashing facility. So depending on what you’re looking for, it has something for you. Like I mentioned, we like quiet spots so the fact that it has the potential to be too loud in peak times meant 4 starts from me.

A bit of a “low frills” campground, but with lots of good hiking trails, fishing spots, and a great beach area for swimming with the kids.

Probally our go-to campground in NJ. The lake is great to kayak and fish, and the campsites are spacious and has bathrooms. Very clean and enjoyable

WOW! What a place to camp! Swartswood State Park is a very large complex that is extremely well maintained with nice facilities. The campsites are slightly separated from the lake (maybe 8 min walk to lake) but that also means you aren’t bothered by day guests. The lake is beautiful! Great for swimming and fishing. There are several trail hikes that you can do from the campsite. The longest is 3 miles but you can connect between each trail to make a longer hike. There are picnic spots right on the lake if you want to spend the afternoon at the lake. They also have a concession stand that serves hot food down by the lake. They have a water fill station near the campsites that is shared between all the campers.

Beautiful park with nice campsites and even better views of the lake!

This park has 65 campsites and a few yurts for rent. most of the sites are wooded and can fit a travel trailer or tent easily. The campground map is accurate and the some of the sites offer a bit of seclusion but most are pretty close together. I camped during the week and it was beautifully quite. It has a nice swimming area and lake access. The showers are older and a little dirty but they stay warm and have good pressure. They have a big sink inside to wash dishes out of the bugs at night and the staff was friendly. I camped in site 22 and loved it! We easily hiked around the Delaware Water Gap during the day and felt safe leaving our site here.

NO FULL HOOKS ... BUT EVERYTHING IS WELCOME ... THEY HAVE YURTS ALSO ... THERE IS A LAKE AND FOOD STAND AND PADDLE BOATS ... I LOVE THE GROUP SITES ...

One of my favorite camping locations to go with my family. Swimmers can come to the the main beach area without camping. In the camp area there is no beach area but there is a boat launch and places you can get your feet wet. Some areas are grass with shade and others have shade but on dirt. Camping near the main road that goes into the camping area provides the best grassed areas.