Atsion Family Camp — Wharton State Forest

First time staying down in the extremely sandy pine barrens. We arrived to camp after a torrential rain; many sites, including ours, experienced flooding. Luckily, within a couple of hours this cleared up.

The grounds were lovely and a majority of the sites were generously sized. We stayed at site #47, which had great canopy cover, while allowing nice bits of sunshine. Great size. Private. Site #48 next to us was massive, and at least double the size of ours; that one also offered great shade and privacy, and would be great for larger groups. Really, the only site I wouldn’t recommend is #11- it is super tiny and wide open with little privacy.

Some things to note, potable water pumps didn’t work. Also heard that the men’s showers were a little unkempt. Women’s seemed decent, though outdated is an understatement. It’s not exactly clear how this campground is managed because there are no rangers on site. The bathrooms at least get cleaned in the morning, and there are occasional drive-bys of state park police. Otherwise, there’s certainly no enforcement being done and the noise from other campers got a bit crazy.

Atsion Family Campground

Off US 206 and about 1/2 a mile up Atsion Road in New Jersey’s Wharton State Forest, you’ll find the Atsion Family Campground. The facility is run by the Dept of Environmental Protection and offers Tent, Trailer and Group Sites. There are also Cabins for rent as well, but only available during the summer months, After Memorial Day until October. AFC is one of several campgrounds in WSF and is the largest with 50 camping sites. Amenities include a handicapped accessible restroom/shower building, several drinking water spigots, and a waste dump for trailers. There are no electric hook ups and cell service is low, but manageable. Plenty of sun (shady too) so bring your solar powered generators and cell signal boosters if you need to stay connected. AFC is also pet friendly, so bring your 4 legged furry family members, after registering them with the camp site.

The individual sites are spacious with a pic-nick table and fire ring grill. Some sites have lake-side water access, so bring your canoes and kayaks and reserve these sites (4, 8, 10, 12, 20 and 22) early as they are popular. The ground is sandy and relatively level for easy camp set up. Some sites are close to a roadway, so you do get some car noise, and like all unmonitored camp sites, loud, unruly campers can be lurking among the pines. Be sure to get your fire wood from the guy that lives across the street from the campground entrance. 5 bucks, on the honor system, a good amount of wood, open 24/7.

Nearby is the Atsion Recreation Area, which offers fishing, walking, biking and horseback trails, a life guard monitored beach by the lake with restrooms and snacks (Summer Months). Only 15 minutes away, a quick drive, is Batso Village, an old iron and glass community from the late 1700s to early 1900s. NJ State Park Rangers are working hard keeping the area clean, rehabilitated, and educational center allowing you to walk through the old buildings and time as you image what life was like back then. Wharton SF is huge, over 122,000 acres of sandy terrain, towering pine trees, lakes/rivers and off roading trails!! Y’all should come and play in the Pine Barrens

A low-key, low amenities sandy spot in the NJ Pinelands. This was a nice large site in the“pet-friendly” section(sites 26-34) of the campground. Site 34 is close to Atsion Road, so there was car noise, but it wasn’t really an issue to us. The restroom/shower facility was very clean. There is access to potable water, though there is no dishwashing station, so you need to create your own system at your campsite. Directly across the street from the entrance to the campground is a family that sells firewood for$5 a bundle for you to carry away. 

Only criticism relates to poor communication on how to check-in. On the day of our arrival, the Wharton State Forest Atsion Office(not on-site), where we thought we were supposed to check-in, was closed and a sign on the door said to use the Batsto Office—a phone number was provided, but multiple attempts at calling resulted in a constant busy signal. Couldn’t make it to the Batsto Office in time(it closes at 4pm). We just gave up, as the site is paid for and they have our information. 

Lots of really huge sites at this campground and some with lake views and access for kayaks/canoes. 

Stayed over Sunday into Monday, and felt like we had the place to ourselves!