Best Dog-Friendly Camping in New Jersey

New Jersey may get a bad rap for its highways and a reality show shot on its famous shore, but there’s a reason it’s been dubbed The Garden State. About 22% of its land area is covered in pristine wilderness – in fact, it’s Pineland National Reserve was named an International Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations back in 1983. The tiny state, which is the most densely populated in the United States, has more than 50 protected areas spread throughout its mostly water-carved borders. So throw on your bathing suit or hiking boots and get ready to find the best camping in New Jersey.

The state’s gentle sand dunes have been attracting beach-goers for well over a century: one of the top destinations is Cape May, the oldest seaside resort in the entire country. Visiting nature-lovers head to Cape May Point State Park to hike the rambling trails and watch wildlife from the Hawk Watch platform. Those seeking some cardio climb the 199 steps to the top of fully restored 1859 Cape May Lighthouse, which offers prime views of the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay.

Although there is no coastal camping in New Jersey’s Cape May County, the area is home to nearly 50 campgrounds – more per square mile than other resort destination in the state – tucked away in the forests of the mainland areas.

For those who want to escape the often crowded campgrounds near the beach, Belleplain State Forest in the northern part of Cape May County offers some of the most stunning camping in New Jersey. It features idyllic sites set among the young pines, oak and Atlantic white cedar trees that are spread throughout the 21,000-acre preserve, a top pick for hikers, kayakers and swimmers, who prefer to get off the beaten tourist path. With the Dyrt, you can be sure to find the best camping in New Jersey, from the southern beaches to the northeastern Palisades.

Best Dog-Friendly Sites in New Jersey (119)

    1. Turkey Swamp Park

    28 Reviews
    Freehold, NJ
    Website
    +1 (732) 462-7286

    $42 - $79 / night

    "   We stayed in New Jersey for our 5th campground on the East Coast: Turkey Swamp Park in Freehold. This is a County park.

     Near some Revolutionary War battlefields.

     I really liked this park!"

    "Heavily wooded and supremely quiet, it’s located not far from anywhere you’d want to be. 30 minutes to the shore. Every site is a pull-through, large and spacious with great woodland views. 30amp and"

    2. Stokes State Forest

    27 Reviews
    Layton, NJ
    Website

    $7 - $55 / night

    "It was a solid choice: private but close to the toilet and water. Some sites located around the opposite side of the ring back up to a babbling brook. The rushing water will soothe you to sleep."

    "* Water and dumpsters are within walking distance, or if you are not up to walking you can just take a short drive to fill up and dispose of your trash

    • There are outhouses scattered around, or if"

    3. Round Valley State Park Campground

    25 Reviews
    Lebanon, NJ
    Website
    +1 (908) 236-6355

    "The crystal-clear water is home to huge lake trout and the forests are bursting with wildlife. The sunsets across the lake are to die for."

    "Once you get to the campground trail it’s pretty easy going on asphalt surface."

    4. Sun Outdoors Cape May

    26 Reviews
    Tabernacle, NJ
    Website
    +1 (609) 886-1234

    "This campground is also very pet friendly ❤️. We come back as often as possible."

    "Stayed in a drive through, patio site with full hook-ups. It was situated on a corner spot. A lot of RV, golf cart, bike, and people traffic due to the location."

    5. Camp Taylor Campground

    24 Reviews
    Pahaquarry, NJ
    Website
    +1 (908) 496-4333

    $33 - $42 / night

    "Positives: sites are decent sized with fire pits and picnic tables. easy access to hiking, convenient to a beautiful vineyard, peaceful region, and the most amazing wolf preserve is right next to you.  "

    "They were knowledgeable about the surrounding towns, their campground, and basically everything nature related. This was our very first night camping in an RV (we were renters at the time)."

    6. Atsion Family Camp — Wharton State Forest

    23 Reviews
    Hammonton, NJ
    Website
    +1 (609) 268-0444

    "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."

    "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."

    7. High Point State Park Campground

    24 Reviews
    Matamoras, NJ
    Website
    +1 (973) 875-4800

    $5 - $20 / night

    "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."

    "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."

    8. Belleplain State Forest

    22 Reviews
    Woodbine, NJ
    Website
    +1 (609) 861-2404

    "They allowed me to drive around first and pick out a campsite before checking in. They charge $5 extra for a dog. So far it is very quiet and that's what I was looking for."

    "Pets are also allowed with no size restrictions with vaccination records and a leash!

    They have kayaks available to rent to row across the peaceful Nummy Lake."

    9. Philadelphia South/Clarksboro KOA

    20 Reviews
    Paulsboro, NJ
    Website
    +1 (856) 423-6677

    "We did Chinatown and walked part of the Schuylkill River trail which we accessed by parking near Fairmount Park."

    "Beautiful campground — lots of trees, pond, kids play equipment, dog park, etc. facilities all clean and whole place is well maintained. Easy late arrival."

    10. Brendan Byrne State Forest

    18 Reviews
    Chatsworth, NJ
    Website
    +1 (609) 726-1191

    $3 - $60 / night

    "Campsite decent size, but some don't have clear boundaries to neighbors, and sometimes not optimally configured (e.g., the site next door's fire pit was placed on the edge of its site/right next to my"

    "Sand roads crisscross the whole area and navigation can be a bit tricky the first time around.

    The campgrounds are clean and simple."

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Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews in New Jersey

950 Reviews of 119 New Jersey Campgrounds


  • Cynthia K.
    Aug. 30, 2024

    Great Divide Campground

    Rock'in

     Our 4rth state in our 5 state trip is New Jersey! We wanted to see Delaware Water Gap NRA & I found a campground by Newton called The Great Divide. This is a private campground. Very scenic with a small lake, a pond & surrounded by woods. This is also the most expensive campground on our trip at $96.11 a night.

         Lots to do for families- they have kayaks for camper use. Horseshoes, tether ball, volleyball, a pool, a playground, a dog park. There's a swimming beach.

     One strange thing is there's a lot of tent sites & they seemed popular. For the amount of tent/popup sites they only have 1 shower per loop. They are very clean & checked often, but they're used heavily during the weekend. I had better luck Sunday evening. A bench outside the bathroom would have been nice to sit & wait. 

     The rv sites were all full hookup on our loop.

       We came in on a Friday & found out this campground ROCKS!!! They have live bands every Friday & Saturday night during the warm months. This might explain the higher rates. Party on!

  • Matt S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 22, 2021

    Baker's Acres Campground

    Rustic and Classic Campground

    We stayed at Baker’s Acres Campground in Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey, for a weekend in mid-August. So did the rains of Hurricane Henri! 

    Our site(#Zoo-1) was a level back-in with 50-amp electric, water, sewer, and cable. It was easy to pull in and accommodates larger rigs. The hook-ups were all well-maintained and worked fine. We had plenty of room to fit our car too. The site included a picnic table and fire ring. My favorite thing about this campground is that most of the sites have plenty of trees and shrubs for semi-privacy, shade, and a rustic feel. 

    This campground has been family run for over 50-years and has an interesting history that’s worth reading more about. Our site is located across from the pickle ball court which used to be a petting zoo(now the site# should make sense, right?). We came because we wanted to experience one of New Jersey’s oldest campgrounds. We liked the interesting vignettes they created around the campground as well as the goldfish pond near the office and store. 

    Baker’s Acres is well-maintained. The amenities include a swimming pool, lots of sports courts/fields, and a bunch of family-friendly scheduled activities. There is a camp store with all the usual items as well as bath and laundry facilities. The wifi service was ok, but costs$1 per day per device. Our Verizon cell service worked fine. 

    The front office staff were all friendly and we love that, especially when checking in at a new campground. 

    Drive time to Tuckerton Seaport is about 10-minutes and Long Beach Island is about 35-minutes depending on traffic. There are plenty of stores within a 5-mile drive if you should need anything including Walmart, super markets, convenience stores, and several restaurants. 

    Our only minor negative was that our site was sandy dirt which created a bit of a mess, especially after the rain. It is the Jersey shore, after all. This would have been 5 stars if the site had gravel, grass, or was finished with concrete. It’s a pet peeve, but I hate having to constantly clean up to keep the sand out of our RV. 

    This is a great old-fashioned campground close to LBI. We’ll can’t wait to go back!

  • L
    Jun. 12, 2019

    Belleplain State Forest

    So far so good

    Arrived at 1pm on Wednesday. Check in was smooth. They allowed me to drive around first and pick out a campsite before checking in. They charge $5 extra for a dog. So far it is very quiet and that's what I was looking for. It's just a short drive to the ocean is:Cape May, Ocean City New Jersey.

  • Steve W.
    May. 31, 2022

    Atsion Family Camp — Wharton State Forest

    4x4ing in the Pine Barrens

    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

  • Laura M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 14, 2023

    Stephens State Park Campground

    Might be hard for big rigs

    Lovely campground, but maybe not the best for big rigs. We drove through here thinking we’d stay a night, but saw the “no pets” in the list of rules and didn’t stay. Later, when I was looking at the closeup of the picture of the campground map we took, I saw that some of the sites are designated as pet sites. Would have been nice to know that. Also, no alcohol allowed here. 

    The campground as a whole and the individual sites are kind of tricky for bigger rigs. We are in a 26ft class c and we squeezed through, and there were a few sites where we could have made it work, but I can imagine a big class A or 5th wheel having a tough time. 

    Showers here are nice and free and clean, water runs continuously (no button to push), and you can adjust the temperature. There’s a playground and volleyball court. There are dumpsters but no recycling (not sure if New Jersey segregates recycling after pickup). 

    ATT had some reception but we forgot to check the Verizon phone. 

    Didn’t see any instructions for how to pay if you don’t have a reservation. Reserved sites were marked, so maybe you just pick an empty unreserved site and a ranger will come collect the fees- but I’m just guessing. We drove through at the end of October and only saw one camper there, and another that might have been the host.

  • Denise D.
    Jun. 17, 2018

    Beachcomber Camping Resort

    Above my expectations!

    A beautiful wooded campground close to the beaches of Cape May, New Jersey. Very family oriented and really a great place for adults too. We stayed in a teepee and it is one of the coolest places I have camped. These days I like glamping and this was the best experience yet!

  • Sara B.
    Mar. 4, 2021

    Oldmans Creek Campground

    Mixed emotions

    Hey had nice owners and seemed like a family but there's just a dirty Lake which is better than nothing but it seems like the Southern Hicks of New Jersey all gather there it's pretty broke and run down.

  • Travyl Couple !.
    Dec. 31, 2019

    Philadelphia South/Clarksboro KOA

    Close to Philadelphia

    We stayed here for 3 nights while visiting family In Philadelphia. It is a 20 minute ride into Philly and Uber was was quick and responsive.

    *note- this does close for winter and reopens in April but call park for exact closure dates because they do change.

    This is a nice KOA with full hook ups, tent sites,cabins, and even glamping cabins. There is a pool that is open Memorial Day- Labor Day. They also have a catch and release pond and we found a pickleball court at a nearby city park.

    We did Chinatown and walked part of the Schuylkill River trail which we accessed by parking near Fairmount Park. This is a great area to explore with gorgeous views and easy access to the River trail. (There are rentals for everything here- kayaks/bikes etc)

    IF we had a car with us- we would have considered taking the ferry from Camden’s Ferry Terminal next to Wiggins Park to Philly. (This is also near the Adventure Aquarium and the battleship New Jersey) Here is a link to information about the ferry-

    https://www.delawareriverwaterfront.com/places/riverlink-ferry

    This is a great location for exploring Philadelphia.

    Happy Camping! Pamela and Keith

  • Jeff W.
    Oct. 29, 2018

    Mahlon Dickerson Reservation

    Quiet County Park with Large Sites

    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. Water and electric hookups and a dump station. Convenient for hiking and exploring, it's also only a 20 minute drive to a large mall in Rockaway.


Guide to New Jersey

New Jersey offers a variety of pet-friendly camping options, allowing you to enjoy the great outdoors with your furry companions. From spacious sites to engaging activities, these campgrounds cater to both you and your pets.

Tips for camping with dogs near New Jersey

  • Many campers at Turkey Swamp Park appreciate the large, wooded areas that provide plenty of space for dogs to explore and play.
  • At Camp Taylor Campground, pet owners enjoy the creek where their dogs can splash around and cool off during warm days.
  • Holly Shores Camping Resort features spacious sites that allow for easy maneuvering with larger pets, making it a comfortable choice for families.

Pet owners like the variety of activities available

  • Stokes State Forest offers numerous hiking trails that are perfect for adventurous dogs and their owners to explore together.
  • At Bass River State Forest, visitors can enjoy fishing and kayaking, with pets welcome to join on the shore.
  • Panther Lake Camping Resort features a beautiful lake ideal for swimming and fishing, providing a fun environment for pets and their owners.

Dog owners appreciate the amenities provided