Do you love the outdoors and horses? If you're looking for a rustic but comfortable experience, horse camping in Middletown is the way to go. Whether you own a horse or are joining a tour group, equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. At The Dyrt, you can find top-rated spots for horse camping, as reviewed by campers.
Nestled in the Appalachian Wilderness of New Jersey, Stokes State Forest attracts campers, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts all over thanks to its many viewpoints and wild terrain. Spanning over 16,400 acres, visitors can expect exciting adventures crammed with tons of wilderness activities. Surprisingly, there’s a large range of amenities within the various campgrounds located throughout. In addition, there’s a host of unique geographic features to keep even the most dedicated busy for weeks.
Speaking of geography, there’s no shortage of terrain diversity here. For example, Sunrise Mountain towers 1,653 feet over the undeveloped New Jersey farmland to the East, as well as virgin mountain ranges and forests to the West. Located along the legendary Appalachian Trail, this mountain peak is the most frequently visited site in Stokes State Forest. If you’re not one to hike up the side of a mountain for a view, Sunrise Mountain Rd. traverses all the way to the top for those traveling in a vehicle.
Nestled below, the 500+ acre Tillman Ravine Natural Area is a green wonderland home to endangered species such as the Barred Owl. The ravine showcases world-class trails spanning throughout its terrain, complete with babbling brooks and overly-curious bears to dodge during your stay.
Additionally, Stokes State Forest is home to the Lake Ashroe Recreation Area which has an area for Kayaking and Paddle Board rentals. Even though there is no boat ramp, nearby Lake Ocquittunk is perfect for small, electric motor boats. In contrast, those looking for swimming should head to Stony Lake, which features lifeguards on duty and a great recreation area for picnicking.
Campgrounds are plentiful here, with four different areas to camp at depending on your needs. Shotwell to the East, and Steam Mills to the west both offer normal park amenities, and are perfect for tent campers, or people interested in camping in a lean-to. Just West of Shotwell, Haskin’s Group Camping Area consists of 9 group campsites perfect for groups of 10-65 depending on the campsite. Finally, Lake Ocquittunk has its own campground with reservable campsites, and cabins as well. Fees & permits vary here, so be sure to check the park website for more info.
Regardless of your interests, if you love the outdoors in any form you’re going to enjoy your stay here. Stokes State Forest literally offers everything an enthusiast could ever dream of doing. From its babbling creeks and forested ravines, to the breathtaking mountain peaks, this is an Appalachian camping experience you don’t want to miss out on.
$7 - $55 / night
On the western edge of Lower Lake, this modern campground includes Beechwood, Northwoods, Rhododendron, and Hemlock Hills areas. There is a dump station at the entrance of Lower Lake Campground.
Beechwood is open from early April through mid-October. Modern facilities are available Memorial Day through Columbus Day. Best suited to RVs, this modern campground offers:
Warm showers Flush toilets Electricity Laundry facilities The campground offers 106 campsites, some of which allow pets.
A short hike from the Appalachian Trail, AMC’s Mohican Outdoor Center is located on a beautiful glacial lake in the 70,000-acre Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Only a 90-minute drive from New York City, Mohican is a great base for exploring on your own, with your family and friends, or with a larger group.
Mohican Outdoor Center offers a selection of ADA accessible lodging options. Campsites are not accessible.
$5 - $75 / night
On the western edge of Lower Lake, this modern campground includes Beechwood, Northwoods, Rhododendron, and Hemlock Hills areas. There is a dump station at the entrance of Lower Lake Campground.
Hemlock Hill Equestrian Campground has six individual sites and is open early May through mid-October.
The campground area includes:
Vault toilet Water for horses Manure pit Adjacent to miles of equestrian trails in Delaware State Forest Each campsite has a:
Picnic table Fire ring Lantern post Stall that accommodates either three or four horses Modern restrooms with hot showers and dump station are nearby.
Traveler
Stokes is my go-to state park for unplugging and enjoying time with my family. We brought our son (23 months at time of visit) on his first camping trip this past September. He loved every minute of it.
Site T07 in Lake Ocquittunk is gorgeous and one of the few relatively secluded sites in the campground. You need to carry your gear down a narrow, rocky path that's a little steep near the road, but it's manageable. There's also a graded path into the site adjacent to a neighboring site, but you should check with those campers if they are ok with you cutting through to use it. (We opted not to disturb our neighbors and take the slope.)
I thought I would be able to launch my kayak from site 7 since it's waterfront, but there are a lot of huge rocks in the water that prevent you from getting out into the lake. We had to find a different launch spot. That was probably the biggest disappointment for us.
Still, I love site 7 and it's absolutely worth the privacy and the views every morning.
GuideStokes 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.
Traveler
Went tent camping for 3 nights, easy to get to, bathrooms were clean and so was the site. Sites were a good size and not on top of each other. Firewood was available in the area. But not much for stores so pack everything in before.
Scout
Great first tent camping experience for kids. Lots of activities, clean restrooms. One thing to keep in mind is the tent sites on the opposite side of the road from the river has no shade. Site gets pretty hot on a sunny day. Sites by the river have some shade.
GuideFirst trip of the season and we were amazed. Not crowded this time of year, serene, and perfect weather. We collected our own firewood as there is none for sale in the state park. We thought that was going to be a problem but we were okay with it!
Hiked 2 short easy trails (Little Falls and the Conservation Nature Loop- which we drove to). Absolutely beautiful! Bathrooms were clean and water was hot in the shower.
We will be visiting again!
ScoutWe have camped here in tents and with our teardrop trailer. All of our experiences have been good. Clean bathrooms are essential and even when the large campground is full the bathrooms have been clean. It is a state park and so the campsites are often close, but we don’t mind. We’d be somewhere else if isolation was what we wanted.
ScoutI used to camp there every weekend. Even during the cold in the fall. I love it!
ScoutLove it here but renting a golf cart is prob not the best option $175 for 2 days and it only goes 5mph I can walk faster than that.
LegendAshley here with The Dyrt. We're happy to have this campground on our platform! Check them out and leave them some love.
GuideI have been here twice and each time has been great. Big spacious sites with alot of privacy. Hikes are great around here. Bathrooms are clean.
If you want pictures you can actually go onto Google maps streetview and see every single campsite.
LegendThis is a HUGE Jellystone park in upstate NY. There are literally hundreds of cabins and RV sites. We are in site 136, which is a back in spot. Plenty of room between campers. Gravel spot which is pretty level. Full hookups. Picnic table, cable, fire ring, large camp store, showers, toilets, and full laundry area. Also has playgrounds, pillow jump, fishing pond, golf carts, game room, Waterpark, pool, and tennis courts. All of this nestled into the mountains. Nice and family friendly.
Scout
I set up a hammock and a 1 person tent .. there’s room for a camper but sparse
Guide~3 hour drive from NYC, and a wonderful campsite with good weather in the summer - not too hot during the day and nice and cool overnight. A little crowded and you can overhear everyone around you, which is the only reason I took off one star. Close proximity to nice, short hikes. Great facilities all around the campsite.
TravelerThis park is large and has many different campgrounds. We stayed in lower lake beechwood site 323. Was decent site only downside was fire pit area was very un-level for camping chairs, otherwise it’s a nice wooded site with privacy. Short walk to bathrooms, showers and lake. Though had to drive to park and beaches. Would go back again and might try to stay in Pickerel point campground instead.
RangerRented a cabin in November (#009) and again in December (#008) of 2021. I favored Cabin 8, the kitchen and bathroom were separated from the main room.
The cabins are reasonably priced and well-appointed, if a bit rustic. The interior features are just what you'd expect for getting away for the weekend. THe main room has a bunk bed and two twins, a table with benches, two Adirondack chairs, a wood stove set into a fireplace (some cabins still feature a fireplace only, but these two did not), hot/cold water, electric stove with oven, refrigerator, toilet, bathroom sink, mirror, plenty of hooks to hang jackets and coats, storage cabinets in the kitchen area, overhead lighting, wall outlets, and screened windows.
The doors feature deadbolt locks - so be sure to always take the key or set the lock to be unlocked all the time.
The mattresses are vinyl covered, so you can wipe them down with your own sanitizing wipes. There was hand sanitizer in each cabin as well.
Outside is a picnic table, fire ring, and grill. There are hooks near the door to hang a lantern.
The park office is not nearby, about 2(?) miles away. They sell wood, and there are a few road stands near the campground, but that wood is wet. You'll need to find some birch to get your fire going if, like me, you didn't buy wood on the way (plenty of signs for wood as you approach the park office) and the office was closed upon arrival. I bought wood from a house across the street from the entrance to the cabins and it was damp, but in November, I wasn't complaining, it took awhile but I got a nice blaze going. You need that wood stove to heat up the cabin. Turning on the oven is a help, but not a good solution. The wood stove definitely heats the room up nicely. I went through two bundles of wood in one night, and could have used more in the morning. (There's plenty of fallen wood around but it was damp/raining both times I visited). The second time I took six bundles of wood and used them all from Friday to Sunday morning, and 7 would've have been better.
The trails nearby are varied, read the maps (especially NY NJ Trail Conference Maps) to get an idea of difficulty/elevation. We went in November when there was a light rain that turned into a thunderstorm with hail and sleet! It was certainly an adventure. The area was incredibly peaceful in December with many cabin reservations abandoned due to rain in the forecast. It did rain, but was still a great trip. The photos of the tent sites were taken in December.
GuideNice place to set up and car camp. Enjoyed some fishing and hiking within walking distance from the site.
GuideStokes is nestled in a beautiful part of New Jersey and it’s just remote enough that you can get away from the crowds and activity while still being in a short driving distance of restaurants, grocery stores, etc. We stayed at Lake Ocquittunk, which was a little disappointing. The site itself (T001) was absolutely massive and stunningly beautiful. Unfortunately, when the site was cleared, trees were cut down to the stump and the stumps were just left there. This posed both a tripping hazard and a driving hazard. You have to weave your way around the various stumps and small boulders protruding from the ground in all lighting conditions. The site is on a gentle slope, which made it difficult to find a level area for the tent, but we found a spot that suited us perfectly. The campground overall needs some improvement. It almost felt neglected or abandoned. The bathrooms weren’t great, but I’ve seen much worse. The park staff were incredibly helpful and generous with time and information. Directions were easy to follow and we felt comfortable staying there. Ultimately, we would gladly return in the future, but we might visit in a warmer season.
GuideWe stayed at site #T007 is was a short walk from the car to the site, but so worth it for many reasons. The site itself is huge and we were able to position our tent facing the lake, it was beautiful!
RangerSo it rained during set up and it rained during take down. It stopped raining for a bit and we took a nice walk around the campsite, out to the lake and back. Then night fell and so did the rain. Listening to the rain drops fall all night long was a treat. Getting up to move the air mattresses to avoid the rain inside the tent was also a treat.
We knew ahead of time that it would rain all weekend. We also knew our large 20'x10' tent was a bit old, so we brought a GIANT 20'x16' tarp to keep out the rain. It worked for most of the weekend. We were more worried about pitching the tent at the bottom of a slope since the campsite has a small incline, but we didn't wake up in a pond or even much of a puddle. There was a bit of mud we tried to avoid tracking into the tent, but otherwise this site was okay for tents in the rain.
This is a large pull-through trailer campsite, right across from the restrooms with sinks/shower. Water is down the road a bit, not by the restrooms. There is a campsite right next door and their firepit is 15-20 feet away from where we pitched our tent, but it stayed empty that weekend. Traffic to the restroom as constant, and close by, so not very private/secluded.
GuideI stayed at the Beechwood location at the Promised Land state park and despite the constant rain, it was quiet and peaceful. You could only ever hear the wildlife . The RV pads were spaced put perfectly and we all had our own picnic table and fire pit. 10/10 would visit again.
ScoutWe had a fantastic time in Gardiner, NY which was before this trip. Unfortunately, this was not good. We thought we had a good deal with our lot, but they had us right on a main road. The locals drove so fast on it that we felt uncomfortable at all times with our kids. The water park is not as nice as Gardiner's and there is a lot less to do. While driving through it I did notice some nice sites though that looked very quiet, but unfortunately ours was not nice.
TravelerA few of us rode in to the steam mills campsite on motorcycles and took a couple days to enjoy the mountain air and views.
RangerMy first time staying at Stokes Stat Forest, December 2020. Chose this campsite based on the photos online, the river right there was a big deal. I knew it would be cold and planned accordingly. The days were a good temperature for hiking, the nights were chilly. Once the fire died down, I snuggled up warm in my tent-ception (tent within a tent) and journaled or watched Stargate SG1. I packed up one night early, before the rain.
I met a group of roof top tent campers and after a long discussion on the pros/cons of RTT, they introduced me to jet boil and dry pack meals. Very quick and delicious. Note for the future.
I got a visit from a dog who lives nearby. Snuck out of the house without his collar the first day so there was concern initially, but after talking to his owner, the doggo's visits each day were very welcome.
Each campsite has a firepit/ring and picnic table. This site has a platform and a bear box. Never seen one of those before. There is a small lake(large pond?) that feeds the river right next to the campsite. There are benches and a gazebo on the lakeshore. I took a walk around the whole campground to check out other campsites, several are just as secluded, but there are many that are closer together and less private.
Campsite sells fire wood. Pit bathroom across the way, no toilet paper supply during the pandemic, but I came prepared. Water spigot down the road a bit. No sink, no showers.
Ranger
We hosted group camping trips here for years. Excellent spot! The lodge has bathrooms and a small store. You can rent kayaks and canoes and swimming is allowed on Catfish Pond -- plenty of fish, snapping turtles, and other wildlife. If you're there in the summer, I'd recommend taking a kayak around the lake and filling it with wild blueberries. Lots of hiking options as well.
Tent sites are either on the ground have wooden platforms. Cabins come in various sizes.
ScoutWe went to Stokes for a one nighter to test out my new truck tent. We stayed at site 11 on Lake Ocquittunk. While making reservations it said almost all sites were full but upon arrival the vast majority of sites were empty which made for a quiet/relaxing night. It was a fair sized site with room for a couple large tents. Site was located on a small hill next to the lake with the road directly in front and water about 50 yards away and the bathrooms about 100 yards away. Facilities were clean and stocked so no complaints there. After packing up we drove down the road and were able to get in a nice 5 mile hike up to the fire tower. Due to cooler temps there were really no bugs to complain about while camping.
Overall we had a great time and will definitely be coming back for a more extended stay. If you are looking for more secluded campsites try to get 13 or 14 as they seem to sick back more. Sites 8-11 are adjacent to the road and in peak times probably have a fair about of foot and vehicle traffic.
GuideWe threatened a Jellystone stop for years, and finally made it happen. Great place for kids and staff runs a great park. Its crowded, loud and in constant movement but as expected. Sites here are pretty spread out and it’s big rig friendly with some level concrete pads which is a huge bonus. Park is doing a great job with COVID in the common areas. Not our normal type spot but definitely worth it to break up our 2 month road trip. Safe travels all!
Scout
I’ve been coming to Uncle Pete’s for the last 15 years. Very reasonably priced and a 2 minute drive from the center of town. Car camping so you can park right next to where you sleep, makes dining and sleeping comfortable very easy. Plenty of creekside tent sites that offer a large section of riverfront. Large baseball field and playgrounds for kids. Each site comes with an electric hookup, fire pit and picnic tables. Cheap firewood can be bought up front at the bathrooms. Becky and Danny are super accommodating!!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Middletown, NY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Middletown, NY is Stokes State Forest with a 4.3-star rating from 26 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Middletown, NY?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 equestrian camping locations near Middletown, NY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
