Best Tent Camping near Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area

I stayed at Beaver Pond Campground in Harriman State Park for two nights with my husband. We chose this campground because of its close proximity to Schunemunk Mountain. We found a lovely 6.4 mile lollipop/loop route hike that weekend, complete with beautiful rolling meadows, gradual hills, and steep climbs.

Due to some mentally-draining traffic on the way, we arrived to the campground around 9:30pm. The camp office was closed, but we were able to check in at the ranger station across the parking lot. At the ranger station we were greeted by a bunch of spiders in their webs. I'm not going to lie, I freaked out! Once we were all checked-in, the ranger explained the usual rules (quiet hours are from 10pm-7am, check out by 11am, etc.). A rule that he made sure to stress was that no alcohol is allowed in the campground.

Harriman State Park is located in a densely-forested area, and there is very little light pollution, so we didn't notice until the morning how little privacy there is between sites. There are hardly any trees within the campground, and you can see and hear just about everything. We had some rowdy neighbors, so it was a long night.

We stayed in a regular tent site, but there was also the option of sites with platforms. Each site had a picnic table and fire ring. The campground had restrooms with flush toilets and showers. There were a good amount of insects crawling around in the restrooms, including what we think were ticks. The showers were a bit dirty and old-looking. However, the showers were free and hot, so I won't complain. :)

My 3-star rating mainly stemmed from the noise an major lack of privacy.

The campsite in this review has two major points to express beyond the actual review.

First, this site is only accessible by canoes or kayaks. There is no public road access to the campsite. Secondly, the site is maintained by the NPS, (National Park Service) within the DWGNRA, (Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area). People found camping at this site that are not on a river trip or camped at the site for longer than one day can expect to receive hefty fines from the NPS.

This site is a primitive campsite. There is a fire ring suitable for cooking on as well as allowing you a small fire. You will also have access to a privy style toilet a short distance in the woods behind your site.

This site is a riverside site that will hold 2-3 smaller tents. It is well maintained by the NPS and had no litter or garbage on site. It is very secluded and tucked into the forest between the Delaware River and the McDade Trail.

To reach this site you can put boats in the water at two locations, Dingman's Ferry and Eshback Access. If you start at Dingman's Ferry, you really should go for a hike first. If you hike about 30 minutes each way you will be able to see two very impressive waterfalls. Silverthread Falls and Dingman's Falls are right up the road from the river access point and well worth the walk. There are also tons of hiking trails a matter of minutes from your camp leading to minor waterfalls, overlooks and historic cemeteries. The trails are all well marked and easy hiking.

Nightfall is great. Once the darkness sets in you easily forget your closeness to civilization. No traffic noise, usually there are no other campers close by, which allows you to just sit and enjoy the sounds of the river and the wildlife around you.

Morning sun comes right in on the tent sites making the morning start off on a great note as well. It is definitely worth the stop if your paddling down the river.

Campground Review

Stokes State Forest has four campgrounds. The Steam Mill Camping Area is tucked out the of the way and is the most primitive. It is the smallest of the campgrounds with 27 sites only suitable for tents or small trailers/campervans. No pets or alcohol allowed.

The campground has a pit toilet and a well. Each large campsite has a picnic table, fire pit, and lantern hook. Some sites also have a tent platform. Many sites are a bit rocky.

We selected site T219. 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.

Remember, this is bear country so proper food storage is a must. Bear lockers are not provided. The area also has ticks and rattlesnakes.

Outdoor activities in the area abound. Go fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, kayaking, and more. There are 21 marked trails that cover over 63 miles within the boundaries of Stokes State Forest. Twelve miles are part of the Appalachian Trail. Pick up a hiking map at the park office or download the Avenza Maps app.

This visit we hiked the Tillman Ravine trail (tip: make the trail a loop and visit both the ravine and the nearby old cemetery).

You can also drive or hike to Sunset Mountain Scenic Overlook for a view of High Point Monument. High Point Monument is the highest elevation in New Jersey and is located in High Point State Park which borders Stokes State Forest on the north. High Point State Park also offers camping, hiking, sightseeing opportunities. And, on the western border of Stokes State Forest is the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. So, there is lots of outdoors to get out and explore!

Product Review

We camped at the Steam Mill Camping Area in Stokes State Forest in our campervan over a chilly autumn weekend. We had the opportunity to cook some soup on our stovetop and chill out by the campfire. And, as Rangers for The Dyrt, we get products to test from time to time so we were psyched to try out some new dinnerware and cutlery. This included the FlexiBowl and GoBites from humangear.

What made these humangear products pretty awesome? Well, the fun colors to start. I mean, seriously, my orange bowl rules. The FlexiBowl also has some neat features: it’s flexible - just like the name suggests - and foldable. The bowl can be squished and stuffed anywhere. And, the top section can be folded down to create a smaller bowl. The FlexiBowl is versatile yet durable. It held my hearty, warm soup just perfectly.

I paired the FlexiBowl with one of the GoBites utensils (the Uno model). The Uno model is my favorite - it has a fork on one side and a spoon on the other side. Very simple and convenient. The other GoBites models include the Duo (separate fork and spoon that can snap together) and the Trio (a fork, spoon, and knife - with bottle opener - in a case).

PRO TIP: I keep the Trio GoBites model in my travel pack at all times. It recently came in handy on a (non-camping) trip to Sardinia. The knife on the Trio allowed me to slice some delicious local cheese to pair with bread, jam, and wine that was purchased from the grocery store. YUM.

This review is of site #4 on Namanock Island. The campsite in this review has two major points to express beyond the actual review.

First, this site is only accessible by canoes or kayaks. There is no public road access to the campsite. Secondly, the site is maintained by the NPS, (National Park Service) within the DWGNRA, (Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area). People found camping at this site that are not on a river trip or camped at the site for longer than one day can expect to receive hefty fines from the NPS.

This site is a primitive campsite. There is a fire ring suitable for cooking on as well as allowing you a small fire. You will also have access to a privy style toilet a short distance in the woods behind your site.

Let me say that of all the places I have ever camped, having an entire island to yourself is a feeling I have never experienced anywhere else.

The campsites on this island are always very clean, if not pristine. In the 7 years I have camped here I do not think I have even wore shoes here once. Never any glass or trash anywhere.

There is tons of room to enjoy your camping trip, its an island that is at most shared by 3 other camping groups. Once night falls the absence of light sources beyond your camp remind you that you are truly alone in the wilderness.

The fishing here is decent, but its a shallow part of the river so in the summer months the fish seek deeper waters. As for local wildlife, you can expect to be visited by a masked robber or two during the night, but a bear bag handing will eliminate any issues.

Stopping here is normally a very simple thing as most of the island has a 3-4 foot shore around it of river rock. This makes for an easy landing and unloading of boats. However, spring time trips can find the water levels much higher and swifter making it more difficult to arrive safely, or dry.

If you paddle across the river from the site, it is only a 10-15 minute hike along the road on the Pennsylvania side of the river to reach Raymondskill Falls. A "must-see" if your stopping here. The New Jersey side will require a longer hiking time, but will take you along Old Mine Road where there are more things to see than you can imagine.

This area is rich in history, folklore, legends and locations that anyone camping here would truly enjoy knowing/seeing.

First, this site is only accessible by canoes or kayaks. There is no public road access to the campsite. Secondly, the site is maintained by the NPS,(National Park Service) within the DWGNRA,(Delaware Water Gap National Recreational Area). People found camping at this site that are not on a river trip or that are camped at the site for longer than one day can expect to receive hefty fines from the NPS.

As a result of the global issues, at the time of this review I wasn't really sure we would even be able to camp at all.  However, after a few phone calls and messages we were given the green light to go.  The NPS then informed me that they were starting to close off island camping on the river and going to "rotate in" some new sites to help with land management.  Almost like a farmer rotating crops.

With that, we set out to find a new night one campsite for our trip.  We were pleasantly surprised as we neared the island to see that what we had thought to be closed, actually had a new site number sign.  Immediately making shore we discovered that along with new site number signs, there also was new regulation signs and firepits. 

ONLY AT SITES 1 and 4......  Sites 2 and 3 no longer have any signage or firepits.

Returning home I contacted and updated the NPS, who said it should not have had any new site work.  With that said, if you use Nanamock Island during the 2020 season, do so at your own risk.

As always, camping on the island is such a treat.  You totally feel that your party is alone out on the river, the entire world is yours and yours alone.  There are no public interactions, (beyond the neighboring sites), on the river for miles, if not days - other boaters varying... 

Its always in nice shape, if not pristine.  Group/family accommodating, pet friendly, PRIMITIVE camping that takes you back in time.  You have Raymondskill Falls about a half an hour above you on the river, and down river you will shortly come to Dingman's Crossing, (lots of history), and a short hike takes you to two more waterfalls.  This is only some of whats in the area...

This place is amazing! everything you could want, from tent and RV camping to cabin rentals. They also have a pool and playground. some of my favorite parts of this park are a good 100’ rack wall perfect for climbing, great fishing, trails for miles that even connects to the AT, and when scheduled they open the dam up stream for som world class whitewater rafting.

As for some things that aren’t listed. this is no alcohol permitted in the park due to it being a state park, however that all depends on how open you are about it and the Park rangers. Cell phone service is limited last time I was up there in 2012 only people with Verizon Wireless had any reception. Also there is no WiFi. No hookups or camp store.

This is the first time we decided to forgo tent camping and reserve a shelter at a state park. We had a much better experience than we were expecting! The "shelter" is what we would describe as a "cabin"; four walls, a roof, locking door, locking windows, large picture frame front window, four beds(two bunks), a wood burning stove, and a porch. Even compared to our glamping this was luxury!!

There are eight shelters at Jenny Jump State Park. Shelter 2 is a minute walk from the restroom with sink/shower and water. Shelters 7 & 8 are even closer while 4 & 5 are the furthest, may an extra 5 minutes walk? The dead end means there isn't too much traffic, though the road is right there so you can wave to the other campers heading to the restroom or for hikes. There is a trail head at one of the parking lots. During the day the parking lots filled up and there was some overflow parking for day-hikers across the road. We got to see their dogs, so that was a bonus for us! Otherwise, this shelter is not situated too close to the other shelters and feels very private.

We brought battery-powered lights since there is no electricity. There were coat hooks and a built-in shelf for our snacks, games, and other supplies. There was a picnic table and benches inside. We brought camping chairs for relaxing on the porch. We spent most of our time on the porch; cooking, chatting, and crafting while enjoying the sunshine and breeze.

Oh, this shelter is wheelchair accessible. Some of the others are not.