Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Dingmans Ferry, PA

This camping site is a set of 6 sites on the New Jersey border maintained by the National Park Service. There were some definite pros and cons to these sites, I guess it would all depend on what you actually prefer in your camp experience.

We were very happy to see the openness of the sites. They were very large and while covered by 40+ft trees were open enough to make you wish you brought more gear and people just because it would fit. These sites have the standard grated square metal fire pit most park sites have. There was also evidence that the park service maintains the area with chainsaws to clear debri and dead-fall.

Very nice views of the river from all of the sites, as well as being a short morning paddle away from Dingman's Ferry Access, waterfalls, and historical locations worthy of the exploration make this an ideal location to start the days journey.

Also this is one of the rare primitive sites along the river to feature an outhouse. My daughter was happy to have a chance to have walls for privacy for a change. However, you are in a secluded area, next to a river... after examination she decided another night of primitive camping sans walls was ok with her.

The other downside to these sites is the river to camp journey. Due to fluctuating water levels all of the islands that are used for camping have a cut wall cliff style approach, but these sites have a very steep and above average height to the shoreline making unloading both more tiring and more of a hazard than I prefer.

I would recommend these sites to the camper that is staging their following days adventures, the younger crowd, or the minimalist even though there is alot of space.

This is a campsite that is maintained by the NPS. It is just past Dingmans Ferry Campground and is only accessible by water (Kayak, canoe, boat, or in my case a packraft).   The site is free but is available on a first come first served.  I stayed here for my second night on the river (my first night was spent at Namanock Island about 8 miles north.  

The site has a designated fire pit with a grate.  It's quite spacious and can fit several tents easily.  It backs up to the McDade Recreation Trail which is pretty cool as we were able to hike out of there the next day.  

We cooked S'mores, ate hot dogs, and used a Jet boil for our meals. 

Note: this is a primitive site meaning there are no bathrooms.  Please exercise leave no trace principles and pack out all trash if you plan on visiting!

Overall I would recommend the site as it was clean, well maintained, and relatively easy to unload on small sand beach on the Delaware. Happy Camping!

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.

I would definitely recommend this campsite to anyone wanting a beautiful, remote setting, but with all of the conveniences that the campgrounds offer. Anyone from a beginner to an expert would enjoy Stokes. Whether it be just a short, relaxing weekend trip or an adventure-packed week long trip, this place has the potential to be whatever you make it.

Pros:

• Has the perfect balance of feeling secluded without feeling completely alone in the middle of nowhere; the campsite we were specifically on was just far enough to be remote-feeling and fully private with trees surrounding it

• Cute little pond right on the campgrounds

• Our site had a fire ring, a picnic table, and a large sturdy pole with a hook for your lantern/mesh dry bag/etc

• Even, rocky, yet soft enough ground to sleep on, many trees available for hammock camping

• There was a huge, nasty storm one night that we stayed there, with terrible downpour and flash flood warnings, our site was elevated and did not get flooded

• A lot of firewood and kindling in the area to be gathered, or you can buy firewood right from the office

• Lots of stuff to do in the area for nature-lovers and outdoors-enthusiasts (Hiking trails, fishing/fly-fishing, sightseeing, mountain-biking, kayaking/paddle-boarding (rentals in the area if you do not own), hunting, swimming, horseback riding, waterfall-hunting, bird/wildlife watching (there are hawks, rabbits, owls, deer, toads, snakes, turtles, frogs, foxes, bats, salamanders, many interesting bugs, beavers, and bears in the area, you never know what you will see), lots of beautiful brooks and streams throughout the entire park, many awesome remote areas to set up your hammock and relax) Whoever said that there wasn't much to do here is just either not an outdoors person or straight up lying!

• 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 you are really needing a clean restroom where you can wash your hands, the park office's restroom is always open and very clean

• Can be buggy at night time however, I was pleasantly surprised to have experienced zero mosquito bites and ZERO ticks on ourselves and even our dog (however she did have a leech on her from playing in the brook all day). We moderately used bug spray on ourselves and the dog had her flea and tick topical on.

• Beautiful view of the stars on a clear night (Which can be breathtaking especially to city folk or those that cannot see stars from their homes)

Cons:

• Can hear the traffic from 206, but generally gets much quieter at night

• Campsites are close enough that you may occasionally hear other groups if they are being very loud (We were next to a group campsite that had a very noisy party crowd, but could really only hear them at their loudest, and we weren't bothered)

• Tent sites are located just off the dirt road where people travel to get to their sites, which means other campers' cars will occasionally pass right through your area. If this bothers you, be sure to book a site as far back as possible. Ex: Site T137 should have no vehicle traffic but your own and is the most remote of that area

• Water fill stations can be a bit busy at certain times

• Our fire ring rack was bent, but luckily we came prepared with our own rack to place on top of it and it worked out

• Lots of poison ivy in the area, if you are not immune to it be very mindful of where you are stepping!

• Our neighbor warned us that they got a flat tire after arriving at their campsite, and after searching their site found a bunch of nails almost intentionally thrown about. It's not the park's fault and the rangers were made aware of it. Carefully check your site after arriving for anything out of place and report to the office if necessary to keep these campsites safe and enjoyable.

Points of interest nearby the campsite:

• Big Flat Brook - A beautiful babbling brook that runs all throughout the area. Has great fly fishing for stocked rainbow trout. Access to the brook was only a short but beautiful hike north from our site through some thistle fields and woodlands.

• Buttermilk falls (Tallest waterfall in NJ), Tillman Ravine, Dingmans Ferry/Falls, and my personal favorite, Silver Spray Falls - Multiple gorgeous waterfalls and ravines just waiting to be explored, all within ~15-20 min by car. I definitely recommend checking them out while you are camping here especially if you live far away from the area.

• Sunrise Mountain and Rattlesnake Mountain - Catch a beautiful sunrise or sunset on top of Sunrise Mountain, which is a pleasant, scenic car ride directly to the top where there is a small parking lot, a smelly outhouse, and a nice picnic table area with a great view. Rattlesnake Mountain is a part of the Appalachian Trail and is somewhat barren towards the top which makes for excellent views. Like its name, it's not uncommon to see many snakes in the area, rattlesnakes tend to hang out on the top and sunbathe on the rocks. Keep your pets on a leash and have a stick handy just in case, however, they will leave you alone if you keep your distance.

• Lake Ashroe, Stony Lake, Lake Ocquittunk - Many lakes for multiple activities in the area such as fishing (trout stocked waters), kayaking, swimming (Stony lake has a beach area with lifeguards, restrooms, and picnic areas. Check their website for more info.)

• Horseback riding - A few great horseback riding places nearby, some offering trail rides through the beautiful park.

• Appalachian Trail - The widely-known Appalachian Trail, the longest hiking-only trail in the world, that runs all the way from Maine to Georgia goes right through this area. You may run into very interesting people from all over who are thru-hiking the AT.

PLEASE CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR VISIT. LEAVE NO TRACE. KEEP OUR PARKS BEAUTIFUL. THANK YOU.

Recently, we camped here for a week. We don’t ever post negative reviews like this. The last day, we experienced a violent attack by a very large and aggressive Pit Bull. The Pit Bull did not have a collar or a leash and was accidently let out of the RV to roam free and unsupervised. It immediately ran to our site(4 sites away) and attacked our dog that was tied at the time. The incident was unprovoked. While trying to save our dog, my wife and I were also attacked. The wounds were serious enough to require emergency transport to a hospital for treatment including stitches. All we could think of was what might have happened if our granddaughter had been playing with our dog. 

To put it mildly, their existing pet policy is grossly lacking. They never checked what breed of dog or ask to see documentation of shots when we were registering. Yogi Bear Jellystone Park needs to better manage their pet policy to address aggressive dog breeds and ensure the safety of campers. We camped there for seven days and saw multiple sites have more than one large dog, which in many places we’ve camped at would have been banned due to breed type or size. We have RV’ed extensively across the US and have never seen such careless enforcement of a pet policy regarding aggressive dog breeds. Seriously, think about avoiding this park if you have pets or small children.

First, how can you go wrong, camping on an island. I have used this site for camping for 6 seasons now, and have never been disappointed with any aspect of the camp. This is one of the free sites on the Middle Delaware River Trail that is maintained by the NPS, ( National Park Service). They are a first come, first camped, set up, but I have not once in 6 years, (multiple trips per year), ever found anyone in the site ahead of me.
The island is situated in a way that once darkness falls there are no lights to be seen in either direction, up or down river. You are camped on the side of the island that views Pennsylvania's shore. Now, no lights means an incredible view of the night sky. The camp site is VERY spacious, we have used 5 tents at one time here, 6 or more boats, and when you add the main campfire as well as the couple minor fires through-out the camp that were burning, there was no feel of crowding at all. The Island was once a part of the Lenape Indian's territory, and granted it may be dated back to late 1700's/ early 1800's, it almost seems like there were people here as of the day before. Beautiful trails criss-cross the island and not a rock to be tripped over. I do not think I have worn shoes there even once.
This site is PRIMITIVE camping.... No bathrooms, no facilities of any sort.. Everything must be packed in and out, or you wont have it. There are waterfalls on the Pennsylvania shore within a quick walking distance of your location that are very much worth the time it takes to walk the trail.
There usually will be a patrol or two early in the mornings that goes by the island, but not once have I had a Ranger step foot on the island. Upon leaving the camp, the water is fairly shallow for about the first third of the river, but once you get out to the deeper water its a very easy paddle of maybe an hour and you are at the Dingman's Ferry area. Here you will find facilities, (no showers), trash receptacles, a picnic area, as well as a very historic site on the river. There are also trails that lead to Dingman's Falls as well once you get to the boat access. Make sure to meet the older couple that work the tolls on the bridge at Dingman's, they actually know 90% of their traffic on sight and by name. They enjoy sharing tons of history with those interested, and its a very interesting area that has a history of over 300 years. Tons of fishing, hiking, wildlife and nature everywhere to be found and enjoyed. If you are able to, I suggest at least visiting the island if not camping on it.

We went on a last-minute trip from Philly in what I think was opening weekend (April). We wanted to hike with toddlers, so that took up most of our Saturday. Main Ranger Station was really nice. We hope to come back and see more of the campground itself and try additional hikes. We took the short drive to Hawk Falls Trail and also completed the Orchard Trail Loop. Bathrooms with showers were just what we needed and easy to walk to, shared between our pet-friendly loop and another loop. Good sinks for cleaning dishes.

Stayed at 199 on the pet-friendly 165-228 loop. Lots of people walking dogs. Very varied length of campsites and privacy. Many around the inside of loops, especially right at the bathrooms would have been pretty tight, or possibly good if you were reserving a couple in a row. Would have been nice to have a big tree between ours and site 195, but there was some distance.

Check out was 3pm, which is awesome!