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.

So 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.

Feeling adventurous? Feeling dangerous? NO? Feel like making friends so you don't twist an ankle trying to go to the restroom at night? We wouldn't want to walk down this rocky path through the woods to get to the road/car/restroom in the daylight. The path through the woods isn't bad until the very top where it is very rocky and a bit steep. However there is a nicely sloped gravel path to the campsite, but it runs straight through campsite 29! A bit awkward to walk by strangers and wave a greeting, but this path puts you right in between their tent and campfire. Hahaha, awkward.

This campsite is far from the road, which is great. Feels like you are really in the mountains with the view uphill. Only 5-10 minutes from the restroom/water. 

Overall a good campsite that makes you make friends. Or perhaps reserving both campsites for a larger 6+ gathering?

This is a good platform campsite, with a lot of gravel parking or extra tent space. It is not very private/secluded as it is right by the road, but we enjoy waving at neighbors driving or walking by. Short 5-10 min walk to the restroom and water, no sinks or showers. The weather was warm and while it didn't rain, there were some morning drips and drops from the mountain dew or whatever condensing in the tree tops.

The setup is a bit weird, with an upper campsite trail/path cutting through the lower campsite. Twenty-nine is the lower campsite, 30 is the one up the hill. There might be some awkwardness if you did have neighbors at 30. They would be walking in between your tent and campfire, which would be awkward. However, there is a marked parking spot for 30 down the road a bit and also a rocky, more adventurous path through the woods up to the campsite. If asked, we would probably let 30 park with us since there is so much space and safer footing. It would probably be awesome to get both campsites if you had a larger group, 6+. Party campsite at the top and business campsite at the bottom? lol.

We didn't have neighbors at 30, but the campsite across the road, down by the lake, did park nearby. Setting up the hammock was a bit awkward.

Spiders, omg, spiders. So many spiders! I had to clear off so many spiders from my "porch" to sit without fear from above. I will bring a broom now to brush off my foes, the bane of my camping experience. If you can get over that, this is a very good campsite.

Campsite is flat, grassy, some rocks to avoid, one tree in center, large fire ring, picnic table, short walk to the pit toilet, short walk to the water spigot that is always running and ice cold, short walk to the blue trail for hiking, nearby lake/stream, somewhat secluded though close to road entrance/exit, 10 minute drive to flush toilets and showers at lake campground, 20 minute drive to main state park and office, hiking trails available there too, firewood available for purchase at office. 

Lots of nature and animal sounds day and night, saw deer, doves, robins, woodpeckers, quail(?), chipmunks, squirrels, skunk(?), and heard frogs. Lots of flying bugs, gnats, moths, flies, mosquitoes, etc. especially at night. 

Good weather, a bit hot and muggy, but the breeze was cool and it didn't rain! I met a couple nice campers and we went hiking at the main park. A very good weekend.

Flat ground, sand, dirt, moss, leaves. Enough space for 2-3 tents. Lots of trees for hammocks. Wheelchair accessible picnic table. Fire ring. First time I have seen roaches in the wild. Water spigot down the road a bit. Close campsites, no privacy. Close to the parkway, constant road noise. Okay bathrooms, flush toilets, sinks, showers, electric outlet. Payphone!? Playground. Campground sells firewood.

This campground was not my first choice. I would rather be in more secluded mountainous campsites. The upside to being so close to the parkway is that there are convenience stores nearby if you forget something. Campground sells firewood, they leave it outside the park office so you can pick it up whenever, Do they leave it out overnight? Would be great to know when I roll in after office hours Friday night straight from work. I was unnerved by the cockroaches, both in the bathrooms and at the campsites at night. I was afraid to bring them home, but they weren't evident when I packed up. My noisy neighbors were bothersome, until I realized I forgot my phone charging cord and they let me borrow one! Rained Friday during the day, so the ground was wet all weekend, but no puddles. Got a bit of a sunburn because I forgot cloudy days are deceptive. Otherwise, I had a nice time hanging out(literally, I love hammocks) at the campsite the whole weekend, journaling, reading, and listening to music.

My 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.

Nice weekend at a new-to-us campground, August 2020. Each campsite has a firepit/ring, picnic table, and lantern hook. Privacy depends on the campsite, some have more trees and plants than others. We chose a corner site to hopefully have less interaction with neighbors during the pandemic. We stayed at the campsite mostly, burning stuff and listening to music. Water spigot is nearby. Short walk to the bathrooms. Whether was very warm, then it rained. The pine barrens are very different from the mountains we normally camp in upstate.

Campsite sells fire wood. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets and showers, masks required for the pandemic. Also has a center washroom or laundry room, but it was closed for the pandemic.

Oh, got a bit lost on the way. Internet had us take unpaved "roads" directly to the campsites, when it would have been better to go past the ranger station and stick to paved main roads through the park.

This was my second time camping at High Point State Park, Sawmill Area, October 2020. I chose this campsite, 031, based on the photos on the reservation website and boy was I disappointed. We wanted to setup our large tent on the **flat** gravel driveway and our hammocks and relaxation area on the platform. The photos did not convey the actual steepness of this site!! The gravel driveway is on a 30-40 degree incline. The tent was too long for the 12'x10' platform, so we had to set it up on the flattest part and hope not to roll down the hill in the night. We stayed 5d/4n. We ended up tearing down the large tent and setting up a smaller one on the platform for the last night, due to rain.

Beyond the tricky setup, it was nice fall weather until the rain the last night. The lake was beautiful in the morning with mist or steam. We took one afternoon to visit the High Point Monument, which was lovely. No room for yard games, but we spent the time relaxing and burning stuff. The site was very secluded. The weather was overcast so we weren't able to use our telescope at night.

Each campsite has a firepit/ring, picnic table, and lantern hook. Campsite sells fire wood. Clean-ish bathrooms with flush toilets, no sinks, no showers, with that awful outhouse smell. Bringing your own toilet paper is a good idea as the park didn't replace it enough and it ran out. Though that could have been pandemic personnel issues.

My first time camping at High Point State Park, Sawmill Area, September 2019. I chose a campsite close to the restrooms and water spigot. It turned out to be very secluded, minus the foot traffic to the restroom at all hours. The campsite is mostly gravel so the platform is necessary. There are no trees for hammocking, so I made the best of it with the platform and my car. There was also not a lot of shade during the day. I moved my chair around to chase the shade. It was hot during the day and chilly at night.

Campground is close hiking trails and the High Point Monument(20min drive).

Each campsite has a firepit/ring, picnic table, and lantern hook. Campsite sells fire wood. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets, no sinks, no showers, no bad smell.

My first trip to this campground was September 2020. We wanted to get out of the house, but stay clear of other campers during the pandemic. This campsite, CS52, was in the woods and we were able to get the illusion of privacy by parking the cars along the road as a makeshift wall and pitching our tents beside them, facing inward. The other 3/4 of the campsite was bound by trees and shrubs which was nice and why we chose the spot. Other sites are more open and only the darkness of night will give you privacy. Each campsite has a firepit/ring, picnic table, and lantern hook.

We hung out at the campsite mostly, using the fire pit, playing frisbee, and relaxing in our hammocks. When we did roam a bit, there was a nice lake, with seating every so often and a boat dock ramp thing in the campground. There was also a playground, beach, pavilion, and picnic tables, but we did not use any of that. 

Campsite sells fire wood. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets and showers, masks required for the pandemic.

This was my second time camping at Swartswood State Park. I got one of the last available campsites and it was okay, but not one I would have normally chosen. This campsite was in the open grass area and not very private, but that was okay for this trip as I spent the days hiking around lakes and waterfalls in the area(45min drive). I got back to the campsite just before dark and built a fire and relaxed before bed. I watched everyone pack up and leave while I had breakfast, before packing up and hiking the rest of the day. For a last minute, spur-of-the-moment trip, this campsite worked out well.

Campsite sells fire wood. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets and showers, masks required for the pandemic still.