39 votes

Swartswood State Park Campground

1091 E. Shore Rd., New Jersey 07877 USA

Closed Now

Opens Sun 7a

Independent
Pet Friendly
Not Wheelchair
Accessible
Public
Restrooms

Swartswood State Park is a protected area located in the Swartswood section of Stillwater and Hampton townships in Sussex County, New Jersey, in the United States. Established in 1915 by the state's Forest Park Reservation Commission, it was the first state park established by the state of New Jersey for the purposes of recreation at the state's third-largest freshwater lake. Today, Swartswood State Park is operated and maintained by the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry. The park's main feature is Swartswood Lake, a glacial lake located in northwestern New Jersey's Kittatinny Valley—part of New Jersey's Ridge and Valley physiographic province. Both Swartswood Lake and the smaller Little Swartswood Lake are remnants of the retreat glaciers from the Wisconsin glaciation which began roughly 20,000 years ago. Both lakes have been the focus of water-quality improvement efforts by the state, including invasive aquatic-weed control and watershed protection in association with a local non-profit organization. The park is open all year, with many recreational activities available, including hiking, birdwatching, cross-country skiing, swimming, boating, and camping. Fishing and hunting are also permitted within the park.

Reviews of Swartswood State Park Campground

3 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

3.3 Access

4.0 Location

4.7 Cleanliness

4.3 Site Quality

3.3 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G

Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on November 16, 2018

Reviews

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Reviewed by
roadtripper2266952

59 Reviews
0 Helpful

September 05, 2016

We had reservations for 2 nights and only stayed one in Aug 2016.

Check-in was at the park entrance. We were told to drive in a loop to the parking lot and come inside to check in. The parking lot was not designed for towing vehicles. Larger rigs should park in the beach parking and walk over.

The campground has two sections. What they call shaded grass sites (I'd call partial to full sun sites.) Then there is fully wooded sites and I'd agree to that description. The wooded sites are labeled as tent camping and the sites on the grass can accommodate trailers and RVs. There were a few wooded sites that we could have gotten into with our 21 foot trailer, but not many. The road in this section was narrow which is also a consideration for anyone towing. There are also 5 yurts that are in a separate loop.

Sites have a picnic table and fire ring. It is dry camping, no hook-ups. No generators, no pets, no alcohol (yeah, right), and no flying drones. The bath house was modern, clean, and had free showers.

There are MANY signs and notices that you are camping in bear country and must store food and coolers properly. Even their dish washing station at the bath house is inside an enclosed room. The swimming area doesn't have trash cans, but they give you a garbage bag to carry out your trash.

There is a sandy beach for swimming in Swartswood lake when lifeguards are on duty. I think the times are 10 am to 6 pm Memorial day through Labor Day. There is a concessions stand at the beach. The park offers boat rentals for something like $15/hour.

Quite hours are 10 pm to 6 am. The reality was that the campground was still rocking at 1 am on the Friday we were there. We were glad quite hours ended at 6 am because we packed up and left as soon as we could. I would not stay here again on a weekend. I doubt I'd stay any other time either. We were hot without hook-ups, the lake was okay but not enough to keep the teenagers entertained, and it's really in the middle of no where. I do think if it wasn't so hot and during a quiet weekday the experience could be better.

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Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 1

Site Number: 30

RV Length: 18 ft

RV Type: Travel Trailer

2 Access

3 Location

5 Cleanliness

4 Site Quality

1 Noise

Reviewed by
Campendium

November 16, 2018

One of our favorite state parks in the area. Helpful staff, lots of hiking paths, and a very nice playground for the little ones. We love it here.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: -

Days Stayed: -

Site Number: -

RV Length: 26 ft

RV Type: Travel Trailer

4 Access

4 Location

4 Cleanliness

4 Site Quality

4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

Reviewed by
Campendium

July 14, 2020

Very clean grounds, the lake beach isn’t open for swimming, but you can walk around the lake to other spots.

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This reviewer would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $25.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 1

4 Access

5 Location

5 Cleanliness

5 Site Quality

5 Noise

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