Stokes State Forest, New Jersey, United States

5sderoos 5:00 PM Jul 5, 2014

Beautiful, secluded camping
We stayed in the Steammill campground over the July 4th weekend and were sad to leave! Our site (T216) was set back from the road and backed up to a really lovely wooded area with a creek running through it. The sites on that side of the road were spread out and felt very private - there were people on both sides of us but we could hardly see them. We drove through the other camping areas in the park and Steammill seemed to be the most secluded and had the best nature (Oquittunk area was really nice, too) - for us, it was worth not having easy access to flush toilets and showers. Our only complaint was that the camping area was a little tricky to get to and the roads were not well marked. We arrived after the park office was closed (I'm sure they'd have given us directions to the camping area otherwise), and fortunately they had brochures out front with maps, or we'd have never made it to the site. Just something to keep in mind if you will be arriving after the office closes at 4pm. We didn't explore Stokes much beyond our camping area because the weekend entry fee (for anything accessed through the main entry) is a little pricey for out-of-staters ($20/day). Raymondskill Falls, Dingmans Falls, and Childs' Park were all great for free hiking, though, and there were several free hiking paths in/around the Steammill camping area.

4duck8to 5:00 PM Mar 22, 2022

Outdoor Experiences
Stokes State Forest located in Norhern New Jersey is 16,000 acres preserved natural habitat. It is composed of deciduous trees mainly oak, maple and beech, as well as, various pines and firs. The Appalachian Trial runs through Stokes which has an elevation of1,653 at Sunrise Mountain Overlook, a far cry from western mountains which range from 7,000' to 20,000+ feet. There is an entrance fee after Memorial Day and continues to Labor Day. The fee is collected at a toll booth near the Visitors Center. Lots of information can be gathered at the Visitors Center including: camping, boating, swimming, hunting, fishing and hiking trails which are numerous. In the off-season entrance to the Forest is free. Camping sites have picnic tables, tented areas, fire rings and some furnished cabins which during the summer require reservations. The Tillman Ravine Natural Area has steep slopes and waterfalls while the Shotwell area have an extensive trail system. Stony Lake has a pavilion and restrooms. This is a bear area and precautions should be taken to the extent that they can be. Fortunately, New Jersey has a black bear population. There are no Grizzley bears.