Stokes State Forest

There are four campgrounds that are all pretty different, we stayed at Shotwell across from the pond. For the most part, each campsite has its own porta potty or it shared with a couple other sites. At the entrance of the campground, there is a bathhouse with running water, bathrooms, and potable water. We stayed in one of the RV areas across the pond. It was peaceful to hear the frogs chirping at night, but definitely didn’t think about how many more bugs the pond would bring, probably wouldn’t stay at that specific spot again even though it’s really pretty. Most of the campsites were very rocky, but you can find some that have a little bit of grass. We came on a Friday night. Everyone was up pretty late, but was not crazy loud. The rest of the weekend it seemed like everyone’s simmered down. The campground was full of mostly families. If you wanted to shower, you would have to head to the group campsite not too far but you need to drive. We don’t typically expect to have a campgrounds with a ton of amenities. Potable water and a toilet is really all we need. Overall, it was a great time gorgeous park. Also took a few pictures of the cabins in Shotwell. I wouldn’t personally rent one, but I guess if your winter camping it has a little fireplace and will keep you dry and somewhat warm.

Stokes is my go-to state park for unplugging and enjoying time with my family. We brought our son (23 months at time of visit) on his first camping trip this past September. He loved every minute of it.

Site T07 in Lake Ocquittunk is gorgeous and one of the few relatively secluded sites in the campground. You need to carry your gear down a narrow, rocky path that's a little steep near the road, but it's manageable. There's also a graded path into the site adjacent to a neighboring site, but you should check with those campers if they are ok with you cutting through to use it. (We opted not to disturb our neighbors and take the slope.)

I thought I would be able to launch my kayak from site 7 since it's waterfront, but there are a lot of huge rocks in the water that prevent you from getting out into the lake. We had to find a different launch spot. That was probably the biggest disappointment for us.

Still, I love site 7 and it's absolutely worth the privacy and the views every morning.

Stokes State Forest is a beautiful park with a lot of different trails to check out, though some of them are difficult to access due to parking. The camping areas are split between two different entrances. If you’re in Lake Ocquitunk, like I was, you don’t enter at the main entrance, you have to go past the main entrance about another mile on rt. 15 N. and enter by the YMCA. All the other camping areas are near the main entrance by the forest office. The campsites themselves are a little too close together in some spots with little coverage or privacy. There is a day parking area which is only accessible going through the main entrance by the forest office— if you visit during the week park entrance is free, but on the weekend fees can be a bit steep. I wasn’t super happy with my campsite as I wasn’t able to physically have my car on the site like I thought. I had to park in a small lot above my campsite and carry my belongings down a short slope to the site. I like to car-camp so this was a bit of a let down having my car separate from my actual campsite.

The bathrooms were nice and had flush toilets, but the showers were out of service during my time. Bathrooms are extremely spaced out so you will have to walk a far distance unless you strategically choose a site next to one. I drove through the other campsite and only saw 1 set of bathrooms that had toilets and showers per campground, not including the outhouses I saw for those in the small cabins.

Rented a cabin in November (#009) and again in December (#008) of 2021. I favored Cabin 8, the kitchen and bathroom were separated from the main room.

The cabins are reasonably priced and well-appointed, if a bit rustic. The interior features are just what you'd expect for getting away for the weekend. THe main room has a bunk bed and two twins, a table with benches, two Adirondack chairs, a wood stove set into a fireplace (some cabins still feature a fireplace only, but these two did not), hot/cold water, electric stove with oven, refrigerator, toilet, bathroom sink, mirror, plenty of hooks to hang jackets and coats, storage cabinets in the kitchen area, overhead lighting, wall outlets, and screened windows.

The doors feature deadbolt locks - so be sure to always take the key or set the lock to be unlocked all the time.

The mattresses are vinyl covered, so you can wipe them down with your own sanitizing wipes. There was hand sanitizer in each cabin as well.

Outside is a picnic table, fire ring, and grill. There are hooks near the door to hang a lantern.

The park office is not nearby, about 2(?) miles away. They sell wood, and there are a few road stands near the campground, but that wood is wet. You'll need to find some birch to get your fire going if, like me, you didn't buy wood on the way (plenty of signs for wood as you approach the park office) and the office was closed upon arrival. I bought wood from a house across the street from the entrance to the cabins and it was damp, but in November, I wasn't complaining, it took awhile but I got a nice blaze going. You need that wood stove to heat up the cabin. Turning on the oven is a help, but not a good solution. The wood stove definitely heats the room up nicely. I went through two bundles of wood in one night, and could have used more in the morning. (There's plenty of fallen wood around but it was damp/raining both times I visited). The second time I took six bundles of wood and used them all from Friday to Sunday morning, and 7 would've have been better.

The trails nearby are varied, read the maps (especially NY NJ Trail Conference Maps) to get an idea of difficulty/elevation. We went in November when there was a light rain that turned into a thunderstorm with hail and sleet! It was certainly an adventure. The area was  incredibly peaceful in December with many cabin reservations abandoned due to rain in the forecast. It did rain, but was still a great trip. The photos of the tent sites were taken in December.

Stokes is nestled in a beautiful part of New Jersey and it’s just remote enough that you can get away from the crowds and activity while still being in a short driving distance of restaurants, grocery stores, etc. We stayed at Lake Ocquittunk, which was a little disappointing. The site itself (T001) was absolutely massive and stunningly beautiful. Unfortunately, when the site was cleared, trees were cut down to the stump and the stumps were just left there. This posed both a tripping hazard and a driving hazard. You have to weave your way around the various stumps and small boulders protruding from the ground in all lighting conditions. The site is on a gentle slope, which made it difficult to find a level area for the tent, but we found a spot that suited us perfectly. The campground overall needs some improvement. It almost felt neglected or abandoned. The bathrooms weren’t great, but I’ve seen much worse. The park staff were incredibly helpful and generous with time and information. Directions were easy to follow and we felt comfortable staying there. Ultimately, we would gladly return in the future, but we might visit in a warmer season.

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.

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.

We went to Stokes for a one nighter to test out my new truck tent.  We stayed at site 11 on Lake Ocquittunk.  While making reservations it said almost all sites were full but upon arrival the vast majority of sites were empty which made for a quiet/relaxing night.  It was a fair sized site with room for a couple large tents.  Site was located on a small hill next to the lake with the road directly in front and water about 50 yards away and the bathrooms about 100 yards away.  Facilities were clean and stocked so no complaints there.  After packing up we drove down the road and were able to get in a nice 5 mile hike up to the fire tower.  Due to cooler temps there were really no bugs to complain about while camping.

Overall we had a great time and will definitely be coming back for a more extended stay.  If you are looking for more secluded campsites try to get 13 or 14 as they seem to sick back more.  Sites 8-11 are adjacent to the road and in peak times probably have a fair about of foot and vehicle traffic.

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.

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.

I stayed at the Gren Anderson Shelter in Stokes State Forest while Section Hiking the Appalachian Trail from the Delaware Water Gap to the NY State Line in November. This shelter offers more amenities than many shelters on the AT including an actual privy. The shelter is your typical structure with three walls and a roof. The site has a bear box, a picnic table, a composting toilet ~100 yards uphill, and a water source ~150 yards downhill (this is a stream and needs to be treated). The shelter did not seem to have a rodent problem but I stayed there in the winter which may have limited their activity. Although the shelter is a couple of miles North of Culvers Gap, there is a road a little to the west and I heard cars drive by every 5 to 10 minutes. The one caution I can offer is that I hiked into camp late and the sun had already gone down. I walked past the shelter and turned around when the trail seemed to disappear. The shelter is to the right while hiking down the spur off of the AT.