Batona — Wharton State Forest

The camp road was kinda hard to get around direction wise you couldn’t tell what was a road and what was a campsite. It was Saturday night and only two other campers but one was a huge group but thankfully not too loud. Two pit toilets that was pretty bad shape but we are used to disperse camping without toilets so we didn’t complain.

Small campground right on the Batons Trail. Water is seasonal. Be bear aware.

The Batona Campground in Wharton State Forest is a small campground best suited for tent campers. It can get busy (and rowdy) on weekends. The road into the campground is sand.

A water pump provides fresh water but is not available in the winter. There's at least two pit toilets in the campground - don't expect luxury.  Bears frequent this campground so be bear aware and practice proper food storage. 

Best part about the campground is that it's right on the 50 mile Batona Trail so it's a great stop-over assuming you've made reservations. No first-come first-serve. Site 6 is one of the more private sites as it's tucked into the back corner.

Best part of this campground is trailheads begin directly from campsites. Trails vary in length but all are flat and easily accessible.

The road into the campground is about 1 mile of loose sand. It can be accessed by a standard vehicle.

Site are suitable for tents or small campers. The unpaved road into the site is narrow and tree lined. A larger RV would not fit.

Bathrooms are very basic. Fresh water pump is located at entrance to campground.

Each campsite is a cleared area with a fire pit.

Wharton State Forest Batona Campground has some of the best trails I’ve hiked.

Downside is the campsite is tight. You must camp in designated spots and reserve online. Not much distance between sites.

However, with the amount of outdoor activities there really is no reason to stay idle in the daytime. Hiking trails ranging from 1 to 50 miles…. Canoe launches…. Fishing…. Abandoned Atsion Village to explore…

Bathroom facilities at Batona are more like outhouses. My favorite part is the old fashioned hand powered water pump!

Road to the campground is paved. Roads leading to campsites are a loose sand. Sand roads to campsites are traversable by any vehicle. However, I would not head down any other unpaved areas without 4 Wheel or ATV.

Clean bathrooms and nice grounds

Thankfully no RVs here. Very much enjoyed the stay

It is so easy to get lost in these woods and I LOVE IT! I grew up near the pine barrens and would camp here many times with friends.  If you want off the beaten path and not close to anyone... this is IT!

You might even see the Jersey Devil :)

Paid a visit mid November. Hiked from the Batso Office to the Mullica River tent sites. Trail could get a tad sandy but it's well maintained. Would definitively come visit again and stay more than one night.

Welcome to the Pine Barrens of NJ.

We stayed at a primative group campsite during Philly Questival. Each site was clearly labeled and flat with a fire pit. It definitely met our needs!

The Batona Campground is in the northern area of the Wharton State Forest and is a bit removed from most trails and other campgrounds in the park.

While the individual campsites appear to be somewhat close together and the campground area is very open, there were few other campers during our visit, and privacy was not an issue. However, in warm summer months when more people are camping, I could see this being a much less private experience.

Each campsite includes a fire pit with a grate (no picnic tables). There are two outhouses and one water source within the campground. The entire campground is fairly shaded by the pines, and the ground is flat throughout. The back of the campground backs up to a beautiful creek/ swamp, and the Batona trail runs through the campground.

The closest ranger station for checking in and purchasing wood is about a 20 minute drive.