Park is well kept and clean. The fields and landscape is nice . The playgrounds well kept and safe…read moreequipment and roomy. Beautiful duck pond near the picnic grounds . Plenty of parking.

Last Saturday I came to High Point State Park with a hiking group called hiking with friends. It…read morewas my first time visiting High Point State Park. It was $10 for admission into the state park. Luckily the $10 wasn't per person but per vehicle. We hiked the Monument trail to the High Point Monument which is a 220-foot stone obelisk honoring New Jersey's war veterans, located at the state's highest elevation within High Point State Park. The monument trail was moderately challenging in terms of the path being a rocky trail and plenty of mini hills. During the hike it wasn't very scenic until we made it to the area of the monument. If you don't want to hike to the monument, there is also an option to drive your car up to the monument. Once we made it to High Point monument we decided to climb the 200 foot obelisk. I believe it is 291 steps to the top. So it was a bit exhausting to do after a hike but a few of us decided to take the challenge. There were some nice views from the top as well. Overall, I definitely recommend high point State Park. I also love that there are public restrooms and no porta potties. One thing to note is that the park enforces a carry-in, carry-out policy, meaning visitors must take all their trash and recycling with them when they leave. I did not see any trash cans at the state park so the policy makes sense.

I love camping. For me it's a time of reflection and relaxation. I spent Labor Day weekend kicked…read moreback with a good book in hand and my thoughts for a few days. Past two years have been tremulous for me but with God back in my life I wish I had put God back in my life sooner because I'd be living a very different life. But I've come to accept the life God has given me as of today. As I sat in the woods this weekend I reflected on my life's path. I've been back in church, have become well known in my community and going to Bible school. I'll likely be married in the near future and everything happening in my life isn't what I would have envisioned five years ago. If someone told me I'd be sitting in the woods camping and studying for Bible school, I'd tell them you're nuts. But I'm on a path of four years of Bible school with a God loving woman in my life. As the wind blows and the leaves flap in the wind all I can reflect on is my favorite Bible verse of all time, Proverbs 19:21. I planned and wanted one life but God is directing me in the direction of a different life I never expected. With my weekend winding down I'm sitting at camp catching a whiff of stench in the air as the wind blows the horrid smell of the restroom nearby. I wish this camp location had better restrooms and running water. With the hectic holiday weekend and too many humans camping, the restrooms got horribly smelly. Many campsite are nice but some are horribly steep. Having been to this location several times I don't love it but I certainly don't hate it. All I want is more camping and Gods will be done in my life. To God be all the glory!

Swartswood Lake State Park is always a relaxing place to walk, sit or just roam around the trails…read more Today, was overcast and misty and still had a relaxing time.

This state park holds a very special place in my heart, as most of my childhood summers were spent…read morehere. I still revisit it now, and it's like a beautiful time capsule for me. There are so many activities that you can do here: camping, fishing, ice fishing, picnicking, swimming, birding, boating, canoeing, biking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and my favorite, hiking. The four main trails are: Duck Pond Trail, Spring Lake Trail, Bear Claw Trail, and the Grist Mill Trail. Know Before You Go: There are entrance fees charged per vehicle.(Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day) Weekdays: $5.00 for NJ resident/ $10 (non-resident) Weekends: $10.00 for NJ resident/$20 (non-resident) There are plenty of secluded picnic tables and areas for grilling. And if you're like me and don't want to bother with grilling, food concessions are available during the summer months. Also, there are shower facilities by the main restrooms to rinse off after swimming in the lake. Go and enjoy this beautiful park that was New Jersey's first state park. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Absolutely beautiful! Hills, grills and thrills if you bring your jetski or boat! They have a stand…read morefor food and tables under a roof there right in front of the concession stand window. Clean Bathrooms and changing stalls also. 2 Volleyball courts. Today is 9/5/26 and the swimming is closed for the season but if you want to grill or sit on the massive grass landscape, you'll still enjoy your day immensely!!! Though, it is a windy day. You definitely won't be hit though so bring a book and a blanket and chill in the peace that is Lake Hopatcong!!!! Huuuuuggeeeee lake btw! Huge!!

Gorgeous Lake! Would recommend! Came from Mass. to take my…read moredad here. He was delighted!

Great hiking there as usual. Took short hikes up to the Appalachian Trail…read more Saw some trail magic, so added to it for through hikers.

SHOTWELL -- I camped at a lean-to at Showell camp grounds. The shelter was great, had plenty of…read morespace for my queen sized bed and my double seater folding chair. I used my small portable generator for power/lights. Wood purchased at the ranger station seemed to burn better than any wood I found around the campsite so I used purchased wood to start camp fires then used wood found around camp. What I didn't like was the shower facilities are at another camp entirely, Lake Ocquittunk, and that kind of sucked especially when I went looking for it at night. It's about 6 miles away but it gave me the opportunity to pull off at the gas station for some snacks, still it's location is super inconvenient. This place is great for winter camping and although the shelters are relatively close to each other, it's so cold that nobody is out bothering anyone. I plan on visiting this place in the summer to see how the tent sites are but I'll bring a portable toilet since the bath rooms are relatively far from the better more private camp sites.

Easy to moderate short hike down to a beautiful set of falls. Well worth the less-than half-hour…read morehike. Spotty cell-service and dogs prohibited on the trail--but we were the only ones in the parking lot!

I have been coming here for years and it has always been so beautiful. I love morning hikes…read more Seeing the water falls and hiking through the trails is so picturesque. It's a great cardio workout. We climb up trail stairs and down. We go up some hills and down. It really depends on the direction you decide to take. Fall is my favorite time of year to come here when the weather is a bit cooler and there is not as much people around. The trails in this this park is very clearly marked and you can see trails that were created by the parks department plus some that were created by people who wanted to adventure off the regular trails. There are some very very small caves if you look around hard enough. I see them take a quick peek and I am on my way. I am not that adventurous, lol. This is definitely a fantastic place to visit if you are in the area. Just a couple of things to remember. Bug spray is your friend. Spray yourself, ticks are not fun and also be careful when running your hands on the wooden handrails because there may be splinters. I now take tweezers with me just in case splinters or ticks but this park is still a fantastic place to visit.

Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge was established to conserve and enhance populations of…read morewildlife and their habitats, to protect and enhance water quality, and to provide opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation and research. The refuge conserves the biological diversity of the Wallkill Valley by protecting and managing land, with a special emphasis on forest-dwelling and grassland birds, migrating waterfowl, wintering raptors, and endangered species. The North American Waterfowl Management Plan identifies the Wallkill River bottomlands as a priority focus area for waterfowl management within New Jersey.

***2 1/2 stars***…read more Wallkill was the site of our First of the Year hike this year, on a warmer than usual January 1 with some decent sunshine. We picked this based almost solely on location - in recent years, a Sussex native has been trekking all over the state to participate in this noble event so a nearby spot was selected as a gesture of good will. Our specific sojourn took place exclusively on the Wood Duck Trail, a back and forth hike that was about three miles in total (perfect mileage for this event). The parking lot is easy to spot, just off 23, and while the lot itself does not have a port-a-potty, the spiffy QuickChek nearby does - and for what it's worth, the bathroom there was pretty clean and the employees very pleasant. I am always warmly received in the Kingdom of Sussex. It absolutely could have been the time of year, but this place seemed super desolate and not conducive to decent optics. It's a lot of marshy/swampy areas off to the sides of the trails, which can be spooky under the right circumstances (maybe they could do some kind of Halloween hike over here with lanterns?) but after a while it's just repetitive. At the end of the trail (very easy to spot - it's literally gated so you have no choice but to turn around), there's a pleasant little off-shoot where you can get pretty close to the Wallkill River and admire the water features. Our Honorary Young Pup scampered down to the edge and played around there for a few minutes before we headed back. There were also one or two wooden bridges to cross over little streams, which were nice enough. However, they were a bit slippery - all of us watched the Honorary Young Pup skip across them with gritted teeth, but she stayed upright. I don't know if that's just the result of recent thawing and the prior day's rain, but something to keep in mind if you're tromping around there in similar weather. Once or twice we also encountered lookout points ostensibly to view birds and other wildlife, but they were not interested in making themselves known on January 1. Our only wildlife sighting of the day was a cardinal hopping around on the ice nearby. It would have been improved if this trail permitted pooches, but alas - only service animals are allowed, and they were off doing their duty elsewhere on this particular day. I don't see any reason why the powers that be couldn't at least allow leashed canines here - I can't imagine a tethered retriever doing any damage to the waterfowl, but I don't make the rules. On the positive side, the trail IS pretty well maintained. Part of that could be the minimal brush along the edges (there were a few sticker bushes but nothing that really hindered our journey), but it was very easy and straight-forward to follow, and even on a morning where everything was still in the process of drying out, I was impressed by how solid the path was. I'd anticipated navigating around a few puddles, and there really weren't any to speak of. Also in that regard, it's very young pup friendly. Our Honorary Young Pup is now a cagey veteran of this event and was comfortable frolicking by herself further down the trail and had no issues completing this adventure. This wasn't terrible by any means, but personal preference-wise, I prefer hikes/trails that are more interesting.

Looking for a half day trip, I think this place fits the bill. The most unique part of this park…read moreis that there is an airport here, you heard that right. It's a mini airport with small planes and even planes with propellers back in the days. It's about a mile hike to the airport Runway, there are a couple of benches next to the runway gate that allow you to watch airplanes take off and go. The river is right next it so there is a river walk type of path. Bountiful parking in the lot. Andover diner is about 10 min away, it's a good trip.

Nice Suunny Sunday morning, so returning to Kittatinny Valley State Park I explored walking trails…read moreand relaxed by the store of the beautiful lake. Talk about peace and serenity. Great time was had... BUT - apparently there is a new custom for dog walkers to leave there little bags of dog lying around. I counted a dozen bags on my short walk. Disgusting and detracts from the experience