Great trails. Lake for boats, but no swimming this year, 2026. Peaceful and relaxing, beautiful park with campground.

This park is a great place to go camping. Very shady and scenic with lots of trails. They have restrooms with plumbing and showers, so you can't go wrong there. New Jersey has lots of wonderful places to go camping; this is just one. read more

Review #2500! Don't get me wrong. I've stayed in my share of hotel suites and villas (thanks to my amazing work situation), but I'm also a fan of getting back to nature (veteran Burning Man survivor) and when I lived in the Sierra Nevada, off grid and dispersed camping was a joy. Now that I'm older and back in Jersey, we mix the best of both worlds by staying in more rustic accommodations in NJ, DE and PA state parks with friends. We want to rough it, but we also need a toilet when you're a middle aged lady of a certain age and also a bed off the floor - no more sleeping on the dirt for me these days. Parvin State Park was a pleasant surprise. It's on the edge of the Pine Barrens, and the small little lake in front of the cabins host a pair of white swans and lots of honking geese and ducks. We stayed in Cabin 12, which was very basic and in winter, the only heat source was an old-fashioned cast iron wood stove. We came prepared with tons of firewood and we loved it! Nothing like a roaring fire, a good book and Van Morrison growling a love song in the background. You can even get cell service! During winter, no running water and a porta potty was outside. The cabin had a working stove and a full sized fridge. $115 for 2 nights in regular cabin ($60 per night) / $80 per night for #6 or 16 Check in at 3 PM, out by noon Walmart is 10 minutes away in case you forget something important (ahem) Cheap firewood (but burns fast) at Tractor Supply Living room has 4 outlets Each bunk room has an outlet, wall hooks and light (though not very bright) Walls are not completely closed off in bunk rooms if privacy is a concern Map showing which cabins have wood stoves or fireplace inserts. https://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/maps/parvin-cabinmap.pdf Cabins #6 and #16 are ADA, two bedrooms with bunk beds and a single bed each ($80 per night) Much more open living room During high season, these can only rent for a week at a time, Monday to Monday PRO TIPS: · Bring slip on shoes to go in and out to outdoor porta potty if winter - it was exactly 25 steps from the door to the porta potty (I counted) · Bring room heater if it's winter for added warmth · Bring small tub and your own water for washing dishes / non-potable water if it's winter since the kitchen sink is shut off · Bring fan if it's hot · Bring extra lamps because rooms are dark · If you are not bringing a camp chair, bring chair pads for hard wooden chairs provided. read more

Lake Parvin: the first body of water I've visited where the algae looks like hair weave. read more

Parvin State Park - Beachside at Parvin Lake - Parks Near Me - Elmer, New Jersey

Wonderful State Park, great for taking a walk or camping or fishing or anything you might want to do outside. The trails are kept up and there is an abundance of trails to choose from. read more

Needs more maintenance in the bath houses. Toilets are stained and everything is rusty. read more

Parvin State Park - Showers are rusty and grimy. Never toilet paper or paper towels in Women's restroom. Yuck. - Parks Near Me - Elmer, New Jersey

Came here to try camping! The site we were at (049) was VERY large and private but right off the entrance road. The biggest problem here was we came after work on Friday so by the time we arrived the store was closed and we couldn't purchase firewood on site. I would recommend bringing firewood if you plan to arrive after 5pm on a Friday. Hiking here was pretty easy if you stay on the main trail but we went off onto some smaller marked trails and got COVERED in ticks. Other thing is we brought our dog so we couldn't check out the beach. This is an okay place to camp but I probably won't be back. It was kind of expensive not being an NJ resident. read more

Parvin State Park - the camp site itself was great! - Parks Near Me - Elmer, New Jersey

The grounds were OK. No bells and whistles at all. The playground looked old like it was from Nightmare on Elm Street and the bathroom water was being delivered through rusty pipes and you could smell the rust when showering. Other campgrounds in the area are much better. read more

This place is beautiful no matter what time of year you go, plenty of walking trails, camping spots, playground, and swimming spots. Perfect place to tucker your pup out too! read more

Parvin State Park - Lake - Parks Near Me - Elmer, New Jersey

A cool park situated in the Pinelands. I might even be persuaded to go close to 5 stars if not for the fees. The $2 per person beach fee is not bad to be honest, but I'm not sure why there needs to be launch fees and others. Canoe and kayak rental is a plus, but again at higher than normal rates for a small lake. Snack bar was priced as you might have expected too. But really, just pack your own and enjoy the fresh air. We walked a part of the free trail that skirts around the lake. Cabins are located here and at $50 a night seem like an inexpensive family overnight trip. These are situated overlooking a smaller body of water, there are grills outside and a small kitchen as well. Showers were available on the swimming beach, not sure if in cabins. I will definitely return this summer for more piney fun. read more

Parvin State Park - Catching baby catfish - Parks Near Me - Elmer, New Jersey

Goose poop everywhere.... Not clean....... I feel like if I go there I'll get sick .. I will never bring my child at this place

I hadn't been to Parvin State Park in about 10 years and we decided to go instead of the shore on this special occasion rare Monday off. I'm so glad we went and think this will be a new 'go to' for us, especially when not wanting to spend extra on gas, spending $ and time trekking to my beloved Ocean City. Route 55 South all the way for us - boom - there in under a half hour! The parking is great and puts you directly across from the awesome lake and 'beach.' It's only $2/pp to enter. You can literally spend your whole day here sunning and swimming. Just pack your sun block, some towels & a nice lunch b/c they only have a snack stand w/ junkie foods (for the most part). My kids had a great time in the lake - mainly goofing off and playing w/ the baby catfish. (they were super cute!). Lifeguards were on duty and on point. There are restrooms, showers/changing areas BUT no where for your trash?! What you take in, you take out. Probably the only negative from me for this sweet little place. There are also nice trails to walk through that are dog friendly. We checked out the cabins and may rent one later in the summer. This is my kind of camping - indoor facilities and a stove, etc. $50/night from what we saw. Of course the website has the full details. We're all looking forward to going back and soon! read more

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Where should I start.....?? I guess I better start by being honest... Yeah. That's where I'll begin. I had some pretty good memories of being brought here as a kid... It was a whole day of swimming in the lake and cooking out. Well, maybe deciding to come here with my 9 year old was made by looking through kid glasses... There's actually a lot to enjoy at this park... There's plenty of space and shaded areas with grills already there. I saw quite a few groups with parties setup. There's a lot of hiking trails, and there are canoe and kayak rentals. One guy told me the canoe rental was about $40 for the whole day... Not a bad deal. I'd suggest bringing whatever you're going to eat, drink, suntan lotion, goggles, etc... The concession stand seemed a little on the expensive side. Entry into the lake is $2 per person. There's a sign (that's if you're into reading) that states whatever trash you bring, take it with you.... I'm thinking to myself, that's an odd sign... Then I realized that there weren't any trash cans in sight!! The water... the water.... We stepped into this lake, and the last things that it could be described as is clear... I'd say that it was murky... But what puzzled me was what was being called seaweed... Seriously, it looked like hair and a lot of lost weave floating in this water... I've been around a lot of seaweed before.. but I've never seen sea-weave like this before in my life!! Would I go back... Yes. Not to swim, because we were filthy when we got out of the water.. But I would go back to picnic, setup my chairs and umbrellas on this beach, use the hiking trails, and rent a canoe.... I think the park is well maintained. But that lake isn't anything that I want anyone to say that my review led them there to swim in.... read more

Parvin State Park - Parks Near Me - Elmer, New Jersey

So many memories of Parvin's over the years... now that I live in Alaska, I realize that your opinion of state and national parks is truly relative. But by NJ standards, Parvin's is a-ok. It's one of the few parks where you can legally camp and swim. There's tent sites and cabins for rent (online reservations in advance recommended.) There's a popular fresh water beach tht costs $2 bucks to use. I loved it as a kid. Its cedar water, so if you don't know what that is, it might freak you out... its opaque and leaves weird brown slime on your skin. There's a nice 2 1/2 mile loop trail around the lake that's completely flat. There's some cool guided tours available... the edible plants tour is pretty popular, but the state is always cutting back so availability of those types of things ebbs and flows. In the fall, they have cool hayrides and stuff. There's also tent campsites and cabins for rent as well in the summer months. Honestly, there's more things than I can list here. Now that I live in Alaska, I realize how I took the safety of NJ forests for granted... other than people, there's nothing that wants to eat and kill you. It's so wonderfully freeing to wander the forests without having to concern one's self with safety concerns. The smell of the forest in fall is wonderfully spicy and magical. In spring and summer the huge oak and pine trees afford respite from the oppressive heat. In winter, the forest invites solitude, since most people in NJ hibernate for the winter. The park isn't perfect, but it's definitely a place where New Jerseyans can find respite from the hustle and bustle of NJ life. read more

Waaaay too many rules, lifeguards really killing the fun. The kids can't even play with floats or touch algae floating around them without getting a whistle blown. read more

Parvin State Park - About 4 feet deep at most. Still get whistle blown if children are kneeling. - Parks Near Me - Elmer, New Jersey

Nice place to go with the family for a walk or to ride bikes. We live close so we come here often. They have 3 levels of trails, a small trail, medium trial and long trail for biking, running or walking. There's a lake for fishing or kayaking and a man made beach for swimming and hanging out. There is a fee to get onto the beach during the summer I believe it's $5 a person but I've never been when I had to pay and I'm just going by memory. Cabin and tent spots are avaible to rent, some parts are alittle run down but what else would you expect from the state? The cabins are very old I think they were built in the 50s or 60s and are very rustic to say the least. They also have play grounds throughout the park and they also have a baseball field.. The park is pretty clean and has a dedicated park police stationed at all times which is a good thing. read more

The hiking and the campground were nice. But we were disappointed because we had hoped for nice lake swimming, and the lake is gross. It is full of slimy green algae mats. There is a small swimming area that has been cleared of green slime, but it is extremely noisy and crowded, and water is dirty-looking and full of floating shreds of algae. We quickly got out and went canoeing instead, which was better, but we had to make an effort to stay away from the slime, which is hard to paddle through. I think I would probably try a new place rather than Parvin again, unless I was sure I was not going to be going near the water. We had good lake swimming a couple of years ago at Belleplain, which is not far from Parvin. read more

The management ruined our family trip...save your money go somewhere nice...cabin was nasty as well like they didn't clean. Overall bad experience. Don't risk a special occasion or a holiday here!! read more

Small but great state park for the trial run, been here twice, about 10-15 minutes from the NJ-55 and Vineland downtown. The trial is about 2.5 miles circle, and there is a stretch to the lake, beautiful views out there. read more

I love this place! Great for trail running and mountain biking. I also kayak a lot. And picnic. Just a little gem in south jersey! I forgot to mention its pet friendly! read more

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Such a clean park and very clean the trails are definitely a fantastic way to escape into the nature.

Its a nice place... but because a woman was attacked earlier this past summer. I would say if youre a woman dont go on the trails alone if you do so take a pocket knife something for protection. read more

Great park to get back in touch with nature! LOVE it there! I love the lake and trails. Great also for birdwatching.

I definitely do not recommend this camp ground to anyone... the bathrooms are disgustingly filthy. The people are not friendly. Not really much to do and the campgrounds just looks dirty.... read more

My family has been going to this campground in October for over 50 years . We've LOVED it every year. The campsites, lake, and trails are beautiful and plentiful. However, the bathroom condition is sad to say the least. We have watched them go from clean, kept, and stocked to barely kept. If you want to wash your hands bring your own soap. If you want to dry your hands better not use the bathroom toward the end of the day. DO NOT take a shower or else you will find yourself ankle deep in water due to poor drainage. There is no telling what kind of bacteria and/or viruses are living in whatever comes up from the drain. We have questioned the rangers, staff, and volunteers about this MANY times. The only answer they could give was that New Jersey doesn't allot very much money to their parks. I don't think it's ONLY the state of NJ. We donated some money to the Parvin Appreciation Committee, so they had our address. They asked for money to fix a gate, a bridge, and to refurbish a council ring. When we read this, we were SO disappointed that the bathroom drains weren't being at least repaired. We will not be coming back. read more