This is a great club to join. Awesome place for families, meeting new friends, lots of outdoor…read moreactivities year round in a woodsy setting. LOVE IT!!!

4.5 stars I recently…read morerevisited the Deer Lake Club with friends who are members, and I had a lovely afternoon. We drove up and down through winding suburban roads and almost drove right past the entrance to the club, as the sign was just a small red deer on a post. We drove down the dirt path and arrived at the gate, where a young student needed to check us in. For some reason he was having a tough time locating our names on the guest list, but eventually was able to allow us to enter. There were two parking lots that were essentially full, but we were able to catch someone as they were leaving for the day. We grabbed our bags and headed over to the small beach area, where there was a section blocked off for shallow swimming with a lifeguard present. They even allowed rafts and floaties in that part of the lake. Beyond the designated swimming area was a beautiful, massive lake where they were having a race that afternoon and where people typically enjoyed boating. There was a pier for fishing, as well. Food was not allowed on the beach, but there were plenty of picnic tables and Adirondack chairs scattered across grassy areas that were reserved for that purpose. In fact, though they had a snack bar with ice cream, grilled foods, and snacks, they even allowed people to bring their own meals. In addition, my friends told me that they had been able to secure a locker for this summer, after an extended period of being on the waitlist. By having on-site storage, they were able to keep all of their chairs, floats, umbrellas, etc. only a few steps from the beach, rather than needing to drag everything home full of sand and to track down a place to keep it all. Lastly, I learned that the lake had various events, like movie nights. Deer Lake Club really seemed to care about its members with its slew of amenities. Plus, it was just a very peaceful and pristine place to relax during warmer months.

We come here early to SUP with our dogs. We have our own boards. Its easy to get in and out of…read morethe water.

I've gone paddle boarding here with friends a few times and it is so much fun! They make renting so…read moreeasy: you can call ahead, book online, or go right up to the desk at the south boat launch. (I would recommend booking ahead because on nice days they can fill up quickly!) it is also a very fair price! I would recommend booking the two hour session because 1 hour goes by way too fast! It can be a little nerve wracking trying something new, so it is nice when the people working here are accommodating to your skill set and comfort level. I have yet to have a bad experience!

Rented a medium-sized pontoon for half a day. The staff was plentiful, courteous and professional…read more The boats were all in amazing shape. Ours looked brand new despite the hours logged. The outboard was only a 50 however, but with only 2 adults and 2 children on board it wasn't terribly underpowered. Pricing was competitive for the area. The marina was a bit tight but nothing I haven't seen before. There is very little traffic around their cove which makes for a quick departure and docking. I like that it's at the end of the lake which gives you an opportunity to do a full stretch without a lot of backtracking. The store was fully stocked with bait and tackle. This was one of the best boat rental experiences I've had in years and I would absolutely use them again.

I've used them a couple times and really can't imagine using a different boat rental company. They…read moreseem to have the best prices. I like to go for the fishing boat with motor because I don't want to paddle or pay too much but there are different options depending on what your doing. I would have preferred to make a reservation but the rentals are on first come, first serve basis so make sure you get there early. I wasn't sure how long I wanted the boat for so they let me book 2 hours and then settle up when I got back. I was a little nervous because the boat didn't tell me how deep the water was beneath me, but we didn't get stuck so it's all good. I was happy I brought my radio. I did get lost a little but was able to pull up a map on my phone. They have a lot of fishing equipment for you to buy as well. I had to take a "safety course" to be able to rent the boat but it didn't take long and wasn't a big deal. They didn't even give me a hard time about crashing into the wall on my way out. The steering took a little to get used to, especially in reverse. The first time I was here, I dropped the anchor in the water but it wasn't tied to the boat so it just dropped to the bottom.

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

Lake Hopatcong is the largest lake in New Jersey. It is 9 miles in length with 2,500 acres of fresh…read morewater. It was once part of the Morris Canal which stretched from Phillipsburg to Newark some 90 miles carrying iron, coal and zinc in the 1800's. Lake Hopatcong has both private and public beach access. Lake Hopatcong State Park has the largest public beach access. Swimming is restricted to Wed.-Sun. from 10am-9:30pm while lifeguards are on duty. The park itself opens at 8am. Lake Hopatcong has a short but nice sand beach and swimming area. Be aware that once the parking area is filled everyone coming later will be turned away. If you get to the park by 8am, hike the short trails or start up your grill for breakfast, lunch or dinner. All the grill areas have picnic tables and most have tree shaded locations. They are first come first serve.. The park also has a boat launch for larger motor boats, kayaks, sailboats, jetskies etc that can be brought unto the lake..A sand court volleyball area, basketball courts, a soccer field and playground equipment are on-site, as well. For those that have a New Jersey fishing license, fishing areas are available. Large mouth bass, sunfish, catfish, perch and pickerel can be caught. In the winter you can ice fish. The restrooms have showers and changing rooms, The concession stand has fair prices and serves burgers, hot dogs, ice cream, funnel cakes, and drinks. Dogs are premitted but must be kept on a leash no longer then six feet.

Found this place off season while seeking to rent kayaks. Steve was super cool and informative. He…read moreprovided detailed reasons as to why it wasn't a good time to kayak for kids especially due to the extremely chilly waters. Instead, he offered us a pontoon boat for rent. It was the perfect decision and escape for a group of 6 including two seniors and 2 kids. Our driver was awesome and informative! He gave us an awesome tour of the lake and didn't rush us at all. He took his time, provided details about the lake and suggestions as to where to dine while in the area. He even gave us some history of the area. Can't wait to return to rent more items and have another tour/ride around the massive Lake during warmer months. That's Steve and team-great day on the Lake during spring break!

Rented 2 paddle boards from here. Great service! They delivered them and I had them for the…read moreweekend. It was a beautiful sunrise on the lake!

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.

I asked a local if there were any good hikes or trails in the area and they recommended the James…read moreLeach boardwalk trail. While boating on the lake, I saw the bridge of the trail and thought it would be worth checking out. At first we didn't see the entrance for the trail, until we saw somebody coming out. The entrance was in the back of this little park. The park has basketball courts, tennis courts, a jungle gym and a Porto-potty in addition to the trail. The trail was gravel, easy to follow and very clean. Because it was named James Leach boardwalk trail, I assumed that it would be a boardwalk. Only the bridge was boarded. It is a nice trail, and if you are a local and would like to take a little hike, then you probably aren't reading my review and it is worthwhile. But if you are visiting and looking to take a hike, I don't think this will satisfy you. The bridge is nice and view to the lake is nice but that's about it.