Beautiful Sunday afternoon at Swartswood State Park Plenty of different activities including a nice BBQ with some Friends of Bill. Very relaxing to sit at a picnic bench and just watch the fishermen and other boaters on the lake. read more

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This state park holds a very special place in my heart, as most of my childhood summers were spent here. 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! read more

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I am upset that the bathrooms are closed on a Saturday. There are kayaks that are closed. The beach is closed. Everything closed. It's June 10th. Open lol read more

Originally wanted to go to a different state park for a last minute camping trip with some friends but it was all booked so we ended up here. Not too bad for a campsite. We stayed at campsite #22 - the ground was super sandy (not enough grass!) so we had to clean up our tarp and tent again when we got home. However, our site was convenient because it was close to the bathroom (but also far enough - there was a site right outside of the bathroom.. I definitely would not of liked that at all lol) and also pretty close to the lake. If you want a more private site, I wouldn't suggest #22 because there was cars constantly going past us. Unfortunately, the sites are very close to one another. Want a good night of sleep? Do yourself a favor and bring earplugs. If you don't, you will be full of regrets and wanting to punch yourself in the face constantly when someone near your campsite is snoring up a storm. This state park is well maintained. There are showers in the bathroom if you need it and also an area for you to wash your kitchenware in between the men's and women's bathroom. We went on a weekend and the bathrooms were cleaned every day (not sure how it is if you stay on the weekdays). FYI, if you need to throw your trash out, there is a dumpster on the way out. Would I come back here? Probably only if it was a last minute decision. I much prefer going to Upstate NY for camping but Swartswood is pretty close to me which makes it convenient. Personally, I don't think the hiking here is all that good - there really isn't much of an elevation change. However, the lake is beautiful and don't forget to check it out especially during sunrise/sunset and also at night when the stars are out. Stargazing at the lake was incredible when the skies were clear. read more

Swartswood State Park - Beautiful sunset - Lakes Near Me - Newton, New Jersey

What can I say, this place is really awesome. Especially for the price we paid for two nights of camping $49.95. This state park is NJ's first state park. They have campgrounds, a beach, lake, boat rentals, hiking, and a concession stand. The campgrounds have a grill/ fire pit, bathrooms and shower. They also have a sink area for washing dishes and spigots for drinking water. The ranger stopped by all the camp sites to make sure we were doing ok and he was super nice. We found some eatable wild berries too which was a nice treat to our camping meals. Unfortunately it rained the second day but we were able to still swim in the lake by the beach while it rained. The water was so warm but I recommend swim shoes and a floating device since the rocks are sharp. The water is about waist high and there is lots of seaweed. Overall great park and we look forward to coming back next year! read more

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Beautiful park, perfect for families. Picnic tables available. Lake had lots of algae so I didn't bother going in but that didn't seem to matter to the kids. Great for fishing as well. read more

Swartswood State Park - Fishing in the lake. Great place for family BBQs and fishing. - Lakes Near Me - Newton, New Jersey

ETA IN 2018 - What happened to this hidden gem?! Visited this summer and was completely disappointed, most likely will not be returning- what a shame! It's just not as relaxing as it used to be. Expensive parking fee for non residents! Not overcrowded on a Saturday, which is very surprising. It seems this park is hidden, just driving here was quite a trip. Initially wanted to go to another state park, but it was full to capacity so it was closed. Came here and I am impressed. Not thrilled about those parking fees though. read more

Swartswood State Park - Not crowded at all ! The Beach @ Swartswood. - Lakes Near Me - Newton, New Jersey

Camped here twice this year & had family come out for an afternoon picnic. The campsites are a well-groomed mix of sun & shade and not too crammed together. The whole property (campsites, beach, picnic areas & boat launches) is well cared-for and the staff I encountered were all friendly. The firewood bundles for sale at the camp office are a better deal than any you'll find at a convenience store. Speaking of which--if you need to run out for coffee or sundries, there are shops within a 15 minute drive, despite feeling like you're properly in the boonies. read more

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Beautiful Lake!! Beware! No genarators allowed in campsites. Strange vibe from people & staff. Not to welcoming or friendly. Won't be heading back. :( read more

On our last camping adventure a few friends and I decided that we would try out Swortswood state park. They had group sites and a fair amount to do in the area and check out. First let me say the group sites are in pretty close proximity to each other. The first night, one of the sites next to use kept us up until about 2 in the morning making a ruckus. This was refuted with the final countdown the next morning. Besides that we had a lot of foot traffic through our site, which was really annoying. And the site next to us needed to keep their children on a leash since they were running through where we had our tents. The area itself it pretty nice, if you go over to the family sites they have a pretty nice setup with showers, toilets and some laundry stuff, which really takes the ruffling it out of camping but if they're there why not utilize it. They also have a decent trail system that you can bike, hike or take a horse on. Worth checking out even if just for a day trip. read more

Cool place / Our go to / Camping/ We think there aren't many ticks here/ Warm shower too!/ wood is $6/ the rangers are very diligent (no alcohol, it's a state park) read more

This is a review for those looking to spend a day trip- not camping. This is a gorgeous state park and I love that even on the weekends, it's not overrun. Honestly I didn't want to leave a review because I want to keep it all to myself. They have a small beach and swimming which is perfect for kids, plus 2 play grounds (one right near the beach). They have an insane number of grills, the ones by the water get snagged quickly but I've always found a spot there- even in the afternoon, just not a prime spot. I'll have to come earlier for the spots with the best view. Some of the grill spots by the water could use slightly more tending. There's a boat rental and concession stand. The food at the stand is CHEAP, but really good! I was surprised at how good the burger was for about $5, and it comes with fries and a soda. No shortage of restrooms or pavilions for parties. Haven't tried the trails yet, but that would be fun to do. I did take a look at the camping area and it's kind of tight, tents seem cramped. read more

Swartswood State Park - The lake. - Lakes Near Me - Newton, New Jersey

They deserve negative zero stars. The state park is beautiful but the staff (Older men & women have no respect for themselves or for the customers that stay at the park. I've never been more disrespected and harassed while camping with family in my entire life in my life. One of the supervisors has zero respect for women I was extremely disgusted with his behaviors and words towards a woman. The superintendent of this state park Bianca Chevrestt was even more disgustingly rude. I would assume that is were her staff gets it's from. They have not a clue what customer service is or how to speak to people for that matter. They were to worried about the small things rather than the things that could have became a problem for the state park. I will never recommend ANYONE to stay at this State park. read more

I love this place becaus I have been coming here ever since I was young and I have tons of memories!! I always make them last!!

Our family's very 1st camping trip ever was to Swartswood and our experience was so great that we decided to make camping an annual tradition. We have now been there twice once in 2011 and again in 2012 both for Labor Day weekend. The first time we went w/ a friend and the 2nd alone. It's great either way since the 2nd time we met some great new friends who said they come there 2x/year, always on the holiday weekends as well. We enjoy the swimming at the lake, our son learned how to ride a 2-wheeler here due to the flat plain and path around the campsites. My husband enjoys the fishing although, he has not caught anything! I really enjoy the boating, there are canoes and paddle boats rentals. The campsites are close to each other but if you're w/friends that's a good thing. But on our 2nd time we came solo and was in a more remote area near the woods and had sufficient privacy. Overall, I like the openness of the site some people may not like that though. I call it camping the modern way, I like that you have a choice of a grassy site (which we prefer) and a woody site. I like the area that they have to wash dishes and stuff and the shower water was hot and the bathrooms decent overall. I also like that there's a playground in the campsite area as well. read more

Does anyone know if there is cellular service in the park? I need to be able to access the internet from the camping grounds. What is everyone's experience with cell/internet service? read more