Bodine Field Campground
Wharton State Forest
Bass River Township, Burlington County, NJ
Address:
Bodine Field Road, off of Route 679 (Chatsworth Road)
Bass River, NJ
Coordinates: 39°39’14.96″N, 74°31’22.35″W
Directions:
If coming from Batsto (where you pick up your permit), head back out to Route 542/Pleasant Mills Road and make a left turn. Drive just over four miles, then make a left turn onto Route 563/Green Bank-Chatsworth Road (just after the old Green Bank Tavern). Drive down until you reach a stop sign (more than five miles down), at which point you will make a sharp rightturn right onto Chatsworth Road/Route 679. Travel about a mile and a half down the road, crossing the bridge next to Harrisville Lake next to the dam (on the left side). Just after this, on the right side, will be dirt Bodine Field Road. Make a right and travel down this road until you see the campground sign. Turn right at that sign and enter the campground
Access: A dirt road to maneuver, which is pretty solid most of the time. Be VERY careful of sugar sand inside the campground itself, your car can and will get stuck.
Website for official info:
https://www.state.nj.us/dep/parksandforests/parks/wharton.html
Website for campsite booking and pricing:
www.camping.nj.gov
Campground Map:
Pet friendly?: Bodine Field does not allow pets to camp here at this time.
Bodine Field Campground is one of NINE campgrounds in Wharton State Forest. What makes this one nice is that its right by the Wading River, and is great stopping point when canoing the Wading River. It’s also the largest of the campgrounds in Wharton State Forest and, not to play favorites, my favorite place to camp in Wharton State Forest.
Facilities (campground):
Water: One hand pump located in the campground.
Facilities (each site):
Group campsites – SEVEN group sites – 3 for up to 15 people, 3 for up to 25 people, and 1 for up to 100 people.
Group fire ring.
Regular campsites – Twenty-two family sites, up to six people and two tents each site. Each site has a small fire ring, but NO picnic table. Closely packed in in places, with a wide variety of sizes.
Individual site fire ring.
Seasons: Open year round! I’ve camped here in Winter (including a foot and half of snow once), Spring, Summer, and Fall and loved it in all seasons. Generally very busy on summer weekends, you can have the place to yourself in the winter.
Other tips:
As with all sites in the New Jersey State Parks – no alcohol is allowed. They can and will write tickets.
This site is technically a stopping point along the Batona Trail, but the campground is a daunting 2 mile walk from the trail (one way). I’d recommend using this campground for day trips on the Batona, but I wouldn’t bother to backpack in here. More info on the Batona Trail.
Permit pick up is from the Batsto Visitors Center. It closes really early (4 PM) when it is open, so be aware. The park police are pretty good about if you don’t get there to get your permit in time, as most people work, but its a good idea to at least have a print out or screen shot of your online reservation (which is NOT the same as your permit). No park entry fee for this part of Wharton State Forest.
Positives – Good sized campground, right by the river, with lots of group sites. As previously mentioned, very convenient for canoeing the Wading River.
Negatives – Of the car camping sites in Wharton, this is the furthest from Philly. Of course, this could also be seen as a positive. Also, a primitive site, so not good if you like things like flush toilets or dishwashing stations.
Nearby trails and things to see:
The 52.7 mile long Batona Trail runs through the state forest.
Nearby Bass River State Forest has 23 miles of beautiful trails.
This campground is along the Wading River, which has beautiful canoeing.
The four mile Harrisville/Martha/Lake Trail Loop is nearby.
I would like to have a phone # for the train ride