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Mullica River Campground
Wharton State Forest
Burlington County, NJ

Address:
None
Coordinates: 39°41’24.54″N, 74°40’28.72″W

Directions:
There’s no driving to this campout.  Paddle or backpacking in starts from Atsion.  Can also backpack in from Batsto.

Access: Hike in from Atsion or Batsto, or paddle in from Atsion only!

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?: Mullica River Camp does not allow pets to camp here at this time.

Mullica River Campground is one of NINE campgrounds in Wharton State Forest, and one of two in the state forest that is backpack or paddle in only (no vehicles!).  This one is right on the Mullica River, and is a great spot to backpack or canoe into (I’ve done both, they are great).    It takes some work to get here, but its worth the effort.

Facilities (campground):

Water: One hand pump located in the campground.

Bathrooms – Six pit toilets (think outhouse).  These are no water and no flush facilities.  Bring your own toilet paper.

Trash – carry in/carry out
Food protection – no bear boxes (low bear risk, but have been spotted in the area, most famously on the school playground in nearby Atco).  Store food in car, especially if you don’t want to make friends with skunks or raccoon.  When backpacking, take appropriate precautions.

Facilities (each site):

Group campsites – No group sites

Regular campsites – Ten family sites, up to six to twelve people and three to six tents each site.  Each site has a small fire ring, but NO picnic table.  Closely packed in in places.

Seasons: Open year round!  I’ve camped here Spring and Summer and had a great time, having both backpacked in and canoed in.

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 halfway along the 9 1/2 mile Mullica River Trail.  It’s also along the Mullica River Paddle.

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 – Out of the way, usually pretty quiet.

Negatives – This is tough to get to, so you have to really want to camp here.  Also, a primitive site, so not good if you like things like flush toilets or dishwashing stations.

Nearby trails and things to see:

Quaker Bridge Trail is nearby, worth taking a little loop hike up there.

Experiences at the campground?  Helpful hints for folks?  Please leave them in the comments for folks to see, or e-mail them to southjerseytrails@gmail.com and we’ll tack them onto the bottom here!
About The Author
southjerseytrails
Just a man, his five small children, and the need to hike every single trail in South Jersey, maybe.

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