At 52.7 miles, the Batona Trail is South Jersey’s premier (also, only) long distance backpacking trail. This trail can be backpacked in 2, 3, 4, or 5 days, which means at some point, you’re going to have to camp. Dispersed, or “cowboy camping”, where you can set your tent up any old place along the side of the trail is expressly forbidden in all three state parks and the privately owned Parker Preserve. So where can you camp along the Batona?
You have four options – Buttonwood Hill Camp, Lower Forge Campground, or Batona Campground, each in Wharton State Forest, or Brendan Bryne Campground in Brendan Bryne State Forest. They can all be booked [...]
Manasquan Reservoir County Park – Howell Township, Monmouth County, NJ Distance – 7.5 miles of trails total Type – Loops Difficulty: 1 of 10
Website – Monmouth County Parks Open – Park opens daily at 7 a.m. November 1-March 31 and 6 a.m. April 1-October 31. Closing time is 9 p.m. through August 19; 8:30 p.m. August 20-September 3; and 8 p.m. September 4-23.
Terrain – Lakeside woods and wetlands Surface – Crushed stone
Trailheads – 40°10’14.75″N, 74°12’18.52″W (this is the one that we used) 40°10’38.76″N, 74°13’14.19″W 40°10’50.47″N, [...]
Bass River State Forest – Bass River, Burlington County and Ocean County, NJ Distance – 23 miles total (13 miles of which will be covered in this post) Type – Various loops and out-and-backs Difficulty: 2 of 10
Entrance fee – Memorial Day to Labor Day – $5 per car on a weekday ($10 out-of-state) and $10 on a weekend or holiday ($20 out-of-state) (2018 numbers). Free rest of the year.
Website – Bass River State Forest website Open – 8 a.m. to dusk, camping areas open 24 hours.
Terrain – Woodlands, swamps Surface – sand or cinders
Trailheads – 39°37’27.32″N, 74°25’31.23″W (Red, [...]
Buttonwood Hill Campground Wharton State Forest Washington Township, Burlington County, NJ
Address: Route 542 (Batsto Bridgeport Road) & Burnt Schoolhouse Rd, Washington, NJ 08251 Coordinates: 39°37’43.14″N, 74°37’2.76″W
Directions: Coming from Batsto, turn left onto Route 542. Drive for about two miles, turn left just after Crowley’s Landing. If you see Bellhaven Paddlesports, you missed it!
Access: Short dirt road, very accessible.
Website for official info: http://www.nj.gov/dep/parksandforests/parks/wharton.html
Website for campsite booking and pricing: www.camping.nj.gov
Campground [...]
