Federal Campgrounds in New Jersey
Federal coverage only. This directory lists campgrounds on federal land (Forest Service, Park Service, BLM, Corps of Engineers and other agencies) from the Recreation.gov RIDB export. State-park, county and private/KOA campgrounds are out of scope.
New Jersey has two federally managed campgrounds available for overnight camping. Both are operated by the National Park Service. Together, these facilities provide 21 overnight sites. One of these campgrounds accepts reservations through Recreation.gov, while the other operates on a first-come, first-served basis. This modest inventory reflects New Jersey's heavily urbanized landscape and limited federal land holdings within the state.
For current information about site availability, amenities, and to make reservations, visit Recreation.gov, which maintains up-to-date data on all federal campgrounds. Please note that this directory covers only federally managed campgrounds. State park campgrounds and private facilities such as KOA are not included here and should be researched separately through New Jersey's state parks system or other commercial camping directories.
How to read the New Jersey directory
Use this page as a starting map of federal camping in New Jersey: the agency split tells you whether you're mostly looking at national-forest sites, park-service grounds or Corps-of-Engineers lakeside camps, and the busiest rec areas below point to where the campgrounds cluster. Every name links to its live Recreation.gov page for current site counts, photos and booking.
| Rec area / forest | Campgrounds |
|---|---|
| Highlands | 1 |
| Columbia | 1 |
Common questions
How many federal campgrounds are in New Jersey?
2 in this directory, with about 21 overnight sites, across national forests, parks, Corps of Engineers and other federal land. State and private campgrounds are not included.
Are these campgrounds reservable?
1 of the 2 take reservations through Recreation.gov; the remainder are generally first-come, first-served. Confirm on the facility's Recreation.gov page before you travel.
Largest federal campgrounds in New Jersey
- Camp Gateway - Sandy Hook · National Park Service · 21 sites · Highlands
- Worthington State Forest Campground · National Park Service · n/a sites · Columbia
Ranked by overnight-site count from RIDB; “n/a” means the site count isn’t published (often a first-come or dispersed area). Each name opens the Recreation.gov facility page.
Compare every managing agency → · Reservable vs first-come in New Jersey → · Choosing a New Jersey campground →
Compiled from the federal RIDB export, verified June 2026. How we compile this. Confirm current details on Recreation.gov.