Fall Camping
Campgrounds in the Skylands account for a huge amount of fun. And while over 500,000 campers relax and enjoy the rural character of Northwest New Jersey each year, they generate nearly $75 million for the region's economy, accounting for roughly 30% of it's tourism revenue.
Most of these visits come in summer, when many families make a Skylands campground their own vacation home, renting seasonal sites or bringing their own RV to rest at a lovely- and well-serviced- spot somewhere up in the New Jersey countryside. These facilities are a long way from generic trailer hookups and tent sites. They are a network of personal relationships that sometimes extend over generations. Most Skylands campgrounds have been around for a long time and have been run by the same folks since their origins. Each has its own special promise to offer from hot-tubs and bingo games to joyous outdoor gambols.
But camping doesn't have to end with Labor Day. In fact campgrounds make a perfect home base for most outdoor fall activities such as leaf peeping, bird and wildlife watching, hunting and fishing, simply because they've got "location, location, location." On the edge of Stokes Forest, Harmony Ridge Campground (1-800-GOCAMP-0), for example, makes an ideal base camp for fall hunting and fishing. Sunrise Mountain, with one of the finest views in Northwest NJ, is just around the corner. In case you're hesitant about visiting during chilly nights, the campground has recently added four cabins, each with a kitchen, bed room and sleeping loft.
Triple Brook Family Camping Resort (1-888-343-CAMP) in Hope has also added cabins
to a comfortable supply of RV rentals for the colder weather. Brenda
James "came with the brickwork" at Triplebrook since her parents
put 12 sites on their farm in 1961. Now she, along with her "outlaws
and inlaws", husband, daughter, and son run the place with an outpouring
of genuine delight and good will.
Triplebrook offers special activities in the fall including a hay bale maze, hayrides, a scarecrow workshop and a Halloween Party on October 25. Amenities like the animal farm, model railroad museum, tennis courts and heated spa make Triplebrook a family getaway option worth considering this fall.
Other areas prefer to let the woods do most of the talking. Camp Taylor Campground (908-496-4333), one of the more wilderness style grounds in the Skylands was started by Joe Taylor when he bought 400 acres adjoining what is now the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area in 1953. Mr. Taylor was a trapper and worked for the Fish and Game Department assisting private campgrounds. Starting "with an ax, a tractor and a Model A dump truck". he and his son Clayton created 150 half acre (minimum) sites, all with access to a swimming lake and trails that lead hikers through strikingly beautiful forest to mountain laurel atop a 1600 foot ridge. Camp Taylor offers a wilderness atmosphere with the security and services that public areas often lack. During the fall ghosts and goblins invade the campground's haunted house. Or you can visit the Lakota Wolf Preserve on the campground property. And, yes, if you prefer, you can rent an RV too!
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22 Jan 2008, 08:02