Wharton State Forest

If you’re looking for Pine Barrens camping in New Jersey, Wharton State Forest is where you’ll want to roam. The center of the forest is the farthest point from a road in the whole state, and the Wharton State Forest campground lies in the thick of cedar, pine, and oak trees. Wharton State Forest covers 122,880 acres, which is but a small portion of the one-million-acre New Jersey Pinelands National Reserve. Camping in Wharton State Forest can only be reached by hiking or boating in—the latter is a popular option for canoeists who enjoy winding streams through the Pinelands, as well as the 50-mile Mullica River. Campsites sit on both the Batso River and the Mullica River. Wharton State Forest is home to some history as the previous site of iron furnaces and sawmills during the industrial revolution. Basto Village, established in 1776, was the central community of the industry, and some of the original buildings have survived and been restored by the state. Visitors can tour certain Basto Village structures, located at the southern edge of Wharton State Forest. Visitors can reach the highest point of the Pinelands National Reserve by hiking the Batona Trail to Apple Pie Hill, where they’ll climb another 60 feet into an active fire tower with a bird’s eye view. The tower is only accessible while staffed by a fire watcher. Campers will find primitive sites spread across Wharton State Forest, including Goshen Pond, Bartona, Hawkin Bridge, Godfrey Bridge, Bodine Field, Mullica River, Butterwood Hill, and Atsion family campground.