Camping at Cheesequake State Park

Cheesequake State Park has 50 tent and trailer campsites, open from April 1 to October 31. Each site has a fire ring and a picnic table, with flush toilets and showers within walking distance and a trailer sanitary station. Sites cost $20 a night for New Jersey residents and $25 for non-residents. Pet-friendly sites are available for an extra $5 per pet per night. Vehicles over 11 feet tall cannot enter the camping area. Reserve online at camping.nj.gov or through the park office at 732-566-2161.

The Family Campground

NJDEP lists 50 sites for tents and trailers. Every site comes with a fire ring and a picnic table. Flush toilets and showers are a walk from the sites, not at them, and there is a trailer sanitary station. The campground first opened in 1962, when the park added campsites to handle overflow visitors from the World's Fair in New York City.

Check your rig before you book: there is an 11-foot height restriction for vehicles entering the camping area. The park page does not list electric or water hookups at individual sites, so plan as if there are none.

2026 Camping Fees

• Campsite: $20 a night for New Jersey residents, $25 for non-residents.
• Seniors and disabled residents: New Jersey residents 62 or older, or totally disabled, get $2 off each night.
• Pets: $5 per pet per night on a pet-friendly site.
• Cancellation: $40 for residents, $50 for non-residents, or two nights' stay, whichever is less.
• RV/trailer dumping fee: $20 for residents, $30 for non-residents, on NJDEP's statewide fee list.

Day visitors pay a separate summer parking fee; see Hours & Fees.

Camping with a Dog

Pet-friendly campsites are available, at $5 per pet per night, and rabies vaccinations are required. Everywhere in the park, pets must be on a leash no longer than six feet and under your control, and you clean up after them.

Group Campsites at Gordon Field

The Gordon Field Group Area has four sites, each for up to 25 campers. Each has fire rings, upright grills and picnic tables, and the area has flush toilets and drinking water. It is open on the same April 1 to October 31 season.

• Fee: $2 per person per night for New Jersey groups and $4 for out-of-state groups, charged on the site's maximum occupancy.
• No RVs or trailers. Other vehicles need a parking permit and must use the marked spaces. No vehicles on the grass.
• Carry out your trash. There are no trash cans.
• Size your group carefully. NJDEP says it cannot refund a group that over-estimates its size.

The Green and Red Trails both pass the group campground on their way back to the trailhead, so you can hike from your site. See the Green Trail and Hiking pages.

How to Reserve

Book online at camping.nj.gov, the NJ Outdoors reservation site. To book by phone, NJDEP directs campers to the Cheesequake park office at 732-566-2161 (open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily).

Good to Know

• No trash cans anywhere in the park. Pack out what you bring in.
• Alcohol is not allowed in New Jersey state parks, campgrounds included.
• Ticks: NJDEP advises insect repellent, light-colored clothing and a tick check after every outing.
• Swimming at Hooks Creek Lake runs only while lifeguards are on duty, Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day. See Swimming.
• Firewood, quiet hours and check-in times are set in the reservation terms on camping.nj.gov; NJDEP's park page doesn't list them, so read them when you book.