When I first received that fateful text — “i think i have mem day plans for us… camping?” — my mind instantly flashed back to trips of my youth. Though never true camping (my family tended toward locales with on-site bathrooms and pre-made firepits), I still hold fond memories of roasting marshmallows, snuggling in my sleeping bag, and swimming in the nearby lake. The promise of nostalgia plus 17 other people and booze? I was in.
Location: South Jersey. As surprised as you are to hear that the Garden State houses campgrounds nestled among its notorious ‘burbs, we packed up and drove a mere hour and a half from Philly to arrive at our destination: Bass River State Forest’s campgrounds in Tuckerton, NJ. Tents, sleeping bags, and FroGro rations in tow, our group set up at three of the Forest’s 176 sites. The campsites themselves are fairly small and located along the side of a main trail. While the park is somewhat family-oriented and “alcohol free,” discretion and a bit of noise control were the only skills required to give that rule a bend.
For $20 per campsite per night, we roughed it—kind of. Bathrooms were within walking distance, as were offices at which we could buy firewood. While the PennQuest-ers among us would probably classify this as cheating, we found it to be the perfect setting of faux isolation in which to hang out and take in a change of scenery: all the ambience of the great outdoors with flush toilets to boot.
The park is located on Bass River and Lake Absegami, with hiking trails and two-hour and three-hour canoe and kayak trips available. A lakefront beach serves the more immobile set, and a fully stocked concession stand on the beach will quickly bring your mindset out of the wilderness and onto the Jersey shore.
Yet one unexpected amenity that Bass River offers is its people-watching. Denim cutoffs and mullets abound at the beach, and this is only the tip of the campground iceberg.
The drive is a straight shot down the freeway, and offers scenic views of... Jersey. Stop at one of the roadside stands for burgers and root-beer floats on the way home for a fifteen minute taste of ultimate Americana. If you’re looking to get out of the city (but not too far), Bass River offers a happy medium between backpacking the Adirondacks and sunbathing on College Green. Bring a lively group, a Frisbee, and a pack of Hebrew Nationals and coerce your friend with a car to drive across the state line for a weekend. And while it wouldn’t be wise to forget your bug spray, the mosquitoes are worth the memories.
