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A dirt road winding through a hardwood forest carpeted in fallen leaves, birches along its edge.

The Overland Directory

Adventure lodging in New Jersey

Lodges, cabins, motels and ranches near the dirt, for the night you want a shower, a bed and someone else's cooking.

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New Jersey by the numbers

of New Jersey is federal land 1
3.8%
183,084 of 4,813,440 acres, with no BLM ground and no national forest
acres in the Pinelands National Reserve 31
1.1M
22 percent of the state, seven counties, 56 municipalities, and the first national reserve in the country
of legal road on the Wharton vehicle map 5
270.2 mi
175.5 unimproved, 37.2 more for in-season hunting access, 57.5 paved
acres in Wharton State Forest 6
124,000+
The largest single tract of land in the New Jersey State Park System
High Point, the state high point 4
1,803 ft
USGS, footnoted to state surveys, and the park agrees. Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 1,802
tire diameter that bars you from state park land 7
40 in
N.J.A.C. 7:2-3.2(e), which also bars more than two axles and every ATV
federal campgrounds a vehicle can reach 2
2
Both National Park Service, both booked ahead, none first come; our build of the federal recreation database
climate regions in one small state 35
5
The Pine Barrens is its own: sandy soil drains fast, nights run cold, and the ground is vulnerable to forest fires

Cabins, lean-tos and shelters

New Jersey’s state forests run a deeper stock of built lodging than most states, which is useful in a place where sleeping outside the system is not an option. Stokes has cabins by Lake Ocquittunk, enclosed lean-tos with wood stoves in the Shotwell area, and group lean-tos at Lake Ashroe. Belleplain has fourteen lean-tos with propane heat, heated November through March, and a group cabin on East Creek Lake. Bass River has shelters and cabins along the north shore of Lake Absegami. Wharton has nine cabins on Atsion Lake. Most run to fixed seasons and some require minimum stays of seven or fourteen nights in high summer.

The full guide to overlanding New Jersey

When a roof is the right call

Nobody plans a trip around motels, and almost every long trip uses a few. After a week of wind, when the weather turns, while the truck is in a shop, or when the people you travel with have simply earned a hot shower.

What makes lodging work for overlanders

It comes down to parking and attitude.

  1. 01Room to park tall and long vehicles, and trailers without unhitching
  2. 02Parking you can see from the room, or that is lit
  3. 03Late arrivals and early breakfasts
  4. 04A hose, a laundry, and no fuss about dust
  5. 05Staff who know the local roads and what is open

Before you book

Call rather than click when you have a big vehicle.

  1. 01Ask about parking for your height and length.
  2. 02Ask about the access road in wet weather.
  3. 03Ask about pets, and about leaving gear on the vehicle.

Questions people ask

Will my rig fit?

Ask before you book. Roof tents, campers and high-roof vans do not fit many parking garages, and trailers need pull-through space. Small-town motels and lodges are usually easier than city hotels.

Is it safe to leave gear on the vehicle?

Use judgment, park where you can see the vehicle or under lights, and bring in what you cannot replace. Ask the front desk where they would park it.

How high is New Jersey?

From Highlands at 5 feet to High Point at 1,803. Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.

Towns

  1. Branchville The Stokes State Forest office and the Sunrise Mountain road 581 ft
  2. Sussex The last full services below High Point and the state’s top corner 441 ft
  3. Blairstown The inland way to Millbrook Village and the middle of Old Mine Road 343 ft
  4. Columbia Worthington State Forest, the Water Gap and the south end of Old Mine Road 308 ft
  5. Chatsworth The middle of the Pine Barrens, between Wharton and Penn State Forest 95 ft
  6. Hammonton Full services before Batsto and the southern Wharton sand roads 95 ft
  7. Browns Mills Nearest services to Brendan T. Byrne State Forest and Whitesbog 85 ft
  8. Medford The western approach to Atsion and the Wharton campgrounds 57 ft
  9. Woodbine The Belleplain State Forest gateway in Cape May County 43 ft
  10. Absecon Services near the Forsythe refuge headquarters and its wildlife drive 22 ft
  11. Tuckerton The Penn State Forest approach, and the Bass River forest office address 14 ft
  12. New Gretna The Bass River State Forest turn off the coastal highway 12 ft
  13. Brigantine The only road approach to the North Brigantine Natural Area beach 7 ft
  14. Ocean City The town side of the Corson’s Inlet beach driving permit 7 ft
  15. Seaside Park Last town before the Island Beach gatehouse and the sand 6 ft
  16. Highlands The bridge into Sandy Hook and Gateway National Recreation Area 5 ft

Passes, high roads and summits

  1. High Point The state high point, on the Kittatinny ridge in Sussex County. Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 1,802 1,803 ft
  2. Sunrise Mountain The second highest summit in New Jersey, reached by a road that gates every winter. Our own reading at its map point gives 1,648 1,653 ft
  3. Sunrise Mountain Sunrise Mountain Road, Stokes State Forest: Branchville, Route 206, the Appalachian Trail on the Kittatinny ridge 1,653 ft
  4. Mount Tammany Above the Delaware Water Gap in Worthington State Forest. Our own reading at its map point gives 1,521 1,527 ft
  5. Apple Pie Hill Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on the Wharton fire tower rise in Burlington County. No agency publishes a figure for it 204 ft
  6. Bear Swamp Hill Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point in Penn State Forest, where the forest itself describes the hill as approximately 140 feet above sea level 160 ft

Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates), retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.

Sources for this page

36
  1. Congressional Research Service. Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data (R42346), Tables 1 and 2. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
  2. Recreation.gov. Recreation Information Database (RIDB) full export, the site’s own build of it. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey. Geographic Names Information System and 3D Elevation Program point query. Elevation of the 3DEP surface at the GNIS coordinates of the named place, rounded to the nearest foot. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  4. U.S. Geological Survey. Elevations and Distances in the United States, online edition: Highest and Lowest Elevations. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  5. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Wharton State Forest Visiting Vehicle Use Map: about, enforcement, timeline and frequently asked questions. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  6. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Wharton State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  7. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. New Jersey State Parks Code, N.J.A.C. 7:2 Subchapter 3, Motorized Vehicles, quoted in full by the Department. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  8. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. N.J.A.C. 7:2, State Park Service Code, courtesy copy: Subchapter 6 Camping, 7:2-5.4 and 7:2-2.12. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  9. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Park Service. New Jersey State Park Service Reservation Policy and General Camping Rules. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  10. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Island Beach State Park Mobile Sport Fishing Vehicle Permits. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  11. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Island Beach State Park. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  12. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Park Service. Island Beach State Park area map and visitor brochure. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  13. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Bass River State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  14. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  15. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Penn State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  16. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Belleplain State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  17. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Stokes State Forest, including Sunrise Mountain and seasonal road closures. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  18. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. High Point State Park and New Jersey Veterans’ Memorial. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  19. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Worthington State Forest. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  20. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. Corson’s Inlet State Park, including mobile sport fishing permits. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  21. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, State Parks, Forests and Historic Sites. North Brigantine Natural Area, including mobile sport fishing permits. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  22. New Jersey Forest Fire Service, Department of Environmental Protection. Recreational fire permits and restriction stages. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  23. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Fish and Wildlife. Wildlife Management Areas. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  24. National Park Service. Directions, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  25. National Park Service. Touring Old Mine Road, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  26. National Park Service, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. NPS Announces Implementation of Winter Service Levels, Plowing Priorities. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  27. National Park Service. Basic Information, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  28. National Park Service. Sandy Hook, Gateway National Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  29. National Park Service. 2026 permits, Gateway National Recreation Area. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  30. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  31. New Jersey Pinelands Commission. The Pinelands National Reserve, and its Size page. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  32. New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. Snowmobile, Dirt Bike, ATV and Agricultural vehicles: licensing, registration and where they may be used. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  33. New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, Division of Criminal Justice. Guidance on Off-Road and All-Terrain Vehicle Use on Public Lands and Public Roads, 22 May 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  34. New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. New Jersey Driver Manual: winter driving, studded snow tires, snow and ice removal and idling. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  35. Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist, Rutgers University. The Climate of New Jersey: the five climate regions. Retrieved September 25, 2026.
  36. New Jersey Department of Transportation, Community Programs. Pine Barrens Scenic Byway. Retrieved September 25, 2026.

Reviewed September 25, 2026. Conditions, closures and rules change; check with the managing agency before you travel.

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