Campgrounds and RV parks near Highland Lakes, NJ

Highland Lakes sits in the New Jersey Highlands region of Sussex County, close to the New York border and surrounded by lakes, ridges, and state forestland. The area works well as a base for RV travelers who want mountain scenery, cool nights, and a short drive to the Appalachian Trail without leaving the New York metro region. The closest public camping is at Wawayanda State Park, located in northern New Jersey in the state's Highlands region, spanning parts of Sussex and Passaic counties. Nearby private options include Camp Wyanokie, Black Bear Campground, Sun Retreats Pleasant Acres Farm, and Kymers Camping Resort in Branchville, giving travelers a mix of rustic tent-oriented sites and full-hookup RV resorts. Elevations in the surrounding hills sit above 1,000 feet, so summer temperatures tend to run cooler than the coastal plain. Wawayanda stands at 1,140 feet above sea level, and the area sees enough snow for cross-country skiing, ice fishing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling in winter.

State park sites and private resorts use different systems. Online reservations for Wawayanda State Park are made through camping.nj.gov, the New Jersey State Park Service reservation portal, which allows bookings up to 11 months in advance. Group site reservations may require contacting the park office directly. Private campgrounds handle their own bookings. Kymers Camping Resort takes reservations by phone and through its official website (njcamping.com), and Sun Retreats Pleasant Acres Farm and Black Bear Campground both accept reservations through their operator websites. RV rental platforms can also arrange delivery and setup at many of these resorts, which is useful for first-time renters. For state park sites, if a preferred date shows sold out, the New Jersey portal allows an availability notification. The notification does not lock a site, and sites may be booked by anyone the moment they become available.