Camping at Spruce Run

Yes, you can camp at Spruce Run from April 1 to October 31. The campground sits on a peninsula in the reservoir and has 60 tent and trailer sites (New Jersey residents pay $20 a night, everyone else $25), 7 trailer-only sites with water and electric hookups ($30 / $35), 3 small shelter cabins ($48 / $60) and one group site. Book on camping.nj.gov; pets and alcohol are not allowed anywhere in the campground.

Campsite Types and 2026 Fees

Every family site has a picnic table, a fire ring with a grill on it, a lantern hook and room to park two vehicles, trailers included. A $5 transaction fee is added to each reservation.

• Tent and/or trailer sites (60): New Jersey residents pay $20 a night and non-residents $25.
• Trailer-only sites with hookups (7): sites 1 to 4 and 55 to 57 have water plus 30 and 50 amp electric, at $30 / $35 a night. These are RV pedestals, not household outlets, so they won't run a tent camper's appliances. There is no sewer hookup.
• Shelters (3): sites A, B and C are small cabins with two bunk beds (sleeps four), an indoor picnic table and a wood-burning stove. There is no kitchen, bathroom or electricity. $48 / $60 a night.
• Group campsite (1): one site for up to 50 people with parking for 25 vehicles, $100 a night for New Jersey residents and $200 for non-residents.

Holders of the state's senior and disability pass (New Jersey residents aged 62+ or totally disabled) receive a $2 nightly discount at campsites.

How to Reserve

1. Reserve through camping.nj.gov, NJDEP's NJ Outdoors booking site. All advance reservations are online, up to 11 months ahead.
2. Same-day bookings can be made online until 2 p.m.
3. Walk-ins are taken when sites are open. Check the "availability view" tab online, or call the park office the morning you plan to arrive.
4. Your stay can be up to 14 nights in a row. After that you must leave for at least 7 nights, and no one may stay more than 40 nights a year at State Park Service campgrounds.

At least one adult 18 or older must reserve and stay at the site. A site holds six people at most, visitors included, unless all are one family.

Check-In, Late Arrival and Visitors

• Check-in and check-out: noon for tent, trailer and group sites; shelters check in at 3 p.m. and out at 11 a.m. Shelter guests get a four-digit door code in the confirmation email.
• Arriving after hours: the inbound gate is locked once the park closes for the day. Call the office ahead for entry details; if it is closed, call Park Police at 1-877-927-6337. Late arrivals check in at the office by 9 a.m. the next morning.
• Visitors: allowed from 8 a.m. until the park closes. They pay the day-use parking fee when it is in effect.
• Extra cars: a third vehicle parks in the main lot for $5 a night.

Showers, Water and the Dump Station

Modern restrooms with showers stand on both sides of the campground, along with dish-washing sinks. The trailer dump station is inside the campground and is free with any reservation. Visitors who are not camping can use it from April 1 to October 31 during office hours for $20 (New Jersey) or $30 (non-resident), paid first.

Waterfront Sites and Paddling From Camp

Several sites line the water's edge, and most campers see the reservoir from their site. Shoreline access belongs to the campers on those waterfront sites. If you bring a canoe or kayak and aren't on a waterfront site, use the campers' cartop launch between sites 20 and 23. The campground map marks the shoreline "No Swimming in Reservoir."

Campground Rules

• No pets and no alcohol, anywhere in the campground.
• Quiet hours, 10 p.m. until 6 a.m., are strictly enforced; noisy campers can be evicted. Generators are allowed outside quiet hours unless staff find them too loud.
• Fires only in the fire rings provided, using dead and down wood. Cutting trees, living or dead, is prohibited and chainsaws aren't allowed. Firewood is sold at the park office, and fires can be banned when forest fire danger is high.
• Bears: keep coolers and all food in your car trunk, and take garbage to the dumpsters promptly.
• Vehicles park only on the gravel pads, two per site. You give the make, color and plate of each at check-in.

Cancellations

Changes made before your check-in date cost another $5. Cancelling a family campsite costs $40 for New Jersey residents or $50 for non-residents, or two nights' fees if that is less. For a shelter, one night's fee plus the transaction fee is kept. No refund is given for a no-show.