Camping at Goshen Pond Campground in the New Jersey Pine Barrens: Review and Opinion

Charles is an avid outdoor enthusiast that field tests and reviews the quality and durability of camping, hiking, and backpacking gear.

Wilderness camping has been a long-time passion of mine since I was a little kid. From my time spent in the field in the Army to my trips to Virginia, Pennsylvania, and of course my home state of New Jersey, I can always rely on the pine barrens to get my fix for hiking and primitive camping. My latest overnight camping trip took me to the Goshen Pond Campground, situated a couple of miles off of Atsion Road, minutes from the Historic Atsion Mansion.

Location

Goshen Pond Camping Area Wharton State Forest, Shamong, NJ 08088

Scroll to Continue

Read More From Skyaboveus

5 Mountain Biking Tips for Beginners

Camping Made Easy: Hobo Packs

Camping Made Easy: Organizing Your Gear

The Goshen Pond Primitive Camping Experience

Located about 15 minutes from civilization, Walmart, and groceries, the Goshen Pond Campground is easily accessible with just about any vehicle. Although the short off-road drive to the campground is sandy and loaded with potholes, if you take it easy, getting there shouldn't be too difficult. Just outside of the campground I noticed a sign for $5 campfire wood at one of the residences on Atsion Road. This really comes in handy if you forget your firewood as I did.

First Impressions

When arriving at the Goshen Pond campsites, most of the tent sites are located on the left side of the road next to the pond. Nestled under the pines, generously sized campsites await your tent or shelter situation. There are pit-type outhouses for adventure-seeking travelers and a centrally located pump-style water source in the middle of the campground. Each campsite is equipped with a decent fire ring with an attached grill for cooking. The ground here is soft, sandy soil which makes for easy tent stake driving. Some campsites have more shade than others, it's probably best to visit the campground before reserving to really get a feel for the layout. I've included a campground map to help. My site was #8, which had plenty of shade until about 10 AM. Then, not so much. Other sites closer to the pond and the Mullica River appeared to have larger amounts of shade. There are tons of hiking opportunities here as well, so pack some comfortable shoes if you plan on exploring the area. Canoeing and kayaking are possible as well. Check the local requirements for fishing as I am unsure of the regulations at this time. Overall this was a decent campground for the price, it is definitely a primitive campground with pretty much no amenities other than beautiful pine forest and water views. I will definitely be back for some more exploring. Maybe I'll see you there. Thanks for stopping by!

Reservations

The Goshen Pond campground requires reservations and a camping permit which can be found on the New Jersey Division of Environmental Protection website. The current cost for a tent camping site as of 2022 is $3 for residents and $5 for non-residents. An extra $5 transaction fee is added before checkout. My total reservation cost was only $8.

© 2022 Charles Kikas