spruce run recreation area

If you like camping near water and fishing this is for you. It's close to some places of interest yet it seems far enough away from major cities.

We love to walk, bike and boat here. (I have been coming here since I was a kid, 52 years old now.) However the camping atmosphere was a bit tainted due to very loud neighbor campers into 2:00 am. We enjoy swimming here, but I wish the visitors would take their trash with them and the bathrooms would be cleaned and attended to more frequently. The scenic beauty has remained for 40+ years I have been coming here.

Just off Route 78, this popular Recreation area gets really busy in the summer months. Other timesw of the year is no problem to enter this special area.

Spruce Run was large, clean, and a fun place to visit. Very easy to access with a beach, grass area for picnics, and area to barbecue as well. I would definitely recommend a visit.

Camped here as a group of four. We all had a blast. The campsites were all booked the weekend we went, but luckily the site we reserved was a decent one. There are quite a few good sites but also some ones that I'm happy we didn't end up with. It was peaceful though and everyone was respectful of each other. There's a bench and fire pit and grill at each site that we happily cooked our meals at. Bring pleanty of wood!Restrooms definitely need to be upgraded and cleaned better. Sinks, toilets, showers were cleaned regularly however the walls, ceilings, lighting, need to be cleaned more. Those were the areas that seemed to be ignored. The park, beach, reservoir were all beautiful. They have a few (not many) activities, such as kyacking which we had fun doing. We would definitely come here again.

We spend the whole day there with a large group of friends, enjoying the lake and the "beach". It was great and a nice way to go out cheaply. The environment is rather peaceful too. It was enjoyable, but nothing compares to the ocean for me!

at first the $20 for out of state people i fould a expensive. Coming from a state that doesn't charge, but they have a great beach ares several places to put in your boats and a place to rent every kind of water device there is had a wonderful. Has been put on places to visit again list!

I camped here with two small children - there are about 10 good sites (along the lake) the rest suck! There are two bathrooms with showers. The older one is filthy and the push button shower is pathetic. I had a lot of foot traffic through my site. There are old benches that are basically tetanus traps at most sites. The park itself is beautiful and pretty well-maintained, The campground is in need of some TLC however.

This campground is the most beautiful state park campground I have been to. Surrounded by a lake. Soft grass, tree shaded, big enough campsite. Clean bathhouse. The only down side is, there is no water/electricity on site.

Nice area for boating even when picnic and campgrounds are full you can launch your boats. Nice flush restrooms as well. Can get very crowded with every type of paddle and sailing vessel known to man

The park is very nice, seems lots of originally installed activity items are in disrepair however. The summer crowd at the lake beach are very messy and seem to not respect the beauty of nature and the park. Seems to be lots of inner city living folks coming out to the country to get away yet bring their city ways with them and leaving it behind as well: leaving their newspapers blowing away, old diapers left behind, loud music blaring , ... Spring , fall and winter are much more quiet and enjoyable for hikes or possible picnics and no fee like the summer.

We visited Spruce Run with our dog in the off-season. The beach was empty and it was a nice peaceful walk around the grounds which allowed out dog to run around and play in the water. I'm sure it's not pet friendly when in season but it looks like a great alternative to the otherwise over crowded NJ beaches along our shore.They must do a Hot Air Balloon event nearby because we were treated to the sight of several colorful hot air balloons floating across the sky.

Spruce Run is a hidden gem in central New Jersey. An perfect place to walk your dogs in autumn (year round really). Outside of your typical summer holiday weekends (Memorial Day-Labor Day); the park is so large it's tough not to find your own space. However, the best thing about Spruce Run? No boat engines above 10hp. Yup, it's an enjoyable place to sail, canoe, kayak etc. And you don't have to worry about some idiot (who doesn't have his boater's license) throwing a huge wake. Kept a Highlander there for two seasons now. The reservoir is a great place to stretch her legs.

The fish are just moving up from their wintering areas and if you play it right, know your baits and find the channels the fish use to get to the spawning areas you will haver a great day.

Went here recently with my family of four. Here are the pros & cons:Pros:- BEAUTIFUL lake that offers rental boats.- Small beach that was clean.- Water that looked nice (could not go in - look under my Cons)Cons:- Some bacterial infection had closed the water for swimming. Signs were posted at the entrance to the lake, but nothing had been posted on the park's website that morning. Advanced notice would have been GREATLY appreciated and a reduced fee would have been appreciated. As it was, we drove 2 hours only to find out we couldn't go swimming. If you're going to have a major part of an attraction closed, at least give a discount!!!- The bathrooms were terrible, especially the one in the boathouse where personnel were giving out paper towels because they'd run out of toilet paper. I hope the Parks Department had a plumber on call!- The boathouse personnel were nasty and just plain stupid. With swimming cancelled, they should have been ready for a lot of people wanting to rent boats and they just weren't. If you live in the area, give it a try. If you don't, pass.