Camp Gateway - Sandy Hook

I love camping and the beach so I had a great trip. But that had more to do with the location than the campground itself-- the campground could have benefited from the rangers I see at most state parks

Notes:
-the camp office has VERY limited hours; if you're trying to spend your day at the beach and buy firewood, you'll need to delay your trip to the beach until someone opens the store. Campers we spoke to brought in their own wood to solve this, we respected the "don't move firewood" rule which meant scrounging up whatever we could find on the forest floor for cooking
-Since there is no ranger on site, quiet hours are not even remotely enforced. Our neighbors were screaming and playing music until 1am despite repeated requests to keep it down
-the campground is NOT clearly labeled, we drove into the parking lot, couldn't find the site, then drove around for 30 mins not realizing we'd found it already
-campsites are not clearly labeled either; i'm not even sure we stayed in the right one
-do pack bug spray; you're near the water, there are a lot of bugs

I appreciated our tent site having some shade. The metal food boxes are a great idea. Ranger was helpful and friendly. Overall a really nice experience. I’m used to primitive camping though. Based on some reviews i read it seems like some campers were expecting a more urban experience? I thought it was great.

We stayed two nights and had a great time! The rangers were also super friendly. The campsite was in a good location, easily accessible, and was super close to bike paths and the beach. I can’t believe I’m a Jersey resident and this was my first time camping here! Sandy Hook is so beautiful. Also, the tawny field cockroaches were not as much of a problem as I thought they would be. Definitely will be back again!

Overall not bad, I love the upgrades they made to have water refill stations from the last time we were there. A lot of mosquitos and cockroaches everywhere though which was annoying, otherwise we had a good time

The whole experience camping on Sandy Hook was amazing. Biking from the campground to the beautiful beaches daily was the highlight for myself and the children. We enjoyed lunch on the beach, ice cream treats from the shop by the lighthouse, fished on the bay side, watched the amazing sunset and views of Manhattan from the North Beach observatory. The rangers were knowledgeable and friendly.
I could have done without the abundance of “cute” little tawnys hanging around the campsite but bugs are expected when camping. I did quarantine our equipment outdoors for a few days afterwards to be sure any stowaways wandered off outdoors and not into my home.

Although the rangers were super friendly and gelpful, bathroom facilities were great but the cockroach situation was the worst. It has been one week since we returned and we are still finding those roaches everywhere. We took 4hrs on the campsite to pack up our things just make sure that there are no roaches in our stuff. But that was not enough.

Don’t go here during roach season, I took it lightly and regretted every second of it.

Love being able to camp this close to the beach!

Sandy Hook Camp at Gateway was excellent as it most often is. The staff is very friendly and helpful. However they could use a bit more knowledge about Gateway itself. One question after labor day. Are the public restrooms still open? Or after labor day are the locked and only toilet facility is the ADA single person stall at each beach? Gateway Sandy Hook camp staff did not know the answer to that question. They should know. The answer is that the facilities at all the beaches are open as usual during the day and not locked after labor day.

Never hay a refund