By Judy O’Gorman Alvarez
Camping isn’t just for Scouts. Each year more and more families are venturing into the great outdoors. Camping can be an immersive outdoor activity that includes hiking, cooking and sightseeing, all in a single, memorable trip.
According to KOA’s (Kampgrounds of America) 2021 Annual North American Report, more than 70 percent of North American campers changed their camping habits in 2020. First-time campers increased fivefold between 2019 and 2020, and experts note the pandemic likely had a great deal to do with that spike.
Ever since COVID-19 restrictions forced us to spend more time outdoors to keep safe, families have packed their sleeping bags, brushed up on campfire songs, and headed for the great outdoors – even if it’s right here in Monmouth County.
Turkey Swamp Park in Freehold, part of the Monmouth County Park System (MCPS), offers a perfect place to enjoy nature, roast some s’mores and engage in family time, just a few miles from home.
“This past year, with everything going on with COVID we were probably the busiest we’ve been in my career, possibly ever,” said Matt Ruding, assistant superintendent of parks, MCPS, at Turkey Swamp Park. “We were busy every weekend and also during the week, as well. In the summertime we were completely full. We didn’t have any capacity left.”
Campgrounds are open April 1 to Nov. 15 and reservations are already filling quickly for this year.
Whether you’re pitching a tent and sleeping on the ground or choosing to stay in one of the three rustic cabins, the campground has all the amenities needed for a relaxing stay surrounded by 2,388 wooded acres. It offers 64 pull-through campsites that can accommodate tent campers, travel trailers and motor homes with up to six people.
“It really is a nice little gem that we have in Monmouth County,” said Ruding.
Weekend and holiday activities are offered on site, May through September. The park features four playgrounds, a 17-acre lake for boating and fishing, 8 miles of trails, open playfields and large-group picnic facilities for rent.
“We have canoes, kayaks, small rowboats and pedal boats for rent,” said Ruding.
Organized groups, such as Scout troops, church groups, as well as families and friends enjoy the family campground. “That’s a big draw for families,” said Ruding.
“It’s good to see that people are out and trying to find a different way to get out outdoors.”
Whether it’s a Girl Scout troop or a group of friends with their families who reserve campsites near each other, getting together socially in an outdoor setting is just what the CDC ordered, and last year that proved especially true.
“They were out there cooking together, playing games or going for hikes or fishing or using the boat rentals,” Ruding said. By all accounts, this summer may be the same.
Ruding says many guests are new to camping. “For those families who are only 20 minutes away from home, if the weather isn’t favorable for them, they get in their car, go home and come back out the next day.”
Ruding says all the people who make up the Monmouth County Park System pride themselves on the park. “This is your own wooded campsite within the property. So that’s why we only have 64 sites which some may say it’s not the biggest camp campground around but because of the layout we want to provide that, nature, wooded campsite experience.”
He finds it rewarding when veteran campers tell him they’ve camped in places across the country and this is one of the best campsites they’ve ever stayed.
Perks of the job include watching children enjoying the camping experience. “Even just having a kid catch their first fish,” Ruding said, is a special moment. “We do a fishing derby every year around Father’s Day and that’s a rewarding time, helping and teaching them how to how to catch a fish.”
“Camping allows families to escape from the daily grind while encouraging exploration improving their overall health and mood,” said Ruding. “I love that it allows for family bonding, when you can unplug and take a break from the TV or computer screen. And after what we’ve gone through these past two years, it’s nice to have that escape. That’s the true benefit of camping.”
For information or to reserve a campsite, visit monmouthcountyparks.com.
This article originally appeared in the Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, 2022, print edition of The Two River Times.
