Mahlon Dickerson Reservation

John Levis

Beautiful park with miles and miles if both easy hiking and biking trails as well as challenging mountain bike terrain. Places to camp and picnic as well.

Dan Preziosi

Nice flat rail trail for easy hiking or biking plus plenty of other normal hiking trails. Loop around pond an dam is pretty and also saw 4 beaver lodges and 1 beaver dam.

Kevin B

Had a great time camping with 2 families at Mahlon Dickerson Reservation in August 2020. This review is mainly about our experience camping at the shelters (not the tents). MDR is a fairly secluded place, even if it's only 15 min from Rt. 80 in Jefferson. Pros: + secluded, private place. You really feel like you're actually camping. The only noises we heard we us and nature (and not cars and other campers). + very reasonably priced + shelters and campground were maintained in very good condition + nice fire-pit/ grill. easy access to chopped wood and bear-proof garbage + close by to Rt. 80 & Rt.15 in Western NJ. Cons: - only a port-a-potty at shelter / tent site - no running water toilet or shower (there is a working water faucet near shelter S4) - Privacy comes at a cost - few amenities within walking distance (no playground, open ball fields, didn't see any marked hiking trails, etc.) - Can't drive straight up to shelters - walk a few hundred feet (but this helps with seclusion part). Initially tried to book using the online reservation tool, but after struggling for 15 minutes, I called the Morris County parks and got a live person and was able to book in 5 minutes. We only camped the 1 night, and arrived in the afternoon. We stayed in 2 of the Adirondack shelters (aka lean-tos). It was a ~9' x 11' wooden platform with walls on 3 sides and a roof. But ultimately, my kids decided it would be more fun to pitch the tent we brought and sleep there, next to the lean-to which worked fine as well. Ground is a bit rocky, but we found a decent spot for a large tent. Liked the secluded nature of the place, the serenade of crickets and bugs and birds from dusk to dawn. They had good grill/ fire pits that we cooked s'mores on. We brought our own grill, but we probably could have cooked on their iron grill if we had wanted. The shelters are in good shape and would have been fine for sleeping bags. It wasn't too buggy, though we brought a couple citronella candles and had them and the firepits going before going to sleep which may have helped. The 4 shelters are a good 50+ feet from each other. You can also think of them as pairs, as 1&2 are together, then a larger space between 2&3, and then 3&4 are fairly close. Good for a couple families or groups going. Note that you cannot (or not when we went) drive right up to the shelters. Though there is a short walking path from the parking lot to the shelters, be prepared to carry your gear a couple hundred feet from the car to your shelter spot. The lack of a full bathroom (there is one at the RV site about 1/4 mile away, not sure if it's open right now) was a drawback for some members of my family. There is a little shed near shelter S4 that has a water tap outside that was working. The kids loved the animals and trees - we saw frogs, grasshoppers, slugs, caterpillars... and heard birds and owls, and lots of other ambient noise. Did not see any deer, bear or large animals. Overall it was a nice place and I would strongly recommend it for a "wilderness" type camping adventure that you can almost access from the trunk of your car. You might run out of things to do in a couple days since there are not many amenities, but definitely worth a try if you're looking to experience the great outdoors.

clara List

Beautiful quiet place for a walk at any pace