Turkey Swamp Park in Freehold Township: Trails Lake and Camping

Turkey Swamp Park is a Monmouth County park at 200 Georgia Road in Freehold Township, NJ, with a 17-acre lake, 9.15 miles of trails, an archery range and a campground, and it opens at 7 a.m. every day of the year.

Monmouth County runs parks from the oceanfront to the inland woods. Turkey Swamp Park is one of the inland ones, a wooded park with a lake and a campground at the northern end of the Pine Barrens. Here's what the park has, when it's open this winter, what to know before you go, and what the streets and homes are like nearby.

What is Turkey Swamp Park?

Turkey Swamp Park is part of the Monmouth County Park System. The county's park page describes it as a 2,414-acre wooded park that was bought and built with campers in mind. The 17-acre lake is the main draw, and it's used for fishing, boating and ice skating. The park also has trails, an archery range, playgrounds, two soccer fields and group picnic areas you can reserve.

The name has a story. The county says the first word comes from the old name for Adelphia, the nearby village. The second word comes from the thick forest and the high water table, which form sphagnum bogs wherever the land dips. The core of the park, with the lake, picnic areas and campgrounds, was bought in 1963. More land was added in the 1970s and in later years.

Where is Turkey Swamp Park and when is it open?

The main entrance is at 200 Georgia Road, Freehold, NJ 07728. That's a Freehold mailing address, and the park sits in Freehold Township. From Route 9, take Route 524 west to Georgia Road, turn left, and follow Georgia Road 1.7 miles to the main entrance. From Interstate 195, use Exit 22, take Jackson Mills Road north to Georgia Road, turn left and go the same 1.7 miles.

The park opens at 7 a.m. daily, all year. In the winter, the closing time moves later as the days get longer:

• Through January 18: the park closes at 5:30 p.m.
• January 19 to February 8: it closes at 6 p.m.
• February 9 to March 7: it closes at 6:30 p.m.

The campground office and park information line is 732-462-7286, and the ranger station is 732-462-9265. Check the Turkey Swamp Park page before you head out, since the county posts park news and winter updates there.

What can you do at the lake and on the trails?

The trails are the year-round reason to go. The park has 9.15 miles of multi-use and fitness trails. The county describes the ground as fairly level, and the trails run through the northern end of the Pine Barrens. Much of the park is pitch pine and oak forest, with bracken fern, pepper bush, blueberry and catbriar underneath. Many of the plants and animals you'd expect in the New Jersey Pine Barrens live here too.

At the lake, you can fish for bass, catfish and bluegills from the shore. In the warm months, you can also fish from a rented kayak, rowboat, canoe or paddleboat. Boat rentals run on weekends from May 1 through Father's Day, daily from Father's Day through Labor Day, and on weekends again from Labor Day through Columbus Day. A one-hour paddleboat, rowboat, canoe or single kayak rental is listed at $15.94, plus tax and a $10 refundable deposit. The campground office sells nightcrawlers and garden worms from April through November.

The archery range is open all year during park hours. It's a stand-up range with seven shooting stations set from 15 to 40 yards. You bring your own equipment and paper targets, and only field points are allowed.

How does camping at Turkey Swamp Park work?

The park has two campgrounds. The main one, which the county calls the Family Campground, takes tents, travel trailers and motor homes, and its season runs from April 1 to November 15. Sites are wooded, with electric and water service, fire rings and picnic tables. There's a modern restroom with hot showers and laundry, plus a dump station.

You have to be 21 or older to rent a campsite, and holiday weekends carry a 3-day minimum stay. You can reserve online, at the campground office, or by calling 732-462-7286 after 12 p.m. Cabin reservations are by phone only.

The Nomoco Road Group Campground, at 143 Nomoco Road, is about a mile southwest of the main entrance. It offers group sites and platform tent camping to chartered organizations, also from April 1 to November 15.

What are the streets and homes like near Turkey Swamp Park?

Freehold Township covers about 38.7 square miles of inland Monmouth County, and Route 9 and Route 33 are its main roads. The township runs 14 parks of its own. Michael J. Tighe Park, at 65 Georgia Road, is the largest, so Georgia Road connects two of the bigger parks in town.

In West Freehold, the Stonehurst neighborhood sits off Routes 9 and 33. Most of its homes went up in the 1960s and 1970s, in ranch, colonial, split-level and bi-level styles, and most have basements. There are condominiums on Stonehurst Boulevard too. Turkey Swamp Park is a short drive away for the trails and the lake.

Freehold Township is inland, and the closest ocean beaches, in towns like Belmar and Spring Lake, are about 14 miles away in a straight line. Freehold Borough is a separate town that shares the 07728 ZIP code, so check the town on any property record.

Frequently asked questions

Is Turkey Swamp Park open in the winter?

Yes. It opens at 7 a.m. daily all year. Through January 18, it closes at 5:30 p.m.

How long are the trails at Turkey Swamp Park?

The park has 9.15 miles of multi-use and fitness trails, on mostly level ground.

When can you camp at Turkey Swamp Park?

The main campground is open from April 1 to November 15. Campers must be 21 or older to rent a site.

Can you rent a kayak at Turkey Swamp Park?

Yes, in season. Rentals run on weekends from May 1, daily from Father's Day through Labor Day, and on weekends through Columbus Day.

Why Turkey Swamp Park matters for Freehold Township

Route 9 and the mall are the parts of Freehold Township you see from the highway. Turkey Swamp Park is a different side of the same township, with miles of pine woods and a lake inside its borders. I'm Dennis Mark Interdonato, and I write these town blogs so you know the places in the towns where I sell homes.

Want to know more about the township? Start with my Freehold Township town page, then read about Twin Pond Farm, a farm business on Route 9 in Howell.