The Great Divide- Newton, NJ

It was time to embark on our maiden voyage in our first camper, and I obviously wanted it to be a doozy. After an overwhelming response to a Facebook post (never again) where I asked for recommendations, we settled on The Great Divide. Tucked into the woods of Newton, New Jersey, off a winding road - and not too far from my favorite pub - you’ll find a campground buzzing with activities.

The campground itself is fairly large and it definitely isn’t flat. Most of the seasonal campers have invested in golf carts, and I was regretting our decision to pass up a rental after our first walk to the pool. (There is a local business you can rent from and they will deliver to the campground.) Speaking of the pool, my girls were thrilled to have this particular amenity. Granted, we visited the campground during a heat wave and temps were over 100°, so it was a welcome reprieve from the blistering sun. The pool itself is enormous - Olympic sized - and has a fair amount of seating. There are lifeguards to keep watch, which always settles the nerves of any parent who is outnumbered by their kiddos. *Camping hack* I’ve learned that it’s always a good idea to keep pool toys, goggles, inflatable tubes, etc, in the camper… you just never know when an opportunity to swim may arise!

Additional amenities that the kids enjoyed included the playground, staff led arts and crafts, organized games, mining for gemstones, ice cream from the camp store, and kayaking. Some of these activities aligned with the “theme of the weekend.” We have been there for Christmas in July, Fairy Weekend, and Race Car Weekend. For instance, during Christmas in July, Santa visits the barn at camp. If you choose to participate, you sneakily deliver a pre-wrapped (and labeled) gift to the barn, and when your child arrives at the barn later that day- BAM- Santa presents them with the perfect gift. I’ve got to be honest, it’s pretty dang adorable.

Now, here's the part I LOVED. On the weekends, the campground features live music in the evening at their pavilion. We would typically feed the kids dinner, make some popcorn, grab a cooler of drinks, and head down the hill for some live entertainment! In front of the stage, they have tables and chairs set up around communal fire pits for everyone to enjoy. You can even roast s’mores while you listen to the music if you so choose. Pretty rad. Staff members walk around lighting the fire pits as the seats fill in – talk about service! It was always the perfect ending to a day at camp.

The Great Divide will be a tough campground to beat, but we are going to do our best to find others that are comparable. Still, my middle daughter, Callan, lovingly (and with vigor) refers to The Great Divide as the best campground in the entire world. So, I guess you can say it was a pretty big hit for the Wilks in the Wild.