Stokes State Forest

Inside Stokes State Forest

Governor Edward Stokes handed the state 500 acres of Kittatinny Mountain in 1907. That donation grew into Stokes State Forest, 16,447 acres spread across Sandyston, Montague, and Frankford townships with more than 63 miles of marked trail inside it. The forest runs the spine of the ridge from the southern edge of High Point State Park southwest toward the Delaware Water Gap, which makes it the largest stretch of public woods in Sussex County.

Sunrise Mountain and the Appalachian Trail

A 12.5-mile section of the Appalachian Trail follows the Kittatinny Mountain ridge through the forest, and Sunrise Mountain is where most people meet it. The overlook sits around 1,650 feet, with a stone-and-timber shelter at the top, farmland rolling east and ridge after ridge stacking west toward Pennsylvania. Sunrise Mountain Road gets you nearly to the summit from mid-April through mid-December. It gates shut for winter, so cold-weather visitors walk the last stretch.

Culver Fire Tower

Follow the Appalachian Trail southwest from Sunrise Mountain and you reach Culver Fire Tower, a 47-foot steel Aermotor put up in 1933 on a lookout site established in 1908, when it went by Normanook. The Forest Fire Service still staffs it when fire danger runs high, so treat it as a working tower and not an observation deck. The clearing at the base has a picnic table and open views in every direction: the Wallkill and Paulins Kill valleys east, the Kittatinny ridge running from the Delaware Water Gap north to High Point, and Pike County, Pennsylvania across the river. The shortest way up is the green-blazed Tower Trail from the Stony Lake parking area, about 3.2 miles round trip.

Stokes Star View

Partway up Sunrise Mountain Road, a small pull-off opens to the west. Two picnic tables, room for a handful of cars, and almost nothing between you and the horizon. Google lists it as Stokes Star View, and the name earns itself: on a clear day you can pick out the High Point Monument to the north, and on a moonless night this is one of the least light-polluted vantage points in the state.

Before You Drive Up

Sunrise Mountain Road is one-way and closes seasonally, so call the park office before planning the trip. And the gate is posted sunrise to sunset, which means genuine after-dark sky watching usually involves booking a campsite rather than driving in at 10 p.m.

Tillman Ravine, Kittle Field, and Stony Lake

Tillman Ravine Natural Area is 525 acres of an entirely different forest: a cold, dim cut where Tillman Brook drops through eastern hemlock old growth and barred owls nest. Kittle Field is the family end of things, with a reservable 120-person pavilion, playground, and a ball field across the road. Stony Lake has 45 picnic tables with grills and flush toilets on site. Swimming is not permitted there or at any lake in Stokes, so plan on a picnic and trout fishing rather than a beach day.

The Free Spring Water Fill Station

For plenty of visitors, this is the whole reason for the trip. A natural artesian spring feeds a public fill station in the forest, running cold and continuous all year, with spigots positioned so five-gallon jugs easily fit underneath. The water tastes crisp, clean, and refreshing, just as you expect water from a real mountain spring would taste.

It costs nothing, other than the park entrance fee. Weekends bring a steady line of cars with trunks full of carboys, so go early: get there by 7:30 or 8 a.m. on a Saturday and you are in and out in ten minutes. Bring more containers than you planned to. Everybody does the second time.

To get to the spring, enter the park through the main entrance along Route 206 (Coursen Road). Proceed past the park office, over the bridge and make your first left onto Shotwell Road. The spring is a minute or two down the road on the right hand side, just in front of a park maintenance shop. There is often a line, but what’s nice is that you can pull your car right up to it.

The coordinates for the spring are: 41°11’17.1″N 74°48’00.8″W

Camping, Fishing and Hunting

Stokes has 122 tent and trailer sites spread across Shotwell, Lake Ocquittunk and Steam Mill, plus group sites and furnished cabins, all booked through camping.nj.gov. The Big Flat Brook is one of the better trout streams in the state. Pair a day here with Peters Valley School of Craft a few minutes down Route 615, or lunch in Branchville.

Thousands of Trout Stocked Every Year

The State of New Jersey stocks the Flat Brook River, the Little Flat Brook River, Stony Lake, and Lake Ocquittunk with thousands of trout each year. Trout stocking dates and locations are available online.

Anyone 16 years of age or older must have a valid fishing license to fish in New Jersey’s fresh waters, including privately owned waters, using a handline, rod and reel, or bow. A trout stamp is also required to fish for trout or salmon, even if you plan to release your catch.

Hunting Seasons and What Hikers Should Know

Most of Stokes is open to hunting under New Jersey Fish and Wildlife rules, and fall is the busy stretch. The single most useful thing for hikers to know is that Sunday hunting is not permitted in New Jersey state parks and forests, so a November Sunday on the ridge is a very different experience from a November Saturday. The rest of the week, from early fall into winter, wear blaze orange, keep dogs leashed and visible, and stay on marked trails. Parts of the forest are closed to hunting, and the park office has a map showing which. Season dates move every year, so check the current NJ Hunting and Trapping Digest rather than planning around last year’s calendar.

Fees, Seasons, and Access

Stokes charges an entrance fee on weekends and holidays only, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, collected at the booth near the park office off Route 206. Weekdays are free all summer, and the entire off season is free from the day after Labor Day until Memorial Day weekend. Trails stay open year round, and the forest is one of the county’s better fall foliage destinations once the ridge turns in October.

2026 Stokes State Forest Entrance Fees

Charged on weekends and holidays only, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

Per vehicle, weekends and holidays

• New Jersey residents: $10
• Nonresidents: $20
• Oversized vehicles: twice the standard rate

No fee

• Weekdays, all summer
• Every day from after Labor Day through Memorial Day weekend

Worth it if you come back

At $10 a visit, five summer weekend trips cover the cost of an annual State Park Pass. The pass runs $50 for New Jersey residents and $75 for out-of-state visitors, plus a $3 administrative fee, and it covers entry for one calendar year at every state park and forest that charges. A second household vehicle can be added for $25 (NJ residents) or $35 (nonresidents), but only at the time of the first purchase. Residents age 62 and over and people with disabilities can apply for a free pass.