Earle Deer Run RV Park

I agree with all the previous comments regarding Muriel, she is absolutely fabulous. We stayed at NWS on each leg of our journey from Ct to Md and back. The bathhouse / laundry facility is spotless. The base itself has limited services (no gas station etc.) but if you know this it is not an issue. Since our stays consisted of an arrival time of around 1600 and a 0800 departure the next morning we opted to eat on town and Perkins - about a 1 mile north on 34 is fabulous. We were so impressed with the facility we plan on planning a trip there to check out the Colts Neck area. Having served with the Subbase NLON Police Dept. I also agree the MA / DoD Police Force is highly professional - courteous and polite - and stone-cold serious.

We opted for Earle NWS as a launchpad for a day trip to NYC. Lots of options for getting into the Big Apple from there. Our 41' 5ver fit the park's big rig spaces with lots of room to spare. The spaces have a LOT of room to spread out, probably 35' wide and 100' deep with concrete pads, picic table and lots of grass. The restrooms and facilities were spotless. The person who manages the campground is a gem. Ms. Muriel Smith is without a doubt the reason Earle NWS has such a terrific RV park. She will do anything she can to make you stay pleasant. I'd stay there again just because she's the person that makes the arrangements. I didn't ask about the Earle NWS mission, but the sailors there are VERY serious and professional about security. Ms. Muriel had a packet waiting for us at the gate, which we got to enter only after producing TV and Trailer registration, proof of insurance, drivers license, and waiting for the security detail to search our vehicle and RV. All that even with a current DoD decal on the windshield. They were impressive. We felt quite secure at the campground. The only drawback I found was the placement of the sewer connection. It's right in the middle of the concrete pad where you park. On our rig, it was directly under the trailer about two feet behind the rear axle. Since our stay was short we opted not to dump there simply because I didn't want to crawl under the trailer to deal with it. Another quirk was the electrical hook up was on the opposite side of the site from where it should haave been. It wasnt' a problem reaching it with the 50A power cord, but it was strange having to go under the RV with it. All 5 of the sites we looked at were set up this way. Overall a great place to stay, short or long term.

This FamCamp was a pleasant surprise. Level concrete pads with FHU. Sewer connection was a bit odd; middle of the rear end of the concrete parking pad. There was a second sewer on the side which we used. We made our reservation on line and it worked well. We extended one day by calling Chris at the number given. Chris had a packet of information waiting for us at Security, just after passing through the gate. No commissary but essentials can be bought at the NEX. The fitness center is first class. We extended a day just to take advantage of that facility. WiFi was OK. Picnic table and grill at each site. Only four or five sites were occupied. Overall a great experience.

I've read a few questionable comments about the facilities at Earle, however, I have absolutely none. Yes, the sites could have the sewer hookup where they should be, but they are no problem. The greatest thing about Earle is the wonderful person that oversees the place. Her name is Muriel Smith and she is an absolute jewel. She knows camping because she full-timed it for over ten years herself. She consistently goes out or her way to make each and every camper feel at home and keeps everyone up to date on what is happening in the area. I was retiring from McGuire AFB, and needed to spend an extended stay due to the earlier than planned sale of my home. As long as I didn't displace another camper, Muriel allowed me to stay as long as was required. She always came by to check on us to see if we needed anything and even assisted us in getting a deal on the auto-train to Florida to reposition one of our vehicles. She’s a great lady, fantastic campground manager, and now a trusted friend. As far as the famcamp goes, Earle offers full concrete pads and patios, great walking and jogging trails, a nice pool in the summer, and a nice little Navy exchange for the basic necessities (beer, wine, food items etc.) Their gym and work-out center is also excellent...all within two blocks of the famcamp. If you want a great stay in N.J., Earle is it.

We stayed at Earle for four days. Muriel is a gem and worked with us when we wanted to move to a different site.! When pulling into the park watch for the trees on your right (near the bathhouse/laundry). The limbs need to be trimmed. Sites 1-4 and 8 might be iffy for satellite reception if you have a rooftop system. No Wifi. We didn't use any of the facilities but they were very clean and well maintained. Need your towed or truck serviced? Check out the Auto Hobby Shop. I provided the oil, filter and fuel filter and Less did the work for $25. Not a bad deal and he did a fantastic job. Open Wed, Fri, Sat & Sun. Our site was #5 and the sewer connection was right in the middle of the pad. A little awkward but doable. We will return.

Well, being a full-timer and having spent the last two summers at Earle, its still a fine place to stay. There is the hole left by the departure of Muriel and the obvious difference in management, but all in all, you probably won't be disappointed. Its great for folks trying to get into the city and do some site seeing, as well as folks that want to head down to the beach for the day. The $25 a night fee (no extended stay rate) might be a bit hard to swallow if you do much traveling around on the military bases like we do but as they have said "its cheaper than what you can find out in town." The wifi is very reliable and we have never had an issue with the laundry (1.25 wash/1.75 dry) room. The PX/class six is small but provides enough to survive until you can make it down the road to Walmart. The current manager does his job but we sure do miss what Muriel provided. She would always come through the park ask us if we needed anything and we never had any doubt we could count on her to take issues for action. The new regime looks at it as more of a job and less of a passion like Muriel. [sigh] But, if you are looking for a spot that's quiet and close to the Garden State Parkway, you can't go wrong.

This was our first visit to this location. It is a great base camp location for visiting NYC. And, it is a great place to shake off the stress after visiting NYC. Not much to do on base. There is a small shopette that has minimal groceries. Co-located with the shoppette is a snack bar with burgers and such. Reasonable price, good food. Open for breakfast and lunch only. Lots of deer running around. Sites are very good and level. Sewer hookup is not an issue. Just do not back in so far. Location is close to the Highlands Ferry into the city. We used it round trip for two ($80). Next time we will try a train or bus. Showers lacked sufficient water pressure, so we used coach shower. Showers/laundry were clean and in good order. Book exchange in laundry room. We were told that tics were a problem. We did not have that problem. It may be associated with those with pets. Price of $25/night might be a little high for a military base with the same amenities, but compared to everything else in the area, this is surely a bargain. Overall, a great place to stay.

Tight Security day I was there. Welcome packet waiting at guard house, with map to BX and MWR. C/G is in two sections. One seems long-term. Newer section, where I stayed, has concrete pads and full h/up. Cyberroom opened 7:30 a.m. - 8 p.m. to retrieve email.

This was our first visit to Earl. We hope to visit again as this was one of the really good ones. Great place, nice sites, and the best manager ever.....Muriel. Even though she was leaving the next day on a vacation for herself and much earned I'm sure, she was able to provide us with a multitude of info and suggestions that kept us busy the entire time. V/R BL and CL

We chose to camp at Earle because it was a good location to look up blood relatives and seek information about my pre-adoption life, visit the places where I grew up, and to do some sightseeing in NYC and NJ. Upon our arrival, Muriel met us at the gate, gave us our campground packet, and showed us to our site. She answered many questions, provided us useful information about the area, and even helped us when our cell phone was destroyed. NWS Earle, and all RVers that stay here, are very fortunate to have Muriel as our RV Park Manager. She is the best. The sites are very nice, quiet, and well maintained. The bath houses, laundry room were in good order and very clean. Wifi worked very well too. Our first stay had to be cut short due to a family emergency. So we came back to our same site (#4) to finish our business and do our sightseeing. We stayed a total of 24 days and enjoyed every minute here.

I agree with all comments in the previous review. This military campground is a gem mainly because the other military campgrounds in New Jersey have issues. For us it's perfectly positioned to visit family. The campground manager, Muriel goes out of her way to assist. It's an annual stop for us and I'd like to say thank you to the campground manager, the base CO and MWR Director and I hope they continue to support the campground. I think recently some sites were lost to construction of some other facility but there is land to replace and even increase the number os camping sites. The laundry and restrooms are above average. I also think they should try and keep a few sites open year round and see if there is any winter demand for them. It's easy money for MWR.

My wife and I were there for a one week stay. Overall the stay was very pleasant. Muriel, the MWR Representative, is available for questions that may be fielded. The only strange observation I had was the location of the sewer connections. This was an old mobile home park and I can understand the location (in the middle and at the rear) for them. However, they did build a number of new sites and located the sewer connections again at the rear and in the middle of the pad. This will not prevent us from returning to this campground but it does make for a conversation piece.

The check in process was as easy as ever, Met Arlene at the MWR office during check in. We needed to extend our stay by a few days at check in she helped and made sure it happened. They base has little to do on it but FT. Monmoth is just a few miles away, also Ft. Dix & McGuire AFB is just a short drive if you really need a great PX/BX. A laundry mat is near FT Monmoth about 5 miles away.But let me tell you the BEST things, your about a hour from Philly, Alantic City, & NYC. The lighthouses and the NJ beaches are just a few miles away. The NJ Transit system parking is Free after 09:00 and show your ID card on the train and the ride into NYC is Free also. Remember do not ride during prime time or it cost Go to the USO in NYC and get some discounts for Broadway show with out having to stand in line at TKTS outlet every day. The USO is located in the port authority. Some times they have Basaball tickets. I would or will stay there again and again. Yes the hook ups are different but I'm been at worst both Military and civilian. Just plan a little for the sewer hook up. I only used a 20 foot sewer line with no problems, 25 foot H2O hose & a standard Elect cord for 50 Amps. The security police drove thru every day to check on things.

Muriel is a great manager and will do everything in her power to see that visitors have a wonderful time. The wifi was installed while we were there and is working very well.

We used our visit to Earl as a base to visit New York City. We had site #3 which was very level, spacious, had concrete pad, large area in the front of the site so it was very easy to back into and we had full hookups. The park is very well maintained. We did not use the restrooms or laundry so cannot comment on those facilities. There were some trees to the rear of our campsite so we could not use our roof mounted satellite. However, there were probably several other sites where you would be able to use your roof mounted satellite. We were able to get in most of the major networks on our antennae. Our Verizon cell signal was excellent. One of the very best features is the wifi. The signal was strong and fast. Whenever we contacted Muriel, the manager, she was always extremely helpful. Also, the base has many deer and they are very visible especially at dawn and dusk. A very nice campground and we would definitely return if we are back in the area.

We really enjoyed this campground, which is a converted mobile home park. The utilities are in very strange places as a result. If you want to use the 50 amp service, be sure to bring a long 50 amp cord as the electricity connection is at the end of the pad. Also, bring a long sewer hose and be prepared to crawl under your RV to connect it. We were told that the utilities would be moved soon to a more standard location. On the plus side, the pads are concrete and HUGE! There are no showers, bathrooms or laundry rooms in the campground, so plan accordingly. (Showers are available at the gym locker room, but bring some flip flops as it doesn't appear that the showers are cleaned often.) There is a laundry facility on base available Monday-Friday only-- see MWR for details. The campground itself is beautiful, located in a wooded area with lots of shade. The gym is a short walk and is first-rate (with the exception of the locker room-- see comment above.) There is a playground and very nice skateboard park if you have children/grandchildren with you. Darlene at MWR (who is the POC for the campground) is wonderful and friendly. She gave us maps, made restaurant recommendations, and was in general very helpful. The MWR office is co-located with the gym, internet cafe and mini-shopette (a 3-minute walk from the campground). There is a nice selection of DVDs for rent and a small library. The part of the base where the campground is located is very small-- no Commissary, BX, post office, etc. (The working part of the base is located at the dock several miles away.) We often felt like we were in a Stephen King novel as we walked through the deserted base. The chapel is no longer in use, so don't let the posted service times (on yellowed paper) fool you. There is an Army post nearby (about 15-20 minute drive with BX, Commissary, etc.) The primary reason we stayed here was to explore New York City. The train station is an easy 10-15 minute drive (Little Silver station), and we spent only $4.75 per person (one-way, military or senior rate) to travel straight to Penn Station on Manhattan Island (close to the Empire State Building). The trip takes about an hour. You can also take a ferry to Manhattan--the ferry service also offers a military discount, but it's a little pricier than the train. The town of Colt's Neck (outside the base) is charming. The Orchard store has the most wonderful produce and bakery. There is a NASCAR race track nearby and a horse racing track (we did not visit either). The highlight of our trip was exploring the Jersey shore in Point Pleasant (30 minute drive) where we walked the boardwalk, rode the rides and ate saltwater taffy. As an alternative to the RV park, you might consider the houses for rent on base. We didn't see them, but were told by several people that they're extremely nice. The price is determined by rank/pay, but considering the proximity to New York, it would be a very econoimical vacation for a family. One thing we did find irritating was the permanent residents-- active duty couples/families taking up 5 of the 8 available sites. We were told that they would be moved to sites across the road that are currently under construction so that all 8 spots will be available by the end of Summer 2006. We will definitely stay at this quiet, peaceful campground again.