P9093CSgregb
Today, I went with my friends to the Campgaw Mountain in Mahwah Nj. We were very excited to go Snow Tubing and were eager to go down the slope. However, when we waited in line (like one staff member told us) we got yelled at by another member. He told us to read the signs that say "Snow Tubing Is Closed Due To Weather" when people were going down the slope to test it. Anyway, he told us to learn how to read and was very nasty about the entire thing. Now, I'm not even getting to the bad stuff. Once we got up the lift, which broke down twice in one pull, the people were nasty. They were throwing ICE BALLS at each other and were hitting my friends and I! They said we should watch ourself and move when we see the balls coming towards us. At this point we were really getting mad. However, when the moronic workers started to taunt us while waiting to go on the lift, it was too much. They were singing racial songs, saying random inappropriate comments, and even asking us random questions. DO NOT BRING SMALL CHILDREN! The stopping method for the tubing is extremely rough and barely works! My friends raced each other and one flew off of his tube and hit the top and another went right over the bank and crashed into the snow fence! Also, the banks between the lanes are horrible and many times, I barely stayed in my lane. Overall, the tubing was fun, but the customer service and staff were extremely rude and need to be more professional about their jobs.
629brendanp
Campgaw is a nice, local, ski/snowboard mountain. It's not worth traveling to if you are out of the area. It is small and lackluster, but perfect if you are a beginning skier/boarder and/or you don't need the thrill of steep slopes. I came last weekend with a few friends and we enjoyed a full day of skiing. It wasn't too crowded. The employees seem to be all over the place, so try and inquire in the main lodge with all of your questions. It's a younger staff- on a few occasions would catch them playing around or complaining about other staff members. If you live in Bergen County, you can get the Bergen County Card for $11 and it will save you money on lift tickets all season long!
53melissal
I booked to go snow tubing..unfortunately I was unable to attend due to an emergence and conflict in time...i was told that my tickets are non refundable or transferable. I wasn't asking for my money back just either a different time of day or a different day. I will never take my children there again. Most unhelpful people ever. I was even willing to give my confirmation to someone else and was told I couldn't even though there was 4 people on the reservation. Terrible
Dylancatanese
The place was understaffed and the staff was a bunch of 16and 17 yr olds.Its totally unsafe when you get to the bottom of the hill there are these black strips that stop you but then you go flying off and get hurt.Today I saw multiple people get hurt .Also the lift hill was not consistent and went on and off and took you about 10 min to get up.Finally the line was huge so most people started walking up the hill which is very tiring and time consuming.You only have 2 hours and I spent a big part of my time going the up mountain.I would recommend drop zone in Mount Creek which is a little farther then Campgaw.
BrianS41
Small place, great for children and beginners, but if you are anything more than a beginner you will be bored silly pretty quickly.
MikeBHR
This park offers a campground to go with its trails and ski area. The sites have to be reserved in person with staff at a nearby park office, and they are cheaper than other campgrounds in nearby parks. The campground parallels I-287, so there is a bit of highway hum in the background. The sites are clean. Some of the sites have a three sided shelter, while others are just cleared ground around a fire area. The park is patrolled by park rangers and county sheriffs, although there is no staff onsite. There is a bathhouse with showers and running water at the end of the area. There is very little traffic in the campground. I was alone during weeknights and shared the grounds with only two other parties during the weekend. The only oddity about the stay was the early morning visit by the candidates at the nearby law enforcement training center. They use the campground road for physical training, with calisthenics just up the road from my site. The chanting, cadences, and other noise that goes with boot camp style exercise made for an interesting wake-up call, especially when the slow and overweight candidates caught up to the rest of the group. The trails in the park are excellent, with challenging hills through open woods.
MarinerMom
Campgaw Mountain is a great place to learn to ski. It's been a fixture in northwest Bergen county since the '70s and has been teaching kids and families to ski for years.This is not a big resort so if your expecting something fancy and elaborate, you are going to the wrong place. If learning to ski in a small safe environment is what you're after, then this is a great choice. The mountain is serviced by decent snow-making, 2 chair lifts and a "magic carpet" and rope tow. Snow tubing is an additional attraction. Most of the instructors are locals and many are young hot shot skiers and boarders that teach so they can have a free pass to be on the snow whenever they have a free minute so they score high on enthusiasm. Generally they get the job done pretty well for kids of all ages, from the very young to those that are young at heart. The lodge is small but adequate with a rental shop, snack bar, fireplace and seating. If you're a spectator you can stand at the base of the hill and see everything that's happening or watch from inside the lodge. They have some great kids programs that include youth racing and lesson packages that have your child in class every weekend so you will see some consistent results is you elect to try one of these. Skiing is an expensive sport no matter where you go so expect to drop a few bucks. You can bring your own food into the lodge if you want to save some money and you can rent off site as well but Campgaw has the entire package right in northern NJ making it a good bet for a beginners ski or snowboard outing.
ilivennj
I went hiking at this park with a friend. It is a fantastic place to hike the trails. Trails are marked very well and, for the most part, rough and include stones and tree roots so you do get a good workout. We climbed to the top of the mountain and enjoyed the great view. There were a number of people fishing in Fyke Pond so I assume the fishing is good. In the winter, there is a ski slope complete with chairlifts. Parking is free and plentiful.SUGGESTION: Go to Google and print a map of the trails. None were available at the park except a large one on a sign. I assume this is not a problem in the winter when the ski slope office is open but it is closed in the summer.I'll return.
964robertl
Campgaw is a great weekend ski trip within an hour of NYC. Great for kids, Families and First-timers!
FlyingJoey
Campgaw prices are outrages in comparison to prices at other full size resorts. I really don't understand how Campgaw can justify charging 80 dollars for a single lesson taught by a 15 year old.
will10040
Learning to ski is on my bucket list and this is a great place to learn, the hills arent to steep and its inexpensive and close to home..... works for me.
797patrickw
I recently had a very bad experience with Campgaw. Last Sunday, along with 2 other families, took our kids to Campgaw. The kids are all between 5 and 6 years old. We pre-registered for one group lesson and one private lesson which had a 3-hour gap in between. They did pretty well in the first group lesson, and wanted to practice on the bunny slope while waiting for the second.Now if you have been to Campgaw, you know they use a conveyer lift for the bunny slopes. I was watching closely. The first time my kid went up and came down without any problems. However, the second time after he got off the lift, he appeared to be stuck and was just sitting on the snow for quite some time. When I heard he yelling 'DAD' from the distance, I realized that he might have difficulties with his bindings. So I went to find the onsite supervisor (name is Craig or Greg) and asked for help.His response to me was: "I told you guys stay outside the fence if you don't have the lift ticket, can't you see the sign?" I told him "I see the sign, but my 6 year-old has been stranded up there for a while, he needs help"Here is the rest of conversation:Craig: "I can't help you or him, he will have come down by himself or stay up there"Me: "I just need you to get someone near the lift area to help him with his bindings so he can come down"Craig (mind that he had a two-way radio, and could have radioed his team who were just a few feet away from my son to help): "I won't do that, and if you stay here I am going to call county police to escort you out"Me: "He's only six and is a beginner, can't you do anything'Craig:' NO!'Being desperate, I turned to seek help from the management office, a lady from the office finally went to the bunny hill to help. Thanks to the lady, my son finally came down all frightened with tears in his eyes, there was a sheet of ice on his lower back from sitting too long in the snow. Even after the ordeal, my son went on to his private lesson, he loves this sport so much but I'm just not willing to put him in the same situation again. Campgaw is a facility targeting kids and family, but their actions tells me that they don't care about the wellbeing and the safety of their customers, not even for a minor. If you must go there, realize that there you're putting yourself and your kids at risk.I feel I experienced the worst nightmare of parents, seeing you kid in trouble and not allowed to help.If you are not tired of the story, please continue to read the following:When my kid are private lesson, I brought my friend with recorder as witness to talk to Craig (or Greg), here is the concersation:Me: 'Hi Craig, I just want to make sure I understand our encounter earlier, when I told you that my son is in trouble and need help, why can't you help'Craig: 'If he can't come down by himself, he shouldn't be up there'Me: 'I registered him to two class and his only problem is sometimes the binding is hard to tighten up, so I only ask you to help or find someone to help him'Craig:' It doesn't matter'Me: 'So when a 6 year old stuck there, you offer no help and doesn't allow parents to help'Craig:' without a lift ticket, parents are not allowed in there'Me:' So why you can't help"Craig: ' I don't care, and have nothing more to talk to you'He then walked away.Me and my friend were shocked when he said ' I don't care'Again, parents, if you don't know how to ski, don't take you young children to Campgaw. If any incident happy there, the supervisor will put their policy before kids safty.As I have recording for some of conversation and video from my friend to identify the supervisor, those remain evidence and off the public. If you are going there and you want to know the person you shall be aware of, and don't want to waste time on him, PM me and I will send you his picture.
Cambymom
Took my children snow tubing for the first time to the Campgaw Ski Area. We had the night time session 6-8, what a great time. The crowd was manageable so we each took plenty of turns coming down the mountain. What a great place to take your family so close to home it was about a 20 minute ride. The boys and I had a blast so happy we finally went to check it out.
toddp535
This is a wonderful mountain for young skiers to learn on. The lines are relatively short and the staff is wonderful! Since this is a small mountain, the runs are very short, but that makes it perfect for children. My son learned how to ski here and it is still great for him to practice on. There are 2 ski lifts and 2 magic carpets.
HOBtrvlr
Took my young son here for his first time skiing ever. He was very nervous when we got there, but I think he was ready to go when he saw that the "mountain" wasn't very overwhelming. He was excited to get all the rental equipment, and then try his skills out. The mountain is the perfect size for little kids and first-timers. I certainly wouldn't suggest it for experts, but Campgaw has its place--and it will always be the first place my boy skied!