Mullica River Trail

Wharton State Forest (Batsto to Atsion)

The Mullica River Trail follows the Mullica River through Wharton State Forest between Batsto Village and Atsion, in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. It’s short and flat, and it leads to Mullica River Wilderness Camp, a riverbank campground that the state says is closed to motor vehicles.

That makes it one of the easier first backpacking trips in New Jersey, with the option of looping back on the Batona Trail.

The hike

The state’s Wharton brochure lists the yellow-blazed Mullica River Trail at 9.4 miles, of moderate difficulty, on natural sandy trail along the river, with trailheads on Route 542 west of Batsto Village and at the Atsion forest office. New Jersey Monthly, which walked it northbound on a summer trip published in 2017, gives 9.5 miles and parked at the Batsto Village visitor center.

Less than a quarter mile in, an orange-blazed side loop runs a few hundred yards along the river, the article says. The campsite is about 4 miles from the start in New Jersey Monthly’s account, which matches the state camp map’s count from Batsto. Along the way the writer passed cedar swamps and Constable Bridge, where teens were jumping into the river. The article lists bog asphodel, orchids, swamp azaleas, prickly pear, wild magnolias, and curly-grass fern, which it says grows almost nowhere else on Earth.

North of camp, a connector leads to the Batona Trail about a mile on, and New Jersey Monthly suggests following Mullica River Road for about 2 miles to stay close to the water before rejoining the trail. The last 2.7 miles reach the Atsion visitor center on US 206. The second day took the writer a little over three hours.

The brochure says the Beaver Pond-Quaker Bridge Trail and the Wilderness Camps Connector Trail link the Mullica River Trail to the Batona, making a 12-mile loop from Batsto possible. NJ Hiking describes a 9.5-mile day loop from Atsion on these trails, with mileage signs, a beaver pond, and a sandy beach, plus an area of fire damage. It warns that unmarked sand roads cross the trails, so watch for blazes, and calls the loop “probably our favorite pine barrens hike.”

Mike McCormick of South Jersey Trails told New Jersey Monthly, “People don’t believe me when I tell them how quiet it gets out there.”

For the full Pine Barrens traverse, see the Batona Trail.

Tips

Reserve a site and carry your permit. Wharton campsites are booked through camping.nj.gov.
Leave a car at each end, or plan the loop back to Batsto on the Batona Trail.
Check for ticks. NJ Hiking warns they “can be terrible in the pines, especially in warmer months.”
Carry water on the trail. New Jersey Monthly says there are no facilities along the way.
Expect company. A 2013 forum post says paddlers on the Atsion-to-Pleasant Mills run use the same camp.

Camping

The state’s camp map says Mullica River Camp is hike-in or paddle-in only, with no motor vehicles, and requires a permit. It has 10 sites, each allowing 6 to 12 people and 2 to 6 tents depending on the site, plus pit toilets and potable water. Alcohol is prohibited, cutting or damaging vegetation is prohibited, and trash must be packed out. The NJ Outdoors policy allows pets only at designated pet-friendly campsites, and the state’s pet-friendly list for Wharton (last updated 2020) does not include Mullica River Camp. A third-party listing says reservations are made through the state’s camping.nj.gov system.

New Jersey Monthly reports that fires were allowed on its trip if campers packed in wood or used fallen wood, and that the pump was the only amenity. Forum posters in 2013 described new fire rings and grills at each site, and noted that some visitors park on a nearby sand road and walk in, so it isn’t as remote as it looks.

Inside Intel: New Jersey Monthly describes the sites as elevated on the riverbank and “spacious and well maintained,” and the writer swam in the chilly, tea-colored river at camp. A 2013 forum poster says the camp is crowded at times and recommends reserving ahead.

Trail facts

Distance: 9.4 miles (state brochure); 9.5 miles (New Jersey Monthly), Batsto to Atsion
Route type: Point to point; 12-mile loop from Batsto using the Batona Trail
Difficulty: Easy to moderate; flat and sandy
Campsites: Mullica River Wilderness Camp, 10 sites, about 4 miles from Batsto
Water: Pump at camp (state map); none along the trail
Permits: Camping permit required; reserve on camping.nj.gov
Fires: Reported allowed unless restricted; confirm with the forest office
Dogs: Leashed (6-foot maximum) in the forest; Mullica River Camp is not on the state’s pet-friendly campsite list (2020), so confirm before bringing a dog overnight
Trailheads: Batsto Village (Route 542); Atsion office (US 206)
Last verified: October 17, 2026

The Lowdown

A flat Pine Barrens walk to Mullica River Camp:

An easy overnight through cedar swamps to the Mullica River Camp may not call for a premium shell. Our comparison looks at two less expensive alternatives to the Arc'teryx Beta SL.

See the three shells →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.