Fall at Ponderosa: The Pet Friendly Campground Cape May Families Return To

There is a particular kind of magic to the shore in the fall. The summer rush fades, the light turns gold in the late afternoon, and the woods around us start to smell like woodsmoke and fallen leaves. For the families who have been coming here for years, this is the season they look forward to most. As a pet friendly campground Cape May families return to again and again, Ponderosa was practically built for a cozy autumn getaway, and yes, the dog is absolutely invited.

Bring the whole family, including the four-legged ones

We have been pet friendly since long before it was common, because to us your dog is part of the family, and family is the whole point. What sets us apart is what we do with it. Every pet fee we collect is donated to a local animal shelter at the end of the season, so a weekend with your pup here quietly helps animals in Cape May County who are still looking for a home of their own. It is a small thing that means a lot to us, and to the many guests who choose a pet friendly campground Cape May can feel good about.

Speaking of animals, fall is a wonderful time to spend a slow morning at Little Hooves Farm, our on-site animal farm. Established in 2013, the farm is home to rescue animals we are proud to give a forever home, from Prince the pony to Darla the Jersey cow, along with goats, bunnies, and chickens. Families are welcome to walk through, meet each one, and learn how we care for them. Donations go straight to the animals, and every visit leaves guests with a new soft spot for a barnyard friend.

Cozy cabins, campfires, and a full fall calendar

When the evenings cool down, our cottage-style log cabins are exactly where you want to be: heat, a full bathroom, cable TV, a microwave and small refrigerator, and free Wi-Fi, with a fire ring right outside for the marshmallows and free coffee waiting in the office each morning. There is nothing quite like a crisp night, a crackling fire, and the quiet of roughly 20 wooded acres after the summer buzz has moved on.

The weekends families circle hardest on the calendar, though, are our own. On the first two Saturdays of October, the 3rd and the 10th, the whole campground leans into Halloween. Once it gets dark, around 7:30, the haunted hayride and walk winds through the woods, dropping brave riders off at one end and gathering them up at the other.

There is a site-decorating contest whose winner takes home a free weekend for next Halloween, costume contests for the kids and for the best group with trophies and bragging rights on the line, and a make-and-take fall craft for a small fee, last year it was spooky doormats.

Food trucks roll in for the evening, so bring a few dollars, and the grown-ups can warm up by the fire while the little monsters run wild. These weekends fill quickly with our regulars, so if you want a site or cabin, book early and come dressed to impress.

The wider area gives you even more reason to make the trip. Cape May County stays lively well into the fall, from Wildwood's Fall Festival and Oldies Spectacular the weekend of October 17, which happens to be our final weekend of the season, to the free, family-favorite Boo at the Zoo, the Cape May County Park and Zoo's annual Halloween event just up the road (check the zoo's site each fall for this year's date), alongside harvest festivals and craft fairs most weekends. The county's own Fall for the Jersey Cape calendar is a great place to plan your days. Pair a festival afternoon with a quiet evening back at camp and you have the kind of weekend that becomes a family tradition.

Fall is also one of the easiest times to travel with a dog. As the summer season winds down, many of the nearby shore towns relax their beach rules and welcome leashed dogs back onto the sand, so a morning walk along the water becomes part of the routine. Ask us when you book and we will point you toward the current dog-friendly beaches and trails. Between the open space here at camp, the rescue farm, and the shore just three miles away, Ponderosa makes an easy basecamp for a long weekend where nobody in the family, two-legged or four, gets left behind.



After more than four decades welcoming guests, the Kelleher family has learned that the best stays are the unhurried ones, and fall is unhurried at its finest. If you are searching for a pet friendly campground Cape May families trust, where your dog is welcome, the animals are rescues, and the whole place still feels like it is run by people who genuinely care, we would love to have you this season.

Reach out to check fall availability and reserve your cabin or site. Bring the family, bring the dog, and let us help you make some memories while the leaves are turning.