With winter in full swing, residents across Northern New Jersey are searching for a place to have some snow-filled fun. The activity of snow tubing is often at the top of families’ lists to either try for the first time or pick up where they left off from last season. It combines the thrill of sleigh riding with enjoying a ride on a ski lift back up the hill instead of needing to walk up. However, as residents and visitors search for a place to snow tube, one question remains: is Mountain Creek Resort or Campgaw Mountain better for snow tubing?

Mountain Creek Resort

From the waterpark in the summer to skiing and snowboarding in the winter, Mountain Creek Resort, located in Vernon, New Jersey, is well-known for its various activities. The winter season for skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing began on January 6 and has been a popular attraction in the weeks since. 

Mountain Creek offers sessions lasting for two hours each at $39.99 per ticket. Their sessions are available on Thursdays from 4-8 p.m. and Friday to Saturday from 10-8 p.m. All purchases are non-refundable, however, ticket holders are allowed to reschedule their sessions 72 hours in advance for a later date in the same season. The purchase or rescheduling of tickets may only be done online. Those with season passes may redeem their tubing visits only on non-holiday Thursdays or Fridays and with a Snow Tubing Ticketing Ambassador present. 

Someone must be at least 42” tall to ride solo, but if they are between 36”-42” tall, they are allowed to ride in a tandem tube or chain linked with an adult. All tandem tubes are first come, first serve for anyone wishing to use them. Any group of snow tubers is also welcome to chain-link their tubes together.

It should be noted that weather conditions might influence tubing, as lanes may slow or closed and no refunds will be provided. Additionally, lockers are not available for public use, but riders are welcome to keep their bags on their laps as they enjoy the ride down. 

Campgaw Mountain

The lesser talked of Campgaw Mountain, located in Mahwah, New Jersey, provides snow tubers with another option to fulfill their winter wishes. In addition to snow tubing, the park offers skiing and snowboarding in the winter, along with archery and disc golf in the warmer months. 

Campgaw Mountain offers two-hour sessions every day and one-hour sessions for weekends and holidays. For weekdays Monday through Thursday, tickets are $31 each, then move to $33 for Fridays. On weekends and holidays, one-hour session tickets are $24, and two-hour sessions are $36. All tickets go on sale six days before the date of the session. Therefore tickets for Friday sessions go on sale the previous Sunday, Saturday sessions are available on the previous Monday, and so on. Any tickets purchased are non-refundable or exchangeable unless the resort is closed for the specific session the tickets are for. Unlike at Mountain Creek Resort, online ticket purchases are recommended, but not required.

To ride, someone must be at least 48” tall with their hat and/or headgear removed. There are no tandem tubes available and people cannot chain link their tubes together. The park has stated that no accommodations will be made regarding their height requirement and tickets will not be refunded if a person does not measure up when the park checks.

In addition to the strict height requirements, the park would like to warn that if someone is unable to carry their tube on their own and it interferes with the flow of traffic, they have the right to prematurely end their session. This will be done without a refund or exchange of tickets. This also applies if someone needs to carry their child’s tube and is unable to do so without negatively affecting the enjoyment of other riders. 

With these two options available for residents to enjoy, the winter season will likely be filled with a plethora of people checking snow tubing off of their winter bucket lists. Personally, I think I will be visiting Mountain Creek Resort to snow tube because of their tandem tubes and chain linking options, but if it is packed, Campgaw Mountain provides a good alternative to check out. For more information or to purchase tickets for Mountain Creek Resort (https://mountaincreek.com/activities-events/snowtubing/) and Campgaw Mountain visit (https://www.skicampgaw.com/tubing), check out their websites and have fun tubing!