I'm trying to catch up on some of my pending trip reports and I thought I'd start with Rock Lodge and Goodland. I'm doing them as a combined report, because it's very much like Terra Cotta and Desert Sun: both have significant similarities, but also differences and both have different things they're better at, so which is "better" depends on what you're interested in. There's somebody here who can correct any errors I make about Rock Lodge, but I don't think any Goodland regulars are here to correct me. I only go to both as a day guest (I live nearby), so I can't comment on which rooms are available for rent, their conditions, or prices.

First, the similarities. These are two of the three (the other being Sky Farm, where I've never been) private naturist places in northern NJ where you can sun and swim. Neither have regular food service (e.g., restaurant or snack bar), but both have occaisional social events where food is served. Both are in sparely-populated areas of NJ, about 45 minutes away from the George Washington Bridge. Most naturist places can be characterized as either "an RV park with a pool" or a hotel-style resort. These are the only two I've been to which fit neither characterization, nor anything in between.

For swimming, Goodland has a pool, the largest of any naturist facility I've seen. There used to be dozens of inflatable balls in the pool, but now there are only a few. There are usually "noodles" and floats available. Most of the pool is a deep section, to 11 feet, I think. At Rock Lodge, there's a very large artificial lake for swimming. It has two "beaches", one sandy and one rocky, a dock adjacent to the sandy beach and two floating docks, one near each beach. They have floats as well. There's also a ladder where you can get into the water and a slide near the rocky beach. Since Goodland's pool is unheated, both bodies of water are cold in the early part of the season and stay cool through the season. Rock Lodge's lake was 72 last Saturday and Goodland's pool was 74 on Labor Day. Both are in the high 60's early in the season.

Goodland has many dozen lounge chairs around the pool, all neatly lined up. Nearly all (except about a dozen) have tags and are reserved for the person named on the tag (they rent chairs for the season). The chairs with no tags (or those tagged as "visitor") are available for those who haven't rented chairs. There's also a raised deck adjacent to the pool with unreserved chairs (though it's in the shade some of the day).

Rock Lodge doesn't have as significant a setup for sunning. There are perhaps four lounge chairs in the area of the sandy beach and dock and a few more benches and chairs for sitting. During the afternoon, you can lay out on a towel on the (sloping) dam and be pointed the right direction.

Both places have saunas and I believe the one at Rock Lodge is a bit larger (there are actually two saunas at Goodland, but I've rarely seen both on). Both places have hot tubs, but the one at Rock Lodge has some regulatory issues and I don't think has been put back in service yet. The one at Goodland is fairly small. There's at least one tennis court and smaller things like ping-pong tables at both places, but not many other facilities.

Goodland has a short nature trail that links back up with the driveway. Rock Lodge has a path around the lake, which connects up with various hiking trails, though nude hiking isn't recommended on most of those trails because they leave the property.

One of the other major differences between the two facilities are the structures on the grounds. As I said, neither fits the two "standard" models for naturist clubs. Goodland does have a few RV's and tents on the grounds, but also a dozen or two small cabins, attached to each other in groups. These are very simple, not even including restrooms (there's a building with many restrooms and another with showers downhill from the cabins).

There's a "clubhouse" near the pool containing the sauna along with an additional restroom and an area with a TV and tables that supports various activities, as well as a small "library". There's also a very large house on the property, where the owner lives and I think maybe a smaller structure. I'm not sure of the status of those rooms.

The most famous structure at Rock Lodge is what it's named after, a "rock lodge". It was built in 1907 as a "model fireproof farmhouse". It has a basement and three or four floors. It's the tallest building in that county. There are number of guest rooms in that building. There's a WikiPedia entry that talks more about the history of the club, but one piece of history is that it was a training camp for Jack Dempsey. (Like Goodland, it became a naturist facility around the end of the Depression.)

The largest building contains a few guest rooms, a small kitchen and restroom facility, and a lounge area with a TV. The sauna is in the basement of that building.

The largest number of structures at Rock Lodge are what are sometimes called "cabins" built into the hills around much of the lake. They're better described as houses, some of which are quite large and there appear to be a few dozen of them.

The other major difference relates to who's typically there and admission policies. Rock Lodge runs as a traditional nudist club. If you want to come, you call ahead. Although they do admit some single men, they also gender-balance. It's a membership-based club and you can only visit four times a year without getting a membership. Many people have been there for a very long time and live seasonally in the houses around the lake. People have grown up there as children and now bring their grandchildren.

Goodland has a lot of "regulars", but they haven't been going there quite as long and it doesn't have the same sense of "family". They have no restrictions on visitors (that I know of) and there's no reason to call ahead. I don't believe they do any sort of gender-balancing.

Rock Lodge is open from the beginning of April through the end of October, while Goodland is only open from Memorial Day through a week after Labor Day.

I haven't been to Rock Lodge enough (and never in peak season) to get a good sense of the demographics there, but, like most naturist clubs, most people are in their 50's and older. I've always seen children around. The gender balance seems fine and has never been an issue. Goodland seems to have a slightly younger crowd, but there aren't often children there. Like any large place, there are probably about 60% men there, but the only time it's been an issue is on a weekday or poor weather, when it's like some of the beaches: if there aren't many people around, almost all will be men. At both places, most people are nude, unlike many other naturist places, where most women are wearing sarongs or bottoms.

We've only once had any problems with inappropriate behavior at either club. A few weeks ago, at Goodland, some guy approached one of my friends and said "you're cute: here's my number". Had they been talking previously and he did this as he was leaving, it would have been fine, but it seemed inappropriate this way. I reported it to the owner mostly to see what he would do. He took it very seriously, agreeing it was inappropriate and went off to talk to the offender. He later told me he said: "we get so few single women here: don't scare off the few that we get!".

Overall, I'd recommend both places. Like the situation with Terra Cotta and Desert Sun, which one I'd recommend the most depends on what you're looking for. If your primary purpose is to get some sun near the water, then Goodland is better because they're oriented towards that activity. If you want to spend time in a pretty area in the woods and become part of a community that does likewise, then Rock Lodge is better because that's what they're oriented best towards.

As always, I'll be glad to answer any questions.