Tomahawk Lake Water Park

We went on a weekday in late August, with temperatures in the mid-80’s. Everything was VERY clean, staff was friendly and helpful, facilities were well-​maintained and good order, even at the end of the season. Also, we were amazed by the clarity of the lake and the variety of wildlife in it — fish, herons, even swimming turtles! The water seemed very clean, and I’m quite sure you wouldn’t have so much living in and near it if the water wasn’t in quite pristine condition.
The entrance fee is maybe a bit high — but the park is much closer to us than the Shore, and offers more than the Shore for little kids, especially considering all of the water play equipment for the younger kids. We were prepared to shell out money for the slides, but it turns out there was plenty to do all day without even venturing onto the slides. We saved those for next time.
Food was your typical amusement park fare — $ 2.50 cheeseburgers, $ 2 hamburgers, french fries, popcorn, etc. Apparently, they keep the menu even smaller on cool days in late August, as a few menu items weren’t prepared. It’s fine — we didn’t go there for the food. They do have a fairly extensive ice cream selection. I think the beer garden was closed all day.
Place was uncrowded and very clean. We loved it and would gladly go back. We’d probably do so on a weekday and somewhat cooler day, just to keep things pleasant and uncrowded.

The staff is rude, the entrance it too expensive and you cannot do anything. There are more rule of what you cannot do then things you can do. The beach and surrounding areas are very dirty. DO NOT GO HERE!

I would never go back to this place. Was there for all of 10 minutes with no refund! Only English speaking people were the workers. You must pay while waiting in the driveway so you couldn’t even see what it was like. The park fails in any comparison to the bigger and better water parks while charging much more. Lifeguards were not in the water at the bottom of the slides but perched on high chairs and was warned that if they must jump in they will take your band away. Extremely disappointed and I would discourage anyone from wasting money here!!!

I will NEVER come to back to this lake. And its a damn shame because its such a beautiful lake. We were constantly told that we werent allowed to do things. I went to celebrate my son’s birthday. I brought over 20 people to join us thinking we would have a good time.
1. The park was empty due to the weather. Literally there were 2 other families besides ours.
2. I understand theres rules and regulations and safety hazards but they could have been more lenient at least with us since i did bring 50% of their business that day
3. The staff have no customer service, i felt like they were bored and looking for any excuse to blow their whistle. Or management is so far up their ass and turned them all into Robocops.
It got to the point that we were so bored that my friend tried to make echo sounds and even then we were told to quiet down. I honestly felt it was more of a race issue than anything. And thats sad to say when 100% of their customers THAT day were hispanic. We literally sat there trying to wrap our minds around how a place like this exist. Charging people with a high entrance fee to swim at lake where you cant do anything else but swim but be careful not to make any big splashes or they’ll blow the whistle on you. This place is a joke. I used to come here as a kid and made some of my best memories here. And it broke my heart to see how much it changed. The price i paid for to get it wasn’t even close to being worth it. My son did have fun but I felt like i was in a prison. And i know some you will say «well at least he had fun» no f*ck that I would rather pay less going to Hopatcong or make the long trip to Welch than to ever come back to this lake, where i know the whole family would have fun. And i dont go around writing bad reviews about places i didnt enjoy but this place topped it all. Save your money and go somewhere else. I will tell everyone who would listen NOT to come here.

went there w family n i can see how most of whats being said is true. the water was brown n really dirty now im concerned cause some1 said they keep failing pollution tests by the state. the price is high but i dont mind paying high prices if the quality is there. i spoke 2 the owners n they were very rude n had a really nasty attitute including the staff n maint workers. i dont know how do u operate a lake childrens water park w so many nasty n rude people. its sad cause this place has potential 2 b an awesome experience but apparently is poorly managed. im searching 4 pther places like lakes n waterparks within 2 hours of nyc so please write me bk w ur recommendations.

This place is pretty much the land of «no». You want to do it, there is probably a sign within 5 feet saying that you can’t. It’s actually a bit comical in a way.
Unfortunately if you have young kids up this way, this is probably the best spot to burn off some energy and get them in the water without going down the shore.
I could see this being a good place for a family reunion or large gathering if you were up this way. Lots of space to run around… but it’s unclear if you’re aloud.

What a Shame even before getting there. Here is the complaint I sent them:
To whom It May Concern,
Just spoke to a very unpleasant employee at you facility by the name of Mark Wallace. I inquired about bringing my RV into the facility because according to your website which states, «NO RV’s, Motor Homes or large trucks, buses without reservations» to most people reading this It mean that you CAN bring an RV you just need a reservation. According to your nasty employee I was reading this wrong. I suggested he look at the website but he kept insisting I was reading it wrong. It is a total shame that you have individuals 1. that hate their jobs and 2. that find jobs that require dealing with customers/​humans when they have no people skills whats so ever.

i just don’t think it was worth what I paid for. I would not waste my time going again. you have to pay per person to get in. then pay per person for water rides. then pay for each boat ride per person. so no i would not go again.

This place was great and my kids had a ball! This also wasn’t too far from where I live maybe a little over an hour. I don’t know why this place had such bad reviews. Then again I have kids.
We had a great time! We went with a large group of people the first time. We were really prepared. We came early and had plenty of food snacks and even stuff to BBQ. There are tables close enough to each other, so if you’re with a large group it’s perfect everyone can still feel like they are all together.
Ok downside, you have to pay per car load. So, if you can fit 8 people in the car you’re paying for all eight people regardless if they are not going Into water park.
Now the water park is small, you also have to pay a small fee to ride the slides and if you can’t swim you can’t go in a few. They will take your wristband if they have to fish you out of the water.
Plan your day and check the weather because the place closed fairly early and if it starts to thunder they close the rides. One time I went it drizzled, but there was no thunder everything stood open. There is a little concession stand, but the place is meant to bring stuff to cook or eat enjoy the family in a small area and have a picnic. I’ve been here a handful of times and would go back.

We were the first few people that arrived really early in the morning. The scenery is so breathtaking and relaxing with beautiful tall trees surrounding Tomahawk Lake.
There were already many lifeguards on duty which parents can feel safe. My goddaughter loved the Papoose Land section of the water park because there were more fun stuff to do such as climbing the nets, trying to sit on the floating turtle, climbing across a family of alligators. I saw school of fish swimming near us… awww!
Fun rides: Swan boat (for 4 people) Paddle boat (me and my goddaughter) and Row boat (my bestie)
Had sooooo much fun today (my actual birthday) with my bestie and my goddaughter.
CASH ONLY! *Remember to get there super early and don’t forget to buy your ride tickets first*
Definitely an awesome spot for the summer with your friends or family!

I went to Tomahawk Lake this past weekend. I think this place is OK. I don’t have any kids so I’m not interested in the water park much.
When the reviews say that you get a list of DO NOTs when you first park, they’re not joking. Its literally a list of things you cannot do (like if you have diarrhea don’t go in the water, really? does that have to be in the rule book?)
The lake is well a lake so I was not expecting that much. The beach part was nice minus the guys playing soccer and kicking the ball and running over our towels. I stuck my feet in the water a couple times to cool off. They allow coolers and people were drinking beer cans. Just no glass which is fine.
They have a «beer garden» which is just a bar but they made a good strawberry margarita. It was $ 7 for a good size glass so i don’t think that’s too expensive
I would have to say my biggest compliant was the annoying loud speakers. About every 15 – 20 minutes a woman would say «ALL BOATS MUST BE 25 FT AWAY, ALL TURTLES, ALL SWANS MUCH BE 25 FT AWAY FROM EACH OTHER» or «NUMBER 20 PLEASE STOP SPLASHING.» «NO PLAYING BALL ON THE BEACH» «NO PYRAMIDS IN THE WATER» Clearly no one really cared what the speaker lady was saying. Just seems like it would have made more sense to have someone go up to the people causing the problems rather then yelling over the loud speaker and ruining other people’s time.
The crowd at Tomahawk lake was a lot of families but also a lot of teenager — early 20s, so they were getting rowdy.
Overall, I would come back again because its 2 miles away from my house but I would never come back if it was farther away.

I respectfully disagree with the negative comments here, and by respectfully I mean: what the hell are you guys talking about!!! This park is hella good times. So happy I didn’t let the reviews sway my decision to visit this gem.
Perhaps we got lucky. Came here on a cloudy Sunday, which cleared up upon arrival (#lifewin), so perhaps that deterred the masses. Even though the BBQ area was seemingly packed to capacity, the beach area was relatively quiet. And the water park slides? Well, those were ALL OURS! Little to no lines, which allowed us to do rides TWICE! Sometimes three times, we lost count. Here’s the deelio:
Park admission: $ 13/​pp entry fee. Includes parking. Does not include water park wristband.
Water park wristband: $ 15 on weekends/​$ 10 after 4p and on weekdays. Totally WORTH IT! DO IT! I loved every slide, but def went back for seconds on the Geronimo, Black Snake and Crazy Horse. You must be a strong swimmer for some slides. If lifeguards or park officials discover that you are anything but, your wrist band will be removed. WEAR WATER SHOES. They help tremendously on hikes to slides and do not have to be removed.
Beach: It’s a lake, so expectations going in should be at an all time low. The white ‘sand’ is very coarse, but still aesthetically pleasing. The lake is divided into 3 sections: two shallow flanks are for the kiddies (no grown kids or adults allowed in water) and the middle section is fair game swimming for all. I’m not into lakes or rivers, but I swam comfortably here — even with the visible suspect ‘film’ on the water surface. (Sunblock perhaps?! I pray to God it was body oils and not body fluids. Ugh, fml!)
Beer Garden: cute, NO CHILDREN ALLOWED, reasonably priced drinks. Seating isn’t an issue because most stay on beach or picnic area with their own booze. (BYOB allowed).
Food: Saw two concession stands offering typical fare — burgers, fries etc. I was all about the ice-​cream which was DELISH. Very Mr. Softee-​esqe. But of course, you can pack your own deliciousness (allowed).
Facilities: clean cabin– like restrooms (changing rooms, tight bathrooms). Showers near parking lot.
In summary, I won’t come here to just lay out on ‘the beach’. Entry fee is a little too steep and I’d actually go to a real beach. But for a guaranteed fun filled day of swimming, bbq-​ing, sliding and drAnking — yes please, Tomahawk Lake is where it’s at!

Seriously wish I read these reviews first. Took my 3 yr old daughter on a Saturday. First the cons: It’s an expensive outing — $ 25 for both of us. Even though signs posted not to play radios expect to hear conflicting loud music from multiple groups. Lake is not crystal clear– we lost a bright purple pool toy in 3ft of water — no way to find it. Part of the day they kept bigger kids out of the toddler area and part of the day we had to deal with them. Rocks kill your feet so bring water shoes.
Pros: Parking is convenient. My daughter had a lot of fun playing in shallow water. Can’t think of anything else positive — never want to return.

If you grew up in suburban Jersey, you too may have a soft spot for this summertime gem, which has been beautifully maintained yet minimally changed over its 62-​year lifespan thus far. Nestled in the pretty wooded hills of Sparta, this place has a nice little white sand beach, a clean lake with a wide shallow section that warms up in the sun, diving dock, cute life guards, a snack bar, tons of space for picnicking or BBQ’ing, bumper boats, paddle boats, mini golf, ping pong, horseshoes, arcade games, sand volley ball, and the loveliest ol’ BEER GARDEN. The water slides aren’t the biggest or scariest, but they’re fun, well constructed, and the lines move fast.
I’m saddened by all these whiny reviews by smug morons with no appreciation of the outdoors or a business’s character. Look, if you hate nature then you shouldn’t come to a LAKE in the WOODS. And if you don’t like mediocre snack bar food, bring your own damn cooler. I’ve always had a wonderful, laid-​back time at Tomahawk Lake. The only «disgusting» thing I’ve encountered here has been some of the other visitors; eg. foul-​mouthed hood rats with their swim trunks drooped halfway down their asses. But so it goes.
How much: Adult admission is $ 13, and bracelets for unlimited water slides is an extra $ 15. (CHEAP compared to Action Park’s $ 40 admission & mile-​long lines.) Beer is like $ 3/​mug, their mixed drinks are potent, & BYOB is allowed, too.
Mucho recomendó for 21+ aged friends for a day of fun in the sun with exercise, libations and relaxation in a pretty park setting.

As a former employee of the lake for several years I can confirm everything these reviews says.
The owners are racist and arrogant. They specifically don’t accept anything but cash because they do no have to declare the income. They pay a minimum wage at best to the employees and treat them terrible. I witness the owner (Chester Wallace) sexual harass several of the female employees. He made reference to body size, sexual activity and much more!
As for the park it self I can tell you with all good faith that it is falling apart. The water in the lake has failed several pollution tests. The staff avoids getting in the water at all costs due to the fact that its so dirty. I can recall at least twice that half the staff was sick because of the poor health conditions. I wont even go into the way the kitchen looks so as not to scare anyone.
The rides are much older than they are said to be and in some cases are held together by duct tape as mentioned in a previous review. I have brought this up to management on several occasions and i was told it was none of my business and was even threatened with suspension for talking about it. The maintenance crew is run by a man named Richie who is basically a handyman. I speak with him all the time and he is an all around good guy but in no way qualified to repair anything on site. He constantly begs the owners for materials and more manpower to make repairs but they always refuse.
The prices are insanely high and refunds are always a solid NO. I can recall on several occasions where people had not even gotten out of their cars yet and the sky’s opened up but management refused to give refunds.
Trust me when I say go somewhere else the extra driving time to the shore or another water park will save you the headache and drama that comes with Tomahawk Lake.

The reason why people don’t swim in the lake is that there has been Sightings of sharks and an Alligator popping up.
And also some people try to sunbath nude and its not allowed here

I don’t know why this place got such bad reviews. I went with my a few family members yesterday, the kids ages ranged from 4 – 18 and they all had something to do and had such a good time… The parents also had a good time bbqing and relaxing.
The park was clean, employees passed by every few hours picking up garbage. The staff was friendly and overall a great time.
We will def be coming back.

Words cannot describe this place. Disgusting comes to mind but that does not do justice to this place. It is beyond comprehension that ANYONE could actually go to the craphole and enjoy it. It should really be comdemned immediately by the local health department.
Please do NOT take your families to this horrible place with equally horrible owners. All they care about is the almighty dollar. They do not care about your safety or health.

Ok… So I don’t know if they’ve cleaned the place up since these past reviews or not, but I’ve actually always enjoyed my time here.
Tomahawk is in Sparta, NJ, which is 45 minutes from my parents house, and there is never traffic to get there (even on weekends) which beats spending 2 hours on the GSP to get down the Shore!
They have a good amount of parking, and there are always people directing you, so you’ll never have that one guy that parks his car sideways and takes up three spaces.
The lake and sand are very clean. They have rides for kids, paddle boats, row boats, and a few other things, but like Linda said below me, it is a LAKE not a waterpark, so please keep your expectations reasonable. Now I’ve only done the paddle boats, nothing else, but i’m always seeing kids on all the rides so I’m assuming their safe.
The lake is family friendly, they have snacks and ice cream for the kids and a bar for the adults, but since they allow alcohol on the sand, I usually just pack my cooler full of beers or mixed drinks.
They don’t allow big stereos, but no one complains if you have small speakers for your ipod.
They are pricey! so they lose a star over that. It’s $ 12 per person on weekends and $ 10 per person during the week.
I’ve always enjoyed my time here, have never had any complaints of the lake.

I have been going to Tomahawk lake for 8 years and I am definitely a fan. I am so suprised by the negative reviews. I think that part of the problem is that when people read «waterpark» they automatically have a connotation of Blizzard Beach or Mountain Creek.
Tomahawk Lake is… um…well…a LAKE! There are no chlorinated pools. No fancy beach chairs
After going for 8 years, here are my tips.
1. Do you hate crowds? Then go on a week day. If possible, go towards the end August, because many summer camps go to Tomahawk Lake and you will not have to endure campers if you visit when most camps have finished for the summer season. You can pack a cooler, eat on the beach, or purchase food at the snack bar. No crazy restrictions here.
2. There is a clean, man made beach that is divided into three sections: the main lake, Papoose Land (for kids 4ft and under) and Cherokee Land (for kids 4 – 5 feet in height). When my son was little he loved the obstacle courses and slides in Papoose Land. The main lake swim area is super clean with docks that you can swim out to. Basically, there is something for toddlers, teens and adults at Tomahawk.
3. The Waterpark. Not huge by any means, by for $ 12.00 you can ride for 7 hours on a variety of waterslides. We came with eight 13 year olds and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves the entire day. The water rides (approximately 9 different rides: tubes-​slides-​individual sleds) are located in the largely shaded mountain area. I never noticed any «rocky» paths. All the kids walked to the rides barefoot on paved trails.
4. For the adventurer. To the left of the main lake, there are streams and a large pond. While there is no swimming permitted in this natural setting, we always love to take nature walks. Bring a net and a bucket when you go because since my son has been in Kindergarten, he looks forward to catching frogs, turtles, salamanders, tadpoles, etc. It is really a testament to how clean the eco system at Tomahawk is.
5 The Natural beauty. Tomahawk is a man made lake but it was carved out of a beautiful area of Sparta. Sitting on the beach, you are surrounded by nature, pine trees, clean air. Check out the website. (fyi, Tomahawk Lake is in SPARTA, not Garfield… Unilocal has to correct this!)
btw: There is a beer garden/​outdoor bar that adults can enjoy. Tomahawk has something for everyone: little slides for toddlers, waterpark for older kids, frogs/​turtles for the nature lover and alcohol for parents on vacation. Should you choose to believe the bad reviews and hit the Jersey Shore, so be it… but you are really missing out on a beautiful day at the Lake.