As our days in Indiana continue to get nicer and brighter, many Hoosiers are heading outdoors to fully embrace spring. All Hoosiers know that one of the easiest ways to take a weekend trip in-state without spending a lot of cash is to pack up your camping gear and find an awesome spot to camp out. If you’re ready for camping season, check out these 12 amazing spots to pitch your tent.
- Pokagon State Park - Angola
Anna Hesser/Flickr This campsite has everything you could ever want while hanging out outdoors. From the beaches of Snow Lake and Lake James to water fun like paddleboats, rowboats, and pontoons, to thrilling trails and horseback rides, Pokagon State Park has it all.
- Hardin Ridge Recreation Area - Heltonville
Bart Heird/Flickr This Hoosier favorite is a beloved campsite for many good reasons. Located within Hoosier National Forest, the ridgelines that surround this campsite make it appear as if you’re really camping in the mountains, and not the flatlands of Indiana. Hardin Ridge also offers activities like nature walks, boating, and swimming, and has awesome picnic areas.
- Clifty Falls - Madison
Gallopingphotog/Flickr Clifty Falls in Madison is another fantastic camping option. With a waterfall to explore and fantastic hiking trails, this park will grant you the unique opportunity to view waterbeds of fossils and remnants. (Fossil collecting, however, is prohibited.)
- Versailles State Park - Versailles
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr Versailles State Park is an awesome spot to fish and camp out at. There are tons of water activities to enjoy, like kayaking, canoeing, or rowing, and you can even bring your own horses to roam their 20-mile horse trails. Versailles is also a fantastic place to bird watch.
- Potato Creek - North Liberty
Kevin Chodzinski/Flickr Potato Creek is an extremely popular camping spot, so much in fact, that you might want to call ahead to reserve your campsite. Once there, you can enjoy Worster Lake, explore wetlands, take in wildlife and nature, and enjoy a ton of water activities.
- Indiana Dunes State Park - Chesterton
Steve Stearns/Flickr If you’re looking for more sand and less grass, Indiana Dunes State Park will offer you expansive beaches, dunes, and a variety of water activities during your camp stay.
- Shades State Park - Waveland
Connie Ma/Flickr Shades State Park offers campers a slightly more reclusive and peaceful camping stay. You can enjoy exploring deep ravines and sandstone cliffs along Sugar Creek, as well as long, peaceful hiking trails.
- Monroe Lake - Bloomington
WFIU Public Radio/Flickr Called Monroe Lake or Lake Monroe almost interchangeably, this Bloomington escape offers awesome campsites and professional nature tours.
- McCormick’s Creek State Park - Spencer
Kevin Ratcliff/Flickr This state park is another hot spot for camping. If you love hiking, you have to check out their extensive trails and rock climbing options.
- Turkey Run State Park - Marshall
Oxalis37/Flickr If you love exploration, you’ll want to camp out at Turkey Run State Park. The natural ravines, limestone deposits, and gorges make this park a fantastic choice for photographers and explorers.
- Brown County State Park - Nashville
BellaEatsBooks/Flickr Brown County State Park is a top choice for campers, particularly lovers of nature and wildlife. Enjoy fantastic biking and walking trails, an indoor water park, and horse riding trails.
- Patoka Lake - Dubois
By Sarah Ewart (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons Patoka Lake has a gorgeous marina and water amenities galore for campers. Their campgrounds also have cabin rentals, in case sleeping in a tent is a bit too rustic for you.
Are you ready to go explore any of these rustic camping spots in Indiana? Have you ever been camping to one of them before? Share your experience and let us know what your favorite campsite is!
Anna Hesser/Flickr
This campsite has everything you could ever want while hanging out outdoors. From the beaches of Snow Lake and Lake James to water fun like paddleboats, rowboats, and pontoons, to thrilling trails and horseback rides, Pokagon State Park has it all.
Bart Heird/Flickr
This Hoosier favorite is a beloved campsite for many good reasons. Located within Hoosier National Forest, the ridgelines that surround this campsite make it appear as if you’re really camping in the mountains, and not the flatlands of Indiana. Hardin Ridge also offers activities like nature walks, boating, and swimming, and has awesome picnic areas.
Gallopingphotog/Flickr
Clifty Falls in Madison is another fantastic camping option. With a waterfall to explore and fantastic hiking trails, this park will grant you the unique opportunity to view waterbeds of fossils and remnants. (Fossil collecting, however, is prohibited.)
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr
Versailles State Park is an awesome spot to fish and camp out at. There are tons of water activities to enjoy, like kayaking, canoeing, or rowing, and you can even bring your own horses to roam their 20-mile horse trails. Versailles is also a fantastic place to bird watch.
Kevin Chodzinski/Flickr
Potato Creek is an extremely popular camping spot, so much in fact, that you might want to call ahead to reserve your campsite. Once there, you can enjoy Worster Lake, explore wetlands, take in wildlife and nature, and enjoy a ton of water activities.
Steve Stearns/Flickr
If you’re looking for more sand and less grass, Indiana Dunes State Park will offer you expansive beaches, dunes, and a variety of water activities during your camp stay.
Connie Ma/Flickr
Shades State Park offers campers a slightly more reclusive and peaceful camping stay. You can enjoy exploring deep ravines and sandstone cliffs along Sugar Creek, as well as long, peaceful hiking trails.
WFIU Public Radio/Flickr
Called Monroe Lake or Lake Monroe almost interchangeably, this Bloomington escape offers awesome campsites and professional nature tours.
Kevin Ratcliff/Flickr
This state park is another hot spot for camping. If you love hiking, you have to check out their extensive trails and rock climbing options.
Oxalis37/Flickr
If you love exploration, you’ll want to camp out at Turkey Run State Park. The natural ravines, limestone deposits, and gorges make this park a fantastic choice for photographers and explorers.
BellaEatsBooks/Flickr
Brown County State Park is a top choice for campers, particularly lovers of nature and wildlife. Enjoy fantastic biking and walking trails, an indoor water park, and horse riding trails.
By Sarah Ewart (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Patoka Lake has a gorgeous marina and water amenities galore for campers. Their campgrounds also have cabin rentals, in case sleeping in a tent is a bit too rustic for you.
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