Indiana Parks and Campgrounds

gymcoachdon

While perusing the forum today, I noticed this at the top of the "Camping and Travel" section:

This is the spot to post up and list "state by state" park & campsite reviews, pricing, availability, amenities, etc. so that others can gain from your experience(s) and to help plan trips, weekend getaways, etc.

I thought that was a great idea, but it doesn't appear that this type of reviewing has been done, at least not for Indiana in the search i did.  So, since I am new to the trailer camping thing, I am asking for reviews of campgrounds, state parks, or attractions you have visited in Indiana.  I will be adding reviews of the places I have visited thus far, and will add new ones in the future.  Maybe others can start threads in their state so that when people plan a trip, we will have a resource to check.

Or, maybe I have missed this in my searches, and it is not necessary.  I have used online reviews, and tried a few apps, but a fellow T@B hauler with good knowledge is a better resource in my mind.

jgram2

@gymcoachdon What a novel concept! Use a category for it’s intended purpose? Thanks for reminding us it exists; the post up some shots thread gets many, if not most of our camping reviews I think. Maybe we can all turn over a new leaf.

Travelin3D

I seem to recall @Verna posting about some of her fave spots in Indiana in another thread (maybe about KY?). Not sure how you would search for that - I'm sure she'll help clarify. 

Verna

Here you go:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/92441#Comment_92441

gymcoachdon

First, some info for Indiana State Parks.
When camping at Indiana State Parks or State Recreation Areas, there will be an entrance fee to the park.  This is typically $7 per vehicle for Indiana residents, and $9 for out of state vehicles.  Season entrance passes sell for $50 for residents, and $70 for non-residents.
Camping reservations can be made online, (highly recommended for weekends) but will come with an additional online service fee.  These are done through www.reserveamerica.com
Camping fees are typically $23 Sunday through Wednesday, and $30 for Thursday through Saturday.  They are a few dollars higher on holidays.  This is almost always for electric only sites.  There may be some parks with full hook up or water and electric, but I have not visited any of these.

My general impression is that the Indiana State Parks have pretty good to really nice facilities.  Some restrooms and bath houses have been updated, and are very nice, some are older and need updating, but all have been functioning and serviceable.  Pit toilets are usually available for the sites that are a distance from the modern bath houses.  Smaller or popular Parks tend to book up quickly on weekends, some 6 months in advance, so make sure you plan ahead.  I will post up info on the Parks I have experience with in separate posts!

SweetlyHome

I recently posted the following review of Indiana's Whitewater Memorial State Park on Campendium for a visit in June. While there I spoke to another camper and he advised that the negative comments I planned to post are not generally the case for Indiana State Parks. I take him at his word.  It should also be noted that if we had an T@B with "S" we would have never known the issues and would have written a shining review.

"We arrived to a warm greeting at the front gate, a beautiful landscape, and a typically laid out camping area. Sites were moderate in size, didn’t look bad for backing in with a larger rig, but were as usual in state park not extremely private. Our T@B is small so we had no problem at all.  It was a little confusing as the loops tag one to the next. There appears to be a lot to do in the park including lake access. Based on these parts of the experience we would stay again. 

We visited one night on a weekend in the last week in June. The facility was full with a high percentage of tenters and small campers which were not self contained, including us. The campground was fairly quiet.

This brings this review to the restroom topic. Cleanliness was hard to properly assess due to the poor physical condition of the facilities. The delaminating pressed board dividers, pealing paint in showers, and rotting exterior features did not make the restrooms welcoming.

The one night cost $66 ($9 one time entrance fee [for out of state] plus the nightly charge plus the online service fee)."

We also stayed in several state parks in New York and Michigan, several Ontario Provincial Parks; Corp of Engineer Campgrounds in West Virginia, Georgia, and Tennessee; and several KOAs in a 7.5 week trip from May to almost July.  It is obvious each of these systems intend to be consistent.  However in each case we found a spectrum of experiences, mostly positive to excellent, and an occasional issue such as this.  

gymcoachdon

I think I will review Mouinds State Park first, as it is the park I am most familiar with.  I have been visiting Mounds for as long as I can remember, as it is my home town State Park.  The following is the description from the website:
Mounds State Park, located off I-69 east of Anderson, features 10 unique earthworks built by prehistoric Indians known as the Adena-Hopewell people. The largest earthwork, the Great Mound, is believed to have been constructed around 160 B.C. Archaeological surveys indicate the mounds were used as gathering places for religious ceremonies, from where astronomical alignments could be viewed.

Having moved away from Anderson, then returning as an adult with a family, I was really surprised at the history involved with a park that I thought I knew well.  There is a lot of things that i found interesting in the park as an adult, that i never realized as a child.

Mounds State Park is small as state parks go, but the Great Mound is quite impressive, the Nature Center is nice, and there is an historical home to tour as well.  The main hiking trail circles the park boundary, and is 2.5 miles long.  The section that follows the river is very nice, going from bluffs to river side.  There are other shorter connecting trails, one of which identifies about 20 native trees.  I think you could spend most of a day exploring the park.  White river does have decent fishing through this stretch for smallmouth bass, but you would want to wade to fish it effectively.  

The campground is relatively small as well, with 76 sites with electric hook ups only.  The pads are asphalt, except for 1 ADA site with a concrete pad and patio.  Each site will have a picnic table and a fire ring.  The reserveamerica site has pictures of the sites, as well as a good description of overall site size, pad size, pad slope, and distance to hook ups and amenities.  There is a centrally located modern shower house, and one pit toilet.  On my last visit, i was unhappy with the cleanliness of the men's pit toilet, but it is newer, and just needed cleaned.  The shower house was nice and kept very clean.  All the sites have ample space, some better than others of course.  Weekends are always booked, so make reservations early or visit weekdays if possible.  I normally spend Sunday night, and go to work Monday night, and have fun fixing a late breakfast watching everyone pack up and leave on a Sunday morning!  Really quiet campground other than weekends.

Personally, I would pick the sites on the east side, sites 6 through 13, as they back up to the woods, and have more trees.

Price is normal State Park pricing as listed in my earlier post, basically about $30/night, and you have a one time park entrance fee if you don't have a season pass.

gymcoachdon

Another Indiana Park I visited this year in the T@B is Salamonie Lake.  Salamonie is located in north central, north east Indiana, a bit south and west of Ft. Wayne.  We camped in Lost Bridge West Electric SRA (State Recreation Area) campground.  My brother and his family were in site 207, and we had site 208.  Site 207 has a trail leading to the overnight boat mooring for campers who brought boats.  Sites 203-206 are really nice, on a bluff overlooking the lake.  Salamonie Lake is about 4.5 miles long, and is a reservoir made by damming the Salamonie River.  This is another area that I frequented as a child, camping with a neighborhood friend and his family.  (great memories of fried potatoes for breakfast!)  Fishing is pretty good by Indiana standards, and the lake seems to be best known for its crappie population. 
The campground is large, with over 230 sites, most are 30 amp electric only, with frequent spigots for potable water.  There is a Marina/camp store, I believe they rent boats for day use.  There are several modern shower houses, and pit toilets scattered throughout.  The water view sites are hard to come by, and some are booked solid for months in advance, weekends are typically booked 6 months ahead.  
They had a Gator that would run around the campground selling firewood, but it never made it past our site.  I only used the shower house that was close by, and it was in good, clean, functioning condition.  (nice, no issues!) Overall I had a really nice weekend, I took my canoe and paddled twice each day.  I enjoy camping in places that are conducive to my paddling addiction!
Prices are typical Indiana State Park pricing, $23 weekday and $30 weekend, plus reservation fees if using online service.  Also, there will be the $7 park entry for in state, $9 for out of state.

This link is to a video I made of the weekend.  I wanted to test my camera before my Canadian trip, so it is heavy on paddling, and light on the camping stuff!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EdJSjSBhM4&t=34s

gymcoachdon

The next trip in the T@B was to one of my favorite State Parks in Indiana, Brown County State Park.
Brown County State Park is located near Nashville, Indiana, and the area is sometimes called the "Little Smokies".
From the Brown County website:

Nicknamed the “Little Smokies” because of the area’s resemblance to the Great Smoky Mountains, Brown County State Park encompasses nearly 16,000-acres of rugged hills, ridges, and fog-shrouded ravines. The Brown County State Park is a traditional fall color hot spot, with nearly 20-miles of tree-lined roads and many scenic vistas overlooking miles of uninterrupted forestland.

Inside the park, you'll find the rustic Abe Martin Lodge, which offers accommodations that include hotel rooms, cabins, dining, and conference facilities, along with an indoor water park. That's not all, the State Park is home to large campgrounds, fun hiking trails, nationally-recognized mountain biking trails, a saddle barn for guided horse rides, a horseman campground, and a Nature Center that offers programs and activities year-round.

Yep, all true!

The campground is huge, with about 400 plus campsites available for our T@Bs.

Buffalo Ridge is the first set of sites you see as you enter the campground.  This is typical State Park camping with some 50 amp sites mixed in with the 30 amp sites.  The inner parts of the circles are normally full sun, but the outer sites back up to woods.  My favorite is site 94.  It sits at the back of the last loop, more room between you and the neighbors, and a nice space for a canopy in the woods down a little hill.  It is always booked, and I have only stayed there once.  The shower house by the entrance is very nice, and large.  The one on the back loop is older, but serviceable.

The next loop is Raccoon Ridge, and is a mix of electric and primitive sites.  I have not stayed in that section.

Further down is Taylor Ridge, and it spreads 250 plus sites along a ridge, with several spurs.  There are several shower houses and pit toilets scattered throughout, and the ones I have used were good to nice.  Campsites vary from large to small, but all of these are in the woods.  

Weekends are busy, but not normally sold out except possibly holidays.  Weekdays the park can have hundreds of people, and seem empty.  

Nashville, Indiana is nearby and offers great dining and local brewhouse opportunities, as well as lots of shops selling locally made crafts and goods.  You can easily spend 4 to 6 hours walking around and checking out the stores.  If you drive toward Columbus, IN, instead of Nashville, you will come across several flea markets to peruse if you like.  

Picture of our site in July on Buffalo Ridge:

Picture of our site in the woods early June on Taylor Ridge:

jgram2

Great information and lovely sites!