$16 - $30 / night

Camper submitted image from Paynetown Campground - 1

Camper submitted image from Paynetown Campground - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Paynetown Campground - 3

People

Camper submitted image from Paynetown Campground - 4

Water

Camper submitted image from Paynetown Campground - 5

Facilities

Established Camping

Paynetown Campground

28 Reviews

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About

State Park

Located 6 miles south of Bloomington and the IU campus, Monroe Lake is the largest in Indiana. Paynetown Campground is a recreation area that is part of Monroe Lake. Activities at Monroe include fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, picnicking, water recreation, bird/eagle viewing, and many others.

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Location

Paynetown Campground is located in Indiana

Directions

From the north, State Rd 37 south to State Rd. 46 east to State Rd. 446 south to property. From the south, State Rd. 37 north to State Rd. 50 east to State Rd. 446 north to property. From the east, State Rd. 46 west to State Rd. 446 south to property. From the west, State Rd. 46 east to State Rd. 446 south to property.

Address

4850 South State Road 46
Bloomington, IN 47401

Coordinates

39.10737965 N
86.42381 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Fair
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group

Features

For Campers

Market
ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
Showers
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups
Pull-Through Sites
Big Rig Friendly

$16 - $30

/ night

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Reservations

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Kate S.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 15, 2022

RV/Camper community

My sister and I booked 2 nights and left after 1. Campsites are crammed together and packed too hard for stakes. Campground was very full, mostly RV/Camper. Kept waking up to headlights shining in the tent. There are some sites where you park and then walk in 100’ to camp. Facilities clean and staff helpful. Great for lively RV camping. Bad for tents & quiet

Month of VisitSeptember

joe C.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 26, 2022

Quiet and clean

Quiet spots. Facilities are clean. Verizon is one bar

Month of VisitSeptember

catlin W.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 23, 2022

Best in Indiana

This campground is by far cheaper than the other dnr sites and way better. Need I say more.

Sitec3,p37,b5

Month of VisitSeptember

Josh

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 4, 2022

Busy Place

We've tent camped here several times over the years. This was the first time in our new 30ft travel trailer. It's always been a busy place. The sites on the outer areas are not very level. Sites on the inner loops appear fairly level. Sites are packed in fairly tight. Not very difficult to get parked, however. Over the years the campers have always been very diverse. Typically lots of families with young kids, young adults acting like kids and older travelers. Families are pretty respectful. Lots to do, hike, fish, boat and hit the beach.

Site121

Month of VisitJuly

Lerin P.

Ranger

Reviewed May. 31, 2022

Gorgeous views, great ammenities

This campground offers just about everything. Great area for tent campers and RV campers. Marina on property, general store, beach. Clean bathrooms. Quiet for the most part! Had a great time!

Month of VisitJune

(10) View All

kim K.

Traveler

Reviewed Dec. 18, 2021

Beautiful southern Indiana

Stopped for a few weeks before settling down for the holidays. Love the rolling hills. All bathrooms were closed. Had winter water to fill tank. Level gravel pad with views of the sunrise and sunset over the lake. One hiking trail, nice walk in the woods with a wee bit of a hill. Easy hike. Close to Bloomington for supplies. DNR drove by every morning. Felt very safe. Winter at its best

Site167

Month of VisitJanuary

Chelsea S.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 20, 2021

My new favorite!

Absolutely LOVED our site! It was big and had amazing access to the forest for the kids to run and a little beach area too! Pay close attention to site descriptions because there are definite slopes to the sites!

Site168

Month of VisitNovember

(12) View All

Barb A.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 8, 2021

Quiet and clean

Only stayed one night. Few campers, site and facility clean

Site25

Month of VisitJune

Sheldon E.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 9, 2021

Stay here every year

This year we stayed at spot 169 over looking the lake and it is everything you look for in a camp site..lots of room, a short walk to the water and a nice patch of woods behind the site! The site also is shaded most of the day making it very comfortable!!! Short walk to the bathrooms and showers which are hot water!! Caught some fish off the shore behind our site!!!

Site169

Month of VisitJuly

(9) View All

Kathy L.

Ranger

Reviewed Jan. 24, 2021

Very nice campground

Very nice campground. We stayed here for several nights in August and October 2020 in site 14, which was beautiful in the trees and level for our camper van. Good shade at many of the sites, but some are more open and less private. We stayed both times during the week, leaving on Fridays. Looks like it fills up on weekends and could get crowded. Beautiful fall colors in October. We will return.

Site14

Month of VisitSeptember

Brady R.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 27, 2020

Lake Views - Good for Covid

With COVID, it seems that everyone...and then more people are going camping. It's a bittersweet type of situation. Nevertheless, it's been very hard to find decent camping in Indiana that isn't packed in like sardines, while also trying to escape the city and get into nature - not around more people.

Luckily, a friend and I came here last October and this place was great. We got a non electric site and were in the middle of the sites. We had a great lake view and were very happy with our setup. It was a pull-through site, although not all are like that. We were able to set up in no time.

We had lots of space, away from our neighbors. The campstore had wood and random items that you might need should you forget. We were just steps away from the lake and enjoyed walking down there every morning. There aren't the best hiking trails around, so you'll need to drive to the nearby Brown County or National Forest to hike on trails that are actually worth the time.

I will add that the setup is a bit odd for non-electric. You basically had to pull up to the gatehouse, get your reservation info, then do a U-turn and go back out past the campstore in order to get to your campground. Very odd setup to say the least.

Month of VisitNovember

Margo B.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 27, 2020

Great Camping Experience

This was our first camp experience in our new travel trailer. We had plenty of room at our site (site #18), and enjoyed the beauty of nature.

Our stay was for 5 nights, and even though we had some rain, we were able to still enjoy the fire pit most of the time due to the trees overhead.

Water access was plentiful, and easy and fast dump station. There is a playground that kids seemed to really enjoy. They also had a Trick or Treat night, and it was fun to see all of the creative costumes and kids (and adults) having fun. We will definitely return to enjoy more time there. Tony and Margo

(21) View All

Sarah S.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 18, 2020

Great place to camp!

Probably my favorite place to camp so far (newbie camper). We had a site within a short walk to the water. Our tent site was spacious. Vault toilets. Camp store. Playground, boating, fishing, and boat rentals. There is a lot to offer at the park itself and being a college town, quite a few great bars and restaurants.

Johnathan H.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 18, 2020

Great place for families

This is our go to campground. We have stayed at several others in the area and by far Paynetown has the most to offer for families to have a great camping trip.

Month of VisitJuly

Allison T.

Traveler

Reviewed Feb. 14, 2020

Best fun family n beach

Best social camping for family

(4) View All

Karla H.

Scout

Reviewed Dec. 5, 2019

Love it Here

I have been camping here since I was a kid. Bathrooms and showers are nice. If you want electricity, get an electric site. If you want primitive, get a primitive site. Lots of things to do. Your kids have bo reason to be on electronics here. 😁

Tiffany T.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 23, 2019

Just a few steps from the water.

I was very pleased with our camping expierence at this wonderful campground. 2 days wasnt nearly enough. My kids enjoyed nature, had stick wars, and my daughter learned a few things about fishing. Shower houses were clean. There was an activity center and each day they would have some sort of informational class. Plus, there were some nice playgrounds. The best part. Our campground lot was right down the hill from the lake. Great spot to just sneak away.

Site63

Month of VisitSeptember

Becky E.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 23, 2019

Adult weekend

We’ve been going here for adult weekend for a few years! Such a blast! Nice big camping spots and the lake is great!

(4) View All

Katie M.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 8, 2019

Best we have visited

Me and my wife came to Indiana to visit with family. We all met up at the campground there was 5 of us , the lot we got was small but still good size big enough to fit 2 tents and have plenty of room for our camp fire. I was most impressed with how clean the facilities was. There was someone cleaning the showers and bathrooms every few hours, everything was always fully stocked. There was also tons of stuff to do. We all went out on my brothers boat. The next day my wife and I rented kayaks, we had a blast. We will definitely be back.

(9) View All

Kathryn F.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 7, 2018

Great fun!

My family and sister in laws family camp here every year. Our kids love it and we all have a great time. They always have something to do even if it's just going down to swim at the beach.

Month of VisitAugust

Jamie B.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 14, 2018

Our favorite

This is the campground we visit the most. There is always something to do. The beach, the trails, the geocaches on the trails, kayak and boat rentals, the activity center. There is something for everyone and enough to fill up your days. The activity center has programs all the time and there is always something going on there.

you have to reserve a spot early to get one with shade on busy weekends (we do non electric tent camping)

The older gentleman at check in is slow so expect to wait awhile to get in. They need more primitive sites.

SiteAll over the non electric tent camping and primitive spots

Caitlin W.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 9, 2018

The sunset was amazing.

It was quite small, but the hiking was amazing. We found so many geodes along the way. Lake Monroe is one of my favorite places to be, the sunsets are magical. Also there is a ton of things to do such as boating, canoeing, and swimming etc.

Month of VisitJune

Jennifer H.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 7, 2018

We’re here for the boating

We live a couple of hours away from the lake but find it’s worth the drive for a day of boating. This is our first time at the campground. I love the convenience for boatIng and campIng. Our sites have some slope to them...I hate it when the camper wheels are off the ground. The sites are good sized for camping alone or with a group although the roads to get to the sites are tight (especially as it’s filled up heading into the weekend). If you don’t have a boat they offer pontoons, canoes and kayaks for rent. We’ll definitely be back!

Rebecca J.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 16, 2018

Busy college town campground with ample room and huge lake area

This campground is busy as it's close to a college, but it has ample room to provide for everyone. Lots of water access near campsites so you can swim with pets in areas that aren' the designated beach. There is also the convenience of a camp store for firewood and forgotten items. Primitive spots are awesome and interspersed with the electric so bathrooms are close as well as showers.

Month of VisitOctober

Rebecca J.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 16, 2018

College town campground with a huge lake.

This lake is huge and alot of fun. There are beaches everywhere besides the4 designated one so it's easy to swim with your dogs or find private spots. Alot of college kids and it is a very busy place, but they have plenty of space and there is a camp store to grab last minute items close to the beach which is convenient. Stores are very close too but it doesn' feel that way when you're out on the lake.

Month of VisitOctober

Drew O.

Scout

Reviewed May. 16, 2018

Great for groups and meeting people

This is one of the largest campgrounds in all of Indiana. It includes hundreds of campsites. This includes RV hookups, standard campsites, and primitive campsites. There is running water and fully functional bathrooms with showers.

There are campsites on the lake, so you can easily go to a from your watercraft. There are only a few so reserve several months in advance.

If you are looking for a quiet campsite this may NOT be for you. With such large crowds (especially on holidays) it can be loud. Expect to see many families. Drunken behavior isn't uncommon but generally isn't a problem.

Site025

Month of VisitJuly

Jim L.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 31, 2017

Lake Monroe Living

Paynetown boasts the second largest beach on Lake Monroe, and the primitive sites include a very nice shower house. If you are tent camping there aren't many places to tie a tarp, so bring a free standing tarp if you like to have some space out of the occasional rain. There is an interpretive Nature Center and another shower house by the beach, and ample parking for day use. Boat rentals are available as well. Expect to see Canadian geese as the resident scavenger here instead of the usual raccoons found at Indiana parks. Other notable birds to keep an eye out for include swifts, killdeers, turkey buzzards, bald eagles, golden eagles, and great blue herons. Fishing for small and largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, and an assortment of bream is successful near the boat slips and along the shore.

Site13

Month of VisitAugust

Nick S.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 20, 2016

Paynetown State Recreation Area

Paynetown SRA is right on Lake Monroe about 10 minutes from Bloomington, IN. Campsites have a gravel parking pad, picnic table, fire-ring, and electrical hookups. Restrooms & showers were about average... not great/not bad. A private company rents kayaks, jet skis, boats, and paddleboards from the camp-store in the SRA. There are beaches, a nature center, & playgrounds, so it seems very family friendly. There's a cool little pizza place right down the road too. This is the perfect place to camp for a weekend of fun on Lake Monroe. It's also only about 20 minutes from Lake Lemon.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to camp at Paynetown Campground?

Camping at Paynetown Campground can cost between $16.00 and $30.00 depending on the site.

Does Paynetown Campground have RV hookups?

According to TheDyrt.com, Paynetown Campground has water hookups and sewer hookups.

Are fires allowed at Paynetown Campground?

Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Paynetown Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

Does Paynetown Campground have wifi?

No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Paynetown Campground does not have wifi.

Is there cell phone reception at Paynetown Campground?

According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is unknown, AT&T is fair, and T-Mobile is unknown.