Damaged by tornado in spring of 2023 
CAMPGROUND CLOSED: Due to extensive storm damage, the campground remains closed indefinitely. Read about recovery efforts on the website.

Mccormick's Creek State Park Campground

Stay over Memorial weekend
Campground: very hilly. Loop B sites are very uneven. If you have a trailer I suggest the A loop or definitely have enough equipment to make you level. Could use another bathroom, bigger bathroom, or a pit toilet. Bathrooms were clean. Plenty of spots for a hammock. 
Trails: fun and shorter. Trail 10 was the only one not well marked,  but we figured it out, and it was worth it. All the others were well marked. 


Hills, shade, and streams

**McCormicks Creek State Park** off Rt 46 near Spencer, Indiana is a very lush feeling natural area.

I especially enjoyed the trails which were varied and challenging. Part of the challenge being finding them at certain points along the way. Pay close attention to your map and direction of travel or you may add a few extra miles on to your hike.

The campground was well laid out with gravel pads and the primitive sites had plenty of room for tents as well as hammocks. Pit toilets, a dump station and plenty of signage to keep you on the right path made it a easily navigable area. There were several groups present when we visited and there is a seperated camp area for them.

Which way do we go??

McCormicks Creek offer many hiking opportunities, including the semi-rugged falls hike, and the relaxing Wolf Cave hike. A full service restaurant is on grounds as well as a small recreation center, nature center, and Olympic sized pool. Other diversions include horse trails, with horses for hire at the livery barn, and a hike to the firetower. The camp sites are mid-sized and the raccoons are plentiful here. Although this was Indiana's first State Park it has been well maintained and updated through the years. If you only do one hike, make it the Falls with it's picturesque overhangs and refreshing pool at the bottom.

Indiana's Oldest State Park

We stayed here over fall break in Oct, 2017\. Site 177 is not the best. Make sure you know what kind of spot you need. We were lucky we had a small camper. It was much smaller and very difficult it back into. Having no one across the road made it easier to get into our spot.

Wooded Campground and Great Hiking 

This is one of my favorite state parks. We have visited and camped here several times. They have great cabins, a perfect primitive tent only camping area, a nice camper area with more amenities, and even an inn. The trails are fun and varied for all skill levels. They are well maintained and pretty easy to follow. It is a little more difficult in the Fall when they are covered with leaves but still not too bad. The creek waterfall is a great place to cool off and some of the trails criss-cross over the shallow areas of the creek as well. This place is a must visit for Southern/Central Indiana.

Great trails and several different camping options

Wonderful camping 

fall camping

nicd spot. Doesn’t get too crowded. Near the lodge if anything is needed

Cozy 

There is just one thing that keeps me from rating this a 5 star campground. It's the sites!  So....4 stars...but read on for my thoughts on the sites.

**What's up with these sites?**

- If you want to be be able to see what your neighbors are eating and hear their conversations, you'll love the electric sites (1 through 189).

- If you like to feel like you're alone in the woods, you won't like most of the electric sites. 

- There is a partial solution. Sites 190-202 have no electricity, but most are fairly private/secluded. Sites 203-222 are additional primitive sites on a loop but they are not at all private; you can see lots of neighboring sites. There's a lot of shade, but you could probably set up solar panels if you require electricity.

- If you want privacy in the electric section (1-189), I don't have a great recommendation other than you should stay on the outside of the loops. Then you'll only have people beside you rather than beside and across from you.

Good luck! Stay one night when there aren't many people and scope out sites for your next stay. If you're from the area, this could be a park worth returning to over and over if you are able to stay on a site you enjoy.

I've included a map of sites 1-189 and photos that show some sites I like and sites I don't like. In my opinion, a site is not one for me if I can see 3 other picnic tables while sitting at the table at my site. If you camp with other families, this would be good because you can make your own 'group' site.

**Something you need to know:** Indiana state parks have a $7 entry fee but you'll only pay it once (unlike some states that make you pay every day). It's supposed to be $9 for non-residents, but we were only charged $7\. The hang tag for your vehicle will get you in the main entrance for the rest of your stay.

**If you come without a reservation:** The registration attendant assigned a site to us but maybe you can choose one. Since it was the day after Labor Day and the park was sparsely populated, there was no one near us. Privacy was not an issue for our stay, but we wouldn't have enjoyed our site on a busy weekend...although there were many sites we would have liked even less.

**The basics:** picnic tables, fire rings, dump station, potable water, flush toilets and sinks in the bathrooms, separate shower facility. There are vault toilets closer to sites 190-222\. Sites 1-189 have electricity.

**Activities:** Nearby swimming pool and playground. There are almost 11 miles of hiking trails. The longest one is 2 miles, but you can combine some trails and wander in the woods for quite a while. You can also wade in McCormick's Creek; the water was low in early September. You can stay busy in this park for quite a while. And if you want to go to Bloomington, it's only about 25 minutes away

Beautiful state park but sites are too close/visible to each other

We love spending time at McCormick’s Creek. The facilities are always very clean. We were pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the bathrooms and showers in the campgrounds. We have never seen bathrooms that nice and clean at any state park. The playgrounds were clean and provided lots of fun for our son. The trails are so nice and very well-maintained. Our 5 year old had no problem hiking any of the trails we took. Wolf Cave and the Falls are definitely worth seeing! Wolf Cave is quite a thrill and the Falls are so serene and beautiful. Even the dump station is very nice and well maintained. We never have any problems at all during our stays at McCormick's Creek. The staff, facility and park are all so wonderful.

Best Indiana family camping!

Enjoyed the falls! Cleanest &amp; nicest bathrooms &amp; shower houses that we have ever seen! 

Great campground! 

This park is a southern Indiana beauty. Indiana's first state park dating to 1916. The heart of the park is McCormick's Creek Canyon with stunning views, hiking and some of the best wildflower displays in the state...and let's don't forget McCormick's Creek waterfall...yes its probably only 10' but this is a big deal for Indiana. The park offers numerous hikes varying in difficulty accessing features and attractions to include a 90' fire tower, scenic canyon and waterfall, small cave(Wolf Cave), interesting sinkholes and some stunning second growth hardwood forest. A center piece of the park is the Canyon Inn offering hotel accommodations, dining, seasonal swimming pool(guests only) and in the winter months a massive warming fireplace. The campground provides 189 electric only sites(30 amp) typically gravel pads and 32 primitive sites; most having nice tree canopy for summer shade. Larger coaches have limited choices. The park has an exceptional seasonal outdoor pool, seasonal camp store, very active nature center and naturalist program. Just minutes from the park is the town of Spencer with everything you need to re-supply or grab a dinner out...restaurants, grocery, Wal-Mart, fuel and more

Indiana's First State Park

The park is beautiful with plenty to explore. If you love to hike, Wolf Cave and the waterfall and canyon were well worth the trip. There is also a paved, accessible trail. The nature center was fun and very kid-friendly and the programming was great. Our kids got to do a fun craft, go on a night hike and see some of the nature centers animals up close. You could tell the staff members there loved what they do and are happy to share their knowledge and love for nature with kids and adults alike. Camp ground A offered a bit privacy and wooded areas between most sites, and the grounds and bathrooms were clean and well kept. Our family will definitely be visiting again.

Beautiful. Fun. Family-friendly.

I wasn't aware that McCormick's Creek State Park was the first Indiana State Park. Its loved for its sanctuary feels. 

This is our first time camping here and I was pretty impressed. The public bathrooms were continuously maintained and cleaned by a caravan of DNR women. That was my only worry, especially during this Covid-pandemic. 

I have one draw back. There is only 1 vehicle per campsite and all other vehicles has to be parked at the overflow down by the campground gatehouse. Well, our second night, the overflow was full and I had to park at the Nature Center and walk 2 miles to my campground. I would definitely change that policy.

The family loved the shaded trails and we spent most of our time in the creek and admiring the walk-behind waterfall. My kids were able to look for shells and rocks and just be kids. 

On our next rondevue here we hope to come back and do horseback riding and the NATURE CENTER.

Creekin' and Loving Every Day!

Close enough to home, but far enough away!


Perfect Quick Tent Camp

My daughter and I had our very first camping experience in our new converted van at McCormick’s Creek. When you arrive, there is a minimal entrance fee of $7. You are given a map and directions to your destination. Everyone was so kind and helpful. I didn’t know what to expect as this was my first time. Our camp site was small but perfect for us. Spot 61. It was perfect due to the fact we were next to the play ground and amenities.  All the campers were so great too. It was a wonderful community. The sites were very wooded and arranged in a way that you have a decent amount of privacy’s even though there are a lot of spots. The trails are easy to access and by foot from the camp ground. Again, the sites and roads were SO CLEAN! As were the restrooms and showers. There was a 2 night minimum when we booked for $35 a night. It was worth every penny. We will absolutely be going back. The only thing we didn’t expect was how little cell service there was. It was difficult to send text messages and streaming videos is out of the question. But we didn’t go camping to be on our devices anyway! 

Welcoming, clean, and beautiful!

Huge IN state park and campground. Indiana’s oldest. Many trails. Creek is awesome. Cabins. Love it!

Central IN state park camping 

Loved this park, lots to do. Beautiful hiking, a waterfall , wolf cave, pool and horseback riding. The only downside is lots of small lots , with rocks and narrow road but that will not affect my review just have to be cautious when picking as site as there are others ones that are not like that. Stay away from sites 67  &amp; 69. 