Starve Hollow State Rec Area, near Vallonia, Indiana, is a fantastic spot for campers looking to enjoy the great outdoors year-round. With a mix of tent sites, RV spots, and cozy cabins, there's something for everyone, whether you're a seasoned camper or just starting out.

The campground boasts electric hookups and full-service sites, making it easy to set up your home away from home. Visitors rave about the clean facilities and friendly staff, with one camper noting, “Very friendly staff. Clean facilities. Quite the hidden gem.” The lakefront sites are particularly popular, offering stunning views and a peaceful atmosphere, perfect for unwinding after a day of activities.

For those who love water sports, the lake is ideal for kayaking and canoeing, and you can even rent boats right on-site. Hiking trails wind through the area, providing plenty of opportunities to explore the natural beauty surrounding the campground. Just be aware that some campers mentioned the beach area can be a bit muddy, but the lake itself is beautiful and worth a visit.

With ample shade from towering trees and a relaxed vibe, Starve Hollow is a great choice for families and groups looking to escape the hustle and bustle. Whether you're fishing, hiking, or simply enjoying a campfire under the stars, this campground has all the ingredients for a memorable outdoor experience.

Starve Hollow State Rec Area

The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Vallonia. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in, as well as sights to see and explore. Get the dirt on all the best camping near Vallonia. Browse campgrounds by amenities, site types, and more.

Vallonia

The Best Camping Near Vallonia, Indiana

My husband and I had a nice visit to Starve Hollow recently...we stayed 4 nights in our camper with our 3 dogs. We hiked 10 miles throughout the park, which was clean and pretty. We brought our canoe and a kayak, and enjoyed fishing the lake for small mouth bass, crappie, and cat fish. It was very nice to camp right on the water! Grounds were very clean, facilities were clean. We will definitely be back!

Spring break

Great getaway for the family. We love this place and camp here 5 + times a year. It's clean and so much to do with kids.

Great Family Fun

There are lakeside camping lots. Also there are larger full hookup lots away from the lake

A great getaway

it is nice and peaceful fairly cheap. the lake is a little small and so is the swim area 

wake early to see the sun rise over the lake



wake early

This campground has pleanty of camp sites and cabins. They have boat rental, a beach, and a nature center. They usually have activities for children on weekends. The campsites have electric and total hookup has water and sewer also.

Family friendly campground. 

Take bug spray in the summer! Swimming beach and boat ramp/kayak rental available.

Pretty electric sites on the lake; full hookups in the woods 

There are full hook-up sites and electric. Regular electric sites on the water are beautiful but not sure we could park our 41 ft fifth wheel on a water site. Trails are rugged at times and you can access them through campground. We are here in the fall but the beach looks like a good size. Boat rentals. Cabins look cute. We peeked in one. Double bed with bunks in room. Theres a loft for kids. A/C and heat but not bathroom. Bring a mattress or sleeping bags or you will sleep on wood. I recommend the water cabins. Playgrounds are sprinkled throughout. DNR dont patrol a lot. Quiet campground.

Great place! We will come back!

Starve Hollow State Recreation Area is 280 acres that are adjacent to Jackson-Washington State Forest (18,000 acres). Starve Hollow offers a great camping experience with accommodations ranging from primitive to full hook-ups and the park is impeccably maintained. The full hook-up sites are spacious with most offering a nice tree canopy. A large number of electric only sites are bordering the 145-acre Starve Hollow Lake with a large swimming beach, and picnic area. The park offers boat, canoe, and kayak rental plus an Education Center, fishing, hiking and mountain bike trails that extend into Jackson-Washington State Forest. The surrounding communities are full of interesting history; the longest existing (460') covered bridge built in 1875, classic round barns, original iron bridges, and the historic Medora Shale Brick Plant (1904) to name a few. Easy access from I-65 via US 50 W, then SR 135 S.

“This was a total surprise!”

Starve Hollow offers camping from full hookup, electric only (by the lake), tent camping, and cabins.  The lake has a swimming area (no lifeguards), playgrounds, and bathhouse.  The lake allows boats with electric trolling motor only.   

  

We stayed in the full hookup section (camping facilities: electric, sewer, and water hookup as well as fire ring, picnic table, and parking spur at each site. Modern restrooms/showers(wheelchair accessible) are available nearby. 53 sites available, sites 222, 232, and 234 are wheelchair accessible).  The bathhouse was clean (even though it rained most of the weekend).  these sites are a good size and able to get any size Trailer or RV into these sites.  There is mostly grass on most of the sites in this area.  

  

The campground also offers electric only sites (camping facilities: electric hookup, fire ring, picnic table and parking spur at each site. Drinking water is available in area. Modern restrooms/showers(wheelchair accessible) are available nearby. Dumping station is available. There are 87 sites available. Sites 28, 44, 65, 75 and 90 are wheelchair accessible).  They have about 20 sites that back up right to the lake allowing fishing from your campsite.  Keep in mind that a lot of the electric only sites are very tight with a lot of trees in the area.  I can probably only get my 36 ft 5th wheel into a third of the sites, but there are many of sites that had shorter units on them.     

  

Cabins:  Starve Hollow has 13 rent-a-camp cabins available March-Nov.(closed Dec.-Feb.)(NOTE: Local sales only during off season/winter months, contact property for details). Each cabin has a front porch with a swing, outside electric outlet and front porch light. Inside there are two small rooms each providing a ceiling fan with light, a heating/cooling unit and electrical outlets. The front room offers a small table with bench seats, corner shelf, chair, rocking chair, and a loft. The back room offers a bunk bed(single) and a double bed(NO LINENS or MATTRESS PROVIDED). Air mattress recommended.

  

Fishing/Boating Starve-Hollow Lake has three boat ramps to choose from, one at the dam and two in the electric campground. Kayak, rowboat and canoe rental is available. A valid Indiana fishing license is required. Rowboat and canoe rental is available from mid April through October. Starve-Hollow Lake is a trolling motor only lake. For campers a fish cleaning station is available.  

  

Swimming A large beach is available for swimming from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Restrooms, dressing facilities, showers, and food concessions are available to visitors. Wheelchair ramps allow access to beach and concession area.  

  

Picnicking There are picnic areas and picnic shelters that can be reserved. Both shelters can be accessed by wheelchair. The East shelter has an electrical outlet. Picnic tables and grills are located at the picnic sites. A wheelchair accessible playground, basketball goals, softball fields, horseshoe pits and a sand volleyball court are located on or near the swimming beach.  

  

Hiking Trails Starve Hollow has several hiking trails to explore that total approximately 11 miles.

Good variety

This is a great place, lots of spots right on the water!

What a great place

My family enjoyed the campground a lot. We rented boats, hiked and swam. We stayed in site 54 and though we couldn’t see the lake we loved the privacy. We arrived on a Sunday and it cleared out nicely. I wouldn’t want to come on a weekend, too busy. A few to many RVs for my tent camping taste. The facilities were nice and clean. Some playgrounds were a bit dated, but kids still enjoyed them. Plenty of bugs, but not insufferable. 

Beautiful lake

The beach, campground, and shelter house were really nice. The staff were super friendly. Know that "cash only" is accepted at the camp store. We all had a nice daytrip and cookout as a family. There is a nice activity center too.

The biggest reason I didn't like this place as well is the bathhouse/restroom stone building had baby roaches crawling all over the floor. I'm sure somebody brought them in, but that was a huge dissatisfaction. I didn't go back inside. I feel like being a state recreation area they should of had Terminex spraying. I'm sure they have funds for that.

Great picnic area

This is a great campground. It deserves the 5 I gave it. We stayed in site 21 which was right on the lake. All the lake front spots seem to have a good amount lakefront footage. We probably had at least 40 feet. 
They have both vault toilets and flush toilets in the shower buildings. All the campsites I saw weee pretty level.  They all seemed to be pretty shady as well. 
The beach area was huge and there were a lot of playgrounds. Overall there was nothing bad to report. 
If you want to rent one of the kayaks, get to the office right at 8 or they will be gone for the day  

I should give this place a 1 so no one else goes there!  

Lakefront sites are pretty close together but the middle area ones have more space. Clean bathrooms and showers, chemical toilets too, boats to rent, though it was a little hard to catch the boathouse open so go early. Exit the park and turn right for a little country store. 

Super beautiful 

PROS:  
Beautiful lake with geese nesting areas and great fishing opportunities. Calm waters for kayaking.  

  

CONS:  

Since July 2020, the Governor of the State of Indiana has mandated face coverings in indoor areas and in outside spaces where social distancing is not possible (and signs are posted everywhere). During our three-day-stay, we did not see any DNR staff at the gatehouse, the campground store, or a conservation officer complying with wearing a mask. In addition, most campground guests were not wearing them either.  
  
In addition, this park is listed as participating in the Explore Indiana pin program but no one seemed to know anything about it. We did the work to earn it but were not able to add it to our collection.

Beautiful campground, but not following COVID mandates

It rained the whole week end but it was so quiet and peaceful because the sites are spaced apart quit a bit.

The site we were at had a lot of space between  us and the other surrounding sites which we loved

Reserved the last site available in late April. Weekend was rainy and it was busy, but everyone was very respectful and quiet. We reserved site 63, across from a lake front site. Those tenants never arrived, so we had a wonderful view! 

Rainy weekend, superb views! 

A Facebook sensation, so we had to try it. This is our first visit to this SRA.

  

 43 lakeside sites. All 43 are close to each other. All have a view of Starve Hollow Lake. Electric only, with water spigots scattered throughout the campground. My picks for the best campsites are 30-34. These have the best view IMO of the lake, with shade&amp; lake access. Wooded sites are available as well. 

There's also a full hookup area with around 55 sites. This part of the campground isn't as scenic as the lakeside. 

  

Bathrooms/showers were pretty good. Updated in the last 10 years. As clean as most state facilities are, which is iffy. 

  

Kayaking, fishing &amp; hiking are other activities. There's an "education center" by the beach. It's small. Ok displays. 

There is an algae problem on the lake. I wouldn't swim in it. My husband said fishing is fair.

Southern Indiana SRA

Our camping spot by the lake was nice and level but it was a bit of a bluff at waters edge. You couldn’t set and fish . There were two big bushes and it was hard to throw out our lines

Relaxing getaway

My daughter and I camped a few nights in a site right on the water. The first morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the lake.  The nights were still chilly, so there were very few campers. The bathrooms and showers were clean.   We will definitely be going back to this jewel of a campground. 

Starve Hollow

First time at Starve Hollow. Camped with a group of the family. Impressed with the showers and bathrooms, and cannot get over the large amount of shade trees! Was able to take the dogs and ourselves for a few hikes, the bait shop was a wonderful bonus. Only negative of the whole trip was the blue algae in the lake.￼

First time; won’t be the last! 

Starve Hollow Lake SRA has full hook ups at half the campground and electric water access on the other half. Small lake for boating and canoeing and kayaking. Fun atmosphere friendly staff

Love StarveHollow 

Decided to try a new campground and glad we did! Staff was very friendly, and overall a cute, quiet, and nice campground! Beach was muddy and shallow, but the lake was beautiful! Bathrooms were decent nothing great nothing bad, bugs weren’t as bad as I expected. We had a great time, renting a canoe and keeping it on our site until we returned it. Highly recommend getting a site on the water! ￼Would definitely return.

Nice Campground!

Electric sites near the lake with several water front sites.  Full hook up sites that are well spread out so you are not on top of each other.   Very friendly staff. Clean facilities.   Quite the hidden gem. 

Photos of Starve Hollow State Rec Area

Real photos from real campers