Best Camping near Arcola, IN

Recent Reviews in Arcola

355 Reviews of 91 Arcola Campgrounds

• 

  Brian O.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 5, 2024

  Chain O' Lakes State Park Campground

  small campground away from it all

  Little four site camping area on the shore of Rivir Lake (not a typo). It can be accessed either by parking and walking in on the wide, well tended trail (#4 on maps) or by boating. The nearest boat launch is Miller lake, a mile west. Sites 3 & 4 are right on the lake with the best access, Sites 1& 2 are across the trail which is along a raised berm with a bridge over the passage to Mud Lake. I'd give this a higher review, but most people wouldn't appreciate the primitiveness of the sites. It's distance from most amenities could be a turn off, but also could be perfect for others

• 

  Christie S.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 27, 2024

  Johnny Appleseed Campground

  Suppppppper Bathroom s

  They have the best bathrooms that I have ever seen in the campgrounds.You can even look out at the skylight at the sky.Why you take a shower and while you go to the bathroom is well.It's a beautiful bathroom very well kept.Thank you so much to the campgrounds....

• 

  Brian O.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 17, 2024

  Chain O' Lakes State Park Campground

  Idyllic small location, deserves higher review

  Little four site camping area on the shore of Rivir Lake (not a typo). It can be accessed either by parking and walking in on the wide, well tended trail (#4 on maps) of by boating. The nearest boat launch is Miller lake, a mile west. Sites 3 & 4 are right on the lake with the best access, Sites 1 & 2 are across the trail which is along a raised berm with a bridge over the passage to Mud Lake.
  I'd give this a higher review, but most people wouldn't appreciate the primitiveness of the sites. It's distance from most amenities could be a turn off, but also could be perfect for others

• 

  Brian O.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 17, 2024

  Chain O' Lakes State Park Campground

  Can be crowded, but a good park overall

  We were a bit surprised that despite having a paid reservation , we still had to pay a $20 Day usage fee to enter the park, but no matter. This is a sprawling and sometimes confusing campground to find your way in. But the sites are generally shady if a bit close together. There are five facilities with showers and running water and six pit toilets. drinking water is accessible throughout the park.
  The majority of sites have six person tables, though some, especially in the new 385-416 loop have little four person tables. These are also the least shaded.
  Campground and facilities are clean and well maintained.
  The General Store is one of the most impressively well stocked I have ever seen. Equipment, toys, tools, food souvenirs, you name it. Good dry firewood is $6.50 a bundle in the store, $7 on the honor system after hours. It burns fast, so you might want to buy more than you think. The store is open until 9:00 Friday & Saturday, but only 2;PM on Sunday and never on Monday. Keep that in mind if you're doing a 3-day weekend as we did. When checking out, look up to see the beautiful wooden canoe with wildlife inlaid wood.
  Fire pits are mostly round iron with non-adjustable swing-away grills. Booking is through Indiana DNR/ Reserve America so you can see photos of the site you pick.
  This was our second experience with an Indiana state park, and like our first (Pokagon, in the winter) we were impressed with the clear marking of the hiking trails (and canoe trail for that matter) there was a map and guidepost at every junction.
  There's a beach, concession stand and boat rentals on Sand lake, the Park's largest. Lastly, there's a fish cleaning shed with running water outside the campground entrance that anyone in the park can use, something I wish more parks would provide.

• 

  Kris

  Scout

  

  Oct. 13, 2024

  Blue Lake Campground

  Great place

  Blue Lake Resort is a hidden gem for campers! The serene atmosphere and beautiful lake views make it a perfect getaway. The amenities are well-maintained, and the staff is friendly and accommodating. I particularly enjoyed the fishing opportunities and the peaceful nature trails nearby. I actually recently wrote an essay about the natural beauty of Indiana for my geography class, and it was really great to have the helpfull resource https://stateofwriting.com/uk/geography-writing-service. They have some great guides and tips for geography essays. 

  Definitely a place I’d recommend for families and nature lovers!

• 

  MickandKarla W.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 6, 2024

  Elkhart County Fairgrounds

  Worked for What We Needed

  You use Gate 2 to get to the registration office. Check-in was quick and we proceeded to back-in site 444 with FHUs. Our back-in should have been smooth but we were out of practice. The utilities are at the far end of the sites. In most areas, the sites back up to each other and share a utility post(separate outlets for each site) and share the water spigot. As we had come out of the Brinkley Service Center, we did not need to dump. If we had hooked up sewer, we would have needed about 25’ of hose to reach a hole in the ground(no screw in adapter). Water pressure was okay depending on if both rigs are pulling water. They have wifi(4H Public) that was pretty good but there were not many rigs in the fairgrounds. We have 4 bars on Verizon. If you are allergic to train noise, this is not your place as trains run all day, all night, at regular intervals, and the tracks are adjacent to the FHU campground(CG) areas. Sites are quite close together but far enough that you can get your awnings out. As this CG was near the Brinkley Service Center and they had to come back out to us to finish repairs, this place worked for us. We would stay here again if we come back for service center work. They are very flexible with cancellations/reservation changes as they realize the majority of people are here for RV service.

• 

  Roger W.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 25, 2024

  Elkhart County Fairgrounds

  Area Convenient and Clean

  Elkhart County 4-h Fairgrounds: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

  (72 yr olds in 27’ trailer.)

  Overall Rating: 4 for access to the area, very clean facilities, and not too many campers thus time of year.
  Price 2024: $35 for water/electric only. Security: No Usage during visit: Very light Visual Privacy Between Adjacent Sites: none Site Spacing: very close Pad surface: our area was grass Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Quiet except for one day of motorcycle raises at the nearby track.
  Outside Road Noise: Not most sites Through Traffic in campground: Some for activities at the fairground Electric Hookup: Yes Sewer Hookup: some sites Dump Station: yes Potable Water Available: At sites Bathroom: Very nice flush toilets Showers: yes Pull Throughs: Yes Cell Service (AT&T): Varied throughout campground Setting: open grass fields around very well manicured county fairground. Recent Weather: 70s and rain. Insects:None Host: I am not sure.
  Rig Size: Large Sites: full hookups and water/electric only

• C

  Cliff F.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 16, 2024

  Chain O'lakes State Park Dispersed Campsite

  Hidden Gem

  Great camping level site.

• 

  MickandKarla W.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 4, 2024

  Shipshewana Campground South Park

  Okay Stay

  We took I-80 all the way to near Shipshewana where the roads took us about 7 miles into the campground (CG). Check-in was quick and easy because we had paid ahead online. We proceeded to pull through site 37 with FHUs. The utilities were in the center, which made it nice to dump our two black tanks in order to go to the Brinkley Service Center the next morning. Water pressure was good at about 50 psi. It was nice that the utilities were on the center of the pad. We got 4 bars on Verizon. If we wanted to put out satellite, we could have as there are not many trees in the central area to block the signal. We tried to sign into the free Wifi with no luck. The website wanted us to sign up for paid internet, which we did not do. The sites in the CG are for the most part very close together. We were here overnight to take our rig into Goshen for warranty work. Coming from the West, stay on I-80 to IN-13(exit 107) as it makes for an easier route than on the local roads versus following your GPS or Waze which may have you exit off in Elkhart. Check out the great selections at Yoder's Meat& Cheese just down the road. This CG was okay for an overnighter or short stay.

• 

  Jasmine M.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 20, 2024

  Mar-Brook Camp Ground

  I have camped here on and off when I was a kid!

  Since my experience here growing up and having family get-a-ways, it’s always been my dream to live here!!

• F

  Fern B.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 17, 2024

  Salamonie River State Forest

  Primitive sites

  Small campground. 13$. No reservations, but sites seem readily available, even on weekends in the summer. Spacious sites. Fairly wooded. Firewood only available Mon - Friday 8-3.

• N

  Nick M.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 15, 2024

  Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Barton Lake

  Great Family Campground

  We brought down 2 30’ campers and we had 4 adults 3 children and two dogs and stay right next to the craft barn. It is a really nice camp ground with lots and lots for the kids to do. My son had a blast and said this was the best campground he has ever been to. My only complaint is that it is quite costly to stay.

• A

  Angelika M.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 25, 2024

  Johnny Appleseed Campground

  lovely place to stay

  just being here for an one night stop. Restrooms are very clean and comfortable. Nice place and very friendly camp hosts

• 

  Kelly G.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 18, 2024

  Mississinewa Lake - Miami Recreation Area

  Trashy and crowded

  It was overly crowded, the lake was murky (worse than normal), and we weren't even allowed to bring our floating island on to the lake.

• 

  ABBI S.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 17, 2024

  Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park at Barton Lake

  Primitive camping right by a busy highway

  This was my husbands, and my 2 small babies first camping trip. We chose Jellystone in Fremont Indiana because it was only an hour from our home and has so many fun family activities. We wanted to do something close by in case things went awry, I am Glad we did that. We got to the site and we had booked primitive camping. From the map online you could not tell it was directly next to an extremely busy highway. So instead of the sound of nature we heard blaring 16 wheelers for hours on end. Our campsite was not labeled with our site number so we had to guess what site we had booked. The camp sites were on a slight hill and my youngest isn’t even 2 and is accident prone. This was dangerous given the fact that the picnic table was sloped right by the fire ring for a dangerous combination. Our chairs were unsteady and sitting around the fire in general was dangerous. We couldn’t relax at all and had to continuously be cautious of my 1.5 year old falling into the fire! It is currently June and the temps are high which we expected but the heat combined with the highway traffic at night led to no sleep for our children or us. Not to mention at 10:30 construction vehicles pulled up right next to the campsite and began their work. By 11:15 we had had enough. We decided to go home. It was the worst 7 hour experience of our vacation history. We called the next day and relayed our experience to the registration cabin and paid to have a cabin. The point of this thread is, I personally Feel like I paid to be homeless next to a highway for the week. I am Angry, camping should not be next to a busy highway. The entrance needs to be relocated to where the primitive camping is and the camping needs to be in a more secluded area. People are paying for this experience and it was the most chaotic/ anxious trip I have ever been on. We have not experiencedthe fun activities yet because we have had such a horrible time at the actual campsite we drove home and are coming back the next day so we could actually get some sleep. When we paid for a cabin and relaid our experience the woman working registration did not even apologize for our bad experience. We were not met with any form of compassion or understanding for the chaos we paid for. If you are going to keep booking primitive camping next to a busy highway, inform your guests! Be aware of construction schedules! Know what is happening in your area for the sake of your guests and their quality experience! Do not let your park become a thing of the past because you are neglecting to remember our experiences keep us coming back!

• J

  Joni C.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 4, 2024

  Happy Acres Campground

  Stay in the Skybox

  We rented site 95 in the “skybox” it’s on the backside of the property. Super clean campground with friendly workers and seasonal residents were so friendly. Enjoyed the pool, pickleball and walking the trails. Has a 9hole disc golf. Very cool place and Angola has a lot to offer.

• H

  Hunter M.

  Scout

  

  May. 30, 2024

  Pokagon State Park Campground

  Super fun

  They have good hiking trails, nice refreshing waters, good food options at certain places

• 

  Greg D.

  Guide

  

  May. 30, 2024

  Shipshewana North Park Campground

  North Shipshewana

  This is a nice campground for visiting Shipshewana, the restrooms and showers are just inside a “sitting room “ and they’re clean and modern. You can listen to the clopping of horse hooves as the Amish buggies go by, unfortunately there is also some traffic noise. The other reviewer must have been at the campground next to the flea market because this campground has trees and no way resembles a fairground site.

• 

  Angela B.

  Scout

  

  May. 29, 2024

  River Camp Fort Wayne

  Looks like a very nice campground I've never been though

  Haven't been yet

• S

  Scott B.

  Guide

  

  May. 28, 2024

  Chain O' Lakes State Park Campground

  Nice but older

  Our site was 21 inches unloved from front to back and 7 inches down on the passenger side! With poison oak all over the back of our site so bring a lot of leveling block and no kids! Other that that it was a decent park with lots of activities but a very hard campsite to navigate and a busy weekend forget about dumping lol your gonna be there a while. Also no Verizon signal but our friend had T-Mobile and he was ok signal.

• 

  Tina G.

  Scout

  

  May. 2, 2024

  Happy Acres Campground

  Unexpected gem

  We made an last minute stop here on a Sunday night. The owners were helpful and went out of their way to help us. The campground looks awesome and makes you feel at home. They are also big rig friendly. We will stop back here again.

• 

  Greg D.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 11, 2024

  KOA Campground Middlebury

  Shipshewana visit

  Small campground good for a visit to Shipshewana or stopover on a long trip. Staff are very nice and helpful, facilities are decent. There is occasional traffic noise due to being close to the road, but not so bad as to keep you from getting sleep. It’s nice to hear the clopping of the horse drawn carriages of the Amish every so often.

• f

  fred F.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 8, 2024

  Kimpels Hickory Acres

  Decent place, will try again

  There is a Waterpark, pool, and hot tub at this campground you can access for an additional price. I camped in a tent next to the cabin that my sister rented so I'm not sure about the tent sites that are available. There are ALOT of full time campers here so I was under the impression that a good site will be hard to find here, but the bathrooms were good and there were things to do so I will try this place out again.

• f

  fred F.

  Traveler

  

  Mar. 8, 2024

  Crooked Creek Campground and Cabins

  Nice first experience

  We reserved a spot roughly a month in advance and really enjoyed our spot. Had partial shade and picnic table at our site. The bathrooms/showers were large and private (one occupant at a time). River access at this campground so you can kayak about 5 hours to the public access and drive back. Or you can also rent kayaks near the public access and they will transport for you.

• 

  John L.

  Scout

  

  Feb. 28, 2024

  Hidden Diamonds Park

  Closed

  Great little campground but it is no longer open.

• S

  Scott B.

  Guide

  

  Feb. 11, 2024

  Mississinewa Lake

  Great park

  This was a nice park. Had a blast here. Very clean and nice staff. Will be back.

• K

  Kristine W.

  Scout

  

  Dec. 22, 2023

  KOA Campground Bluffton

  Unisex shower

  The shower are unisex, and there is a train that blows its horn all night long