Sarah M.
Scout
ScoutHickory Ridge
Super quiet at night and lots of space. Good privacy.
Camping near Deputy, IN
18 campgrounds with availability this weekend
Search destinations
Add dates
Deputy, Indiana provides access to several established campgrounds within a short drive, including Clifty Falls State Park Campground and Hardy Lake State Recreation Area. The region includes both Shale Bluff and Wooster Campgrounds at Hardy Lake, offering electric and primitive sites respectively. Campground options range from fully developed sites with electric hookups and water access to more basic accommodations. Charlestown State Park Campground, located south of Deputy, features full-hookup sites with concrete pads suitable for RVs, while also offering tent camping areas. Most camping areas in this region of southern Indiana provide fire rings, picnic tables, and access to restroom facilities.
Seasonal considerations affect camping experiences throughout the year, with most state parks and recreation areas remaining open year-round but offering reduced services during winter months. Campgrounds like Starve Hollow State Recreation Area and Clifty Falls maintain accessibility throughout the seasons, though amenities may be limited during colder months. Many sites require advance reservations, particularly during summer weekends and holidays when waterfront locations fill quickly. The terrain in this region features rolling hills and wooded areas typical of southern Indiana, with some campgrounds offering lake access for fishing and boating. A visitor commented that Hardy Lake "is a great State Park offering hiking, swimming, boating, skiing, camping, interpretive naturalist program and the only DNR property in the state of Indiana with a raptor rehabilitation program."
Campers report high satisfaction with waterfront sites at Hardy Lake and other nearby recreation areas. The best sites at Shale Bluff Campground include those with shade and lake views, with site 122 described as "private, shady and you get peeks of the lake between the leaves." Several visitors mentioned the hiking opportunities at Clifty Falls State Park, which features trails of varying difficulty levels and scenic waterfalls. Charlestown State Park receives positive reviews for its concrete pads and full hookups, making it popular with RV campers. While some campgrounds like Clifty Falls have received mixed reviews regarding site levelness and shower facilities, most camping areas in the region maintain clean facilities and well-kept grounds. Proximity to Madison, Indiana provides additional opportunities for shopping, dining, and exploring the Ohio River area.
Best Campgrounds near Deputy (128)
1. Clifty Falls State Park Campground
"If you live outside of Indiana you have to pay a $9 entrance fee on top of the campground reservation fee, which makes for a pricey weekend trip for those on a budget."
"No sewer or water hookup as you would expect at most Indiana State Parks. The sites are extremely spacious and plenty of sites with shade."
37 Sites AvailableAvailable this weekend
from $20 - $35 / night
2. Shale Bluff Campground — Hardy Lake State Recreation Area
"This is a great State Park offering hiking, swimming, boating, skiing, camping, interpretive naturalist program and the only DNR property in the state of Indiana with a raptor rehabilitation program."
"Boats are a big part of this lake. There are 4 boat launches on the lake! Lots of people were water skiing, tubing& playing in the water. There's also a beach, which looked clean."
Check Availabilityfrom $33 / night
3. Charlestown State Park Campground
"We biked throughout the park and hiked 4 of the trails, 3 of which were pretty rugged and all had elevation changes for a good hiking challenge. "
"It's a fairly new park on the site that used to be the Indiana Ammunition Plant. Good-sized sites with a very helpful staff. I hiked trail 2 and found the waterfall and several other gorgeous views."
15 Sites AvailableAvailable this weekend
from $33 - $40 / night
4. Scottsburg/Raintree Lake KOA
"The lake is GORGEOUS. Sites have mature trees, variety of singing birds. Really nice stay here as we were passing through."
"A lot of things to do around the campground, and kids will absolutely love it."
Check Availabilityfrom $45 - $125 / night
5. Wooster Campground — Hardy Lake State Recreation Area
7 Sites AvailableAvailable this weekend
from $14 - $16 / night
6. Starve Hollow State Rec Area Campground
"There are lakeside camping lots. Also there are larger full hookup lots away from the lake"
"Starve Hollow State Recreation Area is 280 acres that are adjacent to Jackson-Washington State Forest (18,000 acres)."
28 Sites AvailableAvailable this weekend
from $33 - $52 / night
8. Madison City Park
"Great place to camp if you like being next to water, amazing views, fast boats, and good food. Key West Shrimp House is a landmark restaurant with great food."
"An easy walk into downtown."
Check Availabilityfrom $30 - $40 / night
9. Ashmoor Campground
10. Deam Lake State Recreation Area Campground
"I used this location as my FOB for a weekend of hiking in southern Indiana. The campground was nice."
"Great sites close to the lake"
97 Sites AvailableAvailable this weekend
from $33 - $64 / night
Drive Time
- 41 min from Columbus, IN
- 50 min from Louisville, KY
- 1 hr 23 min from Bloomington, IN
- 1 hr 33 min from Cincinnati, OH
Recent Camping Photos near Deputy, IN
209 Photos of 128 Deputy Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Shale Bluff Campground — Hardy Lake State Recreation Area
Wooster Campground — Hardy Lake State Recreation Area
Clifty Falls State Park CampgroundA
Scottsburg/Raintree Lake KOA
Madison City ParkR
Jackson Washington State ForestF
Delaney Creek Park
Starve Hollow State Rec Area Campground
Charlestown State Park Campground
Knobstone Trail
Deam Lake State Recreation Area Campground
Recent Reviews near Deputy, IN
787 Reviews of 128 Deputy Campgrounds
Ron W.ScoutCamp Atterbury Campground
Outstanding
Mark & Denise are great camp hosts they care about everyone and will help them if they need it. They do so much for the holidays and have some great times together around the campfires. Will miss them this winter but will be thinking of them during the Army Navy game. (A inside joke lol).
LDS Sister H.
GuideFriends O' Mine Campground & Cabins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Our First RV Home Has Been Such a Blessing!
My husband and I absolutely loved our first few months here at Friends O' Mine Campgrounds & Cabins as first-time RV owners with our Class A RV.
We downsized from our 5-bedroom home in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. We sold our home and I followed my Husband back here to Indiana after he received a wonderful career opportunity. My Husband is a Veteran, 🇺🇸 and after moving to Nashville, Indiana, we had immediately fallen in love with this small town - where we respected and admired the way Nashville reminds us of where we had just moved from in Missouri.
We stayed at Grand Wood Suites for six months, after paying for a hotel, all while continuously paying for our two large storage units, as well as our mortgage payment and then rent for most of the beginning of this year; so, we decided to downsize to save money to buy land sooner, instead of continuing to rent. 🏕️ We already loved camping - we started with a pop-up camper on the 🔝 of our Jeep and camped dozens of times, then traded up to a pop-up camper. So we used what we had in savings, bought our Class A RV, donated our pop-up camper, and came to Friends O' Mine - and it was the best decision!
From day one, the other campers have been so friendly, as are the nice employees and amazing owners. They truly make you feel like family. They set up weekly entertainment that brings the whole campground together around the campfire - there is a huge fire in the middle with six porch swings attached to a massive gazebo and veranda surrounding it. It's incredibly cozy and just inviting you to join in.
We've enjoyed live musical singers entertaining us around the campfire all evening, and we were invited to watch a documentary about a local racecar driver in their indoor recreational room, right next to the indoor laundry facilities.
There is also a subterranean pool that my Husband and I enjoyed swimming in almost every day during our first month here - it was very relaxing and refreshing!
One of our favorite parts has been our peaceful, nighttime walks around the large, well-stocked catch-and-release pond. My Husband and I hold hands together and walk around it at sunset almost every evening. It's so serene and calming to hear the sounds of the water and feel the beautiful Autumn breeze.
This has been a very relaxing, enjoyable, and heartwarming experience for us. If you are looking for a clean, friendly, peaceful, and welcoming place to stay - whether for a weekend or for a season - we cannot recommend Friends O' Mine Campgrounds & Cabins enough. We are so grateful we found it!
Kaley A.GuideBuffalo Ridge Campground — Brown County State Park
We absolutely LOVED this park! It was hands down our favorite of this year. We camped at site 100 and it has a neighbor on one side and behind while the other side was a huge open space. It is in the center of a loop. It was mostly level. There was some minor doming to the site but not bad at all. It was a busy camp ground but not as crowded (sites not on top of each other) as some I’ve been in. The outsides of the loops did have more space between and privacy but could be smaller or more sloped, it just really depended. The bathrooms and showers were cleaner than some of the other state parks we have been to, so much so my 11 year old son mentioned it. The park itself is absolutely gorgeous. The hiking trails (which is what we usually go for) were nice but I believe that the biking trails were actually more scenic than the hiking trails and a lot more rugged. We liked trail 8 starting from the west lookout tower and stopping at Hesitation Point for lunch/break/bathroom. Trail 6 was also a pretty, rugged, shorter trail. The Nature Center was also nicer than a lot of the others we have been to in the state. We did choose to do horseback riding at the stables. We showed up about 5 minutes after opening and were able to pay and told to come back in an hour and 45 minutes. That didn’t bother us since we had the time but if you are on a tighter schedule, the earlier the better. We also went into Nashville and it was a very cute town to visit. Well decorated for Halloween, very walkable, and a little something for almost everyone. Prices were about what I would expect for a tourist town but not terrible. I also have T-Mobile and had pretty good service almost everywhere in the park.
- JJacob S.Scout
Ogala Horse Camp
Little loop pull off with a stone fire pit in the middle. Walking trail goes down to a swampy pond.
Mark T.ScoutIrwin City Park
Nice little city park/campgound
Clean paved sites, rigs under 35 feet will fit. Water and electricity 50/30 (water is in the ground.
SkywaystoHighways.com Y.
LegendBill Monroe Memorial Music Park & Campground
Fun Event Location
We stayed for the weekend during a Campout event. Lots of fun seeing all of our camping buddies. I don’t think we would camp here otherwise as it isn’t really our type of camping. Sites are close together, so don’t expect privacy. Porta potties had not been serviced from their previous event… needless to say, it was foul. The country music museum was pretty cool. The guide was very knowledgeable!
- BBob B.
RangerLoop C, Versailles State Park
Large But Relatively Private
Description of this site is that it's moderate sloping (from front down to back. Definitely true. Pretty muddy site, due to large amounts of rain, but most sites are level and less shaded.
- JasonGuide
Camp Atterbury Campground
Host is great, park is nice, MWR needs help
Great place to stay. Full hook ups, about 90 percent level sites. 33 RV sites and 3 or 4 primitive camp sites. The main bathhouse is pretty clean, included laundry, and a great host and hostess (Mark and Denise). The only bad is the price hikes here. One would think MWR would throw money towards some things...like a dog park, some leveling, lights at the kids playground, and MWR sponsored and paid for holiday parties/outings for vets, retirees, and all the active here on base. But nope, just collecting revenue without any beanies. Anyway, the host keeps it grounded.
Guide to Deputy
The camping sites near Deputy, Indiana offer diverse terrain and year-round access across southern Indiana's rolling hills. Located at elevations between 450-900 feet, this region features limestone outcroppings and hardwood forests that create distinct camping experiences in each season. Most campgrounds maintain accessibility through winter months, though water systems may be shut off from November through March.
What to do
Hiking trails: Starve Hollow State Recreation Area provides approximately 11 miles of hiking paths that extend into Jackson-Washington State Forest. "Starve Hollow offers a great camping experience with accommodations ranging from primitive to full hook-ups and the park is impeccably maintained," notes a reviewer who appreciated the educational center and mountain bike trails.
Fishing opportunities: Hardy Lake State Recreation Area provides prime fishing access with calm waters suitable for beginners. "The Wooster Bay primitive area allows campers to moor their boats overnight. It has a very relaxed atmosphere," mentions one camper who enjoyed the lakeside camping experience.
Swimming and beaches: Several campgrounds offer swimming areas during summer months. "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," reports a camper at Starve Hollow.
Wildlife viewing: The raptor rehabilitation program at Hardy Lake provides unique wildlife viewing opportunities. "Don't forget to ask at the main gate if breakfast with the raptors will be happening if you are going to be there on a Saturday morning," suggests one visitor who enjoyed this special program.
What campers like
Lake access: Shale Bluff Campground at Hardy Lake receives high marks for its waterfront locations. "Beautiful lake with geese nesting areas and great fishing opportunities. Calm waters for kayaking," writes one visitor who enjoyed the peaceful water activities.
Clean facilities: Many campgrounds maintain well-kept facilities. At Muscatatuck Park, a camper noted: "The bathrooms were nice as well. Cannot complain about indoor plumbing! They even have showers if you stayed a long weekend."
Historic surroundings: The camping areas provide access to regional history. At Starve Hollow, a visitor mentioned 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."
Seasonal beauty: Fall camping receives particular praise. A visitor to Deam Lake noted, "This campground is very family-friendly and fun. There are horse trails, a beach, and great water for swimming/kayaking/canoeing. It is pet friendly as well... Beautiful in the Fall!"
What you should know
Site conditions: Some campgrounds have uneven sites. At Clifty Falls State Park Campground, a visitor noted: "Site 22 was so sloped our red levelers barely made it work. Sore needed gravel, it was mostly sticky dirt that got tracked into our travel trailer immediately after sweeping."
Seasonal limitations: Most park facilities reduce services in winter. "Zero cellular or wifi service so that could be good or bad. Bathrooms aren't heated in the cooler months," reports a Clifty Falls visitor who camped during off-season.
Reservation requirements: Many popular sites book quickly. "We were able to find a great spot to really kick back and chill," mentioned a tent camper at Muscatatuck, but noted that weekends often fill up fast during summer months.
Additional fees: Some parks charge entrance fees beyond camping costs. "If you live outside of Indiana you have to pay a $9 entrance fee on top of the campground reservation fee, which makes for a pricey weekend trip for those on a budget," noted a Clifty Falls visitor.
Tips for camping with families
Kid-friendly activities: Madison City Park provides easy access to river activities. "Great place to camp if you like being next to water, amazing views, fast boats, and good food," writes a visitor who enjoyed the location for families.
Nature programs: Educational opportunities enhance family camping trips. At Shale Bluff, "The naturalists hosted a very good talk on raptors, with a guest star, a bald eagle. We will definitely return to kayak and trek the rest of the trails," wrote one visitor.
Playground access: Multiple play areas accommodate children of different ages. A Starve Hollow visitor mentioned, "A wheelchair accessible playground, basketball goals, softball fields, horseshoe pits and a sand volleyball court are located on or near the swimming beach."
Cabin options: For families new to camping, cabin rentals provide a comfortable introduction. At Deam Lake, "Neat cabins all wood with Portable AC" were appreciated by first-time campers, though they noted you should "bring a mattress" for more comfort.
Tips from RVers
Site selection: Charlestown State Park Campground offers particularly well-developed RV sites. "Huge state park with long roadway to various trails and shelters. The campground is very large and very well kept. All the sites are pretty much the same with good spacing between them," noted an RV camper who appreciated the concrete pads.
Full hookup availability: Several campgrounds offer complete services. "We spent 5 nights at Charlestown State Park in mid-September 2020. Campground was nice with concrete pads and full hookups," reported one RVer who used this as a base to explore the region.
Dump station access: Seasonal campers should verify services. "Public restrooms and showers. Dump station available," noted a visitor to Deam Lake, though availability may change during winter months.
Level sites: Site levelness varies considerably between campgrounds. "The full hook-up sites are spacious with most offering a nice tree canopy," wrote a Starve Hollow visitor, contrasting with more challenging terrain at other parks in the region.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Deputy, IN?
What camping is available near Deputy, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, Deputy, IN offers a wide range of camping options, with 128 campgrounds and RV parks near Deputy, IN and 15 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Deputy, IN?
Which is the most popular campground near Deputy, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Deputy, IN is Clifty Falls State Park Campground with a 4-star rating from 46 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Deputy, IN?
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Deputy, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 15 free dispersed camping spots near Deputy, IN.
What parks are near Deputy, IN?
What parks are near Deputy, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 18 parks near Deputy, IN that allow camping, notably Hoosier National Forest and Monroe Lake.
Keep Exploring