Best Tent Camping near Carlisle, IN

Tent camping options near Carlisle, Indiana include primitive sites at Rattlesnake Campground in Owen-Putnam State Forest and Cedar Ridge Camping Resort. Rattlesnake Campground offers a basic, off-grid camping experience approximately 30 miles northwest of Carlisle, while Cedar Ridge provides an alternative option for tent campers seeking established sites in the region.

Primitive conditions dominate the tent camping landscape around Carlisle. Rattlesnake Campground lacks many standard amenities, with no picnic tables, firewood for purchase, or trash service available on site. Campers must pack in all necessary supplies, including drinking water, as reviews indicate no potable water is available at the campgrounds. The sites are non-reservable, requiring campers to arrive early during peak seasons to secure a spot. Most tent areas feature minimal development with natural surfaces and basic clearings for setting up camp.

The tent camping experience in this region offers opportunities for solitude and immersion in natural surroundings. The Owen-Putnam State Forest location provides access to forest trails and outdoor recreation without the amenities of more developed campgrounds. Cedar Ridge Camping Resort may offer additional facilities, though specific details about its amenities are limited. Tent campers should prepare for self-sufficient camping, particularly at Rattlesnake Campground. A review on The Dyrt described Rattlesnake as "primitive only, no drinking water at campgrounds," highlighting the need for proper preparation when backcountry tent camping in this area. Another camper noted the family-friendly atmosphere at nearby Leiber State Park, suggesting alternative options within driving distance of Carlisle.

Best Tent Sites Near Carlisle, Indiana (2)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Carlisle, IN

1 Photos of 2 Carlisle Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Carlisle, IN

245 Reviews of 2 Carlisle Campgrounds


  • E
    Jul. 14, 2022

    Lieber State Recreation Area Campground

    Great pool; rough sites and campers

    Pros: Very nice large-size pool with slide, attached playground, green space, and sand-filled soccer pitch all included on the pool grounds. These amenities are great as the pool takes a 15 minute clear-out break about once per hour. There is a concession stand with limited selection, but the benefit is that it takes credit card (and cash). 

    The camp store is not the best we've visited. Very limited supply, but they did keep a stock of bacon in their refrigerator and that made my wife happy. 

    Cons: Typical Indiana State campground. We visited for a weekend and landed in a terrible spot. The grade was severe and despite using all the travel trailer tricks to level my site, I could not get level. We dealt with it, but I noticed 4 or 5 quality spots that sat vacant through the weekend, however, were allegedly reserved. I had terrible anxiety for the entire weekend that we would roll backward into a ravine. 

    We were on an electric side of the park, and the pull-through site across from us was occupied by a tent with a minivan. No judgment here, but they were watching highly taboo movies on a wide screen projector with loud speakers around midnight, well after quiet hours had expired. 

    Verizon and AT&T cell phone service were nil, even with a booster and WiFi pack. Our site was littered with cellophane wrappers and cigarette butts. Clearly the previous campers did not adhere to the "leave no trace" doctrine. 

    DNR was very, very present at the campground, but at many sightings it seemed like they were watching for rule infractions as opposed to upholding the integrity of the park. I know that seems conflicting, but if you visit this park you will understand. 

    Bathrooms were mostly clean. Vault toilets were disgusting, but that's expected for concrete topped port-a-potties.

  • Jennifer T.
    Jul. 31, 2018

    Fowler County Park

    Wonderful Family Campgrounds

    Shaded campground sites at lake's edge on east side of park, 53 electrical hookups including 1 pull-thru, 14 primitive/tent sites. Fire ring and picnic table at each site. Water hydrants nearby. Modern shower houses with rest rooms. Handicapped accessible. Dump station. Pets are welcome but must be kept on leash. Must provide own firewood. Firewood must be purchased from within state. Fishing from campsite. In park, swimming beach (Memorial Day-weekend before school opens in fall), boat ramp, trails, playgrounds, horseshoe pits, pioneer village.

    Campground open May 1 - October 15. Park open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. No reservations. Must check-in between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. Night guard on duty. Electrical sites - $20 a night, weekly rate - $120, 2 weeks rate - $200. Primitive sites - $12 a night, weekly rate - $60, 2 weeks rate - $100. Price includes Indiana Sales Tax.

    From I-70, go south on U.S. 41 for 7.2 miles. Turn left onto Oregon Church Road and go .8 mile east to park entrance on left. After entering park, turn right to go to campground.

    Personal Thoughts and Experience: We had a wonderful time. We absolutely loved the pioneer village. it is a must go especially when they are having pioneer days in the fall. There is a mountain bike park close to the campground that is a premier facility. Beginner to advance trails with a practice course. Amazing! My husband competes in the Dyno series and loves to train at the facility then camp at Fowler Park!

  • Randy M.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 13, 2023

    Happy Campers Campground

    Off the beaten path by a lake

    See all 3

    Approx $35 / day

    Happy Campers Campground

    5.0 (1 reviews)

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    Roam with care

    Remember to enjoy these campgrounds in a sustainable, respectful way. Clean up after yourself, be friendly with others, and don't overstay your welcome :)

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    Got it

    Details

    Call 812-239-6263 for reservation. Plan to arrive before dark.

    5 full hook-up sites, 1 primitive site, and one primitive cabin. On a lake stocked with fish. Port-a-potty and shower house available.

    Location

    Contact

    39.4931, -87.0188

    https://happycamperscampgroundinc.com

    Cell signal

    Verizon LTE

    AT&T LTE

    T-Mobile LTE

    Sprint LTE

    Weather

    Averages

    Forecast

    Jan

    2.57"

    34.6°

    16.8°

    Feb

    2.48"

    39.6°

    20°

    Mar

    3.39"

    50.5°

    28.6°

    Apr

    3.99"

    62.9°

    39.4°

    May

    5.41"

    72.4°

    49.3°

    Jun

    4.67"

    81.1°

    58.7°

    Jul

    5.19"

    84.2°

    61.7°

    Aug

    3.37"

    83.2°

    60.2°

    Sep

    3.73"

    77.3°

    52.3°

    Oct

    3.49"

    65°

    41.2°

    Nov

    3.98"

    52°

    31.8°

    Dec

    3.26"

    38.3°

    20.7°

    Seasonal scales

    Spring

    Summer

    Fall

    Winter

    Crowdedness

    Others between 10 and 50 feet away

    Fullness

    Almost full

    Noise

    Occasional man-made noise (trains, cars, etc...)

    Shade

    Mostly shaded, but still some spots with sunlight

    Cleanliness

    Pristine, no trash at all

    Safety

    Very safe

    Road difficulty

    No problems with any vehicle

    Features and amenities

    Water hookup

    Sewer hookup

    50A Electric

    Showers

    Picnic tables

    Toilets

    Pets allowed

    Wifi

    Fire pits

    randyorsusan

    Great place to stop overnight or for a few days. Can hear the highway; but it's not very loud or intrusive. Camp host/owner is very friendly. Plenty of room for kids or pets to roam and play. Very clean and safe.

  • Mary S.
    Sep. 8, 2018

    Mccormick's Creek State Park Campground

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

    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

  • Shelly S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 26, 2017

    Lieber State Recreation Area Campground

    In the woods

    Lieber State Recreation Area, Cloverdale, IN is west down I70 from Indianapolis, 2 miles down RT243. Cagles Mill Lake borders the southwestern side of the area.

    We arrived to a very quiet campground with few campers. Our site was next to the showerhouse, in the trees and had an attached grass trail out the back. All of the campsites boasted two picnic tables and some were very spacious. The sites were electric only and there were water sites positioned strategically throughout the campground.

    The showerhouse was older but maintained. There were also pit toilets throughout the campground( not much to say about typical pit toilets....)

    There were primitive sites in the adjacent campground that did not have much tree cover but appeared to be good size sites to set up in.

  • Jack M.
    Nov. 16, 2019

    Crane MWR Campground

    Decent campground

    Located on a Navy Base, so only open to active duty, retired military, DoD civilians and their families. Must have ID card to get on base.

    The base is very large in area and wooded. Watch out for wildlife, especially deer and pay attention to speed limits. Don’t mind the occasional explosions and distant machine gun fire ; they test ordnance there. But no worries, it isn’t loud at the campground.

    The campground is located by Lake Greenwood, so the MWR operates a marina where you can rent boats, kayaks, paddle boards and so on. They sell bait and ice. There’s a nice boat dock if you need to launch your own boat and plenty of dock space to tie your boat up. You can fish or waterski on the lake; it’s that big.

    The campground is not real large. It’s all gravel, but full RV hookups. The electric, water and sewer services are reliable, but no Wi-Fi and unless you have Verizon, no cell service (but they are supposed to have a new AT&T tower up soon). They have nice cabins and a separate tent site area, where there’s a small beach for swimming. Pets are welcome. They have a little shack with firewood; $5 a wheelbarrow load. Every site has a fire ring and a picnic table. The shower house is a bit dated, but clean. There’s dumpsters close by. Very pretty location.

    They do have daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal rates.

    There’s a base exchange and commissary on base, but the closest town is about 20 minutes away, a small town called Odon, but you can find whatever you need there. Bloomington is about 50 miles away. The tiny village of Crane is outside the gate. There’s a bar and a pizza place and that’s about it.

    RV’s and trailers must use the Crane gate, located off I69 exit 87, then south on US231 a couple miles. You’ll see the signs. Call ahead for reservations; they do fill up most weekends and you’ll need them to explain the check-in procedure once you get on base.

  • Sarah S.
    Oct. 18, 2020

    Lieber State Recreation Area Campground

    Large tent sites - no cell service

    Nice big campsite for our tents. Flush toilets; bathrooms could use some repairs. Fishing dock and area were clean with portable toilets. Walking trail. Safe area, well lit, and patrolled often. Pool & beach. We rented a pontoon boat which was very nice. Camp store for basic supplies. No cell service at all in camp area. Just a short driving distance to Cataract Falls - which is beautiful with a nice walking trail and covered bridge.

  • Ashley D.
    Feb. 24, 2020

    Pike State Forest

    Very primitive

    The park is very primitive with no electricity. There is running water but you have to walk quite a ways to get to it if you arent camping by it. There are no shower houses and the bathrooms are just a glorified porta potty. Aside from lacking amenities it is a very quiet and pretty place to camp.

  • Andy M.
    Dec. 1, 2021

    Shirley Creek Campground — Hoosier National Forest

    Hidden gem that needs some polish.

    Shirley Creek Horse Camp is a underutilized camp well suited for a day or two of horse rides and camping. Generous campspots throughout perfectly suited for horses and humans alike. Most spots have picnic tables and fire rings, though some are missing. There is no fresh water (for human consumption unless you treat or boil) on the site. During my three day stay, only one horse was seen throughout the camp, but quite a few hunters. There is a vault toilet on site though it isn't maintained, bring your own toiletries. I would like to see this camp in the spring especially if the cleaning is a little more often


Guide to Carlisle

Tent campsites near Carlisle, Indiana are situated in the undulating terrain of southwestern Indiana, approximately 30 miles south of Terre Haute. The region experiences humid continental climate with four distinct seasons, with summer temperatures averaging 85-90°F and winter lows frequently dropping below freezing. Camping options in this area typically feature minimal development and natural surfaces, requiring campers to bring adequate supplies for varying conditions.

What to do

Hiking forest trails: At Rattlesnake Campground in Owen-Putnam State Forest, visitors can access multiple hiking paths that wind through hardwood forests. "Primitive only, no drinking water at campgrounds," notes Nicole B., emphasizing the need to bring sufficient water supplies when exploring the trails.

Fishing opportunities: Cedar Ridge Camping Resort provides access to nearby fishing spots within reasonable driving distance. Local anglers recommend bringing your own gear and checking Indiana fishing regulations before arrival.

Wildlife observation: The natural setting around Carlisle camping areas supports diverse wildlife including white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and numerous bird species. The best viewing times are typically early morning or evening hours when animals are most active.

What campers like

Off-grid experience: The primitive camping at Rattlesnake Campground appeals to those seeking minimal development. Tracy T. mentioned a nearby alternative, saying "Family friendly!!! Love this place!!!!" when describing Leiber State Park, suggesting options for those wanting more amenities while staying in the region.

Natural settings: Camping areas near Carlisle feature predominantly deciduous forest landscapes with seasonal variations in foliage. The fall months (September-October) offer colorful displays when leaves change, making this a particularly popular time for tent camping.

Affordability: The basic tent campsites in this region typically cost $8-15 per night, significantly less than more developed campgrounds in other parts of Indiana. This makes them accessible options for budget-conscious outdoor enthusiasts.

What you should know

Limited facilities: Tent camping near Carlisle typically means no running water, electricity, or sanitary facilities. Both Rattlesnake Campground and Cedar Ridge lack many standard amenities, requiring self-sufficient camping practices.

Seasonal considerations: The camping season in this region generally runs from April through October, with July and August being the hottest months. Spring camping often encounters muddy conditions, while fall offers more moderate temperatures and fewer insects.

Navigation challenges: Many camping areas have minimal signage and may require detailed maps or GPS coordinates. Cell service is unreliable throughout much of the region, so downloading offline maps before arrival is advisable.

Tips for camping with families

Supply planning: When camping with children near Carlisle, bring all necessary supplies including drinking water, food, first aid items, and weather-appropriate clothing. The lack of nearby stores means thorough preparation is essential.

Activity options: Pack games, field guides, and nature observation tools to engage children in the outdoors. The natural setting provides opportunities for educational experiences about local ecosystems.

Weather preparedness: Summer thunderstorms are common in this region, so bring adequate rain gear and waterproof tent footprints. Temperature swings between day and night can be significant, requiring layered clothing options for comfort.

Tips from RVers

Access limitations: Most camping areas near Carlisle feature narrow, sometimes unpaved access roads that may be challenging for larger vehicles. Scout routes in advance or contact forest offices for current road conditions.

Boondocking preparation: RV campers should arrive with full water tanks and empty waste tanks, as hookup services are unavailable. Generator use may be restricted in certain areas, so alternative power sources like solar panels are recommended.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Carlisle, IN?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Carlisle, IN is Rattlesnake with a 3.5-star rating from 2 reviews.