Looking for the best tent campgrounds near Carmel? Find the best information on tent campgrounds near Carmel, including sites, reviews, and tips. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Indiana camping adventure.
$25 - $55 / night
Primitive camping is available for a fee; campers must register for camping at the forest office. Mason Ridge Campground, located behind the fire tower north of the forest office, has vault toilets and seasonal drinking water available. There is a picnic table and grill located on each of the campground's 19 sites. On busy weekends, overflow camping is available at Oak Ridge Campground. Oak Ridge has 10 sites and the same facilities as Mason Ridge.
Scout Ridge Youth Tent Campground is available for scouts or other groups. The six sites in Scout Ridge Campground are larger than regular campground sites and there are several picnic tables and grills available. Scout Ridge Nature Preserve is located in this area.
Backcountry camping is available. All campers must register with State Forest Office via person, email at morgansf@dnr.IN.gov, at the kiosk, or phone (765-792-4654). Please note the phone is not recommended because the office is closed in evenings and on Sundays. Users must indicate the general region of planned camping. During periods of high fire danger the area may be closed by the property manager. Camping groups are restricted to either family units or groups not exceeding six persons. No campsite may be established within ¼ mile of access points into the area. Use of the area is restricted to a maximum of three nights by any individual. Morgan-Monroe State Forest has a carry-in, carry-out trash policy, i.e., what you carry in you must carry out. Additionally, the backcountry area is restricted to only minimal-impact camping/hiking in order to preserve the natural state of Morgan-Monroe State Forest.
Oak Ridge campground is closed Jan. 1 through March 31.
Scout Ridge campground is closed Jan. 1 through March 31. Special requests can be made during this period through the forest office.
Marson Ridge campground is open year-round.Water is shut off at all campgrounds and shelters Oct. 31 and turned on in March as weather permits. A year-round hydrant is located southeast of the main office.
Small campfires are allowed while backcountry camping, but the DNR recommends using a portable backpacking stove for cooking instead of a campfire. A portable stove will cook your meal long before a fire is ready. Another advantage is that it helps prevent fire-blackened rocks in areas where people camp. If using a campfire, make sure a campfire is allowed during the time of your trip. Different properties may have different rules regarding campfires. Even properties that generally allow campfires may ban them on a temporary basis because of dry conditions. Use only small dead and downed wood where permitted. Do not break or cut tree limbs or trees, even dead ones. Dead trees provide habitat for many birds and animals. Do not stockpile wood. While this was once considered a friendly gesture in remote areas, today it is one more way of reducing the spirit of solitude and independence that people seek when backcountry camping. Any campfire in a backcountry area should be in a pit 12 inches or less in diameter, and a 3-foot diameter area should be cleared to mineral soil around the fire. Before leaving an area where a campfire was built, mix ashes with the soil (100% extinguished), fill the pit, and cover the cleared area with the humus layer that was originally removed.
Draper Cabin
Draper Cabin is a primitive, wooden-floored log cabin that takes visitors 100 years back in time to the days before electricity, vehicles and modern plumbing. Reservations for the cabin are accepted from the first weekend in April to the weekend before Thanksgiving. The cabin may be rented on a day by day basis, depending on weather conditions, during the winter. Click here for rental information and a picture of the cabin .
Cherry Lake Lodge
Nestled deep in Morgan-Monroe State Forest you’ll find the solitude you seek, while still having a comfortable bed in which to sleep, hot and cold running water, indoor restroom and shower, and full kitchen facilities. This recently renovated lodge is everything you’d expect in a woodland retreat at a very affordable rental rate. It’s a place where the whole family can explore the woods all day, and relax to a warm fire at night. Click here for rental information and rates.
Scout
We are here for just one night as we are headed back to Georgia. I used the Dyrt search and in this area I looked at this place and boy am I glad I did. I wish it were closer to home. We are next to the river and we are loving it. Beautiful sites and family friendly. Staff are great too.
ScoutThis would most likely be a last resort for us. Went to our campsite only to find someone else using it. Not what you need after driving 400-500 miles. Had to go back to the office and ultimately took a different site after dirty looks from the poachers.
Then the staff told us there was music that night after we told them we just wanted a peaceful nights sleep so we moved to another site further away from the jam session. Whew a lot of work to be here. Cannot recall being impresses with the bathrooms/showers.
Guide
Stayed here recently and overall the trip was a 10, but as for the campground itself there are somethings that could definitely be better.
First, for all intents and purposes the sites are not marked. At some point years ago they stencil painted the numbers both on the concrete parking block and on the ground near the entry pad for each site, but obviously over time most of these are worn away. It's very difficult to find your actual site, even during the day when it's not busy. At night, or with a campground full of people - not a chance. Even more perplexing is why it's still like this when it's so easy to fix.
Second, on the back loop, where we were, almost every car we saw was going the wrong way around the loop. I've never seen this before and wasn't just one car. There is a sign at the start of the loop indicating it's one direction, so not sure why this happens.
Third, they have a camp store at the entry to the family campground, but it was never open in the time we were there, which was Friday / Saturday / Sunday, during the summer, so not sure what the situation was.
Fourth, while the campground does have functional flush bathroom and shower, they only have one, and the rest are pit toilets, so depending on how far your site is from the building, it could be a very long walk, especially at night.
The front gate to the park did have covered firewood, but the hours of the gate operation were not clear. The sites themselves were fine, but not particularly deep, and some are basically completely exposed to all the foot and vehicle traffic going to the toilets, the dumpsters, or just driving around, so basically zero privacy.
We did drive into Crawfordsville, which took about 20 minutes, and it was very nice with a local college (Wabash) and plenty of retail options to restock, grab a cold beverage, or refill the tank before driving home.
Would I stay here again, yes 100%, but be prepared and plan ahead. Would I recommend this to others? Meh.
Legend
Shade, grass, and gravel sites. A lot better than most KOAs. They ask that you not put outdoor rugs on grass; no problem as grass is nice. Sites 1-10 are your best bet for Starlink if that’s what you have; best opening through tree canopy of the northern sky. Pet friendly; counted three cats and a dog in the office when I checked in. Was given the option of choosing my site out of the seven available for my reservation. A mix of long term residents and travelers; some of the long term resident sites were a little junky.
ScoutSince my experience here growing up and having family get-a-ways, it’s always been my dream to live here!!
Scout
Very clean and quiet campground. There was not a lot to do, but we took Kayaks and had a good time. However, our son and his family joined us for the weekend and any time they pulled in the campground host would follow them down to our site and remind them that there is only 1 car allowed at the campsite(which we already knew). Friday, they came in and, within 40 seconds, got the 1st"reminder." He was just there unloading the car. Saturday morning, he went home to pick us up his wife and came back. Again, less than a minute later, the host came down to remind him of the rule. He unpacked the car of a scooter and bike and 1 more blanket. Both Friday and Saturday, his car was down at the site to unload a total of 3 minutes before he went to park it in overflow parking. We have camped there for 30 years and always obey the rules. We do not camp to get harassed each day we are there. Then you look around the campground and there are 2 to 3 cars parked at every 3rd campsite we came to. They need to give people 15 minutes before following them down to harass them and spend that time letting the people know the rules that were next to us with 2 cars parked at their site the entire weekend
Scout
Definitely a little dated. Picnic tables cracked plastic. My site was missing fire ring but many had them. Most sites really wet but gravel pads were close to level, needed to raise one side 1”.
Scout
Stayed two nights, tent camping. It was a great time meeting new people and exploring the surrounding area.
TravelerWe traveled to Indianapolis for the Olympic Swimming Time Trials. Stayed here 2 nights with our 2 grand-daughters. The area we stayed was directly adjacent to a bike path. It was separated by a fence and there was a gate right next to our site. The gate was locked however the gates were far enough apart that someone could get between them. Our first night, someone actually did this and walked right behind our site.
The shower house was in serious need of some improvements! Old, dark, leaky pipes.
The area was OVERLY well lit, to the point we were hanging sleeping bags over the windows to try and make it somewhat dark inside the camper!
Getting to the sites took some figuring out also. We entered at the main gate to the fairgrounds and there were no signs directing us to the sites. Had to use GPS with satellite view to figure our way there.
For comparison, we've stayed at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and this is a night and day difference. Iowa Fairgrounds sites are $20 less per night, very nice shower facilities and plenty of room between sites.
We would stay here again but we'd need to exhaust all other options first.
BTW, the price listed is wrong. We paid $50/night.
Guide
This was my first time at a campsite, so I don't have other sites to compare to. Overall, my experience was great. Clean area with lots of amenities. They stack free firewood at your campsite to burn. I'm military, so the gunfire, canon fire, and helicopters didn't bother me at all. Those things don't happen all the time though.
Traveler
We stayed pretty much on our site. Generally, we aim to do a bit of exploring, but we used their camping as a rendezvous. I was slightly disappointed by the site selections being mostly on a slant, but we did find one on the overfill site that suited our needs and we ended up loving it. I do plan on returning specifically to update a better review on the available views.
Scout
The owner came up hot headed and very upset. I don’t know if they were having a bad day. The place looks like trash and has a very poor layout
ScoutSummit Lake is our go to get away. Beautiful campground with several amenities. Several campsites offer full shade and most are level. There are a few pull through sites. There is a large (shallow) lake for fishing and kayaking. Idle speed only allowed using a motorized boat. There is also a beach area for swimming. Several picnic areas with beautiful views of the lake. This campground also offers several walking trails. All are easy walks with various distances. Campground is very well maintained and staff are very helpful and friendly.
Guide
The owners are very nice, campgrounds are super clean, lots for my children to do. My only complaint is, it’s your typical campground where you’re right on top of your neighbor. If you don’t mind, it’s fine. We prefer to stick to state parks or places that offer more seclusion. Overall, would recommend!
ScoutThe power and water pressure was just fine. The campsite was muddy and needed maintenance. Let's just say it was" Rustic". Office staff were very polite.
Scout
It’s decent—but the bathrooms are most certainly not. Definitely need someone out there at the very least keeping it tolerable for campers.
Legend
We stayed here because of the discount offered through Passport America, and somehow the price was still too high. We paid $42 for a FHU pull through site (that was after the discount). However, it was a nice park and it was nice to get caught up on laundry and showers.
You can pay for laundry with the CSCPay app ($5 credit when you first sign up, so your first load is free), or you can pay with credit card. No coins taken. Laundry was nice and clean and the dryers worked excellent.
There are FHU pull through sites, or back in sites with electric only (there is a dump station available). There are also cute cabins available as well.
There are lots of things to do here at the park, but the park itself is out in the middle of nowhere. It was a really eerie feeling when we were there, because almost every spot was taken, but nobody was there. I guess people pay for the season and leave their trailers on site and come in for the weekend.
There’s a nice tent area in the back, rolling grassy area where we let our dog run around off leash since nobody was around. The lake in the middle of the park was really nice, and you can rent pedal gokarts or golf carts, or boats for paddling around the lake.
The camp store is nice, lots of food and supplies and gifts available for sale. There are trash dumpsters here but no recycling.
ScoutBeautiful campground. Great for all kinds of camping from primitive to full hook up. Tons of stuff for kids to do. Everyone was friendly. Facilities were well kept and very clean.
Scout
Booked here last minute for the night on my way west. Beautiful campground with lots of activities for the family. They are all dog friendly with a few small dog runs spread throughout the sites. Primitive is $60 n/, full water/electricity is $80 n/. A bit pricey, but It’s worthwhile due to all that they have; horses, goats (that you can feed), a medium camping store with an ice cream shop attached, showers and running toilets.
GPS will take you to the back entrance that you cannot get in at. Instead of turning at the light, continue going down to the roundabout until you see the KOA sign and it’ll take you to the actual entrance and then office to sign in.
Traveler
We had a great two night visit right on the creek! Rented kayaks for a 3 mile adventure! Owners are super friendly and helpful. I would advise to camp during the week for a less crowded time. Would love to come back!
Scout
The Rules sheet that is included in some of the pictures indicates that no tent camping is allowed. Someone should update the icons on the page for this site.
Scout
The spot we were given was too close an difficult to back in . We were lucky that camp was pretty much empty. Bathrooms was clean. Noisy and even with the quite time . Ya
TravelerSetup was quick and easy on the large, level concrete pad. We had full hookup site. There were no mosquitoes even being close to river. Plenty to do in area. Our T-mobile internet had a good connection.
Scout
Took my hubby there for his birthday. Primitive tent camping is more then affordable, and the fishing was AWESOME!! He had an amazing time. We've been back 5 times since then. It's a hidden gem for sure!
Guide
We keep coming back for more. Disc golf. Hiking. Biking. Tent camping. Fishing. Lounging. Driving range. Always something to do. The best thing to do here in my opinion is relax in the shade with and good book while the kids play at the park.
Scout
Not a lot of tent-camping options, but we found a nice open area not far from the showers. Quiet campground in September. I would do this again...
Scout
We stayed at Mystic Waters Campground for the Dave Matthews weekend and had the best time! It’s clean and the staff was so friendly. Our floats on the lake while listening to DMB on the speakers was just a perfect way to spend the day. Our shuttle to and from the show was great as well as the breakfast burrito I had one morning. This was everything and more!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Carmel, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Carmel, IN is Pine Lake Fishing & Camping Resort with a 3-star rating from 2 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Carmel, IN?
TheDyrt.com has all 4 tent camping locations near Carmel, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.