Several established tent camping options surround the area of Cloverdale, Indiana, with nearby state forests offering both developed and primitive experiences. Morgan-Monroe State Forest's Oak Ridge Camping Area provides tent-friendly sites within a forested setting about 25 miles southeast of Cloverdale, while Lake Waveland Park offers spacious tent camping roughly 15 miles west with both electric and primitive options.
Most primitive tent sites in the region feature basic amenities with dirt or gravel pads alongside picnic tables and fire rings. Morgan-Monroe State Forest campsites are first-come, first-served with self-registration and payment at the park office. Vault toilets and drinking water stations with outdoor sinks are available at established campgrounds. According to reviews, many sites in Morgan-Monroe have sloped terrain, making level tent placement challenging. Berry Ridge Road offers free dispersed camping with more minimal facilities, requiring campers to pack in water and essential supplies.
The tent camping experience near Cloverdale provides access to extensive trail networks, particularly in Morgan-Monroe State Forest where multiple trails exceed 10 miles in length. Walk-in tent sites at several locations offer increased seclusion compared to drive-up options, with primitive areas providing a more immersive forest experience. Shaded sites are common throughout the region's campgrounds, offering relief during summer months. Tree coverage varies by location, with the state forest areas providing significant canopy. One visitor noted that Morgan-Monroe remains "relatively light with other campers" even during beautiful weather and hunting season openings, making it ideal for those seeking quiet tent camping experiences.
"When tent camping and want something quiet and a place with great trails, this is a good place to go. Even though it’s hot outside today, there’s lots of shade and a breeze."
"Site 13 has a little trail that goes down to a large flooded sinkhole behind the campsite. There were lots of tree frogs singing because of the proximity to water."
from $25 - $55 / night
"Nice clean park in west-central Indiana that has a lake and a large number of camping sites along with restrooms and showers."
"There are dozens of sites here, drive past the shower house where road bends to the left and down hill."
from $25 - $40 / night
"So much space, existing fire rings, there was wood left behind from previous campers so that was nice! We have a reactive pup and she is able to live her best life there!"
"Decent sized space to park for 2-3 vehicles."
"Being in a national forest dispersed camping is allowed if you follow leave no trace principals, but I stayed in a couple of the official sites."
"The sites are primitive with no amenities. Tent camping only although there are both hike in and drive up sites in the wilderness area. Great place to get away from it all."
"Located on Monroe lake, they have canoeing, row boats, sailboats, motor boats, and skiing.
Lots of fun activities to do, and great hiking trails. Their mess hall is top notch.""Our Boy Scout troop enjoyed visiting this location. It was well maintained and the staff was helpful."
"There are campsites from walk-ins to drive-ins to FCFS with or without electricity/water. Plenty of shade in a very quiet surrounding. Access to Monroe lake as well as a small beach for swimming."
"Free disbursed camping at its best in Indiana. Not another soul camped within earshot. Clean site. Gravel pad for vehicle. Green grass for tent. 14 day limit. No reservations needed or available."
"I chose this spot because we wanted to camp by water, but didn’t realize the camp sites are a 5-10 minute walk from the lake."
ScoutMark & 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).
Guide⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 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!
GuideWe 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.
ScoutLittle loop pull off with a stone fire pit in the middle. Walking trail goes down to a swampy pond.
ScoutClean paved sites, rigs under 35 feet will fit. Water and electricity 50/30 (water is in the ground.
LegendWe 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!
LegendNice halfway point for our road trip to Door County. We stayed here the week after Labor Day. Not sure if park staff had enough time to clean the grounds after the busy holiday weekend… There was a disappointing amount of litter at our site. We had remove the various cans, plastic bottles and ice pack out of our fire ring and the surrounding wooded area was full of more of the same including a full trash bag of garbage. And speaking of full… the pit toilets…There’s a $15 out of state fee above the $25 p/night charge. There’s only one shower for the park so be prepared. The amount of gnats and mosquitoes had us running for cover. The staff we encountered here, we’re cordial and friendly.
GuideGreat 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.
Traveler50A service, no water or sewer at the site. Fill your fresh tank on the way in. There’s a dump station on the property, so emptying on the way out is easy.
Site is mostly level with partial shade. The approach is the one thing to watch: 293 isn’t angled off the road, so it’s a tighter back-in than most. We’re towing a 33’ Airstream Classic and made it first try with no issues, so bigger rigs can absolutely get in here. Just take it slow. Once parked, there’s plenty of room, and the spacing between sites is better than most state park campgrounds we’ve stayed in. Bathhouse is only a few sites down.
Cell signal ran about 2 bars. We’re on Starlink so it didn’t matter, but plan accordingly if you work from the road.
Park staff are the highlight. Stephanie checked us in and could not have been more accommodating. Friendly, quick, genuinely helpful.
Tent campsites near Cloverdale, Indiana sit within the state's central forest region where elevations range between 600-900 feet. This area experiences humid continental climate with four distinct seasons and average summer temperatures around 85°F. Fall camping season typically extends through mid-October with overnight temperatures dropping into the 40s by late September.
Trail exploration beyond the campground: At Charles C. Deam Wilderness, hikers can access multiple trail networks with varying difficulty levels. "I walked the creek for hours just looking at all the rocks on the sandbars. I have never encountered so many geodes in my life. Truly magnificent to encounter," reports Sarah R., who recommends the Patton Cave trail for its geological features.
Fishing opportunities: Lake access provides recreational fishing at several campgrounds near Cloverdale. "Located on Monroe lake, they have canoeing, row boats, sailboats, motor boats, and skiing," notes Margo B. about Ransburg Scout Reservation, which offers water-based activities beyond just fishing.
Wilderness camping: For those seeking more primitive camping experiences near Cloverdale, Berry Ridge Road Dispersed Camping provides true backwoods camping without facilities. "Multiple campsites in the area, I've stayed at two both of which were away from others, clean, fairly flat and had plenty of dead wood around to burn," notes Jeremy F. about the dispersed sites.
Privacy between sites: Many campers appreciate the spacing between tent sites in the Cloverdale camping area. At Lake Waveland Park, Randy A. mentions that "Lake Waveland's grounds crew does a very good job keeping the property in order... and that's no small task, there is a TON of green space on this property!" The property features both electric and primitive options with generous site spacing.
Wildlife viewing opportunities: The quieter campgrounds provide chances to observe local wildlife. "I see more deer and other wildlife here than even at Brown County State Park!" writes Jennifer H. about Pine Loop, noting its reputation as "a very quiet surrounding" with plenty of shade.
Free camping options: Budget-conscious campers appreciate the free dispersed camping available. "This is dispersed camping at its best," notes James W. about Berry Ridge Road Dispersed Camping, where campers must bring everything they need and pack everything out when they leave.
Tent site terrain challenges: Many tent sites in the region have uneven ground that requires careful placement. "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," writes Rickie F. about camping at Oak Ridge Camping Area.
Limited campground facilities: Most dispersed and primitive camping areas require self-sufficiency. "This is pack in pack out, no amenities camping for free," Jeremy F. explains about Berry Ridge Road sites. Bring your own water and supplies when camping at these locations.
Seasonal considerations: Wet weather can create challenges, particularly in spring. "The only negative was that we came after a lot of rain. So everything is permanently wet and mosquitos/ticks abounded," warns Sarah R. about her Charles C. Deam Wilderness experience.
Consider established campgrounds with amenities: Families often prefer sites with facilities. At Lake Waveland Park, Nicole B. notes there are "tons of primitive! as for the modern the best part is sites include water and electric... Fireworks in July and Halloween for the whole family in October."
Scout camps allow public camping: Some scout reservations permit non-scout camping with family-friendly amenities. "Their mess hall is top notch. We have camped here in a cabin, and also tent camped," explains Margo B. about Ransburg Scout Reservation.
Look for flat, accessible sites: With children, site selection becomes important. William David S. shares about Lake Waveland Park: "The sites aren't marked, but are indicated by picnic table and fire ring... Huge area is reasonably well mowed. This is a lovely space with lots of birds to observe."
Size restrictions matter: RV campers face limitations at many sites near Cloverdale. "Our camper is about 25' and it was tight get in and out of the campground. If you have a small camper (15' or smaller) there would more sites," advises Ron H. about Hickory Ridge Primitive Campsites.
Generator policies vary: Most wilderness and primitive campgrounds prohibit generators. Don N. notes at Oak Ridge Camping Area, "we had a generator that we used sparklingly" since the park has no electrical hookups.
Road conditions limit access: Gravel roads at many sites can be challenging after rain. "The road was gravel and steep at times," notes Amber R. about accessing Berry Ridge Road camping, adding "I have a promaster conversion and had no trouble making it to this site," but suggesting caution for larger vehicles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Cloverdale, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Cloverdale, IN is Rattlesnake with a 3.5-star rating from 2 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Cloverdale, IN?
TheDyrt.com has all 16 tent camping locations near Cloverdale, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring
