Sarah M.
Scout
ScoutHickory Ridge
Super quiet at night and lots of space. Good privacy.
Dog-Friendly Camping near Deputy, IN
12 campgrounds with availability next weekend
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Clifty Falls State Park Campground welcomes pets across its tent, RV, and drive-in camping areas near Deputy, Indiana. Pet-friendly campsites near Deputy range from sites with electric hookups to primitive options, giving dog owners flexibility whether they prefer developed facilities or a more laid-back setting. Campsites at Charlestown State Park also accommodate dogs alongside multiple accommodation types including tents, RVs, cabins, and glamping options. Hardy Lake State Recreation Area maintains two pet-friendly camping sections—Shale Bluff Campground with electric hookups and Wooster Campground with more primitive options. Most campsites provide picnic tables, fire rings, and access to water spigots, with pet owners needing to keep dogs leashed throughout common areas. The bathrooms at Hardy Lake remain exceptionally clean and regularly maintained according to frequent campers.
Hardy Lake's camping spots near water access points allow dog owners to enjoy shoreline activities while keeping pets cool during summer months. Trails around Hardy Lake offer several pet-friendly hiking options, with Trail 5 connecting to the beach area and Trails 2, 3, and 4 forming interconnected loops suitable for dog walking. The Wooster Bay primitive area permits overnight boat mooring and maintains a relaxed atmosphere particularly appreciated by campers with dogs. Wildlife is active around Clifty Falls, requiring secure food storage and proper pet management. Madison City Park campground offers additional pet-friendly camping options from April through October with full hookups available for RVs and proximity to downtown Madison's historic district.
Best Dog-Friendly Campgrounds near Deputy (87)
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."
140 Sites AvailableAvailable next 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 $26 / 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."
46 Sites AvailableAvailable next weekend
from $26 - $33 / 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
"It' a great place to take the dogs although they aren't allowed on the designated beach area, which is a bummer. But it is fun to canoe, fish, and relax."
Check AvailabilityCampground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $14 - $16 / night
6. Starve Hollow State Rec Area Campground
"My husband and I had a nice visit to Starve Hollow recently...we stayed 4 nights in our camper with our 3 dogs. We hiked 10 miles throughout the park, which was clean and pretty."
"There are lakeside camping lots. Also there are larger full hookup lots away from the lake"
117 Sites AvailableAvailable next weekend
from $26 - $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. Deam Lake State Recreation Area Campground
"There are horse trails, a beach, and great water for swimming/kayaking/canoeing. It is pet friendly as well. The bath house in our area was older but fairly clean."
"I used this location as my FOB for a weekend of hiking in southern Indiana. The campground was nice."
Check AvailabilityCampground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $26 - $64 / night
10. Muscatatuck Jennings County Park
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 Dog-Friendly Camping Photos near Deputy, IN
93 Photos of 87 Deputy Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Shale Bluff Campground — Hardy Lake State Recreation Area
Clifty Falls State Park Campground
Muscatatuck
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Delaney Creek Park
Starve Hollow State Rec Area Campground
Charlestown State Park Campground
Deam Lake State Recreation Area Campground
Berry Ridge Road - Dispersed Camping
Buffalo Trace Park
Follow The River RV Resort
Hickory Ridge Campground — Hoosier National ForestA
Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Deputy, IN
787 Reviews of 87 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.
- J
Jacob S.ScoutOgala 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
Camping areas around Deputy, Indiana span diverse landscapes within southern Indiana's rolling hills. Most campgrounds in this region sit at elevations between 500-900 feet, providing moderate terrain for camping across all seasons. Winter temperatures can drop below freezing while summer days often reach the mid-80s with high humidity, requiring appropriate gear for seasonal comfort.
What to do
Hiking interconnected trails: At Starve Hollow State Recreation Area, visitors access multiple trail systems. "Starve Hollow has several hiking trails to explore that total approximately 11 miles," notes James L. The trails extend into neighboring Jackson-Washington State Forest, creating extensive hiking networks beyond the campground.
Water activities beyond swimming: Scottsburg/Raintree Lake KOA offers diverse water recreation options. "The lake is GORGEOUS. Sites have mature trees, variety of singing birds," shares Julie G. Fishing and paddling options expand beyond the typical beach swimming offered at other area campgrounds.
Wildlife observation: Clifty Falls State Park Campground provides opportunities to spot native wildlife. "Wildlife is very brave to get up close and personal with your things," warns Kyle J., suggesting visitors must secure food and belongings properly. Multiple waterfalls throughout the park create habitat zones attracting various species.
What campers like
Clean, maintained facilities: Shale Bluff Campground at Hardy Lake receives high marks for upkeep. "The bathhouse was really, really nice. Very clean and spacious," reports Kaley A. about facilities at nearby Clifty Falls. This reflects the generally well-maintained standards across regional campgrounds.
Diverse site options: Charlestown State Park Campground provides varied camping experiences. "Campground is very large and very well kept. All the sites are pretty much the same with good spacing between them," explains Greg S., highlighting the consistent quality across different site types throughout the park.
Historic exploration opportunities: The area surrounding Madison City Park features significant historical attractions. "Downtown Madison is a beautiful old town, with a newer northern section of town," describes Justin W. Many sites throughout the region preserve Indiana's historical development, from covered bridges to historic districts.
What you should know
Site terrain variations: Not all camping pads are level or well-maintained. "Site 22 was so sloped our red levelers barely made it work. Site needed gravel, it was mostly sticky dirt," warns Beverly J. about Clifty Falls. Many reviewers note significant differences in site quality even within the same campground.
Limited cellular connectivity: Cell service varies significantly by carrier and campground location. "Zero cellular or wifi service so that could be good or bad," notes Kyle about Clifty Falls State Park. Prepare for limited connectivity at most campgrounds in the region.
Additional entrance fees: Budget for park 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," explains Jessica O. about Deam Lake State Recreation Area, a policy common at many Indiana state properties.
Tips for camping with families
Explore educational programs: Check schedules for ranger-led activities. "Breakfast with the raptors will be happening if you are going to be there on a Saturday morning," suggests Aleta C. regarding programs at Hardy Lake, which features Indiana's only DNR raptor rehabilitation program.
Choose family-friendly site types: Cabins offer comfortable options for families new to camping. "Neat cabins all wood with Portable AC," describes John G. at Deam Lake State Recreation Area. Many regional campgrounds feature cabins as alternatives to traditional tent or RV camping.
Playgrounds and recreation areas: Most campgrounds feature developed play spaces. "There is a sand volleyball net, gah gah ball, dog park, playground, mini golf," lists Julie G. at Scottsburg/Raintree Lake KOA, highlighting amenities specifically designed for younger campers.
Tips from RVers
Site selection for larger rigs: Research specific site dimensions before booking. "Keep in mind that a lot of the electric only sites are very tight with a lot of trees in the area. I can probably only get my 36 ft 5th wheel into a third of the sites," advises James L. about Starve Hollow State Recreation Area.
Utility reliability considerations: Not all sites provide consistent utility service. "We got there and somebody was parked in our assigned spot, so we called the front desk and they didn't seem to care much," reports Andrea about Charlestown State Park, suggesting campers should verify their reservations and utility connections upon arrival.
Seasonal maintenance schedules: Facilities operation varies seasonally. "Bathrooms aren't heated in the cooler months," notes Kyle about Clifty Falls. RVers relying on campground facilities should confirm operating status during shoulder seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly
campsite near Deputy, IN?
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Deputy, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Deputy, IN is Clifty Falls State Park Campground with a 4.0-star rating from 46 reviews.
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dog-friendly camping near
Deputy, IN?
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Deputy, IN?
TheDyrt.com has all 87 dog-friendly camping locations near Deputy, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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