Best Glamping near Elizabeth, IN

PROS:
Beautiful lake with geese nesting areas and great fishing opportunities. Calm waters for kayaking.

CONS:

Since July 2020, the Governor of the State of Indiana has mandated face coverings in indoor areas and in outside spaces where social distancing is not possible (and signs are posted everywhere). During our three-day-stay, we did not see any DNR staff at the gatehouse, the campground store, or a conservation officer complying with wearing a mask. In addition, most campground guests were not wearing them either.

In addition, this park is listed as participating in the Explore Indiana pin program but no one seemed to know anything about it. We did the work to earn it but were not able to add it to our collection.

Looove this hidden gem. We stayed there in early March, the first weekend it opened for the year. 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. Will definitely be back!

This was a very quiet campsite in southern Indiana. We had a hard time finding dispered camping in the national Forest so we settled for this site. There was one other site occupied in the middle of the week so it was definitely quiet. Gravel platform for pitching a tent. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets and sinks which were nice.

The park is well kept and organized. There are a ton of sites to visit and see. If you like hiking or mountain biking this is for you! Horse people love it also. The campground is near the trail to the old abandoned bridge which is well worth the hike. The fire tower has a commanding view. If you are not enjoying this park, not much else in Indiana will make you happy. Extra points: experienced cavers will enjoy the number of caves. These are by permit only however and novice non cavers should take a proper class and go with experts. There are multiple show caves in the area you can get a basic tour of also.

My husband & I spent 5 nights at Charlestown State Park in mid-September 2020.  Campground was nice with concrete pads and full hookups. Campground was not heavily shaded, but we didn't mind that at all.  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.  From here as a base we also spent half a day in Madison Indiana, (shopping, dining & winery) and biked the Ohio River Greenway path - nice 7 mile one way bike path from Jeffersonville to New Albany and stopped for lunch before turning around to head back.  The bike trail also has a bike/pedestrian bridge across the Ohio River to the trail which runs along the river on the Louisville side.  Would absolutely recommend and would go back again.

We live locally and travel nationally.   Who would have believed this great park would be only 30 miles away.  The grounds are very clean and well maintained, the sites are very wide and individual with the landscaping aiding the feeling of "private".  There, of course, are never enough full service sites but enough with good planning.  In Indiana, INDNR, allows for advanced reservations with a maximum stay of 14 days.  $7 at the main gate + camping fees get you access, unless you have membership, into any state park.  Go to the website for full details https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks.  The bath houses are always clean and well maintained.  Importantly, feel safe as the grounds all have a host and are well patrilled.  Charlestown is a model for both public and private camp grounds east of the Mississippi.  Lots of nature trails.  We recently watched two doe's with their 4 young fawns grazing while we ate breakfast.

My husband, 3.5yo, 1yo and myself went to O'Bannon Woods the weekend before the 4th of July and I can't believe I've never been there! It's an amazing little park. We camp in a 12' pop up and our site 111 was nice for it. We did have to back between two trees at about 10pm in the dark, but we made it!

We LOVED the nature center and the living history village! The nature center had plenty of critters for the kids to look at. The living village was a pleasant surprise since I didn't realize they had one. They also have demonstrations of the hay press on holiday weekends which was really neat to watch.

We only hiked one trail and that was the one from the campground to the nature center. It was fairly rough in spots but enjoyable. The nearby caves ran by the park were a nice escape from the summer heat. We went on the short one with the kids and it was just the right length for their ages.

Also, if you like wine, there's a little winery down the road, Scout Mountain and they had the best deal on firewood along with great wine!

I can't wait to go back, I honestly can't believe I've lived in southern Indiana my whole life and have never been here.

Obannon Overall, this is a nice state park to camp in. Staff was very friendly. They have ice and wood. My kids enjoyed the nature center, pioneer village, and one of the easy trails.

We stayed in 220. It was nice to be right by the playground and bathrooms (which is what we wanted). Some spots near the back would be nice and secluded like the 180s and 190s and they’re still not too far from the bathrooms and playground. The better playground is in loop A.

I will say, I didn’t see any staff members cleaning up trash, getting campsites ready, or anything the 2 days we were there. Even though we went in November, it was a nice weekend and wasn’t dead, so I was surprised I didn’t see anyone cleaning. Wasn’t the cleanest state campground we’ve been at in Indiana. Certainly wasn’t awful though either.

My biggest gripe was they were hosting a huge cycling group. Like the whole loop A. We were all the way back in C. They held a concert that went on from like 8-11 pm. Being in a pop up, it was so loud and never ending. Made it difficult for my kids to sleep. If they’re going to hold (or allow) events like these, it should be posted on their website. Even with our sound machine, we still couldn’t block it out. I realize quiet hours aren’t until 11, but to me there’s a difference.

There is also hardly any signage and spots are difficult to find. No arrows about which way to go, signs saying which loop you’re in, and spots are only marked on the electrical boxes.

Overall, may stay again and try out the pool since we’re not too far from home, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to stay here.

Awesome camping for being so close to the city!

Tent sites have so many trees surrounding them. If you're looking for more privacy anything off of the loop will do just fine. We stayed at FS1 and could only catch glimpses of other campers, although you do hear and see folks on trails frequently. The ground is SUPER SOFT due to all the pine needles that have fallen over the years. We moved our tent around a bit to get it anchored firmly for expected wind at night... some spots were to soft, but it made for good sleeping!

Firewood was ordered in advance when I booked the site, delivered to our spot while we were setting up.

We took our dog and he had a great time(on leash of course!).

Restrooms are porta-style but hand sanitizer was everywhere and everything was VERY CLEAN.

Since the camp sites are behind a locked gate there is no through traffic aside from other campers. Very nice!

Going back this upcoming weekend as well! Camped this past weekend at Group Site 3. You could fit 6 tents here and still have space. Couldn't hear any other campers aside from some jerks at Group Site 1 that decided to start howling and barking around 11pm as well as playing a radio very loudly past 9:30pm. Couldn't hear the radio unless I walked up to the porta-potties though.

Even with all of the planes overhead from folks leaving town after Derby the tree cover dampened the noise wonderfully. Love love love camping at JCMF.

We stayed at JMF as a shake down for a primative camping trip to TN. It was nice and quiet - and so close to home!

We will be back for a trip to "get away" for sure!

Having lived 62 years in Kentucky, less than twenty minutes from the Jeff. Forest, leaving to explore USA, then returning to my home state allows me a unique point of view. The seclusion here and the closeness to nature is a grand slam! Due to fall, the sites seem much closer than they are due to the thinning foliage. Friendly neighbors, standard picnic table/fire pit/port-a-potties/potable water. Roomy campsite and room for my son to visit in his car with my van parked inside the campsite. Lots of trees for hammocking. Lots of downed wood for easy collecting, lots of trails ranging from 1.5 to 13.0 miles through gorgeous mixed forest of old and new growth deciduous and coniferous hardwoods.

I have camped at this site several times. Ear plugs are a must as it is in the direct flight path of a major airport.  My boyfriend had a Fitbit and was able to spot how many times an airplane flew over our tent in the evening/early morning hours.  It must be a UPS hub or FedEx as the planes were huge and at all hours. 

That being said it is a great price.  The website is tricky to book a campsite as it makes it hard to see when the next possible opening will be for a site. I generally like to call them and talk with them. 

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On each visit, I learn more about the area and the trails.  They have 4 trails that you can explore.  

The sites are mixed which did cause some confusion as other campers were on my site when I rolled in.  I had to explain that I had Group Site 2 and they had Family Site 2.  This is a big difference.  Once they finally believed me they moved onto the next site and already had my camp fire going for me.  

The nice thing is that they deliver firewood to your campsite. You don't have to pick it up at the camp store and make a mess of your car.  For Family sites per night you can order a bundle at $15.00 and for the Group Sites you can order a bundle at $30.00.  I did not feel like the wood was lacking as it was a nice load of wood.  They delivered it while we were out hiking.  I simply ordered some at the main site/office each morning depending on what I felt like later on in the evening based on our group plans/weather. 

Our campsite did have water as you can see from the pump.  Then we had porta johns.  I traditionally come to this campsite every 2 years for a local festival in Louisville.  You will want to notice that the rates can change for certain busy times such as during the races. 

For a group site they only allowed 2 cars.  The rest of the cars had to go to an overflow lot which was near by.  It was a short walk but can be a hassle.  Don't expect to park plenty of cars at the site even if it is a group site. 

They do have dumpsters at the campground aka park but not at your campsite. Be prepared to pack it in and pack it out. I do like how they have a gate with a code but it is heavy.  I had to have my friends help me lift the gate as I am not a strong build. It is the long swinging arm kind and had to be lifted slightly to help me get the lock out of it. 

As I mentioned the location is why we keep coming back.  The folks in the office are friendly and there is lots to do in Louisville.

Awesome campground in the city and one of my favorites!

Had a peaceful couple nights at Site 5.

I've camped here around 10 times. The location to trails, access to water, latrines, secured gate access are all nice. It's about 10 minutes to a nearby gas station but you'd never know it.

The issues and why I no longer go here. The large group sites are peppered throughout the family sites so if you happened to have a loud crowd on your weekend then you'll hear the music and shouting sometimes well into the night despite quiet hours.

The campsite rests below the route to Louisville's international airport. For a hour or two in the morning and in the afternoon huge jets fly right over the campgrounds. Really throws me outta my mood.

The disrespectful large crowds are what really did it for me. Many people treat the campgrounds like thier backyards and that's unfortunate.

I love it here

This is a great little well-kept campground. Unfortunately it’s in the departure path of Louisville’s airport, so be prepared for once-a-minute takeoffs if the airport is using its southbound runways for departures. UPS releases about 100 planes from around 3-5am.

For some this is a problem, for others or if you use ear plugs maybe not so much. Others might even like the drone of jet engines. Just something to keep in mind. The trails nearby are nice as well.

Close to home and close to nature. Overall this campsite is amazing in the sense that its in a very natural setting. The firepit is pretty huge and you can cook on it real easy. By request, you can have firewood delivered here. Would go back.

This is a great camp ground with private campsites. Lots of hiking trails. Very generous bundles of firewood that are well worth the money delivered to your site. The airplanes are worth noting, earplugs are a plus! My 2 downfalls for this campground is that there is no full bathhouse, only portapoties; Which were well kept. And 2, there is a locked gate that you have to let yourself thru even during the day.

Loved hitting the bourbon trail and being able to head back into nature! This place afforded us the ability to enjoy the city and then kick back at a nice scenic spot. Very great accomadations!

overall a good place, the group site are fairly large and have running water and compost latrines. Parking is not on site but only a short walk. Lots of trail access. fishing at a stocked public lake is a short drive.