Sarah M.
Scout
ScoutHickory Ridge
Super quiet at night and lots of space. Good privacy.
Dog-Friendly Camping near Ellettsville, IN
14 campgrounds with availability this weekend
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Paynetown Campground near Lake Monroe permits pets throughout its 221-acre recreation area with both electric and non-electric campsites. Leashed dogs can accompany campers at all tent sites, RV spots with full hookups, and along the lakeshore areas outside the designated swimming beach. Hardin Ridge Recreation Area and Yellowwood State Forest also welcome pets at their campsites, cabins, and throughout hiking trails. Most campgrounds require pets to remain on leashes no longer than 6 feet when outside vehicles or tents. Brown County State Park's Buffalo Ridge and Taylor Ridge campgrounds provide pet-friendly accommodations with dedicated areas for dog walking. Campground hosts enforce pet waste cleanup policies, with disposal stations available at most locations. Many campers note the ample room at Paynetown allows pets to swim in lake areas away from the main beach.
Hoosier National Forest's pet-friendly trails connect to several campgrounds, offering extensive hiking opportunities with dogs. The 10-mile network at Morgan-Monroe State Forest permits leashed pets on all paths, with primitive camping areas allowing up to three pets per site. During summer months, early morning or evening walks help prevent paw pad burns on hot surfaces. Veterinary services are available in Bloomington, approximately 15 minutes from most Ellettsville-area campgrounds. Wildlife encounters require keeping pets secured, particularly at dawn and dusk when deer are most active. Campers report the primitive spots at Yellowwood State Forest provide more seclusion for reactive dogs, while the established campgrounds at Brown County State Park offer better amenities for families camping with pets. Winter camping remains available at several locations, though heated facilities for pets are limited.
Best Dog-Friendly Campgrounds near Ellettsville (84)
1. Paynetown Campground
"It's a bittersweet type of situation."
"This campground is busy as it's close to a college, but it has ample room to provide for everyone."
261 Sites AvailableAvailable this weekend
from $16 - $38 / night
2. Hardin Ridge
"This campground is nestled on a ridge above Indiana's Lake Monroe."
"Hardin Ridge is a fantastic place to camp, and is very close to lake Monroe. But it's also quite a ways away from any stores in case you forget anything."
Check AvailabilityCampground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $24 - $64 / night
3. Taylor Ridge Campground — Brown County State Park
"We have visited Nashville Indiana several times but this is our first time camping nearby. My wife loves to visit Nashville and all the little shops they offer."
"It was backed up to the edge of the woods which made for a lovely view. Driving through the campground it looks like there are some sites pretty close together but ours wasn’t too bad."
Check Availabilityfrom $18 - $43 / night
4. Blackwell Campground — Hoosier National Forest
"The ground is level and all grass with less bugs than sites directly off trail. We just have a simple backpacking tent set-up and we had a great campfire."
"Site is a wide open and well-groomed, with trails just a short walk (or ride) away. Toilets and covered picnic tables nearby."
5. Oak Ridge Camping Area — Morgan-Monroe State Forest
"This is probably the best state forest in the state of Indiana. The property is well maintained. There is a new visitors center built a few years ago."
"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."
Check Availabilityfrom $25 - $55 / night
6. Buffalo Ridge Campground — Brown County State Park
"This is a beautiful State Park situated in the rolling hills of southern Indiana."
"I make multiple visits here every year, mainly for the mountain bike trails. There are almost 30 miles of trails inside the park with new trails every year for the past 3+ years."
Check Availabilityfrom $43 / night
7. Sky Smith
"Cagles Mill Lake borders the southwestern side of the area. We arrived to a very quiet campground with few campers."
"Each campsite is spacious and has plenty of space away from your neighbors. There was plenty of shade even though our pad wasn't tucked back in the woods."
192 Sites AvailableAvailable this weekend
from $16 - $28 / night
8. Fern Hills Club
"There are 75 acres of trails to hike on or drive your golf cart on ."
9. Yogi Bears at Lake Monroe
"Great location and clean camp ground."
"I had to nearly lower my tongue to the ground to get it level. The splash park was fun, even for the teen kids, but the pool was tiny and shallow and disappointing."
10. Peninsula Trail
"The Peninsula Trail and Grub Ridge trails both have marked campsites that are very far apart and totally private. These are dispersed/primitive sites with a fire ring only. "
"this was a wonderful scenic hike meant for the beauty of indiana"
Drive Time
- 6 min from Bloomington, IN
- 54 min from Indianapolis, IN
- 56 min from Columbus, IN
- 57 min from Terre Haute, IN
Recent Dog-Friendly Camping Photos near Ellettsville, IN
80 Photos of 84 Ellettsville Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Mccormick's Creek State Park Campground
Celtic Glen
Oak Ridge Camping Area — Morgan-Monroe State Forest
Paynetown Campground
Peninsula TrailA
Blackwell Campground — Hoosier National Forest
Charles C. Deam Wilderness
Bill Monroe Memorial Music Park & Campground
Taylor Ridge Campground — Brown County State Park
Raccoon Ridge Campground — Brown County State Park
Sky Smith
Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Ellettsville, IN
635 Reviews of 84 Ellettsville 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).
- CChristian C.Scout
mystic lake
Military base campground
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.
- JJacob S.Scout
Ogala 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.
Greta H.
TravelerTerre Haute Campground
Such a fun magical spot with kiddos
We were only here for one night as we are passing through, however we loved this little spot. They have so much fun and activities for the kiddos in addition to a little ice cream parlor and pizza shop. We loved it!
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!
Guide to Ellettsville
Camping options within 20 miles of Ellettsville provide access to the forested hills of south-central Indiana, where elevations range from 600 to 900 feet above sea level. The region features a humid continental climate with four distinct seasons, making spring and fall particularly popular for campers. Most campgrounds in the area occupy former farmland that has reverted to second-growth hardwood forest dominated by oak, maple, and hickory trees.
What to do
Lake activities at Monroe: Rental options for visitors include pontoons, canoes, and kayaks at Paynetown Campground. "We came to Indiana to visit with family. We all met up at the campground there was 5 of us... The next day my wife and I rented kayaks, we had a blast," reports Katie M. The lake has designated swimming areas plus less crowded shorelines for water access.
Hiking with variable difficulty: Multiple interconnected trail networks span from easy lakeside paths to rugged forest routes. At Hardin Ridge, "There are unlimited trails, Monroe Lake, a beach and all kinds of playgrounds," notes Kenzie A. Most trails remain open year-round, though muddy conditions often persist after rainfall.
Mountain biking opportunities: Purpose-built trails accommodate riders from novice to advanced. "The mountainbike trails are fantastic, something for every skill level," says Dave S. about Taylor Ridge Campground. Trail maps available at most park offices show connections between different trail systems.
What campers like
Spacious campsites: Many campers appreciate the room to spread out at less-developed campgrounds. "The fire rings were spread apart amidst a green hill. There was some shade available around the edges. Plenty of room to spread out from your neighbors," notes Josie W. about Blackwell Campground.
Clean facilities: Campgrounds maintain regular cleaning schedules for comfort stations. "The bathrooms and shower houses were so clean!" reports Leah S. Well-maintained vault toilets serve more primitive camping areas, with water spigots strategically placed throughout most campgrounds.
Fall foliage viewing: The hardwood forests provide exceptional autumn color displays. "Autumn is the heavy tourist season with the changing of the leaves...breathtaking vistas from the parks elevated vantage points!" notes Stephen & Theresa B. Peak color typically occurs mid-to-late October, with campsite availability becoming limited during this period.
What you should know
Reservation requirements vary: While some campgrounds require advance booking, others operate on first-come systems. "All these sites are first come, first serve. No reservations," explains Cynthia K. about Yellowwood State Forest. During summer weekends, arriving by Thursday afternoon improves chances of securing non-reservation sites.
Site characteristics differ significantly: Terrain and amenities vary widely between and within campgrounds. "Depending on how busy check in is at the time you show up without a reservation, they sometimes will let you drive around and pick out a site from the left when entering loop, then come back to gate and pay," explains Deb T.
Limited cell service: Many forested areas have minimal connectivity. "Cell service by various providers is 1-2 bars," notes Betsy W. Wi-Fi remains unavailable at most public campgrounds, with the nearest reliable connections typically found in Bloomington or Nashville.
Tips for camping with families
Kid-friendly activities: Structured programs keep children engaged at certain campgrounds. "They have a Trick or Treat night, and it was fun to see all of the creative costumes and kids (and adults) having fun," shares Margo B. about Morgan-Monroe State Forest. Many locations offer junior ranger programs during summer months.
Swimming options: Multiple water recreation facilities accommodate different age groups. "The pool was excellent! Skip the lake and enjoy the pool," recommends Amy C. Most swimming beaches close after Labor Day, though pools at certain locations may remain open through September.
Playground access: Several campgrounds maintain play areas within walking distance of campsites. "There are at least one pair, some two, camphost pairs in each loop," mentions Deb T., noting that camp hosts often organize activities for children during peak season weekends.
Tips from RVers
Site selection considerations: Many campsites present leveling challenges for larger vehicles. "I would say pay particular attention to the size of the site you're booking as some were pretty small. Also, some sites were fairly sloped as well," advises Amanda D. Calling ahead about specific site dimensions helps ensure appropriate fit.
Dump station logistics: Facilities for waste disposal exist at most established campgrounds. "There is a dump station, but I barely got in to dump. So not real RV friendly," cautions Ron H. Schedules for using dump stations may be restricted to certain hours to minimize congestion.
Electric hookup availability: Power connections vary between campgrounds and specific loops. "There are 4 loops with 30 & 50 amp. 2 loops with no electric," notes Cynthia K. Many RV sites require reservations months in advance, especially for weekend stays between May and October.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly
campsite near Ellettsville, IN?
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Ellettsville, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Ellettsville, IN is Paynetown Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 29 reviews.
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dog-friendly camping near
Ellettsville, IN?
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Ellettsville, IN?
TheDyrt.com has all 84 dog-friendly camping locations near Ellettsville, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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