Best Equestrian Camping near Gary, IN

Potowatami campground is divided into four loops. We camped in the Osage loop. Garbage cans are at the start of the loop. A central shower house is on the main road midway between the loops. Right at the start of Osage is an entrance to the crushed gravel bike path. It gave us a great hike through the trees. You can find picnic areas and playground equipment by following the bike path. The camp host checks you in. He gave us the signal in case we drive out of camp. Wave the sign out your window and re-enter camp. He also told us about rock creek nature trail. It’s just across the main road near the ranger office entrance. There are another couple miles of trails if you want some diversity.

The campsites are very spread out and you will have a very private quiet campsite. This site is near a small cemetery that has tombstones that are hundreds of years old. I got to stay at site 14 at Davis creek. Potowatomi Campground and Chippewa Campground are not opened for the entire 2016. The sites are really limited around here so I recommend reserving weeks earlier or just come early. The site costed me about 8 dollars to reserve which was really cheap. The restrooms were really dirty and had a lot of insects flying around. There is no running water at the site so bring plenty. We did not have to collect firewood because there is a man walking around with a wheel barrow selling it which was really convenient. There is a short hike that crosses a bridge and it goes along the river

We had four sites on Osage loop for tent camping.  Two were very small (14&15), and little grass for tent setup, fine for RV or trailer campers.  They were private with brush between sites.  16&17 were amazing for tents!!  Open, tall trees for our tight rope and hammocks and shade. Grass for tents  16&17 Osage loop also open to 9&10 on Hickory loop.  With a lot of space between so no site setup is on top of each other.  Wish we knew more about individual site layout.  Grills were new.  Bathrooms inclu vault were cleanest I’ve seen.  Bike path/hike path is long and wide and very nice.  We had kids under age 8.  River is fast, tried to fish.  Stars were out.  Had rain Saturday but we all just hang out and manage just fine.  Overall, where the loops get close on the map, the sites back up with good space without ground brush - if you’re trying to string together a few sites for a group where you can pass through - also fine for strangers.  Biggest spaces.  Can add that 13, 6, 5, ,4  Osage are good RV but not good tent.

We’ve been staying at this resort for several months now, and wanted to share some feedback based on our experience.

The pool only opened mid-summer.

Water quality has been very bad. On one occasion, our pet had stomach issues after drinking tap water, which was concerning. The water is so unclean that our shower develops yellow stains within a day, and we’ve had to install a five-stage filtration system just to make it usable.

We’ve also noticed that rules aren’t enforced consistently, and it sometimes feels like certain guests are treated unfairly. For example, while we were told that personal kiddie pools aren’t allowed, we’ve counted at least six others set up around the park.

Package delivery is only permitted under special circumstances, and only if pre-approved by staff.

Had an incident where a staff member criticized my swimsuit at the pool, despite it being modest and similar to what others were wearing. I wore this swimsuit to many pools for many years. Additionally, the beach area is often closed even during posted open hours, and pool hours or updates aren’t clearly communicated—you have to inquire to get any information.

The storm shelter is typically locked, making it inaccessible in emergencies, which is a major concern.

We’ve also had to fix the swing set at the playground ourselves multiple times, as it’s been broken for a while. Many of the park’s facilities and amenities are showing their age and could benefit from updates and maintenance.

That said, there are aspects we’ve truly enjoyed, and they’re the main reasons we’ve continued our stay: the spacious layout of the RV park, a nice lake, beach, pool, gym, and a dog park.