16 campgrounds with availability next weekend
Hardin Ridge Recreation Area accommodates pets at all campsites, cabins, and day-use areas with standard leash requirements. Located near Monroe Lake, this pet-friendly destination offers electric hookups for RVs and designated tent sites where dogs can accompany their owners. Blackwell Campground in Hoosier National Forest provides primitive camping options with pets allowed, featuring toilets and drinking water while maintaining a natural setting for dogs to explore alongside their owners. Both campgrounds enforce standard leash policies requiring pets to be secured at all times. The campgrounds remain accessible from mid-May through late December, with Hardin Ridge earning consistently high ratings from campers traveling with dogs. Sites with lake views provide excellent opportunities for dogs to swim in designated areas away from the main beach.
Charles C. Deam Wilderness trails welcome leashed pets on all hiking paths, with multiple access points to Monroe Lake where dogs can cool off during warmer months. The Peninsula Trail offers free dispersed camping with pets in a more secluded setting, though campers should note the absence of facilities means bringing water for both themselves and their animals. Berry Ridge Road dispersed camping areas provide another free option for dog-friendly camping near Heltonville, featuring basic amenities like picnic tables and toilets while allowing pets throughout the grounds. During fall months, the trails become especially popular with pet owners as storm damage occasionally requires rerouting, but the extra exploration often reveals hidden camping spots perfect for those traveling with dogs. Visitors consistently note the clean facilities at established campgrounds and the well-maintained trails throughout the wilderness areas.
"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."
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $24 - $64 / night
"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."
"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."
Available next weekend
from $23 - $52 / night
"There are trails, caves, and a “village” to be explored. The campsite has water and electric hookups (30a) and primitive sites as well."
"Spring Mill State park is a little piece of history that is in the heart of southern Indiana. Here you will find a working frontier village."
Available next weekend
from $20 - $60 / night
"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."
from $20 - $43 / night
"If you are into boondocking at all defiantly check out berry ridge it’s just south of brown county Indiana beautiful country mostly hills tons of camp spots sometimes half mile or more apart haven’t seen"
"Trails, plenty of dry wood, away from the roads, no running water or electricity, decent amount of spaces we came in at night and counted about 9 very far spread out camp sights."
"A staple of our state here in Indiana. Unfortunately due to some storm damage, trails were rerouted or straight up inaccessible. Great places to find and set up camp."
"Wonderful trails, dog friendly and nice places to camp off the trail. Can’t wait to go back! Heads up! Refill your water when you come across it; the lake is harder to get to than you think."
"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."
from $43 / night
"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"
Available next weekend
from $40 - $57 / night
"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"
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).
ScoutMilitary base campground
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!
TravelerThere’s not a lot of designated camp spots but there’s not many people around. Very peaceful
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.
Dispersed camping options in the Hoosier National Forest provide budget-friendly alternatives for pet owners near Heltonville, Indiana. Located in south-central Indiana at approximately 700 feet elevation, this region experiences humid summers and mild winters with peak camping season from April through October. The forest's dense hardwood canopy creates a microclimate that can be 5-10 degrees cooler than surrounding areas during summer months.
Swimming opportunities: Access Monroe Lake through the Peninsula Trail where multiple campsites near the shore allow dogs to swim along with their owners. "On the peninsula trail, there are multiple campsites with fire rings but you may also camp anywhere if you are at least 100 ft from the water. Campsite #18 has a great view and is large enough for at least 4 tents if you have a big group," notes camper Aspen B.
Explore pioneer history: Visit Spring Mill's historic village at Spring Mill State Park Campground, where dogs can join owners on walks through restored buildings. "This campground is kept clean. There is a cave tour also on offer in which you ride thru the cave system in a boat. Yes there are even lifevests for customer to wear! There is even an amazing pioneer village to explore where an original corn mill stands and you can buy freshly ground corm mill!" shares Rachel W.
Hiking with dogs: Try the extensive trail system at Charles C. Deam Wilderness where all trails welcome leashed pets. "We visited during mid-April, perfect for finding morels. The trails are well paved and marked, not too strenuous. So many beautiful trees and plants to see, plus lots of creeks to walk through," reports Hannah F., noting that parking fills quickly on Fridays.
Quiet atmosphere: Secluded camping spots at Berry Ridge Road - Dispersed Camping offer privacy for you and your dog. "There are a couple walking trails around, as well each site is fairly far apart. It's really quite only seen a handful of cars drive by and I've stayed here for 2 nights, would highly recommend," says Ozzie L.
Clean facilities: Well-maintained bathrooms at Blackwell Campground — Hoosier National Forest make it easier to stay with pets. "Open areas with pit toilets and water available. Shade and sunny locations. Pick a spot and set up with hammock-large rvs spots. No fee, no reservations, no problems. Officers from federal, state, and local patrol," notes Betsy W.
Affordable options: Free camping sites throughout the region welcome pets without fees. "Great boondocking spot, plenty of flat land making leveling easy. Wide open so solar charging was easy. We were there for 7 days and while they have room for probably 50 or 60 rigs there was only 3 or 4 of us there most of the time," shares The Wandering Shores about Blackwell Campground.
Weather considerations: Summer thunderstorms can develop quickly in this region, particularly between May and September. Lightning strikes are common in the higher elevation areas.
Limited water access: When camping with pets in the wilderness areas, bring extra water. "I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking to do some light backpacking for an overnight/weekend trip! Wonderful trails, dog friendly and nice places to camp off the trail. Heads up! Refill your water when you come across it; the lake is harder to get to than you think," advises Jessica T. from Peninsula Trail.
Seasonal challenges: Fall brings large weekend crowds to Brown County State Park, limiting pet-friendly site availability. "This is a beautiful State Park situated in the rolling hills of southern Indiana. The park offers year around camping with reduced services in the winter months (they do have a heated bath house in the off season)," notes Stephen & Theresa B.
Playground access: Multiple play areas are available at many campgrounds where dogs can watch children play. "We stayed during the week, not very crowded. This campground is on the south side of Monroe lake and has beach access. I tent camped solo and everything went great!" reports Christine C. about Hardin Ridge.
Educational opportunities: Many campgrounds offer ranger programs that welcome well-behaved pets. "They had a Smokey the Bear program for the kids and some really fun activities at the nature center while we were there. We were able to rent a paddle boat for $8/hr and saw tons of turtles!" shares Jessie W. about Spring Mill State Park.
Safety precautions: Check all pets for ticks daily, especially after hiking. "I would also bring bug spray and check for ticks!" warns Jessica T. about the Peninsula Trail area.
Accessibility issues: Some campgrounds have narrow access roads that make larger RVs difficult to navigate. "Large rigs must access the park through the West entrance due to a low clearance covered bridge at the North entrance," warns Stephen & Theresa B. about Buffalo Ridge Campground.
Hookup availability: Electric sites at Blackwell are limited, so arrive early. "If you're a solar person, this is your spot! It's a giant open field with vault toilets. It says horse camp, but anyone can stay here. If you're looking for shade or here in the summer months, you may try elsewhere as there is not much shade to be had," advises Juniper L.
Leveling challenges: Many sites in the region require leveling blocks. "Our sites have some slope to them...I hate it when the camper wheels are off the ground. The sites are good sized for camping alone or with a group although the roads to get to the sites are tight," notes Jennifer H. about Paynetown Campground.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Heltonville, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Heltonville, IN is Hardin Ridge with a 4.5-star rating from 26 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Heltonville, IN?
TheDyrt.com has all 90 dog-friendly camping locations near Heltonville, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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