We camp here every time we come to Indiana. We have camped there in a truck camper, and now we tent camp with our Jeep. The sites are large, and there are fire rings available. There are vault toilets and a fresh water pump not far from them. The only time this camp is full is when a trail ride is going on, then it fills up fast. It is only five miles from Paoli, and there is a Walmart there if you need supplies..
We loved the primitive camp site. It was secluded and open. We loved seeing the open night sky and preferred it over the electric sites because they were more covered with canopy. I though it was reasonably priced. If you are here I encourage you to visit the Pioneer Village, go to the Nature Center, learn about Gus Grissom, or eat some home-cooking at the Inn (I suggest corn mill pie.) Caving awaits. Bonus - the bathrooms were less then 5 min away.
Huge state park, with beautiful camping, hiking and mountain biking. Sites are large, in the woods and were awesome. Beware, there are rattle snakes. We saw a copperhead and a timber ridge rattle snake. One of the best camp experiences we have had.
Site accommodates both horse, drive in and walk-in camping. There’s a privy and water on site. Campsites have fire rings and picnic tables. There is a trail that loops back to the site for easy hiking access.
First of all, I have to admit up front, we stayed at this campground during the hottest days on record, for that area. However the park is beautiful and well maintained. Each lot has water and electric. There is a dump station at the exit. The only negative comment about this park is, every lot slopes down towards the lake. If you have levelers, should not be a problem, but be sure to bring extra, because it's a good 3" to 5". We have a small class C and we had to raise the back end (facing the lake) off the ground with our hydraulic levelers. Good think we had leveling blocks to put under the wheels. Also, the decent into this park is steep and the road is narrow. I think there is one section that is close to 8%, however it's short. Verizon phone, Verizon mifi and Dish Satellite, all excellent. Nice thick grassy areas at each site, firepit, picnic table and plenty of room for tent or gazebo. Bathroom/showers very clean.
We were here for a family reunion and used the club house, which was very nice. They also have boat docks, outdoor pavilion, basketball court, beach and swimming area. I would not hesitate to stay here again, but in the cooler months so we could enjoy the trails.
This is by far my favorite campground. It is nestled back in the woods of Brown County and is absolutely gorgeous, especially in the fall. It is very quiet. If you can, try and get a spot towards the front of the campground as the back has sites that are pretty steep.
As a avid disc golfer. I absolutely love coming to the place for events. The permanent campers are super friendly. A beautiful lake with plenty of activities to do on it. Showers on site. Oh the disc golf course is top notice. One (if not best in the state)
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. 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. I would also bring bug spray and check for ticks!
Tons of stuff to do while camping. Boating,fishing,swimming and so much more!
Convenient location. Clean restrooms & showers. Had a shady spot for our overnight tent stay. Quiet. Friendly staff.
Had fun on the different trails, at the pool and the shade of our campground!
This was not a campground, it was a tailgate lot. Thought I was back in the Coke Lot before the Indy 500. Loud music at camp sites, people driving golf carts around playing loud inappropriate music, people driving around yelling at all hours of the night.
What's weird is that these people had no reason to do this. It seems they were being loud and obnoxious just for the sake of being loud and obnoxious. This campground seems to have this weird culture of showing off flashy golf carts. I was not impressed.
You would think the campground would try to control people a little bit but never saw an employee.
Proximity to Holiday world is awesome, facilities we're awesome. Just not a great CAMPING experience.
I grew up going to Hardy Lake so it will always have a place in my heart. There is plenty to do with a beach, boat ramps, and many hiking trails. They offer activities on the weekends, especially for kids. I am giving this 4 stars because the bathrooms needs a serious deep clean. The sites are spacious with many different types available. I will stay here again, and enjoyed it.
Wonderful place. Excellent trail following a nice little stream along the one side. Being in a national forest dispersed camping is allowed if you follow leave no trace principals, but I stayed in a couple of the official sites. The official sites all had rock fire rings and bushcraft furniture.
The one negative was I did have to pack out previous campers trash along with my own. Being close to the college there was evidence that less than mature campers may frequent the area. That being said once on trail I didn’t see another soul past a couple hundred feet of the trail head and only heard a pair of hikers on the trail pass my camp site as I ate my breakfast the one morning.
A wonderful backpacking area!
Wonderful place. Excellent trail following a nice little stream along the one side. Being in a national forest dispersed camping is allowed if you follow leave no trace principals, but I stayed in a couple of the official sites. The official sites all had rock fire rings and bushcraft furniture.
The one negative was I did have to pack out previous campers trash along with my own. Being close to the college there was evidence that less than mature campers may frequent the area. That being said once on trail I didn’t see another soul past a couple hundred feet of the trail head and only heard a pair of hikers on the trail pass my camp site as I ate my breakfast the one morning.
A wonderful backpacking area!
Very clean campground, with a great family vibe to it! I used to camp here when I was a kid, and it’s still just as wonderful as I remember.
The staff are incredibly helpful. There are options for all kinds of campers: RVs, tents, cabins. If you aren’t going next door to Holiday World, they have a decent size pool and slides, as well as an arcade and playground. There is a camp store as well as a pizza place located in the center of the campground.
For the camper who enjoys to be farther from their nearest neighbor, this place may not be for you. While campsites are spacious, you can see and hear your neighboring campers. :)
Awesome 3 day weekend with live bands at Fern Hills Club ! Put this naturist campground on your must do list . Rock Naked Weekend gets better every year . Bring your golf cart ! There are 75 acres of trails to hike on or drive your golf cart on .
We’ve stayed at a few Koa campgrounds and this one didn’t compare quite as expected. It’s small, clean and owners are very friendly and helpful but one stretch of sites (where we were) is tight, short and cramped. We had four 90-degree day’s so the big plus was the pool. Although dated it was large, clean and refreshing. The sites are on large sharp rocks too (not gravel) which was challenging. Even on our large rugs I could not take a single step without shoes. I also felt bad that our campfire ring was at the back canvas opening of our neighboring camper and a little frustrated that I had to keep moving our 4 camp chairs each time we walked from our door to the truck. The owners did advise they were working on expanding those campsite spots which is good. Our grandkids didn’t care to play in the playground (clean but small and dated) but nice playgrounds were plenty in the Brown County State Park whose entrance is just across the road which gives location an A+. Famous Nashville, IN was just 2 miles away.. another location plus. We’d go back again but I’ll be more site picky next time… but I still won’t like the big rocks! I like a little barefoot time when camping!
The drive to this property is very easy and we had no trouble finding it. However, there is not a sign for the campground, so just follow your gps. Once you drive down the one lane gravel drive you will see a small building with a colorful knight. Now you know you are on the right track! There is some open camping immediately on the right, but keep driving until you see the big metal building. Turn right on the road and drive around and you will see camp sites and eventually Kerry’s tree house. We stopped to say hi and he directed us to our campsite. The weekend we were there was during the Summer Soulstice music festival. The campground was very lively and everyone was having fun. There was live music and good food. The tree web is a giant net about 15 feet in the air. My boys loved climbing up and laying in the web. The tire swing was also fun for the kids. The site we stayed at did not have electricity or water but a water source was close by. The bathroom and shower was very nice and the composting toilet was clean. Kerry took us on a kubota for a tour of the property. We saw a beautiful creek with waterfall, bee hives and sinkholes. Kerry had interesting stories to tell about the property. There was a giant bonfire lit on Saturday night and the music went all night, which was so much fun! I would imagine on all other weekends, it would be pretty quiet. There is no cell service but it was so nice to “unplug” and enjoy talking with each other and making new friends.
Peaceful little place but unfortunately it rained but we made the best of it, there’s some secluded spots where you can stay away from others or stay in the more general areas, nice lake to fish and we found a swimming hole for a refreshing dip. This was our first camping trip since moving to Indiana and it sparked a fire can’t wait to checkout all the other parks
I’ve camped here several times and have always enjoyed it. When tent camping and want something quiet and a place with great trails, this is a good place to go. Even though it’s hot outside today, there’s lots of shade and a breeze. At this campground, there are two areas of pit toilets, and a big outdoor sink. Fire wood and maps can be obtained just up the road at the new Morgan Monroe headquarters. A self pay station is set up there. You select your site, set up, then go pay. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring and plenty of room for tenting with most sites big enough for a trailer. There’s a playground at the entrance of Mason Ridge campground and a fire tower.
This park is a southern Indiana beauty. Indiana's first state park dating to 1916. The heart of the park is McCormick's Creek Canyon with stunning views, hiking and some of the best wildflower displays in the state…and let's don't forget McCormick's Creek waterfall…yes its probably only 10' but this is a big deal for Indiana. The park offers numerous hikes varying in difficulty accessing features and attractions to include a 90' fire tower, scenic canyon and waterfall, small cave(Wolf Cave), interesting sinkholes and some stunning second growth hardwood forest. A center piece of the park is the Canyon Inn offering hotel accommodations, dining, seasonal swimming pool(guests only) and in the winter months a massive warming fireplace. The campground provides 189 electric only sites(30 amp) typically gravel pads and 32 primitive sites; most having nice tree canopy for summer shade. Larger coaches have limited choices. The park has an exceptional seasonal outdoor pool, seasonal camp store, very active nature center and naturalist program. Just minutes from the park is the town of Spencer with everything you need to re-supply or grab a dinner out…restaurants, grocery, Wal-Mart, fuel and more
This was our first family visit to Brown County State Park and we really loved it. The park is gigantic! It takes a long time to get from the entrance of the park to the actual campground, but the drive is beautiful. The sites around us were spacious and had a lot of mature trees. The nature center is really fun with animals and a bee hive that the children really enjoyed! There are a lot of diverse hiking trails for all. The nearby shopping, wineries and restaurants are definitely a plus as well. This is now one of our favorite destinations and cannot wait to return!
I can only reiterate what others have posted. Beautiful wide open property! Kids can ride bikes all day long, splash in the creeks, and play on the multitude of playground equipment. The river sites are a bit close and were evacuated during a flash flood for good reason. Water came up to their sites. Very clean restrooms, sites, and trash cans provided throughout grounds. Great place for family retreat!
This was our first time camping at Spring Mill State Park, and we really enjoyed the park. There is a lot of family fun to be had there. We unfortunately had poor weather during our stay and had to leave early because of the threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes/damaging winds. Our vintage pop-up is not the best shelter in severe weather! We did however pack a lot of fun into 1 day! 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! We also went for a hike to see Donaldson cave and the kids absolutely loved it! It was beautiful, and the highlight of the trip. The campgrounds were nice, but some of the sites are close together with little privacy. The restrooms were kept clean, but the showers need updating badly. We will definitely visit Spring Mill again to take a cave tour by boat, and also visit the pioneer village.
This park has a great walking trail that is wheelchair accessible and camping in spring to fall. If you get bored you can always catch a small baseball game nearby at the park and it is next to Chariots Run for the avid golfer!
Starve Hollow offers camping from full hookup, electric only (by the lake), tent camping, and cabins. The lake has a swimming area (no lifeguards), playgrounds, and bathhouse. The lake allows boats with electric trolling motor only.
We stayed in the full hookup section (camping facilities: electric, sewer, and water hookup as well as fire ring, picnic table, and parking spur at each site. Modern restrooms/showers(wheelchair accessible) are available nearby. 53 sites available, sites 222, 232, and 234 are wheelchair accessible). The bathhouse was clean (even though it rained most of the weekend). these sites are a good size and able to get any size Trailer or RV into these sites. There is mostly grass on most of the sites in this area.
The campground also offers electric only sites (camping facilities: electric hookup, fire ring, picnic table and parking spur at each site. Drinking water is available in area. Modern restrooms/showers(wheelchair accessible) are available nearby. Dumping station is available. There are 87 sites available. Sites 28, 44, 65, 75 and 90 are wheelchair accessible). They have about 20 sites that back up right to the lake allowing fishing from your campsite. 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, but there are many of sites that had shorter units on them.
Cabins: Starve Hollow has 13 rent-a-camp cabins available March-Nov.(closed Dec.-Feb.)(NOTE: Local sales only during off season/winter months, contact property for details). Each cabin has a front porch with a swing, outside electric outlet and front porch light. Inside there are two small rooms each providing a ceiling fan with light, a heating/cooling unit and electrical outlets. The front room offers a small table with bench seats, corner shelf, chair, rocking chair, and a loft. The back room offers a bunk bed(single) and a double bed(NO LINENS or MATTRESS PROVIDED). Air mattress recommended.
Fishing/Boating Starve-Hollow Lake has three boat ramps to choose from, one at the dam and two in the electric campground. Kayak, rowboat and canoe rental is available. A valid Indiana fishing license is required. Rowboat and canoe rental is available from mid April through October. Starve-Hollow Lake is a trolling motor only lake. For campers a fish cleaning station is available.
Swimming A large beach is available for swimming from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Restrooms, dressing facilities, showers, and food concessions are available to visitors. Wheelchair ramps allow access to beach and concession area.
Picnicking There are picnic areas and picnic shelters that can be reserved. Both shelters can be accessed by wheelchair. The East shelter has an electrical outlet. Picnic tables and grills are located at the picnic sites. A wheelchair accessible playground, basketball goals, softball fields, horseshoe pits and a sand volleyball court are located on or near the swimming beach.
Hiking Trails Starve Hollow has several hiking trails to explore that total approximately 11 miles.
Overall this truly was a cute little spot to camp out on our way to Kentucky! One of the benefits of this site is that the cave and gift shop are right there, so you have a cool Opportunity to take a tour and then stay in the same area. The campgrounds are all equipped with a nice fire pit, picnic table, lean to, and the availability of electric hookup. The campgrounds also has a couple newer cabins that look really cute. The camper and tent spots are right along a cute little creek so it was very pleasant. They have a small shed attached to the gift shop that has firewood for sale. They have a small cafe that sells the usual hot dogs, chips, soda and the sort. They also have a larger open air pavilion that they provide yard games like, cornhole, horseshoes, and other games, so pretty nice. I would definitely recommend this as it is small and intimate, but if you are looking for private seclusion this is not for you.
Me and my wife came to Indiana to visit with family. We all met up at the campground there was 5 of us , the lot we got was small but still good size big enough to fit 2 tents and have plenty of room for our camp fire. I was most impressed with how clean the facilities was. There was someone cleaning the showers and bathrooms every few hours, everything was always fully stocked. There was also tons of stuff to do. We all went out on my brothers boat. The next day my wife and I rented kayaks, we had a blast. We will definitely be back.