3 campgrounds with availability this weekend
Youngs Creek Horse Camp in the Hoosier National Forest provides primitive camping options specifically for equestrians. Located near Paoli, Indiana, this year-round facility features sites accessible by vehicle, boat, or foot. Though basic in amenities, the campground includes toilet facilities and drinking water. The camp lacks electric hookups, water hookups, and dedicated horse corrals, but accommodates both tent and RV camping. Sites include fire rings but no picnic tables, with secluded camping areas containing 5-6 primitive spots with hitching posts for horses. The chorus of frogs creates a distinctive nighttime soundscape that campers frequently note during overnight stays.
Horse Camp Road Dispersed Camping offers another free option for equestrians in Hoosier National Forest. This primitive camping area permits both tents and RVs with convenient trail access for riders. The area maintains a perfect 5-star rating from visitors, reflecting its popularity among horseback riders despite minimal amenities. Trails throughout Hoosier National Forest connect these horse camps to the broader riding network. Travelers should bring necessary supplies as amenities are limited—no showers or electric hookups are available at either location. Bug spray is essential, particularly during warmer months, and careful navigation of forest roads is recommended when traveling with horse trailers. The kindness of fellow campers and abundant wildlife sightings enhance the experience for horse enthusiasts.
"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."
"Open space, close to facilities and water pump, Ground was mostly flat, slightly shady in the afternoon, and very peaceful."
Available this weekend
from $20 - $60 / night
"YC horse camp is well laid out and fairly spacious, apparently only for the random hikers and hunters. I stayed at here for a couple of days, planning on a longer visit, and wasn't dissatisfied."
"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."
"Close to town but also right off some amazing trails! Sometimes the horse trailers get loud with generators but it is a horse camp ground!"
"We arrived near dusk on a Friday. The entrance is clearly marked and road is gravel but well maintained. The site is open space with soft, well maintained grass and no muddy areas."
"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."
"I had the awesome experience to hammock camp on the Patton cave trail, along the creek that winds the length of that trail. It was a strenuous hike to pack in/out of, but was beautiful scenery."
"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."
"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."
"Very clean campground near the Ohio River. Offers hiking horse back riding nearby fishing in the Ohio River. Or just kicking back and relaxing."
Campground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $23 - $496 / night
"There are horse trails, a beach, and great water for swimming/kayaking/canoeing. It is pet friendly as well. The bath house in our area was older but fairly clean."
"Horse camping so was cool to see the horses. A beach location and a few fishing spots. The lake doesn’t allow non electric motors so waters were calm. Caught some bluegills."
Available this weekend
from $40 - $69 / night
"Located on Monroe lake, they have canoeing, row boats, sailboats, motor boats, and skiing.
Lots of fun activities to do, and great hiking trails. Their mess hall is top notch.""Our Boy Scout troop enjoyed visiting this location. It was well maintained and the staff was helpful."
ScoutCampground seemed like a tight fit coming in near dark fall. Lots of shaded sites. Storm ran through that night and lots of dead limbs came down all over. Got a hole in my roof. Overall decent stay and had a cool neighbor
GuideGreat for car camping or tent camping. 2.2 miles of gravel dirt road. Very set off the road and private. Very leveled. Shaded by the trees. Clean. Cell service was great.
TravelerWe love these campsites! So much space, existing fire rings, there was wood left behind from previous campers so that was nice! We have a reactive pup and she is able to live her best life there! We enjoyed all the trails around our site as well.
RangerPit toilets clean and well stocked. Area is open with lots of room to choose your spot. Have visited before and will again..
LegendNice big open field with plenty of places to park and pitch. A bit crowded for midweek, but not too bad.
GuideI’ve been coming here since I was a kid, the trees are beautiful, you can camp here and it feels like forest camping, most lots have spots for hammocks, electric but no water hook up, the bath house is ok, clean but concrete showers with a curtain and takes a while to get hot water. Lots of trails and a cute nature center. They only have two playgrounds, but a big pool for summer fun. I love it here, it’s usually not crowded and super peaceful. We prefer most lots on the outer edge of the campground. A lot of the picnic tables are old and require covers.
GuideFirst time to Spring Mill State Park in over 30 years. It was a three night trip, with two full days packed full of hiking, exploring, and hanging out. Stayed in the full hookup campground, which was nice. Pioneer Village is really neat, and we hiked about every trail, including some exploring in the Donaldson cave. (bring some flashlights so you can really get past the entrance.) We did the mountain bike trail, and the kids 8&12 had no issue keeping up.
GuideDecided to stay another weekend here at Deam to test out some new equipment. Found the E section of camp to be quiet and secluded from the F section. My only complaint is that all of the spots on E definitely require some balancing acts. Overall great weekend.
GuideStayed for the weekend as a first trip for the season to ensure we were setup for the season.
Self check-in was quick and easy. Vault toilets were open, and clean. Someone was even nice enough to have Mr. Buddy heaters in there along with fresh propane (very kind and thoughtful). Entering the park there was a sign for winter water spigot (brought my own so didn't check).
Hoosier National Forest offers 202,814 acres of diverse terrain with over 266 miles of recreational trails. Located in south-central Indiana, the forest spans nine counties with elevations ranging from 361 to 1,033 feet above sea level. Camping areas tend to be busiest in spring and fall when temperatures average between 50-75°F, with summer visitation dropping due to higher humidity levels.
Cave exploration: 5 miles from Spring Mill State Park. The park features several caves, including boat-guided tours through underground waterways. "Some caves are guided by boat. Very neat to see. Also has a pioneer village for touring along with a visitor center honoring astronaut Virgil Gus Grissom," reports Donald T. from Spring Mill State Park Campground.
Hiking trails: Access from multiple points. The Charles C. Deam Wilderness area offers challenging terrain with significant elevation changes. "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," notes Hannah F. who visited during morel mushroom season in mid-April.
Fishing spots: Throughout forest boundaries. Blackwell Campground provides access to fishing areas with varying catch rates depending on season. "A quiet, peaceful spot in the forest. A few horses on the trail on weekends. French Lick is 30 minutes away," shares Mark D. about the location's convenient access to both nature and nearby attractions.
Quiet atmosphere: Minimal light pollution. Berry Ridge Road dispersed camping offers secluded sites away from crowds. "Multiple campsites in the area, I've stayed at two both of which were away from others, clean, fairly flat and had plenty of dead wood around to burn. Some sites, at least one, could fit a pretty good sized camper," explains Jeremy F..
Wildlife viewing: Early morning opportunities. Campers frequently spot deer, wild turkeys, and various bird species. "The chorus frog do roar through the night. 100% worth it, make sure to bring bug spray, and travel carefully up the roads. Lots of wildlife, and kind people," says Elizabeth W. who visited Youngs Creek Horse Camp.
Geological features: Throughout forest trails. The area contains interesting rock formations and natural features. "I walked the creek for hours just looking at all the rocks on the sandbars. I have never encountered so many geodes in my life. Truly magnificent to encounter," reports Sarah R. about her experience at Charles C. Deam Wilderness.
Weather considerations: Spring brings rain. Trails can become muddy and difficult to navigate after rainfall. "The only negative was that we came after a lot of rain. So everything is permanently wet and mosquitos/ticks abounded," notes a Charles C. Deam Wilderness visitor.
Limited amenities: Most sites primitive. Many camping areas lack modern facilities. "The site has a toilet and water. If you head into the town of Paoli be sure to hit up the farmers co-op for supplies," advises David M. at Youngs Creek Horse Camp.
Road conditions: Challenging for some vehicles. Forest roads vary in quality and maintenance status. "Secluded site that is pretty far off of the road, but not too far. I have a promaster conversion and had no trouble making it to this site, however the road was gravel and steep at times," reports Amber R. about Berry Ridge Road.
Beginner kayaking: No-wake zones available. Deam Lake offers calm waters ideal for inexperienced paddlers. "Perfect lake to kayak for a beginner bc no wake zone also the cabins are cool and cozy just bring a mattress the restrooms are definitely the cleanest and well taken care of anywhere I've ever been," recommends Brandy A..
Educational programs: Ranger-led activities. Several campgrounds offer scheduled nature programs. "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.
Kid-friendly trails: Under 2 miles. Look for shorter loop trails with interesting features. "We enjoyed the sycamore loop, which was around 6 miles. Everyone is super kind in the area, except for the gravel road to park (which is limited)," adds Hannah F. about Charles C. Deam Wilderness.
Site selection: Check leveling requirements. Many forest campsites have uneven terrain. "We spent a week at spring mill state park. The site we where at was heavily sloped, the only flat part was where they put the fire pit at. When we looked at the other site most of the shaded sites that had some privacy where also heavily sloped," warns Thomas U. about Spring Mill State Park.
Parking limitations: Narrow access roads. Some campgrounds have restricted turning radius for larger vehicles. "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," explains The Wandering Shores about Blackwell Campground.
Water access: Plan ahead. Most dispersed sites lack hookups. "The campground is located inside the state park entrance so the gate fee applies to your first entry, but once you check into your site you can come and go as you wish. There is a little camp store with decent prices," notes Laura O. about Spring Mill State Park.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Hoosier National Forest?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Hoosier National Forest is Spring Mill State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 24 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Hoosier National Forest?
TheDyrt.com has all 15 equestrian camping locations near Hoosier National Forest, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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