Best RV Parks & Resorts near Independence, IN

i have been to Thousand Trails in Indiana for 25 years and each time i visit i get more disappointed. its no longer a campground but an RV park. which makes me sad because tent camping is forced onto gravel or next to a septic tank hose from a neighboring RV.

however, the park is very large, has many activities such as swimming, fishing, arcades, cornhole, volleyball. you will need a vehicle to travel to activities because thry are far away. there is a general store that now serves breakfast so that is pretty nifty. it seems they are making improvements regarding grounds but i would not recommend tent camping. they do have cabins surrounding the lake.

The full hook up sites are level and private.

Several water fill locations, dump station. Full hook up sites are very limited with minimal shade. Remainder of campground is nearly always shaded. Playground located in middle of loop and accessible/visible from any of sites on loop area. Newer restroom/showerhouse well kept.

We visit this park often throughout the year to ride the nice paved bike trails and take pictures of the restored prairie and wildflowers.  We also take our first camping excursion of the season here to make sure the camper is good to go for the season.  The full hook up sites book up quickly, and the electric only often do as well, so book your weekend early.

The sites are all pretty spacious, with a gravel pad for your camper or tent.  The electric only sites lack shade, so bring an awning or canopy.  There is also only one comfort station, although it has never been packed even with a full campground.  Some of the sites are called buddy sites, and the gravel camping pads are close to each other, so consider that when booking.

The hiking and biking trails are all moderate, but again they are in the open and a sunny day can wear you out without a hat and water.

We love this park to visit and to stay, and will always recommend it!

Great spot for an overnight stop. Host was super friendly and helpful. We had to switch dates last minute and they were super flexible. We arrived at 2am, but they had us all situated for late checkin. The campground itself was very lovely and quiet. Couple tight spots for a long rig (we have a class A 36’ +toad) but certainly manageable. WIFI signal was strong, full hook-ups were great, and bath house was super clean, with good COVID practices in place. Highly recommend.

Camped here for Labor Day weekend. The koa is right next to Indiana Beach campground and we learned campers can use amenities at both sites. Koa has two nice pools (one large pool for kids and adults and smaller one for toddlers). The IB side has a large mini golf course ($8 for those > 5) and a nice arcade our boys enjoyed (also for a fee). The IB side has a very large spalsh pad, but was never open or on when we went over there. We stayed in a pull through spot with full hook up and it was mostly quiet. Quiet time is supposed to be after 11. The first night some people across from us were loud until after 1am. Reading other Google reviews it sounds like the quiet hours are not enforced and it can get very loud in the tent area. There is a nice camp store with essentials and ice cream. Lots of bathrooms around and the ones we used were clean. It was a nice weekend.
Also we had a very poor wifi signal. My husband had a hot spot from work and that was helpful. We were unable to get many channels on on tv with our antenna. If you have a satellite dish bring it.

I learned of this place through the Dyrt (thank you!) and knew I wanted to stay here! There are several options available: tent camping (including a tree tent!), RV camping (two with electric hookups), and a 170-year-old log cabin. If you are RV camping, there are two very clean, private, and fully stocked "outhouses" (see photo below)

We originally planned to camp in our van but with below-freezing temperatures and a forecasted snowstorm, we decided to take refuge in the log cabin. To call this a log cabin is a disservice; yes, it is made from logs(and is 170 years old) but I was expecting a tiny one-room cabin; instead it is a two-story cozy home that can sleep up to six people, all in one upstairs room (two full-size beds and two twin beds; would be great for families). It was cozy and warm, heated by a gas stove. The bathroom (with a shower) is accessed from just outside the back door but is heated. The kitchen is an outdoor grill and picnic table, but we did not use this. 

Tim and Beth were very welcoming, as was Juno, their dog. We enjoyed helping to feed the Alpacas– they have over 50. The rooster crowed gustily at dawn (but dawn was after 7 am and we were already awake). Also on the farm is Stormy, the horse, chickens, and some barn cats. There is a shop that sells goods made from Alpaca wool and we made sure to visit before departing. 

Staying here was truly special and we hope to return to camp in one of the RV spots or the tree tent in the future.

I have to say it is always nice to stay at a state park in the off season. There are a couple hundred sites in this park and we were one of about 12 occupants. Even if this park had been full, the sites offer nice space. Sites vary from full shade to wide open out in the sun. Bathrooms are clean, but they are pretty spread out. Most sites offer electricity, but no water or sewer hook-up for RV. Water spigots are pretty spread out too. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. I didn't see any camp hosts that sold firewood when office is closed. Park is located right across the street from the local high school, I thought this was sort of odd.

We were just passing through for a nights stay, but it looked like there were some nice trails for hiking. The children playgrounds looked nice as well.

I have never been to a campground with so many children. At first it was a nice break from all the old folks at the RV parks, but then it got to be too much. There was constant noise and commotion and kids (and adults) constantly walking through my site. One boy was even riding his bike over my Starlink wire. A lot of the kids had electric scooters and bikes and were zooming through the campground endlessly.  I had a group from across the road come into my site and start playing frisbee golf because they did not have enough room in their own site but didn't say a word to me. Really? The surrounding area is very beautiful with rock outcroppings and small gorges unlike the rest of Indiana. However, the walking paths around this beautiful area were MOBBED.  The area around the suspension bridge was like being in Times Square.  The bathrooms were good….a solid B+.

Il start this by saying: we prefer tent camping/primitive/atleast semi isolated spots. If you’re looking for RV camping, this is probably a decent spot so read no further!

We drove in to the Middle Fork Forest Preserve looking for a place to camp same day on our way down to Giant City. We weren’t able to make a reservation less than 5 days in advance online so we tried to call. No one in the office except Th-Sunday and it was Wednesday so we couldn’t get in touch. All good. It happens and it did say that clearly on their website and on voicemail. We needed a place for the night so decided to risk driving over from I57 S. Rolled in around 5 and all the campsites were marked reserved but there were about 3 people set up to camp there. We didn’t end up camping the night 1. Because we didn’t want to be jerks about the reservations although it seemed like no one else would be arriving until at the earliest the next day and 2. All of the campsites were pretty tight together and surfaced with gravel. That’s a personal preference thing. We always look for primitive/walk-in/hike in sites to set up tents/hammocks. This spot was mostly set up for RVs.

The hiking looked pretty lovely and the grounds/facilities looked well kept! Just maybe not our preference.

This state park has it all. Sites are amazing! In the 100’s they are full hookup, yes that’s right sewer hookups in a state park! The 200’s are electric only. They offer a water park for a small fee, fishing, Bike trails, nature center, Indian village and have an 1800’s working farm where you can buy eggs and bacon. Easy to access right off of 65 and plenty to do in the area.

The whole premise of Prophetstown is to recreate pre-colonial landscape so not a lot of mature growth trees around the park, but nice sites with some trees in the full hookup area, very “prairie” in electric only area. Water park (closed 2020) is nice attraction as are hike and bike trails, fishing, and The Farm.

We stayed here for a quick overnight on a longer trip and want to come back for longer. Massive spots in a wooded area with lots of privacy. Full hookups as well as electric only with convenient potable water and dump stations. Nice playgrounds, bike trails (paved & mountain),fishing and an excellent aquatic center ($5 per person).

We enjoyed staying at the alpaca farm overall. We were the only RV parked right in front of the red barn. There were two toilet outhouses nearby that we could use. And it was nice waking up to the alpacas. Unfortunately the owners weren’t able to do the pizza or farm fresh eggs for our visit. The one area of improvement I would recommend is the check in process/booking. Booking the reservation required a few more steps than ideal, but overall we were glad to stay in a cool area. Also, if you’re looking for a place to eat- about 22 minutes away is Hog Heaven which we thought was a cute hole in the wall restaurant with really friendly staff. Tell Lisa, the manager, we sent you! She reminded us of what an old fashioned waitress used to be- friendly and attentive!

Prophetstown State Park is located between Lafayette and Battleground, IN. It proved to be a lovely place to stay. We parked in Spruce Loop which had spacious sites and full hookups. I especially appreciated the fact that all the sites were, at the least, partially shaded and at a distance from neighboring sites. We were also within easy walking distance of a spacious and clean vault toilet. A little further walk brings you to a large restroom/shower facility. It also was very clean. The full hookup sites are in Spruce Loop. Electric only sites are in Savanna Loop. They are fairly new so not offering much shade as yet, although plenty of young trees are sprouting. They park offers much in the way of hiking, biking, playgrounds, basketball court, spacious shelters, a farm and nature center to visit, plus a large fun, water park. We plan to return with our bikes and also with a grandchild soon.