3 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
Potato Creek State Park Campground and Tippecanoe River State Park Campground near La Porte, Indiana are among the top-rated horse campgrounds in the region, offering dedicated equestrian trail access, trailer parking, and manure disposal areas. Both parks permit pets and feature sites suitable for various camping styles including tents, RVs, and cabins. Potato Creek State Park spans a larger area around Worster Lake with extensive trail networks accessible to horse riders. The campsites are spacious with good separation between sites, particularly in the back area (sites 230-287) which offers larger lots and a quieter atmosphere. Trail systems include both paved bike paths and natural surface trails suitable for beginning to intermediate riders. Sites have electric hookups, picnic tables, and fire rings.
Tippecanoe River State Park provides year-round equestrian access with trails that connect to the surrounding natural areas. The park features multiple loops with varying levels of shade and privacy. Trailer parking is available near the equestrian-designated areas. Both parks maintain clean facilities with bathhouses that include showers, though they can become busy during peak summer weekends. Reservations are strongly recommended, especially for holiday periods and summer weekends when the campgrounds reach full capacity. The parks require entrance fees in addition to camping fees. Water access points are available throughout both properties, and manure disposal areas are designated to maintain trail and campground cleanliness.
"I feel this is one of the best state parks in Indiana. Come with your own water as they don’t have water hookups at your campsite but there are some nearby. The sites are very spacious and clean."
"Younger families tend to book up front near the playground and the noise and activities are more robust. Be ready with back up cords, some sites require 75 ft to hook up."
from $20 - $90 / night
Check Availability"There was a horse camp available as well as youth tenting and cabins to rent. This is a great State Park with more things to offer in addition to the ones mentioned above."
"Trails and the river close by. Bathrooms are phenomenal!! Enjoy!"
from $14 - $50 / night
Check Availability"Overall Rating: 4 for access to the area, very clean facilities, and not too many campers thus time of year.
Price 2024: $35 for water/electric only.""A little close to your neighbors but the way the sites are angled you had plenty of room. Very friendly people. Easy in and out."
RangerLots to do here. Swim, bike, trails, kids parks, good camp store. Towns near the park. You can rent bikes and canoes. Our site #55 was big but 3”dip drivers side and 12” dip back to front.
ScoutSwimming, boating, fishing…this was a perfect weekend. The campground and park were easy to navigate and the DNR staff was very helpful and friendly. Highly recommend.
LegendApril 19-21, 2026 Site 231 Level with gravel pad, large pad for ground mat. Good fire pit and 4 person picnic table. The park is greening up quickly and people were carrying bags of morels out of the woods. Our Apex Nano is 21’ long and fit well with our RAM 1500. One tree for partial shade, open end lots and you will feel the breeze. Would be a good spot with friends back to back at site 199. Cellular was 2 bars 5G with T-Mobile Electric was 20,30 and 50amp
LegendWe followed our RV Trip Wizard GPS directions straight to the fairgrounds, and since we had stayed here before, we knew to use the second entrance. Because it was a Sunday, our welcome packet was waiting outside the 4-H office where check-in normally takes place. After entering through the gate, we took a right and then another right at the end of the road to reach the Northwest campground (CG), where we backed into recommended site 450 with full hookups. The campground can also be accessed by turning right on the gravel road just before the 4-H office. We tested the fairgrounds’ Wi-Fi, which is unsecured with no password, and at 11.9 Mbps download the connection was usable for basic email and web browsing. We instead used our T-Mobile Home Internet and saw download speeds around 180 Mbps. The Northwest campground area is wide open, so satellite internet would not be an issue. In front of the restroom and shower building there is a fenced horseshoe area along with a basketball court. Train tracks run near the fairgrounds, and trains operate day and night, though the noise level was tolerable for us. Take a short drive to Shipshewana and stop at Yoder’s Meat& Cheese Co., then wander next door to Yoder’s Red Barn Shoppes. Head upstairs to the Red Bud Gift Shop& Coffee Tea Cafe, home of the Super Pretzel Sandwich. The sandwich is pressed inside a warm, soft pretzel and loaded with ham, turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. One sandwich is easily enough for two people and worth the stop. Customer service with reservations and cleanliness were big improvements. We’ve stayed in Elkhart and Goshen many times, and this campground is one of the better options in the area.
GuideI've not camped here, just gone for hikes but the hikes are okay. They aren't really anything special and aren't really well marked either.
There is a firetower, which is fun for the kids and the hike to get there is short.
GuideI’ve not camped at this park, only hiked it. I’ve probably hiked it two dozen times at least and it’s got nice trails for the part of Indiana that it’s in. Most of them are relatively flat with some trails,like number two, having some hills and stairs in them. My favorite trail is probably number one, which is a 1 mile weird loop that has some neat scenery, especially in the summertime.
LegendYou use Gate 2 to get to the registration office. Check-in was quick and we proceeded to back-in site 444 with FHUs. Our back-in should have been smooth but we were out of practice. The utilities are at the far end of the sites. In most areas, the sites back up to each other and share a utility post(separate outlets for each site) and share the water spigot. As we had come out of the Brinkley Service Center, we did not need to dump. If we had hooked up sewer, we would have needed about 25’ of hose to reach a hole in the ground(no screw in adapter). Water pressure was okay depending on if both rigs are pulling water. They have wifi(4H Public) that was pretty good but there were not many rigs in the fairgrounds. We have 4 bars on Verizon. If you are allergic to train noise, this is not your place as trains run all day, all night, at regular intervals, and the tracks are adjacent to the FHU campground(CG) areas. Sites are quite close together but far enough that you can get your awnings out. As this CG was near the Brinkley Service Center and they had to come back out to us to finish repairs, this place worked for us. We would stay here again if we come back for service center work. They are very flexible with cancellations/reservation changes as they realize the majority of people are here for RV service.
LegendElkhart County 4-h Fairgrounds: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(72 yr olds in 27’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 4 for access to the area, very clean facilities, and not too many campers thus time of year.
Price 2024: $35 for water/electric only.
Security: No
Usage during visit: Very light
Visual Privacy Between Adjacent Sites: none
Site Spacing: very close
Pad surface: our area was grass
Reservations: Yes
Campground Noise: Quiet except for one day of motorcycle raises at the nearby track.
Outside Road Noise: Not most sites
Through Traffic in campground: Some for activities at the fairground
Electric Hookup: Yes
Sewer Hookup: some sites
Dump Station: yes
Potable Water Available: At sites
Bathroom: Very nice flush toilets
Showers: yes
Pull Throughs: Yes
Cell Service (AT&T): Varied throughout campground
Setting: open grass fields around very well manicured county fairground.
Recent Weather: 70s and rain.
Insects:None
Host: I am not sure.
Rig Size: Large
Sites: full hookups and water/electric only
GuideWe arrived late, and the friendly park security directed us to the campground.
The vault toilets were acceptably clean. Spots were close to the river. The campground has cabins, trails for hiking and horseback riding.
As other reviews have stated….the mosquitoes are prolific and abundant! We left early.
Potato Creek State Park and Tippecanoe River State Park provide equestrian camping opportunities within an hour's drive of La Porte, Indiana. The terrain features mostly flat trails with occasional hills, particularly at Potato Creek where Trail 2 incorporates stairs and elevation changes. Seasonal mosquito activity intensifies during summer months, especially near wetland areas, making spring and fall preferable for horse camping.
Mountain biking trails: Potato Creek State Park offers beginner-friendly mountain bike paths with the Peppermint Hill loop being particularly notable. "The Peppermint Hill mountain bike/hiking loop was really fun and not to be missed," writes Christy Y. about Potato Creek State Park.
Fire tower climb: A short hike at Tippecanoe River State Park leads to an observation tower providing panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. "Fire tower climb was beautiful. A nice little place to relax," notes Nicole B. at Tippecanoe River State Park.
Paddling opportunities: The waterways surrounding these horse campgrounds near La Porte, Indiana support non-motorized boating activities. Potato Creek restricts the lake to electric motors only, making it suitable for paddling. Brandon E. mentions, "lots of nice walking and biking trails and a big electric motor only fishing lake and nice beach."
Separation between activity zones: The campground layout at Potato Creek creates distinct environments for different camping preferences. Frank M. recommends "securing a spot in the back sites 230-287 for larger lots and quieter atmosphere. Younger families tend to book up front near the playground and the noise and activities are more robust."
Natural trail variety: Trail systems at Potato Creek State Park offer diverse experiences for hikers and equestrians. Kaley A. notes, "Trail number one is a 1 mile weird loop that has some neat scenery, especially in the summertime."
Technology disconnect: Limited connectivity creates a genuine outdoor experience at these equestrian campgrounds near La Porte. Dawn K. appreciates that Tippecanoe River State Park has "no pool or camp store and cell service is limited so it is a great place to get away from it all. Lots of kids riding bikes and playing at the playground."
Power connection requirements: Some sites at Potato Creek require extended electrical cords. Frank M. advises, "Be ready with back up cords, some sites require 75 ft to hook up."
Water access logistics: Water fill stations are limited to specific locations. Cynthia K. suggests, "Get water before setting up at the water station after the small gatehouse" when visiting Tippecanoe River.
Seasonal insect conditions: Mosquitoes can be problematic, particularly during summer months in wetland areas. Rob H. bluntly states at Tippecanoe River State Park, "Worst place for mosquitoes."
Blue-green algae concerns: Water quality in Potato Creek's lake can be affected during warmer months. Tony P. observed, "Unfortunately, the lake was a little on the undesirable side...blue-green algae warnings made us not want to put more than our feet in the water."
Playground proximity planning: Select sites based on desired distance from playground facilities. Cynthia K. details at Tippecanoe, "Sites 2,3,4,6,&7 have direct access to a playground & you can watch your children from your site. All the interior sites by comfort station B have direct access to the playground from your site."
Bicycle-friendly environment: Flat terrain and dedicated pathways create safe cycling opportunities for children. Dawn K. notes that Tippecanoe features "lots of kids riding bikes and playing at the playground."
Astronomy events: Check the park calendar for educational stargazing programs. Monica C. from Tippecanoe River State Park shares, "Did participate in a star gazing event being held that weekend and it is still something my husband and I talk about regularly."
Campground exit timing: Factor in additional travel time when planning departures. Frank M. cautions at Potato Creek, "Takes 10-15 mins to drive out of campground, so keep this in mind."
Bathroom facilities quality: Comfort stations vary in condition between parks and within campground loops. Cynthia K. observed at Tippecanoe, "Station A looked like it had been totally rehabbed in the last 5 years. Everything looked nice & the showers could be turned to your preferred temperature."
Site drainage considerations: Some sites may experience temporary water accumulation after rainfall. Cynthia K. mentions, "Our site ponded water after a rain, but soaked in fast."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near La Porte, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near La Porte, IN is Potato Creek State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 51 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near La Porte, IN?
TheDyrt.com has all 3 equestrian camping locations near La Porte, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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