Best Tent Camping near Lawrence, IN
Tent campgrounds near Lawrence, Indiana include several established options within an hour's drive. Oak Ridge Camping Area in Morgan-Monroe State Forest offers primitive tent sites with basic amenities in a secluded forest setting. Pine Lake Fishing & Camping Resort provides lakefront tent camping with seasonal availability, though reviews indicate fishing may be limited. Clovis Creek offers 20 tent sites with walk-in access options for those seeking a more remote experience.
Morgan-Monroe State Forest campgrounds feature gravel parking pads with picnic tables and fire rings at each site. Most tent sites have vault toilets and outdoor wash stations with drinking water available. A camper noted, "This campground is decent if you get one of the few good spots. Many sites are small and can only accommodate a tent." Self-registration is required at the park office with exact change. Firewood can be purchased during limited office hours, or campers may gather downed wood throughout the forest, though chainsaws are not permitted.
Areas farther from Indianapolis offer deeper seclusion and less noise for tent campers. The Oak Ridge area typically serves as an overflow camping area but remains a good option for tent camping with water and vault toilets. A visitor commented that it's "very off the beaten trail clearing that's the very minimum of a campsite. But because of this, not many people are there so it's super quiet and not busy!" Many sites are situated on sloped terrain, requiring careful selection for level tent placement. Morgan-Monroe State Forest also offers backwoods camping along trails like the Low Gap Trail, providing free and solitary sites for backcountry tent camping enthusiasts. The extensive trail network makes these tent campgrounds ideal for hikers, with multiple trails over 10 miles long and access to the 40-mile Tecumseh Trail.
