Best Tent Camping near Leopold, IN

Tent camping options near Leopold, Indiana include both dispersed and established campgrounds within the Hoosier National Forest. Mitchell Creek Road Dispersed offers primitive tent camping without amenities in a secluded forest setting, while Happy Hollow Homestead provides more established tent sites with basic facilities. Springs Valley Recreation Area also accommodates tent campers with picnic tables and vault toilets in a natural setting.

Road access to dispersed camping areas like Mitchell Creek can be challenging, particularly after rainfall when gravel roads become muddy or washed out. Most primitive tent sites lack designated fire rings, picnic tables, or trash facilities. Campers should bring all necessary supplies including drinking water, as most areas have no potable water sources. One camper noted, "This is NOT a campground, but just roadside pull-offs on public land with no restrooms, fire rings, picnic tables, or other amenities." Paper maps are recommended as cell service is limited or non-existent in many camping areas.

The tent camping experience varies significantly between established and dispersed sites. Happy Hollow Homestead offers spacious, level tent sites with more amenities including firewood for purchase, composting toilets, and showers. A recent review described it as "safe and perfect for relaxation in the woods." In contrast, Mitchell Creek Road provides more primitive tent camping opportunities with greater seclusion but minimal comfort. Sites are typically located along the roadside or creek bed, offering proximity to natural features but limited flat terrain for pitching tents. Old Mill Tent and Hammock Camping provides an intermediate option with fire rings and picnic tables but no running water except the nearby river. The area's tent campsites are generally well-shaded, with abundant trees for hammock camping at several locations.

Best Tent Sites Near Leopold, Indiana (7)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Leopold, IN

9 Photos of 7 Leopold Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Leopold, IN

486 Reviews of 7 Leopold Campgrounds


  • Ella L.
    Mar. 23, 2023

    Horine Reservation Camping at Jefferson County Memorial Forest

    Know the flight path schedule for UPS and you'll have a GREAT TIME!

    Tent sites have so many trees surrounding them. If you're looking for more privacy anything off of the loop will do just fine. We stayed at FS1 and could only catch glimpses of other campers, although you do hear and see folks on trails frequently. The ground is SUPER SOFT due to all the pine needles that have fallen over the years. We moved our tent around a bit to get it anchored firmly for expected wind at night... some spots were to soft, but it made for good sleeping!

    Firewood was ordered in advance when I booked the site, delivered to our spot while we were setting up.

    We took our dog and he had a great time(on leash of course!).

    Restrooms are porta-style but hand sanitizer was everywhere and everything was VERY CLEAN.

    Since the camp sites are behind a locked gate there is no through traffic aside from other campers. Very nice!

    Going back this upcoming weekend as well! Camped this past weekend at Group Site 3. You could fit 6 tents here and still have space. Couldn't hear any other campers aside from some jerks at Group Site 1 that decided to start howling and barking around 11pm as well as playing a radio very loudly past 9:30pm. Couldn't hear the radio unless I walked up to the porta-potties though.

    Even with all of the planes overhead from folks leaving town after Derby the tree cover dampened the noise wonderfully. Love love love camping at JCMF.

  • Sofia A.
    Oct. 24, 2020

    Marengo Cave Campgrounds

    Near Caves

    I stayed on late October and I was the only one there, except for a family on the cabins. The spots are just near and walking distance from the caves and other attractions. They have two potable water spots (so no water on each spot), picnic tables, fire rings, grills and every spot faces the little river. restrooms and showers too. You can bring small pets inside the cave if you carry them all time. I have a small zuchon and carry her in a doggy backpack 🎒 she loved it!

  • Shelly S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 4, 2018

    Hoosier National Forest South Slope Loop Campground

    Glam ping in the woods

    South Slope Loop At Hoosier National Forest is located second campground in on your way to Celina lake. This is the RV friendly campground with electrical hookups for your toys. You give up some privacy and quiet to have your electric as the sites are closer together and of course your neighbor may not be as courteous with the noise said electronics create.

    There is excellent tree cover and you do have some tree block between sites. A nice large newer showerhouse, water points, picnic tables and fire rings to finish off the homeyness.

    All of the hosts that i interacted with were very friendly and went out of their way to assist when they could. The local Ranger Station is located in Tell City and closed on the weekend.

    We spent our time hiking on the Interpretive Trail (1mi)near Celina Lake and Two Rivers Trail (15 mi) which encompasses both Celina and Indian Lake . You can disperse camp for $5 a night as long as you are 300 ft from the trail. And take your bug spray or you may be nothing but a dried out husk by the end of your visit, ticks are horrible right now!

    We spent time at the lake also. Very peaceful, electric motors only so no waves or tubers flying by. There is a small handicap accessible fishing pier adjacent the parking area. A nice area to visit.

  • Sam H.
    Apr. 2, 2023

    Saddle Lake Campground — Hoosier National Forest

    Average National Forest campground

    13 total sites, 2 of which are tent/primitive only and set 50ft or so back into the trees. No electric or water. A single vault toilet of average cleanliness, but was stocked with 6 partial rolls of tp. Tent pads are all flat and level, but parking pads are definitely not. It's all gravel roads including the "Saddle Lake Road" entrance all the way from Old State Road 37. There is a parking lot and boat ramp further down the hill at the lake, but state law does not permit swimming from the shore without a designated beach. $5/night fee paid by honor system drop box near camp entrance.

  • Heather K.
    Jul. 22, 2019

    Horine Reservation Camping at Jefferson County Memorial Forest

    Close to town with a country feel

    To find the campground, follow your GPS to Horine Reservation at 12304 Holsclaw Hill Rd. If you follow GPS to Jefferson Memorial Forest, you will end up at the zipline & welcome center. Once on Holsclaw Hill Rd, follow the road & signs to the campground until you reach a gate. A 4 digit code is given to you when you make a reservation. The gate gives a nice sense of privacy & security for the campsite. The camp sites are easy to find and well marked with big signs. I was at Group Site 1This site is huge! Just a guess, but I would say around 1.5 acres. About 2/3 of this site is open, grassy field. The other 1/3 is shaded. The shaded area has 3 large picnic tables, water, fire ring & a private latrine. I purchased firewood in advance & it was delivered to our site before we even arrived. The dumpster is conveniently located near this site. The private latrine is a small, open-air structure near the shaded area of the site. There are 2 composting toilets & the toilet paper was fully stocked. The building is partially open the elements, so it was a little dirty (to be expected) but we used our hose and sprayed the floor clean. The toilets are "squatting" toilets. Which mean they are close to the floor (see pic). There are plenty of wooded areas to explore & hiking trails nearby & several great areas for hammocks. The site looks well maintained & had recently been mowed prior to our arrival. There are enough trees & space to give plenty of privacy between sites. This site is perfect for a large group or family wanting to tent camp together. The picnic tables are the large, sturdy kind. The fire ring was huge with an attached grill. There was another fire ring and 2 more picnic tables in the open grassy area, closer to the road.  Designated parking is near the road, which is a bit of distance for carrying a lot of gear. However, since the ground was completely dry, we dropped our gear at the shady area and then parked our car at the road. Overall, this is a great space with unexpected beauty!

  • N
    Jul. 20, 2016

    Newton Stewart State Rec Area - Patoka Lake

    Good campground, bad weather :(

    Campsites had paved parking pads, picnic table, fire-ring, and electrical hookups. Restrooms and showers were clean. Lot's of open space and nothing really separating you and your neighbors. This SRA is right on Patoka Lake, so there's plenty to do on the water - boating, fishing, floating cabins, beaches. There's also a disc golf course, archery range, and plenty of paved & dirt trails. It also has a great nature center. Unfortunately our trip got cut short due to very high winds, but we will definitely be back!

  • Heather K.
    Jul. 29, 2019

    COE Rough River Lake Axtel Campground

    Enjoy a beach in the middle of KY!

    I suggest you make a reservation as this campground fills up quickly. Axtel is located on the shore of Rough River Lake and has over 150 camp sites. Almost every site has quick access and/or views of the lake. There is a designated swimming and beach area. There are several restrooms located throughout the campsite. They were clean and stocked with toilet paper and hand soap. There is an easily accessed dumpster area and dump station near the main entrance. WiFi is available however, there is a fee. There is a boat ramp, so you can bring your boat and/or other watercraft. Fishing is allowed as well. There are a lot of sites with electric and water, but some without either. There are sites for tent camping and RV's. Sites have fire pits and a post with a hook for hanging trash and/or lanterns. No alcohol is allowed. Dogs on a leash are allowed. While we were here, several of the sites along the lake were flooded (see pics). The beach had recently been closed due to flooding, but was open while we were there. If you dig down just a couple of inches on the beach, you'll find clay. My kids loved this and made a couple of clay pots (see pics). As with most campsites we visit, people here were friendly and courteous. There is not a market on site, however there was a Dollar General about 13 miles away. They had a lot of the groceries we needed. There were also several gas stations along the way there that had ice and firewood. This is a great place for families to enjoy a beach without leaving KY!

  • Tim E.
    Jul. 30, 2018

    Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph

    Not for Little Kids

    We chose this campground due to its proximity to Holiday World and its family friendly atmosphere.

    The Bad: We took our 5 and 3 year old daughters for their first camp out with the plan to do Holiday World the next day. This place has golf carts zipping all over all hours of the day and night. Apparently it is the thing to do to decorate golf carts with bright lights, blairing music, and megaphones. They even has a golf cart parade that went from 8:30-10:40pm and included thrown candy that ran about 30 feet from our tent! There was no privacy between sites, constant noise, and trash all over the ground! As an advocate for leave no trace camping, I was completely disgusted with the amount of trash on the ground at our camp site.

    The Good (there was some): The shuttle to Holiday World was great, the staff were friendly, they have a great mini golf course that the girls loved, a top notch playground, and scheduled kuds activities (many are free). they also have a pool and water slides, but i cant comment on those as we did not try them.

    At the end of the day, we had a great trip. but if i were to stay here again it would have to be a more secluded camp site without the constant buzz of golf carts. And I sure hope the amount of trash we saw was a fluke.

  • V
    Jun. 20, 2021

    Saddle Lake Campground — Hoosier National Forest

    Straightforward little campsite

    There are 8-10 spots available, all but one of which are drive-in. I think a smaller RV or third-wheel could get into the first and last spots, otherwise, all the spots looked suitable for tent or hammock camping. 

    We had enough Verizon coverage to get emails and make calls but not enough to have worked on for a longer stay. The campsite is near Saddle Lake and it is walkable at a stretch but there is no swimming allowed there. Based on the other visitors, fishing is the main draw here. The sites were somewhat divided by trees and undergrowth but you will see or hear other campers and the occasional truck flying up the nearby gravel road at 2 am. Site #11 is more private and not visible from the drive in, it is on the right as you pull in going toward the lake.

    Collecting firewood is not permitted here. Bring whatever you need out, I did not see anywhere to get ice or firewood between the campsite and I-64.

    The vault toilet was adequately clean. 

    Dry camping (no water). 

    All drive-in sites had a fire pit and picnic table. 

    We had a hook for trash and whatnot. Be advised that bears are only very rarely seen in Indiana but the racoons are ruthless and highly organized.

    I wrote about my visit here: Saddle Lake camping un-fails


Guide to Leopold

Tent camping options abound in the Hoosier National Forest region surrounding Leopold, Indiana. The heavily forested landscape features limestone outcroppings, sinkholes, and elevation changes ranging from 400 to 900 feet above sea level. Most dispersed camping areas remain open year-round but access deteriorates significantly during winter months and spring thaw when forest service roads become difficult to navigate.

What to do

Explore waterways: The Blue River runs adjacent to Old Mill Tent And Hammock Camping providing direct water access. One camper noted, "A canoe/kayaking company actually ends one of their river trips there so during the day it could be a bit noisy when those groups come in."

Wildlife observation: Early mornings at tent camping sites provide opportunities for spotting deer, wild turkeys, and various bird species. The quiet areas near Mitchell Creek offer seclusion for wildlife watching, with one camper reporting, "Very quiet, only 2 vehicles passed by in the 36 hours I was there."

Hiking nearby trails: Newton-Stewart provides access to multiple hiking routes through mature hardwood forests. Nearby Hemlock Cliffs and Yellow Birch Ravine offer moderate terrain with unique geological features including rock shelters and seasonal waterfalls.

Fishing opportunities: Springs Valley Recreation Area permits fishing with restrictions. A visitor commented, "This is still a beautiful lake for hiking, fishing, and my favorite, kayaking. Electric motors only, so nice and quiet."

Star gazing: The limited light pollution around dispersed camping areas creates exceptional night sky viewing conditions, particularly during new moon phases.

What campers like

Privacy between sites: Happy Hollow Homestead receives praise for spacious camping areas. One visitor mentioned, "We were all impressed with the land and how spaced out the camp sites were."

Tree coverage: Most tent sites feature substantial tree canopy, protecting campers from sun exposure. At Old Mill, campers appreciate that "Each site comes with a fire pit and picnic table. Plenty of trees to hang up a hammock and empty space to pitch a tent."

Natural water features: Several camping areas offer creek access. A Happy Hollow visitor mentioned, "We saw a beautiful creek with waterfall, bee hives and sinkholes."

Escape from technology: The limited cell coverage forces disconnection. One camper at Happy Hollow described it as "so nice to 'unplug' and enjoy talking with each other and making new friends."

Rustic amenities: Some sites offer basic but functional facilities. One Old Mill camper explained, "2 port a pots, no running water except the river in front of you."

What you should know

Navigation challenges: Paper maps are essential for navigating to most sites. A Mitchell Creek Road Dispersed camper advised, "Have a paper map handy, as there is no cell signal and GPS was spotty."

Vehicle limitations: Many dispersed sites cannot accommodate larger vehicles. One Mitchell Creek visitor warned, "I did not see any pull offs that would accommodate an RV of any size, and nothing large enough to turn a trailer around."

Road conditions: Access roads deteriorate quickly after precipitation. A camper noted, "A few of the pull offs I didn't explore because they were muddy or washed out after several days of rain."

Limited facilities: Most tent camping areas provide minimal amenities. A Mitchell Creek camper clarified, "There are just a couple of sites along the road. One is at the trail crossing for horses, hikers, and bikers. Its basically a make your own campsite."

Water sources: Potable water is scarce at most tent camping locations. Bring sufficient water supplies or treatment options, as natural water sources may be seasonal or contaminated.

Tips for camping with families

Kid-friendly activities: Yellowbank Creek offers riverside tent sites with shallow areas suitable for supervised water play and exploration.

Recreational structures: Happy Hollow provides unique play features. One family noted, "The kids loved the tire swing and tree web," while another mentioned "The tree web is a giant net about 15 feet in the air. My boys loved climbing up and laying in the web."

Safety considerations: Some areas feel more secure than others. A family camping at Happy Hollow reported, "The whole place felt safe and perfect for relaxation in the woods."

Weather preparedness: Summer temperatures typically range from 65-90°F with high humidity. Pack appropriate clothing and shelter for sudden thunderstorms common during warmer months.

Noise levels: Some campsites experience intermittent disruptions. One Old Mill camper observed, "A canoe/kayaking company actually ends one of their river trips there so during the day it could be a bit noisy when those groups come in."

Tips from RVers

Site access restrictions: Most tent camping locations near Leopold have significant limitations for RVs. One visitor to Mitchell Creek noted, "It took me 20 from route 64 to find this place... After 5 min of driving on the very skinny gravel road y saw what it look like spots but Iam not sure really."

Alternative parking: Small campervans may access some areas where larger rigs cannot. At Happy Hollow, a camper with a "20' Ford Transit ModVan" reported, "We were nervous about bottoming in the dry creek bed on way to Walnut Grove area, but no problem."

Signal boosters: Cell service remains limited but may be improved with equipment. One camper reported, "With a weboost there was att and tmobile service," while another noted "One bar with cell booster."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Leopold, IN?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Leopold, IN is Mitchell Creek Road Dispersed with a 2.7-star rating from 6 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Leopold, IN?

TheDyrt.com has all 7 tent camping locations near Leopold, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.