The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Lincoln City. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Indiana camping has to offer. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Lincoln City camping trip.
Hoosier National Forest South Slope Loop Campground
25 min away
Tipsaw Lake
29 min away
$45 - $101 / night
"This is a fun family Campground located adjacent to holiday world and Splashin Safari. There are golf carts for rent, nice camp stores, pools, playground, putt putt golf course, arcade and more."
"Wow, Lake Rudolph Campground is huge! "
$17 - $140 / night
"The sites are very close together, so when the campsites are full you don't feel like you have much privacy or personal space."
"Though the ground was a little rocky the lake views were spectacular. There was a porto potty in walking distance."
$21 - $44 / night
"This was a very quiet campsite in southern Indiana. We had a hard time finding dispered camping in the national Forest so we settled for this site."
"Our camp host was so sweet and gave us a box fan to use (there is electrical) so that we could have some relief from the heat.
Our camp site was nice and private yet close to a bathroom. "
"The staff was friendly and helpful. There is a small petting zoo at the park and in the morning they let the animals out to feed on the grass. So expect to see them in the campground."
"There was a free petting zoo which was great but the animals seemed very discontented. The trails were interesting but vacant of trail markers and some plaques were vandalized from years before."
$8 - $20 / night
"Park features playground, paved biking and walking trails, disc golf, plenty of shade, lake with boat dock (non-motorized boats only), bath house, and dump station."
"Nice lake, trails, swimming area. Etc. Sites have water and electric, dump station on site. Weekends are busy. We would stay here again."
"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."
"Found Hoosier National Park website wasn't available, we arrived seeking 1st come 1st served... and got it! 👍 Thank You, LORD!"
"There are two lakes, Indian and Celina , in the immediate area, electric motors only, which just adds to my liking it;)."
"My husband and I have been to Lake Celina for a day hike before, so when planning where to go for a weekend of car camping choosing this place was a no brainer."
$2 - $40 / night
"The bathrooms were probably the cleanest, nicest shower houses I’ve seen at a campground."
"Fairly new with great access to fishing. Bike riding enjoying nature. Several pull through sites and all are full hook up."
"I went for years with my family growing up in a pop up and pull behind. I recently went tent camping there and it was awesome as usual."
"Celina Recreation Area is located in Hoosier National Forest near Branchville, IN off IN37."
$19 - $496 / night
"The staff was fairly nice, and even helped us out with a bit of a Karen camper. The sites have an asphalt pad that are mostly level. 50,30,20 amp service in one box."
"Bathhouses feel luxuriously clean and large compared to most campgrounds. There are multiple play areas for children and beautiful hiking trails within and around the campground itself."
GuideCamp sites are pretty small, but are aligned along a small stream. Heavy truck and train traffic can be heard at all hours. Sites equipped with electricity, a gazebo & picnic table, and fire pit. Camp store, cave tours, gift shop, and other pay activities are within steps of camping, but only open until 5:00. No security or staff at all after hours. Bath house was heated, extremely clean with flush toilets, and continual hot water. City water access in the middle of the campsite. Play area and 2 large covered areas for get together's. Newer cabins looked very nice from outside. Caves are obviously a must see while there. More caves are within driving distance.
TravelerWe camped here in the middle of October. The sites are very close together, so when the campsites are full you don't feel like you have much privacy or personal space. It was nice having full hookups for our camper, and there are plenty of hiking trails to get out and explore. Scales Lake is beautiful, my daughter enjoyed the playground and the petting zoo, and we'd probably like to come back, just maybe not on such a busy weekend.
GuideObannon Overall, this is a nice state park to camp in. Staff was very friendly. They have ice and wood. My kids enjoyed the nature center, pioneer village, and one of the easy trails.
We stayed in 220. It was nice to be right by the playground and bathrooms (which is what we wanted). Some spots near the back would be nice and secluded like the 180s and 190s and they’re still not too far from the bathrooms and playground. The better playground is in loop A.
I will say, I didn’t see any staff members cleaning up trash, getting campsites ready, or anything the 2 days we were there. Even though we went in November, it was a nice weekend and wasn’t dead, so I was surprised I didn’t see anyone cleaning. Wasn’t the cleanest state campground we’ve been at in Indiana. Certainly wasn’t awful though either.
My biggest gripe was they were hosting a huge cycling group. Like the whole loop A. We were all the way back in C. They held a concert that went on from like 8-11 pm. Being in a pop up, it was so loud and never ending. Made it difficult for my kids to sleep. If they’re going to hold (or allow) events like these, it should be posted on their website. Even with our sound machine, we still couldn’t block it out. I realize quiet hours aren’t until 11, but to me there’s a difference.
There is also hardly any signage and spots are difficult to find. No arrows about which way to go, signs saying which loop you’re in, and spots are only marked on the electrical boxes.
Overall, may stay again and try out the pool since we’re not too far from home, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to stay here.
TravelerThis is a fun family Campground located adjacent to holiday world and Splashin Safari. There are golf carts for rent, nice camp stores, pools, playground, putt putt golf course, arcade and more. This campground has lots of family fun activities Such as a glow parade, karaoke night, arts and crafts, and more. The Halloween themed weekends are so much fun with a campsite decorating contest, trick-or-treating etc.
LegendWow, Lake Rudolph Campground is huge! So huge in fact that we only ever saw 1/2 of it - we never even ventured into the other 1/2 of the campground (the top half of the map, which is probably MORE than 1/2 of the campground). We stayed in a water / electric site in Ornament Circle which was perfect because it was very close to the fishing ‘lake’, bathhouses, mini golf, and tram stop for Holiday World (which is, of course, why we were there). The mini golf (9 hole) was actually a lot of fun, and the fishing pond has a ton of fish in it. We caught crappie, bluegill, and a few smaller bass - but there are definitely some larger bass in there. The bathhouses were relatively dirty, but had free showers and plenty of stalls. We did not visit the campground store or anything in the upper 1/2 of the campground, as I mentioned, so we did not go to the in-campground pool or mini waterpark. The location of the campground is perfect if you’re visiting for Holiday World / Splashin’ Safari.
Speaking of which, I was a little hesitant about Holiday World as it sounds a little cheesy, but I think it’s one of the nicest amusement parks we’ve ever been to - and we’ve been to a lot! The theming is awesome with each section of the park entirely entrenched in its given holiday (different colors used on fences, the theming of all of the rides themselves, the concessions available, special characters, etc), it was just a ton of fun. We got to the park shortly after it opened, which means we had about an hour in the main park before Splashin’ Safari opened (which was our main focus). I had the grand idea to head straight for The Voyage, which I had heard was the top-rated coaster in the park, and grabbed the seats at the back of the coaster (it’s a wooden coaster, right? you’re supposed to sit in the back).
Ho-Lee Crap.
That thing was insane! I have never been on a wooden rollercoaster anything close to that extreme - in fact, all 3 of the famous wooden coasters at Holiday World obliterated most other wooden coasters we had been on. The Voyage in particular, though, is intense. I would not recommend sitting in the back of the train.. hah. The Legend and The Raven are both AWESOME and we enjoyed those more than The Voyage. The new (steel) coaster, Thunderbird, is extremely smooth, especially after riding the old wooden coasters, and it was fantastic - one of my favorite steel coasters that I’ve ever ridden. We spent most of the day at the water park, which was also a great time. The Mammoth in particular was a ton of fun, and unique - it’s a ‘water coaster’ but you sit in a large circular raft (with nice individual seats) instead of the typical in-line 2- or 4-person tube. We really enjoyed that one, though it did break down a few times that day which increased the wait times. The food was decent for an amusement park, and we definitely felt like we got our money’s worth.
We will definitely be back, and will stay at Lake Rudolph when we return!
GuideAs soon as we exited the highway we were struggling to see though the immense cloud of smoke that was building bigger denser as we approached the park. We quickly learned that this was from all of the camp fires in the park, it was then we realized that this park was a small city.
The Pro’s - they have every amenity you can think of for everyone including the family dog. The park is located in a cute town with a deep Christmas theme. You will meet a lot of people most of which were great. Bathrooms and other related areas were very clean and well maintained. Daily trash pick up. AT&T cell signal was good.
The Con’s - There are people every where and it appeared that many of them did not know they were in a family camp while consumed beer after beer cussing at there friends and family while playing there inappropriate music very loud (I’m not saying I think they shouldn’t be able to do this its just seemed out of place in a town themed after Christmas, and in a park called Rudolph lake with a heavy focus on families. I think the park can do a better job of controlling this). The electrical at our site was not working properly and we had to run off of a 110 plug we found. The smoke at night was a little hard on the lungs. There is Wifi but it was virtually un-usable.
TravelerVery clean campground, with a great family vibe to it! I used to camp here when I was a kid, and it’s still just as wonderful as I remember.
The staff are incredibly helpful. There are options for all kinds of campers: RVs, tents, cabins. If you aren’t going next door to Holiday World, they have a decent size pool and slides, as well as an arcade and playground. There is a camp store as well as a pizza place located in the center of the campground.
For the camper who enjoys to be farther from their nearest neighbor, this place may not be for you. While campsites are spacious, you can see and hear your neighboring campers. :)
ScoutWe 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.
TravelerThis was our first time camping and I must say I absolutely loved our site. We were on a primitive site number 109. Though the ground was a little rocky the lake views were spectacular. There was a porto potty in walking distance. When we first arrived it was pretty clean but after the weekend it was really bad and ran out of toilet paper. But the bathroom facilities by the slide were great you just had to drive to it from the primitive sites. Water slide was a blast and loved the petting zoo, also the volleyball court was a fun addition too. Though a little close to the road. All in all we will definitely be staying there again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Lincoln City, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Lincoln City, IN is Sun Outdoors Lake Rudolph with a 3.9-star rating from 33 reviews.
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