Best Tent Camping near Nineveh, IN

Dispersed camping areas near Nineveh, Indiana provide secluded tent camping experiences within the Hoosier National Forest and surrounding public lands. Berry Ridge Road Dispersed Camping offers multiple free tent sites positioned along a forested road approximately 15 miles southeast of Nineveh. Sundance Lake Dispersed Camping provides lakeside tent camping with similar primitive accommodations in the same general region. Hickory Ridge Primitive Dispersed Campsites also offer walk-in tent locations without amenities in nearby forested areas.

Sites throughout these dispersed camping areas feature minimal development with natural ground surfaces that may include dirt, gravel, or forest floor. Most tent sites include established fire rings but lack drinking water, toilets, and other basic services. Campers should prepare to bring all necessary supplies and practice proper waste disposal following Leave No Trace principles. Access typically requires vehicles capable of navigating gravel roads, though most do not require high clearance. Many sites accommodate 2-3 vehicles with adequate space for multiple tents. According to one visitor, "Some sites are tucked back into the trees a little and can be hard to spot" from the main access roads.

Tent sites in these areas are generally well-separated, providing significant privacy and a genuine forest experience. Many locations offer abundant natural shade from mature trees and opportunities to gather downed wood for campfires. The dispersed nature of these tent camping areas creates a more secluded experience compared to established campgrounds. One camper noted that "Even if someone drove by we wouldn't see them" due to thick forest between campsites and access roads. Visitors appreciate the solitude, with multiple reviews mentioning the peaceful atmosphere and private nature of these tent campsites. Most areas remain relatively undiscovered, making them ideal for tent campers seeking quiet alternatives to more developed camping areas while still providing reasonable access to hiking trails and outdoor recreation.

Best Tent Sites Near Nineveh, Indiana (15)

    1. Berry Ridge Road - Dispersed Camping

    17 Reviews
    Freetown, IN
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (812) 275-5987

    "Decent sized space to park for 2-3 vehicles."

    "If you are into boondocking at all defiantly check out berry ridge it’s just south of brown county Indiana beautiful country mostly hills tons of camp spots sometimes half mile or more apart haven’t seen"

    2. Oak Ridge Camping Area — Morgan-Monroe State Forest

    9 Reviews
    Martinsville, IN
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (765) 342-4026

    $25 - $55 / night

    "When tent camping and want something quiet and a place with great trails, this is a good place to go. Even though it’s hot outside today, there’s lots of shade and a breeze."

    "Site 13 has a little trail that goes down to a large flooded sinkhole behind the campsite. There were lots of tree frogs singing because of the proximity to water."

    3. Charles C. Deam Wilderness

    9 Reviews
    Heltonville, IN
    29 miles

    "Being in a national forest dispersed camping is allowed if you follow leave no trace principals, but I stayed in a couple of the official sites."

    "The sites are primitive with no amenities. Tent camping only although there are both hike in and drive up sites in the wilderness area. Great place to get away from it all."

    4. Sundance Lake Dispersed Camping

    2 Reviews
    Freetown, IN
    21 miles

    "A quiet little lake/ big pond in the Hoosier National Forest with a few spots to camp.

    At the pond there was a pad of concrete leftover from who knows what."

    5. Ransburg Scout Reservation

    4 Reviews
    Harrodsburg, IN
    29 miles
    Website

    "Located on Monroe lake, they have canoeing, row boats, sailboats, motor boats, and skiing.
    Lots of fun activities to do, and great hiking trails. Their mess hall is top notch."

    "Our Boy Scout troop enjoyed visiting this location. It was well maintained and the staff was helpful."

    6. Hickory Ridge

    1 Review
    Norman, IN
    26 miles

    7. Hickory Ridge Primitive Dispersed Campsites

    1 Review
    Norman, IN
    26 miles

    "Very nice drive during the day, hiking is fantastic!"

    9. Pine Loop

    1 Review
    Harrodsburg, IN
    31 miles

    "There are campsites from walk-ins to drive-ins to FCFS with or without electricity/water. Plenty of shade in a very quiet surrounding. Access to Monroe lake as well as a small beach for swimming."

    10. Maines Pond

    Be the first to review!
    Freetown, IN
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (812) 648-2810
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Tent Camping Reviews near Nineveh, IN

510 Reviews of 15 Nineveh Campgrounds


  • Jim L.
    Aug. 31, 2017

    Hardin Ridge

    Hospitable Woods Experience

    This campground is nestled on a ridge above Indiana's Lake Monroe. The wooded sites include a fire-ring, a pole for your lantern and generous flat graveled areas to pitch your tent, as well as a couple of picnic tables per site. There are pleanty of RV sites with electric hookup available as well. Each area of the campground has a knowlegeable courteous full time host, and ice is available at the main gate. Foraging for wood is allowed which is a definite bonus in this era of emerald ash-borer awareness and wood import restrictions. The plentiful raccoons seem almost tame, yet keep a safe distance from campers if you allow them to. There is a small beach to beat the summer heat, and nearby showerhouses (even in the non-electric sites) are kept clean with adequately warm water. There is a small interpretive hike with approximately 300 feet of elevation change situated near the ampitheater that can be completed in a couple of hours.

  • E
    Jul. 14, 2022

    Lieber State Recreation Area Campground

    Great pool; rough sites and campers

    Pros: Very nice large-size pool with slide, attached playground, green space, and sand-filled soccer pitch all included on the pool grounds. These amenities are great as the pool takes a 15 minute clear-out break about once per hour. There is a concession stand with limited selection, but the benefit is that it takes credit card (and cash). 

    The camp store is not the best we've visited. Very limited supply, but they did keep a stock of bacon in their refrigerator and that made my wife happy. 

    Cons: Typical Indiana State campground. We visited for a weekend and landed in a terrible spot. The grade was severe and despite using all the travel trailer tricks to level my site, I could not get level. We dealt with it, but I noticed 4 or 5 quality spots that sat vacant through the weekend, however, were allegedly reserved. I had terrible anxiety for the entire weekend that we would roll backward into a ravine. 

    We were on an electric side of the park, and the pull-through site across from us was occupied by a tent with a minivan. No judgment here, but they were watching highly taboo movies on a wide screen projector with loud speakers around midnight, well after quiet hours had expired. 

    Verizon and AT&T cell phone service were nil, even with a booster and WiFi pack. Our site was littered with cellophane wrappers and cigarette butts. Clearly the previous campers did not adhere to the "leave no trace" doctrine. 

    DNR was very, very present at the campground, but at many sightings it seemed like they were watching for rule infractions as opposed to upholding the integrity of the park. I know that seems conflicting, but if you visit this park you will understand. 

    Bathrooms were mostly clean. Vault toilets were disgusting, but that's expected for concrete topped port-a-potties.

  • D
    Jul. 17, 2019

    Charles C. Deam Wilderness

    A couple nights on the sycamore trail

    Wonderful place. Excellent trail following a nice little stream along the one side. Being in a national forest dispersed camping is allowed if you follow leave no trace principals, but I stayed in a couple of the official sites. The official sites all had rock fire rings and bushcraft furniture.

    The one negative was I did have to pack out previous campers trash along with my own. Being close to the college there was evidence that less than mature campers may frequent the area. That being said once on trail I didn’t see another soul past a couple hundred feet of the trail head and only heard a pair of hikers on the trail pass my camp site as I ate my breakfast the one morning.

    A wonderful backpacking area!

  • Mary S.
    Sep. 8, 2018

    Mccormick's Creek State Park Campground

    Beautiful state park but sites are too close/visible to each other

    There is just one thing that keeps me from rating this a 5 star campground. It's the sites!  So....4 stars...but read on for my thoughts on the sites.

    What's up with these sites?

    • If you want to be be able to see what your neighbors are eating and hear their conversations, you'll love the electric sites (1 through 189).

    • If you like to feel like you're alone in the woods, you won't like most of the electric sites. 

    • There is a partial solution. Sites 190-202 have no electricity, but most are fairly private/secluded. Sites 203-222 are additional primitive sites on a loop but they are not at all private; you can see lots of neighboring sites. There's a lot of shade, but you could probably set up solar panels if you require electricity.

    • If you want privacy in the electric section (1-189), I don't have a great recommendation other than you should stay on the outside of the loops. Then you'll only have people beside you rather than beside and across from you.

    Good luck! Stay one night when there aren't many people and scope out sites for your next stay. If you're from the area, this could be a park worth returning to over and over if you are able to stay on a site you enjoy.

    I've included a map of sites 1-189 and photos that show some sites I like and sites I don't like. In my opinion, a site is not one for me if I can see 3 other picnic tables while sitting at the table at my site. If you camp with other families, this would be good because you can make your own 'group' site.

    Something you need to know: Indiana state parks have a $7 entry fee but you'll only pay it once (unlike some states that make you pay every day). It's supposed to be $9 for non-residents, but we were only charged $7. The hang tag for your vehicle will get you in the main entrance for the rest of your stay.

    If you come without a reservation: The registration attendant assigned a site to us but maybe you can choose one. Since it was the day after Labor Day and the park was sparsely populated, there was no one near us. Privacy was not an issue for our stay, but we wouldn't have enjoyed our site on a busy weekend...although there were many sites we would have liked even less.

    The basics: picnic tables, fire rings, dump station, potable water, flush toilets and sinks in the bathrooms, separate shower facility. There are vault toilets closer to sites 190-222. Sites 1-189 have electricity.

    Activities: Nearby swimming pool and playground. There are almost 11 miles of hiking trails. The longest one is 2 miles, but you can combine some trails and wander in the woods for quite a while. You can also wade in McCormick's Creek; the water was low in early September. You can stay busy in this park for quite a while. And if you want to go to Bloomington, it's only about 25 minutes away

  • Daisy C.
    Jun. 5, 2020

    Yellowwood State Forest

    Quiet, Peaceful, and Primitive

    Yellowwood state forest campground does not accept reservations. It is first come, first served. Drive up, select your site, and then go to the park office to pay using a self-pay envelope. Bring exact change(cash). Current prices are listed on the Indiana DNR website. The park office does have firewood for sale, but only during open hours, which are limited. There is no camp store, no playgrounds, and no pool. Swimming is not allowed in Yellowwood lake. Each site has a fire ring with grill grate and picnic table. There are four campground loops and a horseman’s campground. Campgrounds have vault toilets and drinking water access. I do not know if water is turned on year-round. There are no modern restrooms. Sites are wooded and fairly level. All sites are primitive. We have only tent camped at Yellowwood, so I can’t say what size travel trailers would fit in the sites. Yellowwood road changes over to gravel once you enter the state forest. It is well maintained. You can also access the forest by Jackson Creek road, but you’re on gravel for longer, and I seem to remember it being a bit rougher. We have camped at Yellowwood several times between 2011-2018. The only time we have ever seen the campground busy is over big holiday weekends like Labor Day, Memorial Day, and 4th of July. Otherwise use is light. We have several times been one of two or three campers in the loop. Several trails are nearby in the state forest, including the Tecumseh Trail. Horse trails are also available. Yellowwood lake is adjacent to the campground and there is a boat ramp, but there are limitations on boating(motor size). Check with the DNR website. Camp here if you like quiet, peaceful camping. You won’t run into a bunch of loud partiers.

  • G
    Jun. 28, 2019

    Oak Ridge Camping Area — Morgan-Monroe State Forest

    Quiet, just right!

    I’ve camped here several times and have always enjoyed it. When tent camping and want something quiet and a place with great trails, this is a good place to go. Even though it’s hot outside today, there’s lots of shade and a breeze. At this campground, there are two areas of pit toilets, and a big outdoor sink. Fire wood and maps can be obtained just up the road at the new Morgan Monroe headquarters. A self pay station is set up there. You select your site, set up, then go pay. Each site has a picnic table, fire ring and plenty of room for tenting with most sites big enough for a trailer. There’s a playground at the entrance of Mason Ridge campground and a fire tower.

  • Shelly S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 26, 2017

    Lieber State Recreation Area Campground

    In the woods

    Lieber State Recreation Area, Cloverdale, IN is west down I70 from Indianapolis, 2 miles down RT243. Cagles Mill Lake borders the southwestern side of the area.

    We arrived to a very quiet campground with few campers. Our site was next to the showerhouse, in the trees and had an attached grass trail out the back. All of the campsites boasted two picnic tables and some were very spacious. The sites were electric only and there were water sites positioned strategically throughout the campground.

    The showerhouse was older but maintained. There were also pit toilets throughout the campground( not much to say about typical pit toilets....)

    There were primitive sites in the adjacent campground that did not have much tree cover but appeared to be good size sites to set up in.

  • Daisy C.
    Jun. 8, 2020

    Oak Ridge Camping Area — Morgan-Monroe State Forest

    Off the Beaten Path

    We stayed at site 13 at Morgan-Monroe State Forest, Mason Ridge Campground in June 2020. Site 13 has a little trail that goes down to a large flooded sinkhole behind the campsite. There were lots of tree frogs singing because of the proximity to water. Mason Ridge Campground has vault toilets and drinking water available. There are outdoor sinks at the drinking water stations. There is a dumpster in the campground for trash. Mason Ridge Campground is first come, first served, self-register and pay at the park office. Bring exact change. Firewood is available to purchase, but only when the park office is open, and hours are limited. It is also allowed for campers to gather downed wood throughout the forest for campfires. Chainsaws are not allowed, so bring a handsaw and spitting axe if you want to do this. Campsites are mostly good for tents, but several of the sites would be fine for small to medium sized travel trailers and RVs. Sites are primitive, with gravel parking pads. Campfire ring, grill grate, and picnic table are at all sites. There is a dump station. There are no electric sites. Oak Ridge Campground is a second campground loop in MMSF. It only has a handful of sites but feels very secluded. Most of these sites are suited for tents only, or little teardrop campers. Oak Ridge is only open as an“overflow” campground, so only bet on it being open during summer. There is also a group campground for scout troupes and other groups. When we camped here, there was a rowdy group of car campers that came to have a bonfire and drink all night two sites down from us. They would loud and obnoxious. I do not know if this type of thing is common occurrence at this property, or if we“lucked out” that night. The rest of the folks camping there were quiet. There were no hordes of flashlight children running amuck through the campground like you get at the state parks. There is a playground and fire tower right next to the Mason Ridge campground, but both were closed due to coronavirus. There are many trails in MMSF. Good hiking. 

    Pros: sinks, feeling of seclusion, quiet(other than the one group), usually availability unless you arrive really late, long hiking trails

    Cons: limited office hours for firewood purchase, obnoxious car campers

    In summary, this campground is for those who like to“rough it” a little bit.

  • Stephen & Theresa B.
    Jun. 30, 2020

    Shale Bluff Campground — Hardy Lake State Recreation Area

    Just a really nice place to camp and enjoy the lake.

    This is a great State Park offering hiking, swimming, boating, skiing, camping, interpretive naturalist program and the only DNR property in the state of Indiana with a raptor rehabilitation program. The reservoir is 741 acres with boating and fishing plus a huge beach area that is open for swimming. There are four boat launches, fishing piers, fish cleaning stations, archery range, basketball courts, shelter houses, playgrounds, raptor display and more. Hiking trails consist of 5 moderate to easy walks all under 2 miles through Indiana hardwoods, lake shoreline and even a 1700’s cemetery. Camping is in one of two areas; Wooster primitive that has a dozen sites close to the lake and Shale electric consisting of 142 gravel pad sites with 30 amp and 8 premium paved 50 amp sites. Sites are a mix of tree covered and open with most be relatively level providing a picnic table and fire pit. Potable water spigots dispersed throughout the campground and several bathhouse facilities and dump station for your convenience. The campground also has an amphitheater overlooking the lake that offers entertainment and naturalist programs. Convenient location just 15 minutes from the I-65 corridor 38.7766° N, 85.7056° W


Guide to Nineveh

Tent camping near Nineveh, Indiana offers a chance to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying a variety of scenic locations and amenities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventurous getaway, there are several options to explore.

Some prices for tent camping range from $0 to $25

  • Berry Ridge Road - Dispersed Camping provides a free camping experience with no permits required, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious campers.
  • Morgan-Monroe State Forest offers affordable sites with a small fee, perfect for those wanting to enjoy the beauty of the forest without breaking the bank.
  • Riddle Point Park on Lake Lemon features tent camping options that are budget-friendly, allowing you to enjoy the lakeside views without spending much.

Local attractions and activities

  • Oak Ridge Morgan-Monroe State Forest is surrounded by numerous hiking trails, making it ideal for outdoor enthusiasts looking to explore the natural beauty of Indiana.
  • Charles C. Deam Wilderness offers a variety of trails for hiking and horseback riding, providing a great way to experience the wilderness.
  • Paynetown Campground is located near Monroe Lake, perfect for fishing, boating, and enjoying water activities.

Tips for tent camping near Nineveh

  • When visiting Hickory Ridge, be prepared for a secluded experience that allows for quality family time away from electronics.
  • At Maines Pond, it's advisable to bring your own water and trash bags, as amenities are limited.
  • For a more social camping experience, Ransburg Scout Reservation offers a variety of activities and is well-suited for families and groups looking to engage in outdoor fun.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Nineveh, IN is Berry Ridge Road - Dispersed Camping with a 4.8-star rating from 17 reviews.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 15 tent camping locations near Nineveh, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.