Situated along the Muscatatuck River, camping near North Vernon, Indiana offers visitors dense forested landscapes within the gently rolling hills of southern Indiana. The area sits at elevations between 630-850 feet, creating varying landscapes of wooded ridges, small valleys, and water features. Most campgrounds remain open April through October, with some sites available year-round despite average winter temperatures regularly dropping below freezing.
What to do
Hiking trails: Jackson Washington State Forest features challenging hiking trails with significant elevation changes throughout its 16,500-acre property. "The property offers several stunning hiking trails and some are of the more challenging nature due to the elevation changes," notes one visitor about this heavily wooded area just 30 minutes from North Vernon.
Quarry swimming: Hidden Paradise Campground provides unique aquatic recreation with its on-site quarry lake featuring inflatable play structures. "A quarry full to swim with an aqua playground, with use of free life preservers. a creek to kayak or float and a clean campground! Life is good," reported one camper who visited with family.
Kayaking: Local waterways offer multiple paddling opportunities for visitors seeking water recreation. "We brought our canoe and a kayak, and enjoyed fishing the lake for small mouth bass, crappie, and cat fish. It was very nice to camp right on the water," shared a visitor to Starve Hollow State Rec Area Campground.
Archery: Some campgrounds maintain specialty facilities for target sports. "The archery range is great. We have been going here for a few years and it's never disappointing," mentioned a visitor to Jackson Washington State Forest, which maintains dedicated archery facilities for campers.
What campers like
Lakefront sites: Many campers appreciate direct water access from their campsites. "We stayed in site 21 which was right on the lake. All the lake front spots seem to have a good amount lakefront footage. We probably had at least 40 feet," reported one visitor about Starve Hollow State Rec Area.
Wooded privacy: Delaney Creek Park offers secluded camping experiences in densely wooded surroundings. "Down in the hills and hollers, is this beautiful campground and park. This place is beautiful and breathtaking. Very clean and super friendly staff," noted a camper who enjoyed the remote setting.
Moorage options: Boaters can keep their watercraft at some campsites overnight. "The Wooster Bay primitive area allows campers to moor their boats overnight. It has a very relaxed atmosphere," explained a camper at Wooster Campground — Hardy Lake State Recreation Area who appreciated this convenience.
Level sites: Campers often mention the importance of good site preparation. "Sites for RVs are concrete and you will need to level some on all of them. They have electric and water. Reasonable prices," explained one visitor at Delaney Creek Park regarding the campsite conditions.
What you should know
Site preferences: Some campgrounds offer varying site quality and positions. "Take bug spray in the summer! Swimming beach and boat ramp/kayak rental available," advises a camper from Starve Hollow who noted the seasonal insect situation that campers should prepare for.
Rental availability: eXplore Brown County offers alternative glamping in North Vernon area with unique accommodations. "Great prices on cabins and campers. Covered with trees with great spots near the creek," mentioned a visitor who appreciated the unconventional glamping options.
Motorized restrictions: Certain lakes limit boat motor types to preserve water quality. "Starve-Hollow Lake is a trolling motor only lake. For campers a fish cleaning station is available," noted a camper about the boating regulations designed to maintain the natural environment.
Access challenges: Some campgrounds have challenging entry roads. "We noticed at daylight. Nice playground, appears they have some cabins to be rented, some sites were on the water, very clean and maintained," explained a visitor to Hidden Paradise Campground who arrived after dark and struggled with navigation.
Tips for camping with families
Multiple playgrounds: Starve Hollow offers extensive recreation areas for children. "Great getaway for the family. We love this place and camp here 5+ times a year. It's clean and so much to do with kids," shared a repeat visitor who makes this campground their regular family destination.
Cabin options: Families seeking glamping near North Vernon have multiple options for cabin stays. "We stayed in the cabins for a couple days. There is always so much to do, one day hiking the next we were shopping," explained a visitor to Brown County-Nashville KOA about their family experience.
Annual traditions: Many families return yearly for consistent experiences. "We love this campground so much that we return every year! Great riverside sites. We take our own rafts and kayaks, although both are available for rent/purchase at the camp store," shared a repeat visitor to Hidden Paradise about their family tradition.
Adventure activities: Several locations offer structured activities beyond traditional camping. "This would be a rad place to take your kids/teens or if you're into more of a festival camping atmosphere (sites are spaced out though, you're not on top of each other) this would be the perfect place," noted a camper at eXplore Brown County about the suitable environment for active families.
Tips from RVers
Extension cords needed: Campsite utilities aren't always conveniently positioned. "The electric and water hookups are not in standard locations for RV hookups. Make sure you bring an extension for your electric hookup, otherwise you might not be able to reach the post," advised an RVer at Delaney Creek Park.
Site leveling requirements: Prepare for uneven terrain at some locations. "Pads are gravel and we did need to use several leveling blocks on our site, which made for a doosey of a bottom step into and out of our trailer," explained an RV camper at Brown County-Nashville KOA.
Big rig accessibility: Some campgrounds accommodate larger RVs better than others. "Pull through sites are spacious. Trees are young, across the road from Brown County national forest so hiking galore," observed an RVer describing the Nashville KOA's accommodations for larger vehicles.
Electrical capacity: Check power ratings before booking for larger RVs. "They have full hook-up sites and electric. Regular electric sites on the water are beautiful but not sure we could park our 41 ft fifth wheel on a water site," noted an RVer at Starve Hollow about site limitations.
