Best Glamping near Oakland City, IN

Ranger Review: Primus at Harmonie State Park

I recently visited Harmonie State Park near New Harmony, In. https://indianastateparks.reserveamerica.com/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=IN&parkId=570048 Just a heads up when camping in Indiana there is a fee to visit the State Parks. I always carry cash for that , laundry and in some states bathroom use. So, the number one thing that stuck out to me about this campground was the shade. For the most part it’s level (floodplain...I saw no standing water) And all the sites are nicely shaded (we are talking full growth) and good size. The sites are electric only, no water, no sewer. There are centrally located water hydrants and a dump station on the way out of the campground. The campground wasn’t very full when we visited, but there is a plethora of activities to enjoy. An Olympic size pool which back in the day my kids woulda loved. Hiking paths (very wide), one right by the campground and a connector trail to the mountain bike trail area. There’s also a bike section on the paved roads. You could spend a comfortable week here and not be bored.

Product Review: As a Dyrt Ranger I get to occasionally try out outdoor products while camping and this trip I brought along some Primus “kitchen gear” https://primus.us/ . Primus is known for its camping stoves , the kitchen accessories are pretty sweet too. I have the Trailsporks , a long spoon , a spatula for grilling , campfire plates and a campfire knife. These are very sturdy made accessories and pack in my kit without taking up a lot of space. There are a lot of options on the site to fit your packing needs too, from family fireside to fastpacking . I’m building my fireside kitchen kit .

This is a small state park in an out of the way part of the state. Located in Southwest Indiana, about 40 miles from Evansville. 

This is a typical Indiana State Park. Some sites are pretty close together, some are spacious. There's electricity, but water is shared. Some sites have 50 amp, so when you're looking to reserve, check that out. IMO, the best site is site 39. It's at the end of the row, with somewhat secluded. It's a walk to the bathroom, but worth it. Site 22 is also a good site at the end of a row & has a trail from the site to the small pond. 

Be sure to watch for the grade also. Some of the sites had a noticeable incline. 

Bathrooms are pretty dismal. They smelled bad too. They need to start replacing these old, worn out comfort stations with something from this century! The nature center is in the campground & is pretty small. We enjoyed it though.

The camp store is in the park office& is ridiculous. Bring everything you need, cause you won't find it there!

8 trails the longest is 2.5 miles, the shortest.25 miles. There's also mountain bike trails & a 4 mile horse trail.

We camp here every time we come to Indiana. We have camped there in a truck camper, and now we tent camp with our Jeep. The sites are large, and there are fire rings available. There are vault toilets and a fresh water pump not far from them. The only time this camp is full is when a trail ride is going on, then it fills up fast. It is only five miles from Paoli, and there is a Walmart there if you need supplies..

 I have tried to contact corporate and been ignored.. We  stayed at the Rudolph campsite in Santa Claus Indiana like I stated before we would like a refund for one night and one night of the golf cart as we wound up leaving.  the toilet seat was cracked, which pinched me and one of my Children left marks, there were also mouse droppings in the drawer where the silverware was and stains on the sheets. I have pictures of all this and since nobody has contacting us, I will give it until Monday morning and then I will have my attorney contact them with all the pictures since they don’t want to do anything about this and then I will also be posting with the Better Business Bureau and attaching all the pictures.

Celina Recreation Area is located in Hoosier National Forest near Branchville, IN off IN37. My drive in took me first through the rolling hills of upper Kentucky farmland, than across the Ohio River into Cannelton, IN where I found a sweet Winery named Blue Heron with excellent views and an awesome host/owner. There is a wine trail through the lower Indiana area that might interest you (Hoosier Wine Trail) if that’s your kinda sightseeing . 

Tell City is where you might want to stop and get your supplies, there’s the usual fast food, gas stations and Wally World. The area Ranger Station is also in Tell City but it is closed on the weekends.

We took IN37 which runs down the middle more or less of Hoosier NF. There is a zip-line “Eagles Wings” and a Citgo fuel stop enroute to the Celina RA.

Once you turn into the Recreation Area Celina Lake and the two campgrounds (North Face Loop and South Slope Loop) are to the left, Indian Lake is straight. 

Indian Lake is accessed by a basic boat ramp with parking only. I liked the fact that there are several parking pull offs along the road to the ramp to park and access the Two Lakes Trail which meanders around both lakes covering about 15 miles in all. The trail is moderate, technical but not too steep, a good workout. You can disperse camp for 5$ a night as long as you are 300 ft off the trail. 

Celina Lake boat ramp has more to offer. There is a pit toilet and small picnic area in a small shaded grassy area between the parking area and boat ramp access road. 

The parking area is handicap accessible with a small fishing pier that can be reached directly from the handicap parking spot. 

The Rickenbaugh Historic family home and cemetery are located in the far side of the boat ramp with a kiosk and 1 mile Interpretive trail that tells the story of the area.

We enjoyed the trails which is where we spent most of our time, sight seeing and communing with the crazy number of ticks present and hitching rides. 

The boat dock was pretty busy though quiet due to the electric motor restriction. 

The lake is good size, you could paddle to an area and disperse camp to fish or just enjoy the area. 

The two campgrounds were well maintained with helpful live in hosts. North is Basic and South is RV with electric hook up. The dump station is south on IN37 near Tipsaw Lake. Both offer good shade and privacy. They were very peaceful . I liked North more then South the North sites were further apart offering the most privacy and quiet.

I used to live near here before the strip mine went through. The camp is in the middle of a large reclamation. Lots of ponds and young trees. Great modern sites mostly dispersed.

We recently stayed here for the Labor Day weekend. It was a smaller camp ground but that made it very quiet. The sites were very spacious and far enough apart that you had room to spread out. 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.

The owner just reopened this campground 2 years ago, put a lot of work into it. Overall great place, roughly 3 miles off the interstate. GPS states there is a bridge to the campground, but not true. Can drive directly to it. Lovely area with fishing not far from the campsite. Full hookups on every site, have in trees half in direct sun. Lots of full time residents, but very clean and very friendly. Will fit any size rig, or tents. Great wifi and cell signal. We didn’t put up fish network. Simple campground with wood for sale only. Lots and lots of ticks, beware if you have pups.

Recently tried out Scales Lake...not my 1st choice. Sites were very small and close together. There were several different spots/clusters of camp sites. Some where full hook up, some primitive, some just electric, and all mixed together. The fire rings were very small with no grates to cook on. There was 1 bath house, very nice and clean and cooled, but not assemble to all camping sites. Also there were 2 playgrounds and a petting zoo. Lake has a small beach for swimming, slide with its own catch pool separate. Fishing allowed.

The streets in the town are extremely narrow, making it hard to get into the park.

My wife and I camped here in February of 2020. This is a very well maintained park. We had just bought our 29' motorhome. It was too cold to do much, but the campground is nice. There is a petting zoo for the kids, a nice pool with a large water slide, 1 shower house that was very clean. Clean restrooms. A large lake for fishing and swimming. Walking trails, wood available for purchase. They even have cabins for rent, and lots of primitive sites. I recommend this park to all!

This is one of our favorite places to camp. Very clean and lots for us to do!

This is a small campground. Campsites are tight but all centered around a decent sized bath house. There is a lot to do at this park, playgrounds, bike and walking trails and a good sized lake with a beach, all within walking distance. I would definitely do this one again.

Two playgrounds, little petting zoo for kids. Beach area with small fee. Full hook up sites.

Nice beach, trails and playground. Friendly camper. Pet friendly. Would've given 5 stars but our site was tight. Squeezed between 2 sites, out the front door fight to neighbors sewer hose.

Scales Lake Park is right outside Boonville, In on South Parklane Dr.

I drove through the RV park, it was okay. The main area had little shade, definitely go for the outer sites if you want some grass and shade. The showerhouse was centrally located next to the playground and there was a laundromat of sorts included.

Water sports and a bike/hike trail, so plenty to keep you occupued. The paved road that runs all the way through to the closed gate, is good for biking or jogging if you don't want to run the trail.

My favorite part was one; the handicap primitive site had a handicap accessible fishing deck and two; near that was McCool Point. A secluded primitive site with a stairway down to your own little boat tieoff. Sorta cool :)

Have stayed here several times and always enjoy it. This park is kept clean and has nice trails for those who enjoy hiking.

Private campgound with friendly staff. Sites are not very private but it was not busy at all. Great fishing and looks like a fun place for families.

This 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.

We had 3 RVs in our group and we camped in one of the "wagon wheels". It was a very cool experience. I'm not sure how you could get in or out if all the spots were reserved. It took a collaborative effort when it was time to pull out. The "front" camper had to pull out first before the second could get hitched up. Then after the second was pulled forward, the third could hitch up. It was kind-of weird, but we loved the set-up while we were there. The pull through sites are nice, but they were pretty close together. (Nothing like sitting under your awning and looking at your neighbor's sewer pipe.) The park was absolutely beautiful. They put a lot of hard work in keeping it maintained. Very nice place. Definitely going back soon.

peaceful and quiet with a small trolling only lake and swimming area.

We 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.