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Best Tent Camping near Oakland City, IN

372 Reviews

Mitchell Creek Road Dispersed Camping in Hoosier National Forest offers primitive tent camping options near Oakland City, Indiana. This is not a developed campground but rather a collection of roadside pull-offs along a gravel road that follows Mitchell Creek. The area features a few makeshift sites with minimal to no amenities, providing a true backcountry tent camping experience in a forested setting. Springs Valley Recreation Area near Paoli represents another tent camping option in the region, though recent reports indicate it may be closed for overnight stays.

Tent sites at Mitchell Creek Road are entirely primitive with no facilities. Campers must bring all necessary supplies including water, as there are no amenities such as toilets, picnic tables, or designated fire rings at most locations. The road is narrow with limited turnaround space, making it unsuitable for large vehicles. Several pull-offs exist along the creek, with some sites located on the dry creek bed and others on the hillside. Access requires navigating unpaved roads that may become muddy or washed out after rain. Cell service is nonexistent and GPS coverage spotty, necessitating paper maps for navigation.

The secluded forest setting provides a quiet environment with minimal traffic. One camper noted, "While I was exploring and camping on this road, only two vehicles passed during the entire 16 hours." Wildlife is abundant, with turtles frequently spotted on the road and coyotes heard at night. The area offers exploration opportunities with rock outcroppings along Mitchell Creek and proximity to hiking destinations like Hemlock Cliffs and Yellow Birch Ravine. Many campers use this area as a base for exploring the wider Hoosier National Forest. Sites vary in quality and accessibility, with some locations offering flat ground suitable for tents while others present more challenging terrain. According to visitor feedback, "It's a very spartan spot. The area has a creek and is flat enough for a tent, mostly just a single person spot."

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Best Tent Sites Near Oakland City, Indiana (4)

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Tent Camping Reviews near Oakland City, IN

372 Reviews of 4 Oakland City Campgrounds

  • 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.

  • 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!

  • 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

  • Sarah R.
    Jan. 20, 2021

    Saddle Lake Campground — Hoosier National Forest

    Primitive Paradise

    This is a centrally located primitive campground that my siblings and I use often for weekend expeditions. The long winding gravel road takes you away from the highway and deposits you in a serene location that is perfect no matter which season you visit. Each site offers ample space for multiple vehicles and occupants; each site also has a picnic table, double lantern hook, and a nice iron fire ring with a swiveling grate. We have spent many weekends here and have never had any issues with any of the other patrons. Each site is $5 a night, they use the honor system, and they have a pit vault bathroom that is usually in pretty clean condition.

  • Shelly S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 7, 2018

    Hoosier National Forest Goldenrod Loop Campground

    Meet me at Tipsaw

    Goldenrod group campground at Tipsaw Lake Recreation area Hoosier National Forest is laid out in a lollipop design with no sites at the circle. It is an excellent group camp area cause it’s all you. Reservable and self contained with its own pit toilet , picnic tables and fire rings and you can easily set up a get together area near the entry. However...if you want a shower the showerhouses are a short walk down to the adjacent areas. 

    The beach facilities are also within easy walking distance and the boatramp is right next to the beach. 

    There is the 5.9 mile Tipsaw Lake Trail to hike, pay attention to your map and trail signs, we lost the trail twice and meandered around some before finding it again.

    If you pack everything you need ( I’m never that lucky) you can park your vehicle for the duration of your visit. If, like me, there’s always something that got left sitting on the kitchen floor....then you are in luck! Citgo is south down IN 37 and Tell City with a Wally World and fast food is not to far beyond that.

    And if you want to add some more adventure and hiking to your stay there is a zipline Eagles Wing and additional trail Mogan Trail (24ish miles shared with horse back riders) south on IN 37.

  • Jack M.
    Nov. 16, 2019

    Crane MWR Campground

    Decent campground

    Located on a Navy Base, so only open to active duty, retired military, DoD civilians and their families. Must have ID card to get on base.

    The base is very large in area and wooded. Watch out for wildlife, especially deer and pay attention to speed limits. Don’t mind the occasional explosions and distant machine gun fire ; they test ordnance there. But no worries, it isn’t loud at the campground.

    The campground is located by Lake Greenwood, so the MWR operates a marina where you can rent boats, kayaks, paddle boards and so on. They sell bait and ice. There’s a nice boat dock if you need to launch your own boat and plenty of dock space to tie your boat up. You can fish or waterski on the lake; it’s that big.

    The campground is not real large. It’s all gravel, but full RV hookups. The electric, water and sewer services are reliable, but no Wi-Fi and unless you have Verizon, no cell service (but they are supposed to have a new AT&T tower up soon). They have nice cabins and a separate tent site area, where there’s a small beach for swimming. Pets are welcome. They have a little shack with firewood; $5 a wheelbarrow load. Every site has a fire ring and a picnic table. The shower house is a bit dated, but clean. There’s dumpsters close by. Very pretty location.

    They do have daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal rates.

    There’s a base exchange and commissary on base, but the closest town is about 20 minutes away, a small town called Odon, but you can find whatever you need there. Bloomington is about 50 miles away. The tiny village of Crane is outside the gate. There’s a bar and a pizza place and that’s about it.

    RV’s and trailers must use the Crane gate, located off I69 exit 87, then south on US231 a couple miles. You’ll see the signs. Call ahead for reservations; they do fill up most weekends and you’ll need them to explain the check-in procedure once you get on base.

  • Susan A.
    Aug. 18, 2019

    Youngs Creek Horse Camp

    Great Camping Spot

    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..

Guide to Oakland City

Mitchell Creek Road Dispersed Camping provides primitive backcountry camping opportunities within Hoosier National Forest's 203,000 acres of hardwood forests. Located in southern Indiana's unglaciated region with rolling hills and narrow valleys, these sites sit at elevations between 400-600 feet. Access roads remain unpaved with varying conditions throughout the seasons, typically becoming most challenging after spring rainfall.

What to do

Wildlife observation: The area serves as habitat for diverse wildlife beyond just turtles and coyotes. Newton-Stewart State Recreation Area offers 45 fishing spots where visitors frequently encounter local species. According to one visitor at Newton-Stewart: "Didn't camp/ just used the bathroom. Primitive. 45 spots."

Water activities: Springs Valley Recreation Area features a lake perfect for non-motorized water sports despite camping restrictions. A camper notes about Springs Valley Rec Area: "the campground is closed for overnight camping, but this is still a beautiful lake for hiking, fishing, and my favorite, kayaking. electric motors only, so nice and quiet."

Rock exploration: Several creek beds throughout the forest contain limestone formations and seasonal waterfalls. Creek beds remain dry during summer months but fill quickly after rain. Nearby trails connect to larger rock features throughout the forest.

What campers like

Solitude: The remote nature of these dispersed sites appeals to those seeking isolation. One camper at Mitchell Creek Road Dispersed mentioned: "Perfect for Invisible Boondocking...the thick forest was beautiful. There are rock outcroppings along this road, which follows Mitchell Creek and lots to explore on foot."

Budget-friendly options: Free camping remains available throughout much of the national forest. Most sites require no reservations or permits, allowing flexible trip planning.

Self-contained camping: Visitors appreciate the true wilderness experience when properly equipped. A reviewer stated: "This is NOT a campground, but just roadside pull-offs on public land. There are no restrooms, fire rings, picnic tables, or other amenities. However, if you are camping in a self-contained SMALL vehicle, this is quiet, secluded, and beautiful."

What you should know

Navigation challenges: Forest roads lack signage and cell service remains nonexistent. Paper maps become essential as GPS systems often fail in the area. A camper at Mitchell Creek Road Dispersed shared: "It took me 20 from route 64 to find this place. If you are solo female traveler don't even waste your time. After 5 min of driving on the very skinny gravel road y saw what it look like spots but Iam not sure really."

Site identification: Many locations lack clear indicators of designated camping areas. Sites appear as small clearings or pull-offs rather than formal campgrounds.

Vehicle limitations: Roads remain unsuitable for larger vehicles. According to a visitor: "I did not see any pull offs that would accommodate an RV of any size, and nothing large enough to turn a trailer around. One pull off was nearly too small to turn around my small pick up truck."

Tips for camping with families

Safety preparations: Families should bring complete emergency supplies. The area's isolation means help remains distant in case of emergencies.

Site selection: Choose spots with stable, level ground for tent camping near Oakland City, Indiana. One camper at Mitchell Creek Road Dispersed noted: "Spot has a creek and is flat enough for a tent mostly just a single person spot no toilets. Road south coming in was destroyed some time ago have to w yer from east or west road."

Educational opportunities: The forest provides natural science learning experiences about erosion, forest ecology, and watershed systems. Creek beds contain fossils and geological features for examination.

Tips from RVers

Size restrictions: Most forest roads prohibit larger recreational vehicles. One visitor described: "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. Ok place if you like to really rough it."

Turnaround limitations: Many access roads lack adequate turning space for trailers. Forest roads frequently narrow with low-hanging branches that can damage taller vehicles.

Alternative locations: RV travelers seeking tent camping near Oakland City, Indiana often utilize established campgrounds in neighboring counties with more amenities.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Oakland City, IN?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Oakland City, 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 Oakland City, IN?

TheDyrt.com has all 4 tent camping locations near Oakland City, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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