Ossian is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Ossian is surrounded by family-friendly activities. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Ossian, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
Nine connecting lakes will be the center of your adventures at Chain O’Lakes. This is lake country and a small boater’s paradise. Paddle through the chain of serene kettle lakes, hike the 23 miles of forested trails, fish the electric-motors-only lakes, stay overnight in a forested hillside family cabin, visit the park's historic one-room Stanley Schoolhouse, or explore the Nature Center. Other facilities available for visitors to enjoy include Chain O' Lakes Campground, beach and picnic shelters.
$20 - $25 / night
$25 - $60 / night
We were a bit surprised that despite having a paid reservation , we still had to pay a $20 Day usage fee to enter the park, but no matter. This is a sprawling and sometimes confusing campground to find your way in. But the sites are generally shady if a bit close together. There are five facilities with showers and running water and six pit toilets. drinking water is accessible throughout the park.
The majority of sites have six person tables, though some, especially in the new 385-416 loop have little four person tables. These are also the least shaded.
Campground and facilities are clean and well maintained.
The General Store is one of the most impressively well stocked I have ever seen. Equipment, toys, tools, food souvenirs, you name it. Good dry firewood is $6.50 a bundle in the store, $7 on the honor system after hours. It burns fast, so you might want to buy more than you think. The store is open until 9:00 Friday & Saturday, but only 2;PM on Sunday and never on Monday. Keep that in mind if you're doing a 3-day weekend as we did. When checking out, look up to see the beautiful wooden canoe with wildlife inlaid wood.
Fire pits are mostly round iron with non-adjustable swing-away grills. Booking is through Indiana DNR/ Reserve America so you can see photos of the site you pick.
This was our second experience with an Indiana state park, and like our first (Pokagon, in the winter) we were impressed with the clear marking of the hiking trails (and canoe trail for that matter) there was a map and guidepost at every junction.
There's a beach, concession stand and boat rentals on Sand lake, the Park's largest. Lastly, there's a fish cleaning shed with running water outside the campground entrance that anyone in the park can use, something I wish more parks would provide.
We were just passing through for one night and we’d been there before but this is a new site to us. It had a decent level pad and plenty deep enough for our camper and tow vehicle. The site has a large side and backyard with a great view of the lake. The shower house was just a short walk. Check in was easy and so was finding our site.
just being here for an one night stop. Restrooms are very clean and comfortable. Nice place and very friendly camp hosts
It was overly crowded, the lake was murky (worse than normal), and we weren't even allowed to bring our floating island on to the lake.
Our site was 21 inches unloved from front to back and 7 inches down on the passenger side! With poison oak all over the back of our site so bring a lot of leveling block and no kids! Other that that it was a decent park with lots of activities but a very hard campsite to navigate and a busy weekend forget about dumping lol your gonna be there a while. Also no Verizon signal but our friend had T-Mobile and he was ok signal.
The shower are unisex, and there is a train that blows its horn all night long
We stay mid-week as we are retired. Full hookup site were $30 a night. Sites seem large and well maintained. All the staff that we interacted with were very friendly. We kayaked the reservoir, used the beach and fished. Finally, we hauled our bikes to the reservoir overlook and then rode them over the dam. A very relaxing trip. T- mobile cell service was 1 bar, however we had our T-mobile internet tower and got 3 bars. Slow speeds but we could still stream tv.
Let me start out by qualifying my 5-star review by saying it is site specific. Our site was one of the more private which earned the 5-stars. But, even in a different site it’s a great place to stay for a few nights as you explore the area. Easy in and out, good electric service, water at the site, good Verizon signal, easy dump station access, and friendly camp hosts. Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) burial site is next to this county park. And he is celebrated each Fall within the park with a festival.
They have a tremendous pet park with a well maintained yard. The only problem so far has been the water distribution. But the price is very affordable. My site was 30 dollars a night. Bath house and bathrooms are very nicely kept clean. And there is a river right beside it.
We stayed here for one night on our way to a further destination. It was nice and quiet even though it’s in the middle of town. We would’ve enjoyed it more if the hosts hadn’t moved us to a front location by then. The back area sites 2-8 were so peaceful looking and walking back to that area and through it was like walking into a completely different place. The key lock entry bathroom/shower house was the nicest cleanest we’ve used. We would stay here again if we could be guaranteed sites 2-8.
Small Campground near center of Ft. Wayne. Plenty of trees. Wifi is free and reliable. Verizon cell service is good: 3-4 bars 4g. It was a nice place to spend a few nights.
Regular campground with pit toilets. Electric and primitive sites available. Good bird watching spot. Lots of eagles. Nice place, there is gunfire noise from the range across the lake. Not bad though
The area is extremely nice and relatively quiet. Sites are spacious and it did not feel like we were cramped in, like some campgrounds. Not many grocery stores in the immediate area, ensure you have what you need or.plan to drive in to Peru (about 25-30 min away). Internet rarely worked and Verizon coverage was extremely minimal. Brand new bathhouse was extremely nice.
First time taking out my 1988 pop up and it was a blast. Our site was HUGE! Plenty of space to play bags with good canopy coverage and have many guests at our fire and a short drive to the kayak launch. Kayaking the 13 lakes can easily last from morning to sundown. All in all it was a great weekend with the family!
We only did an overnight here, but it’s a decent campground. The proximity to downtown and everything else in the area is a huge plus. Showers/restrooms are locked with a code and very clean. I didn’t use the showers, but they look above average compared the the other dozen I’ve seen this summer.
The campground was clean with a nice heated pool….
It was ok we probably won’t come back, the playground was in need of some serious repair, Wi-Fi didn’t work
We venture up to mississinawa reservoir pretty often as it's close and nice. Friendly ataff, well jept grounds. Note not all bath houses are created equal here. One of their bath houses that is most convenient to more campsites , unless renovated this year really lacks..getting the proper temperature is difficult, it lacks descent privacy and you have to continually push a button to get water. (Can be inconvenient when rinsing soapy hair) Now the negative out of the way... it's lg enough that there's usually a site available. UNLESS it's during a special event such as their reenactment or their 4th of July celebration and fireworks. They have a descent beach w/a very nice bath house and connecting concession stand, convenience store. Plenty of roads to ride bikes on. A designated boat ramp and docks if you want to bring your boat along. Fishing is good with a fish cleaning station for campers. (Note- Asian carp are an issue here) Fire rings but I find campfires a a make it or break it...I won't camp there is they don't allow campfires. Trails for hiking. We have camped in their nice but simple cabins. But they do have an issue with raccoons. During one of our cabin stays raccoons really did a number on a window screen in an attempt to het it to our food and the staff was indifferent to the problem. Still it is a nice park/campground I'd recommend. Be alert to the weather though as this area seems to always get hit by bad storms. Happy Camping!
I've gone camping here multiple times and each time has been a fantastic trip. Can't recommend enough.
When we arrived the grass was almost taller than our Corgi, Kelvin. Luckily, we had brought a weed wacker and we cut the grass at the site with that. However, the facilities available at the campsite and beach area are pretty nice. Recommended for those who own boats. There is no shuttle system for kayakers that wish to float the river. No good hiking trails.
My family and I go to Chain O Lakes for short hikes, kayaking and camping. We come here out of convenience, since we live twenty minutes away. The campground is decent. There are no backpacking spots. There are a handful of paddle up camping spots that are very hard to reserve. The beach is often overcrowded with local partiers, drinking and smoking, and leaving trash everywhere. After peak hours these people clear out and usually aren't actually camping there. Overall, a great place for families hiking with small children or those who camp just to relax.
Winter camping so no showers/ bathrooms. Great area, lots of wildlife. They have wifi( bye the water tower) nice lake, some trails. Gravel lot, pretty level. Not sure what summer is like but winter camping was great.
It was my first time camping with my bf's family and we had a blast! We booked several sites and the sites that we got had a good amount of trees caving in so it was nicely shaded. There was a nice dock for fishing and the bathrooms were clean. We found a cave as well so some of us went to explore it!
Cash only self check in on sight. Very small campground. About 20 electric and 20 tent. Level gravel lots. Not any hiking really, mostly fishing and boating. Nearby town for supplies.
Beautiful would go back every weekend if I could live it there
Loved our we can there. The site was a little bit muddy but no big deal. We were right by the restrooms which were nice they have a nice dump station and lots for the kids to do. The playground could definitely use some up keep there was a lot of rust and sharp metal pieces. The camp store definitely needs updating they hardly had anything in there. All in all we were totally go back is really relaxing and beautiful
Got to camp 9/10 and will be staying thru 9/12. Lot 102 is perfect! Shade the majority of the day, very back of the camp ground and close enough to walk to everything! We got up Saturday morning and rented a row boat for the day. Spent the day checking out the lakes, then hiked a couple of the trails. Trail 1 had a huge snake on a tree that I found fascinating lol. Great neighbors made it the perfect weekend get away! Will definitely be back! The staff is amazing, the restroom/showers were clean, and the whole park is very well maintained. I have Verizon and had no service from Albion all the way to the park. My wife has ATT and had spotty service in the park, just FYI
We stayed at site #99 which is fairly easy to find and somewhat secluded from the main camper section of the campground. The site and neighboring sites are non-electric which makes you have to be creative if you need an air mattress. The site is partial sun midafternoon. The campground can get busy and loud but for the most part everyone was was respectful of others.
Chain is perfect for kayaking and canoeing with 9 connected lakes and 11 total. A couple lakes are perfect for boat fishing as long as you have an electric motor only. Overall, in my opinion, this is one of the more underrated state parks in Indiana. Worth the trip up north away from the more popular parks in the southern part of the state.
Camping near Ossian, Indiana, offers a variety of experiences for outdoor lovers. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a family-friendly adventure, there are several campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near Ossian, Indiana, has something for everyone, from families to seasoned RVers. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy the great outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Ossian, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Ossian, IN is Chain O' Lakes State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 48 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 11 glamping camping locations near Ossian, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
