Best Tent Camping near Peru, IN

Nice camp ground along the white river with several sites along the waterway. Clean, well maintained, knowledgeable and friendly staff. Paved road with level concrete sites, could be a little more spacious, but all n all laid out nicely with aluminum picnic tables, and fire ring, 50 and 30 amp hook ups along with H20, and several full hook ups. Tent camping also available. Well stocked camp store. The facilities up front by the office are very clean and have showers with hot water. They could use a bench in the shower stall for your clothing and a space To get dressed discreetly. The facility at the end of the campground dosent have showers and are adequate but not quite as nice. Campground is in a good location close to many amenities

We love camping out here. It’s our favorite place to be in Huntington. It’s super cheap, the sites are well taken care of, plenty of play spots for kids, electric and primitive, the sites come with picnic tables and fire rings with cooktops, some of the spots are out in the open and others are inset back into the trees. Some spots have wonderful views of the lake too! Our only issue is that because there is no one constantly there like a normal campsite, there are people who take the best view spots are stay for weeks on end knowing you can only stay, I think 14days, before moving to a new spot. Went there this past weekend and the people across from us were also BLARING music so loud you could feel the bass in your chest. We kindly asked if they could lower it, not turn it off, just lower it and the man was so kind and did it, however the woman threw a fit and turned the music back up. We ended up moving sites even tho we paid for that specific one and already were set up. There is no number to call so you just have to deal. But it’s totally worth it for the price and the sites. People just need to learn camping rules and take other people into consideration. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I learned of this place through the Dyrt (thank you!) and knew I wanted to stay here! There are several options available: tent camping (including a tree tent!), RV camping (two with electric hookups), and a 170-year-old log cabin. If you are RV camping, there are two very clean, private, and fully stocked "outhouses" (see photo below)

We originally planned to camp in our van but with below-freezing temperatures and a forecasted snowstorm, we decided to take refuge in the log cabin. To call this a log cabin is a disservice; yes, it is made from logs(and is 170 years old) but I was expecting a tiny one-room cabin; instead it is a two-story cozy home that can sleep up to six people, all in one upstairs room (two full-size beds and two twin beds; would be great for families). It was cozy and warm, heated by a gas stove. The bathroom (with a shower) is accessed from just outside the back door but is heated. The kitchen is an outdoor grill and picnic table, but we did not use this. 

Tim and Beth were very welcoming, as was Juno, their dog. We enjoyed helping to feed the Alpacas– they have over 50. The rooster crowed gustily at dawn (but dawn was after 7 am and we were already awake). Also on the farm is Stormy, the horse, chickens, and some barn cats. There is a shop that sells goods made from Alpaca wool and we made sure to visit before departing. 

Staying here was truly special and we hope to return to camp in one of the RV spots or the tree tent in the future.

Prophetstown State Park is located between Lafayette and Battleground, IN. It proved to be a lovely place to stay. We parked in Spruce Loop which had spacious sites and full hookups. I especially appreciated the fact that all the sites were, at the least, partially shaded and at a distance from neighboring sites. We were also within easy walking distance of a spacious and clean vault toilet. A little further walk brings you to a large restroom/shower facility. It also was very clean. The full hookup sites are in Spruce Loop. Electric only sites are in Savanna Loop. They are fairly new so not offering much shade as yet, although plenty of young trees are sprouting. They park offers much in the way of hiking, biking, playgrounds, basketball court, spacious shelters, a farm and nature center to visit, plus a large fun, water park. We plan to return with our bikes and also with a grandchild soon.

Not too far out of the way, this is Indiana's newest state park, if I'm not mistaken, and it shows. The lower loop is all full hookups with 50, 30, and 20 amp service and respectably woody. The back loop is more open grassland type camping, but it has electric at every location and water every 2-4 sites. 

There's a big playground including a section for younger kids and the main area for 5-12 year olds. About a half mile outside of the campground is another, smaller, playground in the state park. And about a mile and a half outside of the campground back towards the entrance to the state park is a water park. The aquatic center was not open during my stay, but according to the web is open Memorial Day through Labor Day and is $5 per person (3 and under free). It's a VERY short car ride, a maybe 30 minute walk, or a reasonably short bike ride from the camp sites. 

AT&T service at my site seemed to average 2 bars. Sometimes 1, sometimes 3. No wifi.

There's a primitive-style potty shack with 2 restrooms in between the two sections and a bathhouse in the center of the back loop. My wife said the hot water wasn't working (I would have docked them a half star for that, but The Dyrt only does full stars and we only stayed 2 nights), so you may just call and ask if they've had any complaints about it recently.

Firewood was available, but it was honor system and cost $5.35 cash only. I assume the price is set by the state, but exact change is rare for us so that was a mild annoyance.