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Dog-Friendly Camping near Salem, IN
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Delaney Creek Park welcomes campers with pets at both modern and primitive camping sites, and nearly every camper there arrives with a dog, making it one of the most reliably pet-friendly campgrounds near Salem. Primitive sites offer more space between neighbors for dog owners concerned about proximity. The park features picnic tables at each site and trash service throughout the campground, making waste disposal convenient for pet owners. Scottsburg/Raintree Lake KOA provides full-service RV sites with 50/30 amp electrical hookups and a dedicated dog park for off-leash exercise. The campground allows pets in their cabin accommodations with appropriate deposits. Both campgrounds maintain well-kept grounds with grassy areas suitable for walking dogs, and trails accessible from the camping areas provide additional exercise opportunities.
The Knobstone Trail system accessible from Delaney Creek Park offers excellent hiking with dogs on leash. The 7.5-mile Delaney Loop trail with 2,000 feet of elevation change provides a challenging outing for active dogs and owners. Buffalo Trace Park features a walking path circling the lake where dogs can cool off in designated swimming areas. Jackson Trailhead provides dispersed camping opportunities along hiking routes for those seeking a more primitive experience with pets. Campsites at both Delaney Creek Park and Buffalo Trace Park have fire rings for evening relaxation with pets, though summer temperatures may require extra water and shade considerations for dogs. Veterinary services are available in nearby Salem, approximately 20 minutes from most campgrounds in the area. The highway noise at some campgrounds like Raintree Lake KOA generally doesn't disturb most pets once they've settled in.
Best Dog-Friendly Campgrounds near Salem (100)
1. Starve Hollow State Rec Area Campground
"My husband and I had a nice visit to Starve Hollow recently...we stayed 4 nights in our camper with our 3 dogs. We hiked 10 miles throughout the park, which was clean and pretty."
"There are lakeside camping lots. Also there are larger full hookup lots away from the lake"
from $33 - $52 / night
Check Availability2. Deam Lake State Recreation Area Campground
"There are horse trails, a beach, and great water for swimming/kayaking/canoeing. It is pet friendly as well. The bath house in our area was older but fairly clean."
"I used this location as my FOB for a weekend of hiking in southern Indiana. The campground was nice."
from $33 - $64 / night
Check Availability3. Spring Mill State Park Campground
"There are trails, caves, and a “village” to be explored. The campsite has water and electric hookups (30a) and primitive sites as well."
"Spring Mill State park is a little piece of history that is in the heart of southern Indiana. Here you will find a working frontier village."
from $20 - $50 / night
Check Availability4. Delaney Creek Park
"Every one was very friendly and I think almost every camper had a dog with them. I would come back and stay."
"There is a dump station at the exit. The only negative comment about this park is, every lot slopes down towards the lake."
5. Scottsburg/Raintree Lake KOA
"The lake is GORGEOUS. Sites have mature trees, variety of singing birds. Really nice stay here as we were passing through."
"A lot of things to do around the campground, and kids will absolutely love it."
from $45 - $125 / night
Check Availability6. Buffalo Trace Park
"The sites are well-spaced and there’s a beautiful lake where you can kayak, canoe, fish, let your dog swim, etc. Disc golf is the big activity at this park. Awesome walking path and a petting zoo."
"The lake was beautiful and the park was well maintained. Wished the beach, paddle boats, and petting zoo was open... Still had a great time. "
from $12 - $60 / night
Check Availability7. Charlestown State Park Campground
"We biked throughout the park and hiked 4 of the trails, 3 of which were pretty rugged and all had elevation changes for a good hiking challenge. "
"It's a fairly new park on the site that used to be the Indiana Ammunition Plant. Good-sized sites with a very helpful staff. I hiked trail 2 and found the waterfall and several other gorgeous views."
from $33 - $40 / night
Check Availability8. Delaney Park
"There’s a beach in the summer in a very clean lake. Trolling motors only on boats. Kayaking permitted. Also for hikers, there’s a loop trail, also it connects to the 58 mile knobstone trail."
9. Shale Bluff Campground — Hardy Lake State Recreation Area
"This is a great State Park offering hiking, swimming, boating, skiing, camping, interpretive naturalist program and the only DNR property in the state of Indiana with a raptor rehabilitation program."
"Boats are a big part of this lake. There are 4 boat launches on the lake! Lots of people were water skiing, tubing& playing in the water. There's also a beach, which looked clean."
from $33 / night
Check Availability10. Marengo Cave Campgrounds
"The spots are just near and walking distance from the caves and other attractions."
"Camp store, cave tours, gift shop, and other pay activities are within steps of camping, but only open until 5:00. No security or staff at all after hours."
from $27 / night
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Drive Time
- 48 min from Louisville, KY
- 58 min from Columbus, IN
- 1 hr from Bloomington, IN
- 1 hr 23 min from Elizabethtown, KY
Recent Dog-Friendly Camping Photos near Salem, IN
104 Photos of 100 Salem Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Delaney Creek Park
Ambers AcresA
Buffalo Trace Park
Starve Hollow State Rec Area Campground
Deam Lake State Recreation Area Campground
Jackson Washington State Forest
Happy Hollow Homestead
Shale Bluff Campground — Hardy Lake State Recreation Area
Charlestown State Park Campground
Hickory Ridge Campground — Hoosier National ForestA
Sycamore Springs Park
O'Bannon Woods State Park Campground
Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Salem, IN
847 Reviews of 100 Salem Campgrounds
LDS Sister H.
GuideFriends O' Mine Campground & Cabins
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Our First RV Home Has Been Such a Blessing!
My husband and I absolutely loved our first few months here at Friends O' Mine Campgrounds & Cabins as first-time RV owners with our Class A RV.
We downsized from our 5-bedroom home in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. We sold our home and I followed my Husband back here to Indiana after he received a wonderful career opportunity. My Husband is a Veteran, 🇺🇸 and after moving to Nashville, Indiana, we had immediately fallen in love with this small town - where we respected and admired the way Nashville reminds us of where we had just moved from in Missouri.
We stayed at Grand Wood Suites for six months, after paying for a hotel, all while continuously paying for our two large storage units, as well as our mortgage payment and then rent for most of the beginning of this year; so, we decided to downsize to save money to buy land sooner, instead of continuing to rent. 🏕️ We already loved camping - we started with a pop-up camper on the 🔝 of our Jeep and camped dozens of times, then traded up to a pop-up camper. So we used what we had in savings, bought our Class A RV, donated our pop-up camper, and came to Friends O' Mine - and it was the best decision!
From day one, the other campers have been so friendly, as are the nice employees and amazing owners. They truly make you feel like family. They set up weekly entertainment that brings the whole campground together around the campfire - there is a huge fire in the middle with six porch swings attached to a massive gazebo and veranda surrounding it. It's incredibly cozy and just inviting you to join in.
We've enjoyed live musical singers entertaining us around the campfire all evening, and we were invited to watch a documentary about a local racecar driver in their indoor recreational room, right next to the indoor laundry facilities.
There is also a subterranean pool that my Husband and I enjoyed swimming in almost every day during our first month here - it was very relaxing and refreshing!
One of our favorite parts has been our peaceful, nighttime walks around the large, well-stocked catch-and-release pond. My Husband and I hold hands together and walk around it at sunset almost every evening. It's so serene and calming to hear the sounds of the water and feel the beautiful Autumn breeze.
This has been a very relaxing, enjoyable, and heartwarming experience for us. If you are looking for a clean, friendly, peaceful, and welcoming place to stay - whether for a weekend or for a season - we cannot recommend Friends O' Mine Campgrounds & Cabins enough. We are so grateful we found it!
Kaley A.GuideBuffalo Ridge Campground — Brown County State Park
We absolutely LOVED this park! It was hands down our favorite of this year. We camped at site 100 and it has a neighbor on one side and behind while the other side was a huge open space. It is in the center of a loop. It was mostly level. There was some minor doming to the site but not bad at all. It was a busy camp ground but not as crowded (sites not on top of each other) as some I’ve been in. The outsides of the loops did have more space between and privacy but could be smaller or more sloped, it just really depended. The bathrooms and showers were cleaner than some of the other state parks we have been to, so much so my 11 year old son mentioned it. The park itself is absolutely gorgeous. The hiking trails (which is what we usually go for) were nice but I believe that the biking trails were actually more scenic than the hiking trails and a lot more rugged. We liked trail 8 starting from the west lookout tower and stopping at Hesitation Point for lunch/break/bathroom. Trail 6 was also a pretty, rugged, shorter trail. The Nature Center was also nicer than a lot of the others we have been to in the state. We did choose to do horseback riding at the stables. We showed up about 5 minutes after opening and were able to pay and told to come back in an hour and 45 minutes. That didn’t bother us since we had the time but if you are on a tighter schedule, the earlier the better. We also went into Nashville and it was a very cute town to visit. Well decorated for Halloween, very walkable, and a little something for almost everyone. Prices were about what I would expect for a tourist town but not terrible. I also have T-Mobile and had pretty good service almost everywhere in the park.
- JJacob S.Scout
Ogala Horse Camp
Little loop pull off with a stone fire pit in the middle. Walking trail goes down to a swampy pond.
Ramiro G.ScoutLouisville South KOA
Late September
Nice, quite, and relaxing stay. Fire rings need to be upgraded. They were small and rusted out.
SkywaystoHighways.com Y.
LegendBill Monroe Memorial Music Park & Campground
Fun Event Location
We stayed for the weekend during a Campout event. Lots of fun seeing all of our camping buddies. I don’t think we would camp here otherwise as it isn’t really our type of camping. Sites are close together, so don’t expect privacy. Porta potties had not been serviced from their previous event… needless to say, it was foul. The country music museum was pretty cool. The guide was very knowledgeable!
Jennifer N.ScoutHoosier National Forest South Slope Loop Campground
Great sites
Each campsite has trees encircling them for mostly shade and a little more privacy. Only thing they could do is add more full hook up sites. Shower houses and restrooms are very well kept.
b K.ScoutOtter Creek Park Campground
Quiet and peaceful
Had a great time enjoying nature...
- TTanner P.
TravelerMitchell Creek Road Dispersed
Peaceful!
There’s not a lot of designated camp spots but there’s not many people around. Very peaceful
Guide to Salem
Camping options near Salem, Indiana range from lakeside sites to forest settings in the hilly terrain of southern Indiana. Many campgrounds sit at elevations between 500-900 feet above sea level, with summer temperatures often reaching the upper 80s and high humidity levels. The region's limestone geology creates unique hiking opportunities with challenging elevation changes, particularly along established trail systems.
What to Do
Lake activities at Hardy Lake: Shale Bluff Campground at Hardy Lake offers multiple boat ramps for water access. "Kayaking was smooth. We enjoyed this camp," notes one visitor, while another mentions the "huge beach area that is open for swimming. There are four boat launches, fishing piers, fish cleaning stations."
Hiking the state forest: Clark State Forest provides access to multiple hiking trails for nature enthusiasts with dogs. "Nice and cheap," reports a camper, making it an economical option for outdoor adventures. The forest's extensive trail system connects to nearby recreation areas.
Historical exploration: The Spring Mill State Park area includes unique historical features. One camper reports, "They had a Smokey the Bear program for the kids and some really fun activities at the nature center while we were there," and another recommends "visit the pioneer village."
What Campers Like
Quiet wooded settings: Starve Hollow State Rec Area earns praise for its natural surroundings. "This is a great campground. It deserves the 5 I gave it. We stayed in site 21 which was right on the lake. All the lake front spots seem to have a good amount lakefront footage," says one visitor.
Multiple accommodation options: Camp Raintree Lake provides various lodging choices. A recent visitor notes, "They added a new saltwater pool, deluxe cabins, deluxe camping sites. All sites have 50/30 AMP. Most with lake views or select a site right nearest the lake."
Trail connections: Many campers appreciate easy trail access from campgrounds. At Buffalo Trace Park, "The sites are well-spaced and there's a beautiful lake where you can kayak, canoe, fish, let your dog swim, etc. Disc golf is the big activity at this park. Awesome walking path and a petting zoo."
What You Should Know
Site conditions vary: Campgrounds in the Salem area can have challenging terrain. At Buffalo Trace Park, "Make sure you have plenty of leveling blocks. We used all of ours and was not level."
Peak season considerations: Most campgrounds in the region get busy during summer weekends. "We stayed during the week, not very crowded," notes one Spring Mill visitor, suggesting midweek stays for more privacy.
Limited amenities at some locations: Jackson Trailhead offers very basic dispersed camping. "There's parking after a decrepit gravel road and suitable for camping. There are campsites along the trail just have to find them," warns a visitor, making it best for experienced campers.
Tips for Camping with Families
Kid-friendly water features: Many families appreciate the swimming options at local campgrounds. At Shale Bluff Campground, "There is a beach, boat ramps, and many hiking trails. They offer activities on the weekends, especially for kids."
Educational opportunities: Several parks offer learning experiences for children. One camper at Charlestown State Park noted, "Rose Island is very cool- Haunting but sublime. The paved trail to see Rose Island is about 1/2 mile long hill that is very steep in parts."
Wildlife viewing: Local campgrounds offer opportunities to see native animals. Hardy Lake features "the only DNR property in the state of Indiana with a raptor rehabilitation program," according to a visitor, who recommends asking "if breakfast with the raptors will be happening if you are going to be there on a Saturday morning."
Tips from RVers
Hookup locations: At Delaney Creek Park, "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. Same for water hookup."
Cell service and connectivity: Many pet-friendly campgrounds near Salem offer decent connectivity. At Camp Raintree Lake, "This campground offers, high-speed Wi-Fi that actually works! The new owners upgraded last year and it's fabulous!"
Site selection for larger rigs: For those with larger RVs, choose sites carefully. At Delaney Creek Park, "Sites for RVs are concrete and you will need to level some on all of them," while at Starve Hollow State Recreation Area, "They have both vault toilets and flush toilets in the shower buildings. All the campsites I saw were pretty level."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly
campsite near Salem, IN?
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Salem, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Salem, IN is Starve Hollow State Rec Area Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 25 reviews.
What is the best site to find
dog-friendly camping near
Salem, IN?
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Salem, IN?
TheDyrt.com has all 100 dog-friendly camping locations near Salem, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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