Best RV Parks & Resorts near Salem, IN

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. The reservoir is 741 acres with boating and fishing plus a huge beach area that is open for swimming. There are four boat launches, fishing piers, fish cleaning stations, archery range, basketball courts, shelter houses, playgrounds, raptor display and more. Hiking trails consist of 5 moderate to easy walks all under 2 miles through Indiana hardwoods, lake shoreline and even a 1700’s cemetery. Camping is in one of two areas; Wooster primitive that has a dozen sites close to the lake and Shale electric consisting of 142 gravel pad sites with 30 amp and 8 premium paved 50 amp sites. Sites are a mix of tree covered and open with most be relatively level providing a picnic table and fire pit. Potable water spigots dispersed throughout the campground and several bathhouse facilities and dump station for your convenience. The campground also has an amphitheater overlooking the lake that offers entertainment and naturalist programs. Convenient location just 15 minutes from the I-65 corridor 38.7766° N, 85.7056° W

The Louisville South KOA is approximately 25 miles south of downtown Louisville in Shepardsville, KY. The location is easy to find off the exit of 65(which also has a Walmart and other stores nearby to resupply). 

The campground has both pull through gravel sites, back-in, and tent sites. The sites were close to each other but provided plenty of space for the average sized rig. Many were longer than other KOAs, which enabled the tow vehicle and TT to be parked. Full hook-ups and 30/50 amp services at the sites, some leveling required. The campground store is well stocked and the employees are very friendly. 

There is a pool(no hot tub-filled in with stones), play/game area, bounce pillow, and 2 miles of hiking trails around the campground. While the campground was nice, there is a lot of“stuff”(old broken trailers, mowers, etc) laying around the edges and in need of mowing between the sites. These items tend to take away from the overall welcoming feeling of the campground. 

This being said, the wifi was strong and it is very convenient to sightseeing around Nashville, especially for the price of$54 per night.

We stayed a few nights at this campground in October.  The campground is made for smaller sizes but we were able to negotiate the main ring road with our 37' travel trailer.  The spot that we had reserved was in an area were we could not get into but we went to the gatehouse and they gave us another spot that was on the main ring road that we were able to park in with no issues.  Cell service was great with Verizon and AT&T service.  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.  We will surely come back next year when everything is open!!  Had 30 and 50 amp service with water hookups and a dump station at the exit.  Make sure you have plenty of leveling blocks.  We used all of ours and was not level.

Tipsaw Recreation Area Hoosier National Forest is the place to visit if you have a large group or family event planned.

We had a good time doing basic camping activities while here, nothing flashy just fun water sports, campfire activities and hiking. ( no signal so appreciate the quiet :)

5 camping areas which are mostly group based and reservable. Catbrier Loop is the more wide open campground with large RV sites, a pit toilet, pavilion and small field for group events and a path to the beach. Goldenrod (camping side by side) and Primrose (camping around the loop)offer more shade and area to spread out with pit toilets, picnic tables and fire rings. Dogwood has double RV sites and some singles, and you feel more “in the woods” with full canopy coverage. A showerhouse and pit toilet, picnic tables and fire pits. The largest area is Jackpine Loop, good shade, showerhouse and more privacy. 

The beach area on Tipsaw Lake is very family oriented, nice bathhouse facility, small picnic pavilions on cement walkways and a nice beach with play area for the kids. We did not visit the beach because dogs are not allowed. Adjacent is the boat ramp which is ramp, dock, pit toilet and parking. The dogs had fun here playing in the water along the ramp, not much shore to speak of. 

The Tipsaw Lake Trail is 5.9 miles of technical rolling hills with complete tree coverage. We hiked it and I noticed that it is a little overgrown but overall a nice trail. With all the rain the trail was muddy and several of the small streams still had water in them. Ticks are bad with the rain and overgrowth so apply your bug spray liberally! 

In addition to the recreation area there is the Mogan Trailhead in the area which is shared with horses. A zip line Eagles Wing and Citgo gas station. Tell City to the south has the usual stores and fast food for any needed amenities, the ranger station is also located there but closed on the weekends.

I spoke with several of the camp hosts and they were very informative about the area and took good care of their areas. They also have the firewood if you need some.

Paynetown SRA is right on Lake Monroe about 10 minutes from Bloomington, IN. Campsites have a gravel parking pad, picnic table, fire-ring, and electrical hookups. Restrooms & showers were about average... not great/not bad. A private company rents kayaks, jet skis, boats, and paddleboards from the camp-store in the SRA. There are beaches, a nature center, & playgrounds, so it seems very family friendly. There's a cool little pizza place right down the road too. This is the perfect place to camp for a weekend of fun on Lake Monroe. It's also only about 20 minutes from Lake Lemon.

We called for reservations less than two weeks in advance, and they only had one site left. If coming from the north-west, try to arrive before dark as the road over the hills to this place is beautiful, but narrow and forested with some trees very close to the roadway. The entrance road to the campground is quite steep. We arrived after the office had closed, so they had left an envelope taped to the door with our name and a map to our site. We were in the full-hookup, back-in RV sites connected with the cabins but they are across the street so they’re not too connected if you don’t know who’s in the cabin nearest you. Most of the other rigs in this row seemed to be long-term. We were on the end opening onto trees and the gravel cul de sac. It’s beautiful.

Pads are gravel and we did need to use several leveling blocks on our site, which made for a doosey of a bottom step into and out of our trailer. This end of the park is very quiet, with dark skies at night for stargazing and lovely field and forest sounds. Even though the office had closed a couple of hours before, the owner Bruce came by after we had set up to make sure we were in ok. Thoughtful!

The “patio” pad for the picnic table is 12” concrete blocks. It was mostly level, but not near the edge near our tow vehicle. Tripped a few times; these blocks should be redone.

We needed some trailer work while we were here, so asked the owner for recommendations. The manager Ed then came by after the guy had come to be sure we were pleased with the recommendation.

Bathrooms were a short walk up the hill to the office. Pretty good, though they often needed supplies restocked.

We would definitely stay here again. We stayed in site 9.

This spot is perfect for immersing yourself in the local culture of the historic river town of Madison , Indiana. The campground is managed by the City of Madison and is located on prime Ohio River waterfront. The campground offers 34 class A sites; 24 have 30 amp and 10 providing 50 amp electric. Dump station available along with restrooms and showers. No tent camping allowed. Sites 1 through 18: Daily$40, Weekly$240. Sites 19 through 34: Daily$30, Weekly$180. The campground is seasonal running from April through October and reservations can be made in advance by email only madisoncampground98@yahoo.com. Sites are very close together with little privacy however; location is the trade off. You can easily walk to everything; river walk, local dining hot spots, grocery, wineries, brewery, antique stores and several historic sites. The towns architecture is not to be missed...so take a stroll around town. Many activities take place along the riverfront during the season; so plan ahead to make sure a site is available. This is not about the campground...it's all about the location.