Best Tent Camping near Santa Claus, IN

Lincoln State Park is right down the road from Santa Claus , Indiana and Holiday World. Needless to say it was a little busy, but not as bad as the Rudolph RV Park in town.

The RV/camping area was well laid out and the sites were nestled in quite close to one another. That being said it was a smaller campground and surrounded by trees and lake on two sides,roadway on the other.

Probably the main thing I didn't like about it. The day use area was a fence row away. Which while convienant to walk to, sorta cut down on the whole camping in the woods privacy thing.

Direct access to the trail system/lake boardwalk and the cabin area was co-located on the same trail. The trail was sort of well marked, though there were a few trails leading off with no markers.

The beach, boat rental and general use area was well maintained and had some cool old buildings in use. There is an amphitheater that has a good venue of events.

The general use pit toilet was fragrant, old and in need of a good cleaning. There were newer facilities but seeing as it was right in the middle of the area you would think a little sprucing up would be in order.

Very nice lake! CLEAR water, a lot of water activities going on.

Directly across from the park is another park area with historical stuff if you like that kind of stuff.

This campground has RV sites and tent sites, pond to fish in and plenty of playgrounds for the children. Clean showers and bathrooms and friendly staff.

This park is conveniently located beside Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana! There is a wide variety of activities and it's a fun place to camp with family! Some of the sites are a little too close together but other than that, my family really enjoys camping at Lake Rudolph!

Campground Review: I have stayed at and reviewed this campground before, however this time I am reviewing our experience at site I158 over Labor Day Weekend while using the Red Ledge Thunderlight jacket. Site I158 has no electric or water. It is a fairly small tent site that is very close to other sites. There is only enough room for 1 tent and 1 vehicle. The fire ring is nice and has a grill attached. There is a large picnic table and a prep table with a tall hook, which we hung our trash on. The site is gravel but I was able to put in my tent stakes with minimal effort. The site is completely wooded, so if you don't like tent camping near trees, this site is not for you. The upside is there are plenty of sticks for kindling. I did however get hit with a few falling acorns, and that did not feel good at all. The quiet time at this campground is respected and followed. The beach is great for hanging out and swimming in the lake. The beach had previously been damaged by flooding but was beautiful for Labor Day Weekend. 

Product Review: As a Ranger for The Dyrt www.thedyrt.com, I get products to test from time to time and today I am reviewing the Men& Women's Thunderlight Jacket from Red Ledge https://www.redledge.com/products/mens-and-womens-thunderlight-jacket?variant=7068462153788. I made a video folding the jacket into the carrying bag after I returned home from camping. 

1. What I liked about this product: The jacket fits great. Using the size guidelines on Red Ledge's website, I ordered the appropriate sized jacket and it fits perfectly. I like the sealed edges that kept any water from getting to my clothes underneath. This jacket is lightweight. It is a great jacket to use anywhere, but this would be great for back country camping. Because it's lightweight and breathable, I also used it for sun protection while sitting on Rough River Lake beach. The hood hangs over a little bit keeping the sun and rain out of your eyes. The cuffs and the bottom of the jacket are adjustable, which I love. Red Ledge offers this jacket in 13 different colors, but I chose Mercury(gray). The price of the jacket is a little higher than I expected, however, I believe this jacket will hold up over time and be completely worth it. As a tent camper, I have learned to spend a little more money on better quality products than to buy cheap stuff and have to keep replacing them. 

2. What I didn't like about this product: I didn't quite understand how the hood adjust worked and it took me a little bit of figuring it out. However, once I understood what I was doing, it worked great. 

Overall, I would recommend this jacket. My son has the youth version of The Thunderlight and he loves it. I think Red Ledge has made a good quality product that anyone can use and appreciate.

Indian-Celina is a beautiful campground. The sites are set up well for tent camping with flat gravel tent pads set deep in tall trees with ample privacy. The restrooms were spotless and modern and the shower stalls were spacious and private with locking doors. There is no swimming here, but you can swim a few miles away at Tipsaw Lake. Just watch out for the abundant poison ivy!

My family and I are new to the RV World.  We are currently renting a Class A Motorhome (33ft; double slide) and traveling to the 48 contiguous states.  We began our trip in Columbus, OH (our home) and drove to Mammoth Cave in KY.  From KY, we drove to Santa Claus, IN for our first night stay in the RV.  

I am so glad we hooked up water, sewer and electricity for the first time at this site.  All of the equipment was clean and well-kept. 

We were greeted immediately upon arrival, given face masks and hand sanitizer, and kindly escorted to our site.  The concrete pad was in excellent condition and the lot seemed roomy (although we were practically the only campers in our section of the park).    If you are looking to be surrounded by nature, you may not appreciate overlooking the waterpark, but we didn't mind.  

I would have gladly given the site 5 stars, but nothing was open and my husband had his heart set on a funnel cake - as advertised.

 Lincoln State Park in Southern Indiana. About as far South as you can go! (In Indiana!). We did a weekend visit.

  150 electric sites. There's 30 & 50 Amp sites with water at each site!

6 handicap sites. There are NO pull through sites. 

 The best sites are by Lake Lincoln- 40 & 41. 39 is ok, but all 3 of these sites are in the sun most of the day. Also, 40 & 41 are not ON the lake. Trail 1 & a wide grassy area are before the water. The only advantage IMO is an unobstructed view of the water & a short walk to the lake. 

The sites seemed short, but people were able to park very large rigs in them. Check the site dimensions before booking or call the office to make sure you'll fit. 

  There's a large primitive campground. They have a modern bath house with showers. Some cabins.

  There's 2 bath houses in the electric side with flush toilets & showers. Very clean for a state park! 

  A double dump station. 

6 trails from easy to moderate. The longest is 3.7 miles. 

  Boating & fishing are popular, but electric motor only. There's boat rental. 

  There's a beach, but closed after Labor Day. The camp store is in the pavilion by the beach & has limited hours after Labor Day. 

  There's a small nature center. 

 Lots of history in the park & in the area. Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is directly across the road from the state park

 . Santa Claus Indiana& Holiday World are nearby.

I suggest you make a reservation as this campground fills up quickly. Axtel is located on the shore of Rough River Lake and has over 150 camp sites. Almost every site has quick access and/or views of the lake. There is a designated swimming and beach area. There are several restrooms located throughout the campsite. They were clean and stocked with toilet paper and hand soap. There is an easily accessed dumpster area and dump station near the main entrance. WiFi is available however, there is a fee. There is a boat ramp, so you can bring your boat and/or other watercraft. Fishing is allowed as well. There are a lot of sites with electric and water, but some without either. There are sites for tent camping and RV's. Sites have fire pits and a post with a hook for hanging trash and/or lanterns. No alcohol is allowed. Dogs on a leash are allowed. While we were here, several of the sites along the lake were flooded (see pics). The beach had recently been closed due to flooding, but was open while we were there. If you dig down just a couple of inches on the beach, you'll find clay. My kids loved this and made a couple of clay pots (see pics). As with most campsites we visit, people here were friendly and courteous. There is not a market on site, however there was a Dollar General about 13 miles away. They had a lot of the groceries we needed. There were also several gas stations along the way there that had ice and firewood. This is a great place for families to enjoy a beach without leaving KY!

This was a very quiet campsite in southern Indiana. We had a hard time finding dispered camping in the national Forest so we settled for this site. There was one other site occupied in the middle of the week so it was definitely quiet. Gravel platform for pitching a tent. Clean bathrooms with flush toilets and sinks which were nice.

Came here for a weekend getaway with friends during a COVID-19 Labor Day weekend. The campground is very secluded right off  Blue River. A canoe/kayaking company actually ends one of their river trips there so during the day it could be a bit noisy when those groups come in. Sites are relatively close but you still have plenty of your own space. Each site comes with a fire pit and picnic table. Plenty of trees to hang up a hammock and empty space to pitch a tent. There were 2 port-o-potties onsite and 1 garbage bin. 

Close to Marengo Cave, the Indiana Shoe Tree and a bunch of Canoe trip companies.

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

I camped from Thursday until Monday. Hiked through the forest to where Abraham Lincoln grew up in Indiana. Fished the lake caught fish for dinner. Really enjoyed my time here.

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.