Dispersed tent camping dominates the landscape near Seymour, Indiana, with several primitive options in the Hoosier National Forest. Berry Ridge Road Dispersed Camping offers free, secluded tent sites with multiple camping spots spread along a gravel forest road. Charles C. Deam Wilderness provides backcountry tent camping opportunities with both hike-in and drive-in access points. Sundance Lake Dispersed Camping features a small lake with limited tent sites nearby, while Hickory Ridge Primitive Dispersed Campsites offers additional tent camping options within the national forest.
Most dispersed tent sites near Seymour feature basic fire rings but lack amenities like drinking water, showers, or trash service. Berry Ridge Road sites are accessible via gravel roads that can be steep in sections, though most passenger vehicles can reach the camping areas. Several sites include established flat areas for pitching tents. Charles C. Deam Wilderness requires visitors to follow leave-no-trace principles and pack out all waste. Tent campers should bring all necessary supplies, including water, as most areas have no services. Some locations offer vault toilets, but many are completely primitive with no facilities whatsoever.
Sites along Berry Ridge Road provide exceptional seclusion for tent campers seeking quiet forest experiences. One camper noted, "There are a couple walking trails around, and each site is fairly far apart. It's really quiet with only a handful of cars driving by." The dispersed sites are often tucked back in the trees, sometimes difficult to spot from the road, creating a genuine wilderness feel. Sundance Lake offers a water feature, though reviews mention weekend activity can include "partying and hunting." Tent campers frequently choose these areas for their affordability and natural setting. The primitive nature of these camping areas appeals particularly to backpackers and minimalist campers who appreciate the undeveloped terrain and lack of crowds.
"So much space, existing fire rings, there was wood left behind from previous campers so that was nice! We have a reactive pup and she is able to live her best life there!"
"Decent sized space to park for 2-3 vehicles."
"Free disbursed camping at its best in Indiana. Not another soul camped within earshot. Clean site. Gravel pad for vehicle. Green grass for tent. 14 day limit. No reservations needed or available."
"I chose this spot because we wanted to camp by water, but didn’t realize the camp sites are a 5-10 minute walk from the lake."
"Being in a national forest dispersed camping is allowed if you follow leave no trace principals, but I stayed in a couple of the official sites."
"The sites are primitive with no amenities. Tent camping only although there are both hike in and drive up sites in the wilderness area. Great place to get away from it all."
"Very nice drive during the day, hiking is fantastic!"
"Located on Monroe lake, they have canoeing, row boats, sailboats, motor boats, and skiing.
Lots of fun activities to do, and great hiking trails. Their mess hall is top notch.""Our Boy Scout troop enjoyed visiting this location. It was well maintained and the staff was helpful."
"When tent camping and want something quiet and a place with great trails, this is a good place to go. Even though it’s hot outside today, there’s lots of shade and a breeze."
"Site 13 has a little trail that goes down to a large flooded sinkhole behind the campsite. There were lots of tree frogs singing because of the proximity to water."
from $25 - $55 / night
"There are campsites from walk-ins to drive-ins to FCFS with or without electricity/water. Plenty of shade in a very quiet surrounding. Access to Monroe lake as well as a small beach for swimming."
"He has firewood for purchase and will set up your fire for free with his propane torch, which was very helpful for us after a rainstorm."
"We were nervous about bottoming in the dry creek bed on way to Walnut Grove area, but no problem. Great stay. 20' Ford Transit ModVan. One bar with cell booster."
Available this weekend
from $40 - $65 / night
ScoutMark & Denise are great camp hosts they care about everyone and will help them if they need it. They do so much for the holidays and have some great times together around the campfires. Will miss them this winter but will be thinking of them during the Army Navy game. (A inside joke lol).
Guide⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 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!
GuideWe 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.
ScoutLittle loop pull off with a stone fire pit in the middle. Walking trail goes down to a swampy pond.
ScoutClean paved sites, rigs under 35 feet will fit. Water and electricity 50/30 (water is in the ground.
LegendWe 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!
GuideGreat place to stay. Full hook ups, about 90 percent level sites. 33 RV sites and 3 or 4 primitive camp sites. The main bathhouse is pretty clean, included laundry, and a great host and hostess (Mark and Denise). The only bad is the price hikes here. One would think MWR would throw money towards some things...like a dog park, some leveling, lights at the kids playground, and MWR sponsored and paid for holiday parties/outings for vets, retirees, and all the active here on base. But nope, just collecting revenue without any beanies. Anyway, the host keeps it grounded.
ScoutLove taking the kid to hardy lake. Smaller lake to fish on with a trolling motor canoe but big enough they allow gas motors. Have a few favorite sites for the camper.
ScoutExcellent source for camping
Dispersed tent camping options surround the Seymour, Indiana area, with several primitive sites located within the nearby Hoosier National Forest. Berry Ridge Road Dispersed Camping provides secluded tent sites with a 4.8/5 rating, while Sundance Lake Dispersed Camping offers free tent camping near a small lake in a wooded setting. The Charles C. Deam Wilderness area provides additional backcountry tent camping opportunities with established trails and primitive tent sites.
Most tent camping areas near Seymour feature basic amenities with limited services. Dispersed sites typically include fire rings but lack drinking water, requiring campers to pack in all supplies. Berry Ridge Road features multiple pull-off tent areas along a gravel forest road, with sites typically positioned 100-300 feet from the main road for privacy. The terrain consists primarily of flat, wooded clearings with space for 1-3 tents and a single vehicle. A 14-day stay limit applies to all dispersed camping in the national forest, with no reservations required or accepted. One camper noted that "sites are far enough apart that I truly felt like I had the woods all to myself."
Tent campers seeking solitude will find the walk-in sites particularly rewarding. Sites along Berry Ridge Road provide excellent isolation from neighboring campsites, with thick forest buffer between each area. The Sundance Lake area features approximately three tent sites, with one site able to accommodate a vehicle. A recent review described it as "free disbursed camping at its best in Indiana" with "not another soul camped within earshot." Primitive tent sites in the Charles C. Deam Wilderness offer even more seclusion, with campsites positioned along hiking trails and near small streams. These backcountry tent locations require proper preparation as they have no facilities, though some areas near trailheads provide vault toilets. Fall and spring typically offer the most comfortable tent camping conditions with fewer insects and moderate temperatures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Seymour, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Seymour, IN is Berry Ridge Road - Dispersed Camping with a 4.8-star rating from 18 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Seymour, IN?
TheDyrt.com has all 18 tent camping locations near Seymour, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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