Tent Camping near Speedway, IN

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Tent campers seeking sites near Speedway, Indiana have several options within driving distance, ranging from primitive forest tent campsites to walk-in sites with picnic tables and fire rings. The best tent camping near Speedway includes Morgan-Monroe State Forest's Oak Ridge Camping Area, with primitive tent sites approximately 45 miles south of Speedway, featuring both a main campground and overflow areas for tent camping. Lake Waveland Park, located about an hour west of Indianapolis, provides numerous primitive tent sites with picnic tables and fire rings in a wooded setting.

Morgan-Monroe State Forest campgrounds feature pit toilets and outdoor wash stations with drinking water available. Sites include fire rings, picnic tables, and most tent pads are situated on natural surfaces with minimal grading. The area operates on a first-come, first-served basis with self-registration at the forest headquarters. As described in feedback on The Dyrt, "Even with beautiful weather and the opening of squirrel season, it was relatively light with other campers." Campers must bring exact change for payment and should note that while firewood is available for purchase, office hours are limited.

Areas further from Speedway offer increased seclusion for tent campers. Many Morgan-Monroe sites are secluded under forest canopy, with several tent-only areas that can't accommodate larger vehicles. A visitor commented that "many sites are small and can only accommodate a tent," making this location particularly suited for traditional tent camping rather than larger setups. Lake Waveland Park features numerous walk-in tent sites with varying degrees of shade and privacy, particularly in the primitive camping areas. The grounds are well-maintained with mowed grass areas for tent placement. Both locations provide access to hiking trails, with Morgan-Monroe offering several trails exceeding 10 miles in length, making these areas ideal bases for day hiking or overnight backpacking trips. Tent campers who prioritize trail access will find these tent campsites near Speedway among the most practical options in central Indiana.

Best Tent Campgrounds near Speedway (6)

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1. Oak Ridge Camping Area — Morgan-Monroe State Forest
4.1(9)33mi from SpeedwayTents
"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
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2. Pine Lake Fishing & Camping Resort
3.0(2)29mi from SpeedwayTents, Cabins, Glamping
"This was really convenient and close to Indy, where we took the grandkids to the children’s museum. The lake is fabulous, but there didn’t seem to be too many fish available for catching!!"
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3. Lake Waveland Park
3.6(10)44mi from SpeedwayTents
"Nice clean park in west-central Indiana that has a lake and a large number of camping sites along with restrooms and showers."

"There are dozens of sites here, drive past the shower house where road bends to the left and down hill."
from $25 - $40 / night
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4. Rattlesnake
3.5(2)42mi from SpeedwayTents
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5. Clovis Creek
Be the first to review32mi from SpeedwayTents
from $25 - $45 / night
6. Riddle Point Park on Lake Lemon
Be the first to review37mi from SpeedwayRVs, Tents
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Drive Time

12 min from Indianapolis, IN
46 min from Bloomington, IN
51 min from Columbus, IN
54 min from Kokomo, IN

Recent Tent Camping Photos near Speedway, IN

5 Photos of 6 Speedway Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers

Tent Camping Reviews near Speedway, IN

513 Reviews of 6 Speedway Campgrounds

LDS Sister H.
Guide
Oct. 20, 2026
Friends 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!
Kausalia V.
Scout
Oct. 18, 2026
Cornerstone Campground
we arrived during a halloween kids party. the hostess was super nice. the women’s showers and wash rooms clean. the men’s shower was sport locker style.
Kaley A.
Guide
Oct. 17, 2026
Buffalo 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.
Mark T.
Scout
Oct. 8, 2026
Irwin City Park
Nice little city park/campgound
Clean paved sites, rigs under 35 feet will fit. Water and electricity 50/30 (water is in the ground.
SkywaystoHighways.com Y.
Legend
Sep. 22, 2026
Bill 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!
A
Amber H.
Scout
Sep. 16, 2026
Mystic Waters Campground
Best Campground in the Area
Beautiful, great amenities too. Right off highway to travel anywhere
SkywaystoHighways.com Y.
Legend
Sep. 12, 2026
Shades State Park Campground
Nice, but….
Nice halfway point for our road trip to Door County. We stayed here the week after Labor Day. Not sure if park staff had enough time to clean the grounds after the busy holiday weekend… There was a disappointing amount of litter at our site. We had remove the various cans, plastic bottles and ice pack out of our fire ring and the surrounding wooded area was full of more of the same including a full trash bag of garbage. And speaking of full… the pit toilets…There’s a $15 out of state fee above the $25 p/night charge. There’s only one shower for the park so be prepared. The amount of gnats and mosquitoes had us running for cover. The staff we encountered here, we’re cordial and friendly.
Jason
Guide
Sep. 6, 2026
Camp Atterbury Campground
Host is great, park is nice, MWR needs help
Great 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.
Dan L.
Traveler
Aug. 3, 2026
Cecil M Harden Lake Raccoon State Recreation Area
Site 293, Raccoon Lake (Cecil M. Harden Lake), IN
50A service, no water or sewer at the site. Fill your fresh tank on the way in. There’s a dump station on the property, so emptying on the way out is easy.

Site is mostly level with partial shade. The approach is the one thing to watch: 293 isn’t angled off the road, so it’s a tighter back-in than most. We’re towing a 33’ Airstream Classic and made it first try with no issues, so bigger rigs can absolutely get in here. Just take it slow. Once parked, there’s plenty of room, and the spacing between sites is better than most state park campgrounds we’ve stayed in. Bathhouse is only a few sites down.

Cell signal ran about 2 bars. We’re on Starlink so it didn’t matter, but plan accordingly if you work from the road.

Park staff are the highlight. Stephanie checked us in and could not have been more accommodating. Friendly, quick, genuinely helpful.

Guide to Speedway

Tent campsites near Speedway, Indiana range from 45-60 miles from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway area. Summer temperatures typically average 85°F with high humidity, while spring and fall camping seasons offer milder conditions around 65-75°F. The region features primarily deciduous forest terrain with moderate elevation changes, providing natural drainage during rain events at most primitive sites.

What to do

Trail hiking opportunities: Morgan-Monroe State Forest offers extensive trail systems beyond standard camping areas. "The Tecumseh trail (40 miles) starts in Morgan Monroe State Forest passes through Yellowwood State Forest and ends in the Hoosier national Forest. There are some shorter trails also. The trails are very nice and well maintained. There is a paved bicycle trail approximately 5 miles long one way," notes Ron H.

Fishing access: Several campgrounds provide lake fishing options for campers willing to travel slightly farther from Speedway. "The lake is fabulous, but there didn't seem to be too many fish available for catching!! Pretty place and fun for a laid back place to stay," reports Debbie S. about Pine Lake Fishing & Camping Resort.

Wildlife observation: The forested camping areas host diverse bird and amphibian populations. "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," shares Daisy C. about her Morgan-Monroe experience.

What campers like

Solitude and quiet: Many tent campers appreciate the less crowded nature of these sites compared to state parks. "This campground is decent if you get one of the few good spots. Many sites are small and can only accommodate a tent. Has water and vault toilets. This campground typically remains available as an overflow camping area but is still a good spot," reports Joe B.

Spacious primitive areas: Lake Waveland Park provides numerous unmarked primitive sites with basic amenities. "There are dozens of sites here, drive past the shower house where road bends to the left and down hill. The sites aren't marked, but are indicated by picnic table and fire ring, though fire rings are not always present. Huge area is reasonably well mowed," explains William David S.

Natural camping surfaces: Most primitive tent sites feature natural ground conditions rather than gravel pads. "I came here for one night and it was o.k. The sites are kind of too close together. The campsite do have fire rings and picnic tables. The site fills up pretty fast so come early," notes Kevin T. about Lake Waveland Park.

What you should know

Registration requirements: Self-registration procedures vary by location. "When you arrive set up at your site. Then you will need to go WITH EXACT CHANGE to the sign in at the main building. It's easy, there is a little box on the side of the firewood shed. Make sure you take your tag to mark your site, it is in the box attached to the payment envelope," advises Rob R.

Water availability limitations: Some locations have minimal water access points. "This campground has vault toilets and drinking water available. There are outdoor sinks at the drinking water stations," mentions Daisy C.

First-come camping logistics: Many sites operate without reservation systems. "The primitive sites are very secluded and quite but get there fast because spots are first come first serve! The staff is very friendly and helpful! The campground is located within close proximity of both Turkey Run and Shades State Park," advises Sydni T. about Rattlesnake area.

Tips for camping with families

Playground access: Some campgrounds include play areas for children. "There is a playground and fire tower right next to the Mason Ridge campground, but both were closed due to coronavirus," notes Daisy C. about Morgan-Monroe State Forest.

Beach options: Clovis Creek provides both tent camping and swimming areas, making it suitable for family outings with 20 designated campsites that include picnic tables and fire rings. Some sites offer direct water access for supervised swimming.

Special event camping: Seasonal family activities enhance some camping locations. "Fireworks in July and Halloween for the whole family in October," mentions Nicole B. about Lake Waveland Park's annual traditions.

Tips from RVers

Size restrictions: Most tent-focused areas have significant limitations for larger vehicles. "Our camper is about 25' and it was tight get in and out of the campground. If you have a small camper (15' or smaller) there would more sites. There is a dump station, but I barely got in to dump. So not real RV friendly," cautions Ron H.

Small trailer options: Campers with compact trailers have more flexibility. "Great forest for camping. Even with beautiful weather and the opening of squirrel season, it was relatively light with other campers. Water and bathrooms available," notes Rob R., who successfully navigated Morgan-Monroe with smaller equipment.

Tree clearance issues: Overhead branches create challenges at some sites. "Trees need cut or maintained. Usually pretty quiet. If you enjoy fishing or boating that a plus. No hiking trails. They do have a beach. A few cabins for rent," observes Nicole B. about Lake Waveland maintenance considerations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Speedway, IN?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Speedway, IN is Oak Ridge Camping Area — Morgan-Monroe State Forest with a 4.1-star rating from 9 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Speedway, IN?

TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Speedway, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.

Tent Camping near Speedway, IN

Best Tent Campgrounds near Speedway (6)

1. Oak Ridge Camping Area — Morgan-Monroe State Forest

2. Pine Lake Fishing & Camping Resort

3. Lake Waveland Park

4. Rattlesnake

5. Clovis Creek

6. Riddle Point Park on Lake Lemon