Sarah M.
Scout
ScoutHickory Ridge
Super quiet at night and lots of space. Good privacy.
Tent Camping near Unionville, IN
Search destinations
Add dates
Tent camping near Unionville, Indiana provides access to several forested areas with established and primitive sites. The region is anchored by Morgan-Monroe State Forest, Charles C. Deam Wilderness, and Berry Ridge Road dispersed camping areas. Riddle Point Park on Lake Lemon, located directly in Unionville, offers tent camping with lake access. Hickory Ridge Primitive Dispersed Campsites in the Hoosier National Forest provide secluded tent-only options for those seeking a more remote experience. Pine Loop and Sundance Lake also feature tent campsites within reasonable driving distance of Unionville.
Most tent campgrounds in the area feature basic amenities with varying levels of development. Oak Ridge Camping Area in Morgan-Monroe State Forest provides vault toilets, outdoor sinks, and drinking water stations, with each site equipped with a fire ring and picnic table. Self-registration is required with exact change at the park office. Charles C. Deam Wilderness offers more primitive tent camping with official sites featuring rock fire rings. Berry Ridge Road dispersed camping is entirely primitive with no running water or facilities, requiring campers to pack in all supplies and pack out all waste. During spring and early summer, ticks and mosquitoes can be prevalent, especially after rainfall. Fire regulations vary by location, with some areas allowing collection of downed wood.
The backcountry tent camping experience around Unionville features notable solitude and natural features. According to reviews, Berry Ridge Road dispersed sites are "very private" with campsites "sometimes half mile or more apart," making it ideal for those seeking isolation. One camper noted, "When we found our spot we couldn't see their fire or even hear them." Charles C. Deam Wilderness offers excellent opportunities for hammock camping along creek beds, with one visitor reporting "an abundance of spaces to set up a hammock" and "never encountered so many geodes in my life" while exploring the creek beds. Walk-in tent sites at several locations provide a buffer from road noise and other campers, with many featuring thick forest cover for shade and natural screening.
Best Tent Campgrounds near Unionville (14)
1. Oak Ridge Camping Area — Morgan-Monroe State Forest
"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."
Check Availabilityfrom $25 - $55 / night
2. Berry Ridge Road - Dispersed Camping
"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."
3. Charles C. Deam Wilderness
"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."
4. Ransburg Scout Reservation
"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."
5. Hickory Ridge
"Super quiet at night and lots of space. Good privacy."
6. Pine Loop
"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."
7. Sundance Lake Dispersed Camping
"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."
8. Hickory Ridge Primitive Dispersed Campsites
"Very nice drive during the day, hiking is fantastic!"
9. Riddle Point Park on Lake Lemon
10. Hoosier National Forest Holland Loop Campground
Drive Time
- 15 min from Bloomington, IN
- 48 min from Columbus, IN
- 1 hr 1 min from Indianapolis, IN
- 1 hr 19 min from Terre Haute, IN
Recent Tent Camping Photos near Unionville, IN
14 Photos of 14 Unionville Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Tent Camping Reviews near Unionville, IN
589 Reviews of 14 Unionville Campgrounds
Ron W.ScoutCamp Atterbury Campground
Outstanding
Mark & 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).
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.
- J
Jacob S.ScoutOgala Horse Camp
Little loop pull off with a stone fire pit in the middle. Walking trail goes down to a swampy pond.
Mark T.ScoutIrwin 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.
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!
- JasonGuide
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.
Jeff C.ScoutShale Bluff Campground — Hardy Lake State Recreation Area
My favorite spot
Love 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.
Guide to Unionville
Primitive camping options near Unionville, Indiana include several secluded sites within Hoosier National Forest. The region sits at elevations ranging from 600-900 feet with limestone creek beds and dense deciduous forest cover. Summer temperatures average 80-90°F with high humidity, while spring brings morel mushroom hunting opportunities in the leaf litter of the forest floor.
What to do
Creek exploration: Charles C. Deam Wilderness features numerous creek beds worth exploring during your tent camping adventure. A visitor noted, "I walked the creek for hours just looking at all the rocks on the sandbars. I have never encountered so many geodes in my life. Truly magnificent to encounter."
Forest hiking: Morgan-Monroe State Forest offers multiple trail options for day hikes. One camper shared, "There are a lot of trails to hike 2 of them are over 10 miles (lower gap and three lakes). The Tecumseh trail (40 miles) starts in Morgan Monroe State Forest passes through Yellowwood State Forest and ends in the Hoosier national Forest."
Lake activities: At Ransburg Scout Reservation, water recreation options abound. A reviewer mentioned, "Located on Monroe lake, they have canoeing, row boats, sailboats, motor boats, and skiing. Lots of fun activities to do, and great hiking trails."
What campers like
Primitive solitude: The isolated sites at Berry Ridge Road offer genuine backcountry camping. A camper described, "There are a couple walking trails around, as well each site is fairly far apart. It's really quite only seen a handful of cars drive by and I've stayed here for 2 nights."
Hammock spots: The terrain in Charles C. Deam Wilderness is ideal for hammock camping. A visitor reported, "I had the awesome experience to hammock camp on the Patton cave trail, along the creek that winds the length of that trail. It was a strenuous hike to pack in/out of, but was beautiful scenery."
Geological features: The area is known for unique rock formations. One camper at Charles C. Deam Wilderness noted, "The cave is amazing, and if you're interested in backwoods camping, there are an abundance of spaces to do so."
What you should know
Site selection: Campgrounds vary in size and suitability. At Morgan-Monroe, a reviewer warned, "This campground is decent if you get one of the few good spots. Many sites are small and can only accommodate a tent."
Registration process: Hickory Ridge Primitive Dispersed Campsites and other areas have specific check-in procedures. For Morgan-Monroe, a camper advised, "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."
Road conditions: Access can be challenging in some areas. A visitor to Hickory Ridge noted, "I pulled in at midnight in a sedan in the winter and i was able to safely find my way. Very nice drive during the day, hiking is fantastic!"
Tips for camping with families
Scout campground option: Ransburg Scout Reservation offers structured camping for families. A reviewer shared, "Spent the week of scout camp there and it was great" while another mentioned, "We have camped here in a cabin, and also tent camped. Beautiful grounds and a great place to enjoy nature."
Wildlife viewing: Wildlife spotting opportunities abound in the quiet areas. One camper mentioned seeing deer at Hardin Ridge: "I see more deer and other wildlife here than even at Brown County State Park!"
Kid-friendly activities: Some sites include recreational facilities. A visitor noted, "There is a playground at the entrance of Mason Ridge campground and a fire tower" at Morgan-Monroe State Forest.
Tips from RVers
Size limitations: Most primitive sites near Unionville have restrictions on vehicle size. A camper at Sundance Lake Dispersed Camping warned, "I wouldn't be trying to pull a travel trailer back into here unless it was very small."
Limited services: Many tent camping areas near Unionville lack RV hookups. One visitor to Morgan-Monroe noted, "My wife and were at site 15 from 09/02/21- 09/06/21 camping in a Winnebago Micro Minnie 2108 TB. This park is not for large rigs, but we had no trouble fitting into our small camper."
Dump station access: Some forest campgrounds offer basic services for small RVs. A camper reported, "The only drawbacks were that the vault toilets are in pretty bad condition and the dump station hose did not have a connection to allow me to flush the blackwater holding tank."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent
campsite near Unionville, IN?
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Unionville, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Unionville, 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
Unionville, IN?
What is the best site to find tent camping near Unionville, IN?
TheDyrt.com has all 14 tent camping locations near Unionville, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
Keep Exploring