Seasonal camping around Vincennes, Indiana varies across the region's rolling hills and reclaimed mining lands. While summer temperatures often reach the 90s, spring and fall offer milder conditions for outdoor recreation. Several glamping options provide year-round accommodations, with primitive cabins at Greene Sullivan State Forest heated for winter camping and more developed facilities at other parks throughout the area.
What to do
Fishing adventures: Access to rainbow trout stocking at Greene Sullivan State Forest, where Airline Lake gets annual rainbow trout releases. The forest contains around 120 lakes with diverse fish populations. One visitor notes, "The lakes are rich with bass, bluegill, crappy, redear and Airline Lake is even stocked annually with rainbow trout."
Water recreation: Olympic-sized swimming options at Harmonie State Park, featuring "an Olympic size pool open during summer with water slide, diving boards, separate baby pool with shade awning, and concessions." The park also provides boat access to the Wabash River.
Children's activities: Small animal encounters at Scales Lake Park where a small petting zoo offers unique interactions. As one camper observed, "There is a small petting zoo at the park and in the morning they let the animals out to feed on the grass. So expect to see them in the campground. Harmless and unique."
What campers like
Quiet fishing retreats: Multiple stocked ponds at Miles Landing Campground, located in a reclaimed strip mine area. A visitor described it as "in the middle of a large reclamation. Lots of ponds and young trees. Great modern sites mostly dispersed."
Spacious campsites: Room to spread out at Miles Landing where "the sites were very spacious and far enough apart that you had room to spread out." Another camper mentioned the campground was "very quiet, very clean" with "probably the cleanest, nicest shower houses I've seen."
Level camping areas: Flat sites at state parks around Vincennes. A camper at Shakamak State Park pointed out "the sites are all flat- ALL FLAT!!! No inclined sites at all! Unheard of in an Indiana State Park, but there you go."
What you should know
Bathroom facilities: Variable quality between parks with Shakamak receiving high praise: "The bathrooms/showers are KOA clean. Also unheard of in an Indiana State Park. I couldn't even find a spider web."
Seasonal operating schedules: Limited access to some amenities at certain times. At Shakamak, "The Nature Center was inexplicably closed 'for the season'. Disappointing!" while "the pool was only opened on the weekends in August which was disappointing."
Weather considerations: Bug activity in warmer months can impact camping comfort. As one visitor to Shakamak warned, "in August beware of the bugs!"
Wildlife encounters: Raccoons frequent campsites at several parks. At Harmonie State Park, campers reported that "1 or more raccoons kept coming into our site. We shooed them away but they kept coming back."
Tips for camping with families
Halloween festivities: Seasonal events for kids at Warrick County Park Scales Lake Park, where multiple campgrounds host special October activities. At Harmonie, "They had a trunk or treat in the pool parking lot and although there weren't a ton of vehicles, it was definitely enough for the kids to have fun trick or treating."
Multiple playgrounds: Accessible play areas throughout campgrounds. One reviewer noted Harmonie State Park has "200 sites, electric only, 5 bath houses and 2 pit toilets... 3 playgrounds through out the campground."
Educational opportunities: Nature programs for children vary by season. Shakamak offers "a seasonal nature center with educational programs" while Harmonie features a "nature center in the middle of the campground that is open Thursday-Sunday in the summer."
Alternative accommodations: Heated cabins for cold weather at Greene Sullivan where primitive cabins provide warmth during chilly weather. One visitor mentioned these cabins are ideal for families when temperatures drop.
Tips from RVers
Electrical hookup placement: Bring extension cords at some Sleeping Bear Retreat sites. At Shakamak, one RVer advised: "Bring an extension cord if you're in a pull through. If you want your door facing the fire pit- the electric box is in an awkward place."
Site selection considerations: Avoid highway noise at some locations. A camper at Greene Sullivan noted: "My wife and I camped at the Narrow Lake Campground here for 4 nights, but did not like it due to its proximity to a highway. Additionally, the electric sites near the lake (P1-P3) were unlevel."
RV site spacing: Varied privacy levels between parks. At Scales Lake, "sites were very small and close together" while at Miles Landing, "sites were very spacious and far enough apart that you had room to spread out."
Rig size limitations: Some parks better for larger RVs than others. Some campgrounds like Greene Sullivan have limitations where "most of these sites are not conducive to larger campers and the gravel access roads are sometimes washboard."
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