Best Tent Camping near Waveland, IN

i have been to Thousand Trails in Indiana for 25 years and each time i visit i get more disappointed. its no longer a campground but an RV park. which makes me sad because tent camping is forced onto gravel or next to a septic tank hose from a neighboring RV.

however, the park is very large, has many activities such as swimming, fishing, arcades, cornhole, volleyball. you will need a vehicle to travel to activities because thry are far away. there is a general store that now serves breakfast so that is pretty nifty. it seems they are making improvements regarding grounds but i would not recommend tent camping. they do have cabins surrounding the lake.

I am tent camper and stayed at tent primitive section right by the creek. They have RV section, electric tent sites and primitive and those do not mix - no tents at rv section and vice versa. I camp weekdays so I had all section to myself for three days. You can carry your chair right to the creek and hang out in the shade. There are few trails looping around for the walks. Most of tent sites got shade. Rv sites all seem to be level, although kind of close together. Nice and clean bathrooms and shower facility. I have not tried renting canoe because they were closed for a season, due to low water level in the creek. There are a lot of nice places around to visit Turkey Run and Shades state parks are not far as well as numerous covered bridges to explore. Campground stays quiet at night - haven’t seen partying or noise. They also have few cute cabins for rent right by the creek. Will definitely be back and would recommend this place to anyone.

Nice clean park in west-central Indiana that has a lake and a large number of camping sites along with restrooms and showers. The primitive tent camping sites don't require reservations, and each have a picnic table. There are modern campsites that have water and electrical hook-ups, and there are some small cabins that can be rented. The bath house was clean, and the grounds crew does a great job keeping the grass cut. Camp sites seem more spread out here compared to most state parks. Location is fairly close to Sugar Creek and other parks such as Turkey Run and Shades State Park. The lake is popular for fishing.

This campground is great! The creek is awesome for catching tadpoles and minnows. And definitely take time to float or kayak down the river. The pond is stocked with GIANT fish (catch and release only) and definitely go for a hike over at Turkey Run. Our site (4) was a good location for us, although we tent camped in 25 before and you can't beat those views

Super easy reservations online, and if it’s a weekday or a Sunday you could likely just roll up. $16/night for a tent site plus $9 out of state car fee. Security is at the main gate until midnight so later check-ins are possible. Great set-up after driving 11+ hours!

The staff was great, all the amenities were fantastic. This campsite would be great if you were staying in an RV, camper, or one of the cabins, but the tent sites are terrible. They are right next to the highway, and they are all very exposed, and have little protection from mosquitoes.

I stayed at one of the primitive tent sites. It was nice and shaded. As the other reviewer pointed out, further away from the entrance will get you away from the road noise. The shower house was very clean and well kept.

I would definitely stay here again. I would just select a site toward the back.

Prophetstown is a very well kept and clean park.  The sites book up super fast on weekends and you have to book months out. If you tent camp like we do the park makes you set tent up on gravel which is a little disappointing.  The best sites are the rev sites and they are slowly growing the tent ones.  Very little shade.  Unless you are on a full hookup site.  The playgrounds are nice and big but far away from the electric sites.  Bike trails are great and paved roads make it easy.  The best thing about this park is the water park. Not included for camping price but still decent priced.  We did go 3 days ina row which cost us $40 total for the weekend.  It can become costly if you go to the park multiple Fay’s ina row.  Overall our trip was great.  We have camped 2 times now.

A friend and I came here with her pop-up tent for a random weekend in 2020 when the weather was absolutely perfect for camping - in the 70s the entire trip. 

We arrived and were shocked to see that our site was basically on top of our neighbor's and it was not flat at all. Luckily, we weren't tent camping or it would've been a disaster. 

We did have some lake views, although we were in the middle of the road so we didn't have our own private space like other sites did. We were in the non-electric area, but did have modern restrooms.

The restrooms were kept very clean and smelled of bleach at all times (a good thing during COVID). There is also a hiking trail that goes near the lake that is very close to the campground, so good access point for hikers. 

One thing to note is how close the sites are to each other, especially for those in the electric areas. It was as if it was a little city with how many people/campers/RVs/campers there were. I wasn't a fan.

We just left after a 2 night stay and we’re really pleased with this camp ground. The staff were very friendly and wanted to make sure our stay was the best it could be.

Our primitive tent site was in the very back isolated from the rest of the grounds. A port-a-potty was near by, but the shower house was a short drive away. Also, the site, 27C, was alone with timber separating it from the nearest site. The downside to this site is the morning/afternoon sun, but we adapted with a pop-up canopy and positioning our tent to utilize the little shady available.

The shower house was one of the cleanest we’ve seen and the staff makes a concerted effort to keep it that way.

The camp store was a nice convenience and wood delivery was a plus.

Lastly, features include a pond to fish (and rental of paddle boats/canoes) where my son and I caught two decent sized fish from the dock. Playground, volleyball court, and a half court basketball were right off the backside fishing dock.

Much enjoyed hiking some of the trails at Turkey Run State Park near Marshall, Indiana. This is Indiana's 2nd oldest state park, now 100 years old (1916-2016). Visitors can camp in RV's or in tents in campground area that has water/electrical hook-ups, modern bathrooms w/ showers. There is also cabins to rent, or you can stay at Turkey Run Inn. Canoeing down Sugar Creek was great, and it passes through the state park at a fairly scenic section. Some hiking trails are easy to walk along, others trails are more rugged and difficult. Cross over Sugar Creek on a suspension bridge to get to more hiking trails in a more remote section of woods. We ate a very nice lunch in the restaurant in the Inn, and even played pinball in the gameroom. Great state park. Would be happy to go again some day.

This is one of my favorite state parks. We have visited and camped here several times. They have great cabins, a perfect primitive tent only camping area, a nice camper area with more amenities, and even an inn. The trails are fun and varied for all skill levels. They are well maintained and pretty easy to follow. It is a little more difficult in the Fall when they are covered with leaves but still not too bad. The creek waterfall is a great place to cool off and some of the trails criss-cross over the shallow areas of the creek as well. This place is a must visit for Southern/Central Indiana.

McCormicks Creek State Park off Rt 46 near Spencer, Indiana is a very lush feeling natural area.

I especially enjoyed the trails which were varied and challenging. Part of the challenge being finding them at certain points along the way. Pay close attention to your map and direction of travel or you may add a few extra miles on to your hike.

The campground was well laid out with gravel pads and the primitive sites had plenty of room for tents as well as hammocks. Pit toilets, a dump station and plenty of signage to keep you on the right path made it a easily navigable area. There were several groups present when we visited and there is a seperated camp area for them.