Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Waverly, IN

Shade, grass, and gravel sites. A lot better than most KOAs. They ask that you not put outdoor rugs on grass; no problem as grass is nice. Sites 1-10 are your best bet for Starlink if that’s what you have; best opening through tree canopy of the northern sky. Pet friendly; counted three cats and a dog in the office when I checked in. Was given the option of choosing my site out of the seven available for my reservation. A mix of long term residents and travelers; some of the long term resident sites were a little junky.

We stayed here on our way to Maine and loved the campground so much we chose to stay again on our way back. Everything was clean and well maintained, staff was very friendly and helpful. The pup loved the dog park.

With COVID, it seems that everyone...and then more people are going camping. It's a bittersweet type of situation. Nevertheless, it's been very hard to find decent camping in Indiana that isn't packed in like sardines, while also trying to escape the city and get into nature - not around more people.

Luckily, a friend and I came here last October and this place was great. We got a non electric site and were in the middle of the sites. We had a great lake view and were very happy with our setup. It was a pull-through site, although not all are like that. We were able to set up in no time. 

We had lots of space, away from our neighbors. The campstore had wood and random items that you might need should you forget. We were just steps away from the lake and enjoyed walking down there every morning. There aren't the best hiking trails around, so you'll need to drive to the nearby Brown County or National Forest to hike on trails that are actually worth the time. 

I will add that the setup is a bit odd for non-electric. You basically had to pull up to the gatehouse, get your reservation info, then do a U-turn and go back out past the campstore in order to get to your campground. Very odd setup to say the least.

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Approx $35 / day

Happy Campers Campground

5.0 (1 reviews)

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Roam with care

Remember to enjoy these campgrounds in a sustainable, respectful way. Clean up after yourself, be friendly with others, and don't overstay your welcome :)

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Details

Call 812-239-6263 for reservation. Plan to arrive before dark.

5 full hook-up sites, 1 primitive site, and one primitive cabin. On a lake stocked with fish. Port-a-potty and shower house available.

Location

Contact

39.4931, -87.0188

https://happycamperscampgroundinc.com

Cell signal

Verizon LTE

AT&T LTE

T-Mobile LTE

Sprint LTE

Weather

Averages

Forecast

Jan

2.57"

34.6°

16.8°

Feb

2.48"

39.6°

20°

Mar

3.39"

50.5°

28.6°

Apr

3.99"

62.9°

39.4°

May

5.41"

72.4°

49.3°

Jun

4.67"

81.1°

58.7°

Jul

5.19"

84.2°

61.7°

Aug

3.37"

83.2°

60.2°

Sep

3.73"

77.3°

52.3°

Oct

3.49"

65°

41.2°

Nov

3.98"

52°

31.8°

Dec

3.26"

38.3°

20.7°

Seasonal scales

Spring

Summer

Fall

Winter

Crowdedness

Others between 10 and 50 feet away

Fullness

Almost full

Noise

Occasional man-made noise (trains, cars, etc...)

Shade

Mostly shaded, but still some spots with sunlight

Cleanliness

Pristine, no trash at all

Safety

Very safe

Road difficulty

No problems with any vehicle

Features and amenities

Water hookup

Sewer hookup

50A Electric

Showers

Picnic tables

Toilets

Pets allowed

Wifi

Fire pits

randyorsusan

Great place to stop overnight or for a few days. Can hear the highway; but it's not very loud or intrusive. Camp host/owner is very friendly. Plenty of room for kids or pets to roam and play. Very clean and safe.

Ranger Review: Grubstick at Holiday KOA Greenfield, Indiana. Campground Review: So, I’ve said it before, KOA’s are not my kind of camping. However I find myself once again with a KOA yearly membership. Why? Because several of the people whom I camp with enjoy the WiFi and other perks of staying at a KOA. I met my brother and his wife at the Holiday KOA https://koa.com/campgrounds/indianapolis/ right outside Indianapolis, Indiana for a very wet tent camp out. I towed my redneck “tent platform” and brought along plenty of tarpage. No kayak, the weather actually dipped into the high thirty’s and I am not a cold weather kayaker. Perks of this KOA are a very nice playground and wading pool area. So if you have younger children, ideal for you. There is a nice size dog park and you can get a nice walk in around the campground. They have delivery style pizza right on site and some planned activities on weekends. There is the aforementioned WiFi and the latrine is newer but lacking in hooks ( I’m a big hook person, where else am I supposed to hang my bathroom bag and clothes while showering or grooming at the sink?) The other issue with the latrine is there is only ONE for the entire campground. This is a nice size campground and it can be a good hike from the backside to the latrine, I know this because I had to make that hike more then once. The other issue with that is not everyone is willing to walk that far when they need to go, so where do you suppose they take care of their business? .... exactly! And then there’s my same old complaint of they fit a camper or tent into every square meter of this park, it can get very full and crowded. Excuse me while I look in your window or can over hear every word you say. Holiday was very well maintained to the point of mowing while I’m trying to set up my area and blowing grass all over everything, please don’t run over my dog...Otherwise we had fun looking for area happenings and shopping. I visited Fort Harrison State Park which was nearby. Product Review: As a Dyrt Ranger I get the opportunity on occasion to review outdoor oriented products. I had the chance to try out Grubstick https://grubstick.com/ and I can say I was excited! I am a campfire cooking kind of person and have tried out many contraptions, the Grubstick is a long time in coming. I say that because this ain’t your grandma’s wiener roasting stick or your moms wicked pointed metal fork that can put your eye out or trip you when it slides down the side of the chair leg. The most phenomenal part of the Grubstick is that the handle is.....RETRACTABLE!!! No more wedging the fork in the most inconvenient place or trying to fit it in your cooking box. The handle when not expanded can fit easily into your pocket, day pack, backpack, fannypack !!! To me that is AWESOME!! Revolutionary! Seems to be sturdier then ones I’ve seen in camp stores. Along with the handle comes two attachments and a easy open handle in a nice, durable carry bag, LOVE IT. Christmas gifts all around! And this was before I checked it out. I have two “sets” and unfortunately one of the sticks broke after only a few retractions and extensions. Perhaps I was too vigorous in my extension technique? So carefully extend your grubstick when using. Otherwise it worked like a dream! And the other stick had no issues, so maybe just a flaw in that one stick? I haven’t contacted the company yet, but I will see how they are about returns or replacements. I roasted some sausages and we toasted some marshmallows for s’mores. The pack up was easy too, nice carry bag to put it all in, I usually carry or reuse a freezer type bag for “dirty” silverware etc. I removed the fork head off the Grubstick and it went right in. No MESS! No Long Pointy Stick with goo at the end to wrap and store. Love it! I didn’t use the Grubstick basket while camping so I pulled it out at the house to add some footage and testing. If Grubstickadds a pie pan attachment, I’m one of the first in line to get it!! Happy Camp Cooking ;)

I've traveled across the US and this is the best campground I've stayed in. First of all it's very clean which is surprising for Indiana. Back up to the river. Great views. Free hot showers! Quiet. Feels secluded though close to town. Good price too. Free wifi that worked so well we could both work online and stream TV! It does not get any better. Dog friendly. Nice playground for the kids. Fire circles and clean picnic tables at each site. If I lived here, I'd come here often. Great place. Walking and biking trails. Canoeing and kayaking. Historic bridge.

Clean campground. They have fire rings but they’re communal not at each site. Lots of full timers with little dogs that bark non stop. We have large dogs that would get riled up by the small dogs barking. Clearly no one cared about barking though. Close to the city without being “in it”. We would stay here again.

This is our go to campground. Not overly large but it’s clean and quiet. The owners are friendly and helpful. Bathrooms/showers are clean. Laundry on site. Small store and library where you can borrow books. Nice dog walk and small fenced dog area. Sites level and good for big rigs down to tents. Three cabins also available. Owners are relatively new and have been working on improvements continually. Highly recommend!

If you don’t mind gunfire 24/7 this is the best place ever. No issues with me or my Service Dog.

Well kept campground. Cleanest campground bathrooms I have ever seen. Friendly staff. Our site was directly beside a tiny cabin and could have been a little bigger but that’s what you get often times with RV sites. Unfortunately, witnessed one of the staff members abusing their dog.

I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking to do some light backpacking for an overnight/weekend trip! Wonderful trails, dog friendly and nice places to camp off the trail. Can’t wait to go back!

Heads up! Refill your water when you come across it; the lake is harder to get to than you think. I would also bring bug spray and check for ticks!

Looking for a monthly campsite in the Indianapolis area proved to be a challenge. We were so unsure about staying here as reviews we hit or miss. Decided to take a gamble and give it a try and it’s been great! Friendly service, Lots to do for the kiddos. Plenty of amenities on the weekend. Downsides - our site was incredibly uneven. Nobody cleans up after their dogs. All in all very grateful for a place to call home for a couple of months.

Very beautiful yet primitive campground. All the campgrounds are numbered and have their own names. Think there are 80 sites in total. They have outhouses for toilets. Some sites have water fountains. There is a picnicing area for day use only right off the water which is beautiful. Sites can hold 6 people total and come with a fire pit with a grill attachment which is awesome! There is one small picnic table per site as well. It's nice a quiet here. Great place to escape the crazy. Very dog friendly too!

Hardin Ridge is an excellent place to camp in any style you like. 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. The area is maintained by seasonal residents and is in amazing shape. Bathrooms and showers are both incredibly clean. Staff are super friendly and helpful and always up for a chat if you are too. Firewood and ice is available at the park entrance. Additional firewood can be obtained from the camp host sites if you need a quick top up for the night. I see more deer and other wildlife here than even at Brown County State Park! Very dog friendly place but be respectful of the wildlife and don't let your pooch chase it off.