I have been camping at Indian Trails for almost 30 years, since I was a lil tike! The owners are absolutely fantastic and truly do everything in their power to ensure all their campers have a great time. They have also hired a wonderful staff that ensure everything looks great and runs smoothly on the grounds. The campground is kept in pristine condition. All their bath houses are always very clean and stocked. The paths and roads around the grounds are also clean and debris free. Even the office and pool areas are in beautiful condition. They really take pride in the campground and it shows.
There’s so much to do here you could stay for a week and never get bored! There’s the newly renovated outdoor pool area, the swimming lake with an inflatable playground, a pond to fish, kayak/canoe/paddle boat on, basketball courts, mini golf, a video game barn, several hiking trails and playgrounds all over the campground. I’m sure there’s stuff I’m missing too, but there’s all sorts of things to keep busy! And nearly every weekend is themed and will often include activities for kids and adults.
Indian Trails is a home run, and I promise you’ll want to go back again and again!
TL;DR: VISIT THE SYLVANIA WILDERNESS
I absolutely fell in love, head over heels for this place. This Cedar "Campground" as The Dyrt calls it is just a campsite within the larger Sylvania Wilderness. The wilderness actually has a couple dozen different sites to choose from. The Cedar campsite we stayed at is one of two in fairly close proximity (Cedar 1 and Cedar 2). Other than that, you can't see another campsite at all from Cedar and I think that might be true for the rest of the sites as well. This is rustic, backwoods camping for sure. The only "luxuries" you're provided are a wilderness latrine that both Cedar campsites share and a fire ring at each site as well. You can either hike to your reserved site, or you can do what we did and paddle. I believe all the campsites in the Sylvania Wilderness are accessible by water.
The first thing I noticed upon arriving to the wilderness is the aroma of pine and cedar and hemlock trees galore. It's an unforgettable smell and it immediately brings you to a state of calm. The second thing I noticed once I got out of the car was how quiet it is. The wilderness is pretty far off the beaten path (duh, it's the wilderness) so there's nothing at all to hear other than the wind blowing through the trees and the calls of the animals. I think that's what shocked me the most. Then, we brought the kayak down to the launch and Clark Lake revealed all it's beauty to us. It is a stunning view. Photos and words simply do not do it justice. You truly have to come here to experience it first hand. Between the smells, sounds and sights, I was hooked from the start.
The paddle from the canoe launch on Clark Lake to the landing at Cedar 1 was about 20 minutes (30 minutes when the wind was howling). As far as things to do, we were busy for 4 days straight. There's miles and miles of trails to hike. There are trails that go around the lakes and trails that go into the wilderness. The fishing up there is fantastic. Loads of smallies! And by far my most favorite thing to do was paddle around all the lakes in the wilderness and take in the beauty and serenity.
We were there in early September (Labor Day weekend) and it was pretty chilly. I think it was unseasonably chilly, but just be prepared for any weather conditions at this time of year. My biggest complaint of the whole trip was we woke up pretty dang chilly most mornings, but that was on us for not planning that properly.
I cannot recommend the Sylvania Wilderness enough. This was my first time here, but I will be back again and again.