Michael L.

Indianapolis, IN

Joined June 2018

Family tent camping with water/electric preferred. Pit toilets and mosquitos are the worst.

Nice spot not far from Lake Michigan

We stayed here through Thousand Trails, so I don't know if it's normal operating procedure, but the sites were first come first serve. We were coming from a few hours away on a Friday afternoon, so we were sent to the left when we arrived. It wasn't clearly marked, so we got a little stuck and scraped up our rig. For better or worse, there was zero light in the area we were in, so it was hard to back into our spot. We ended up in an area where it seemed everyone was seasonal and not actually at the site, so it was very quiet. 

There were wifi repeaters all over the place (though it wasn't free) and once it was light out, we took a walk around the grounds. It's very pretty and the other side of the campground (to the right when you come in) was much more busy. That's where the playground was. We hit Warren Dunes State Park (20-25 minutes away?) and found a farm to do the pumpkin & corn maze stuff that happens in the rural Midwest in Autumn. The Bear Cave was closed and they weren't doing tours when we went, but we found it and could peak in. Looks like it would be cool to check out. No clue how big it is though.

I would stay here again, but would also consider alternatives when I go back to the area.

Solid choice -- Near Mounds state park, city of Anderson, and I-69

I stayed with full hookups, but no cable (don't need it, so don't know if it's available) and we weren't close enough to connect to the WIFI (only close enough to occasionally see 1 bar pop up).

Friendly folks, catch and release fishing pond, and a pond with beach for swimming. Good size playground, jump pad, and off-leash"dog park" available as well.

On AT&T, I typically had 2 bars and no problem streaming music or browsing Facebook. My fellow travelers, on Sprint, said they had poor reception. I'm guessing 1 bar.

Worth noting that my wife said the water pressure in the shower house was fairly low. (I shower in the camper, so can't comment.) Water pressure was fine at our site, though. Also worth noting that many of the back-in sites can be pull-through if you get there when it's not busy.

Prairie-style w half full hookups & half electric. Great for RVs & tents.

Not too far out of the way, this is Indiana's newest state park, if I'm not mistaken, and it shows. The lower loop is all full hookups with 50, 30, and 20 amp service and respectably woody. The back loop is more open grassland type camping, but it has electric at every location and water every 2-4 sites. 

There's a big playground including a section for younger kids and the main area for 5-12 year olds. About a half mile outside of the campground is another, smaller, playground in the state park. And about a mile and a half outside of the campground back towards the entrance to the state park is a water park. The aquatic center was not open during my stay, but according to the web is open Memorial Day through Labor Day and is $5 per person (3 and under free). It's a VERY short car ride, a maybe 30 minute walk, or a reasonably short bike ride from the camp sites. 

AT&T service at my site seemed to average 2 bars. Sometimes 1, sometimes 3. No wifi.

There's a primitive-style potty shack with 2 restrooms in between the two sections and a bathhouse in the center of the back loop. My wife said the hot water wasn't working (I would have docked them a half star for that, but The Dyrt only does full stars and we only stayed 2 nights), so you may just call and ask if they've had any complaints about it recently.

Firewood was available, but it was honor system and cost $5.35 cash only. I assume the price is set by the state, but exact change is rare for us so that was a mild annoyance.

Perfect for families! Super friendly, fun, and WIFI

Favorite campground I've ever visited. Would give it a bonus star if I could. 

We were there over July 4th, 2019. My in-laws got a cabin and we were in a tent site by the lake down in the shade. But most of the sites were in shade. Little to no cell signal (AT&T), but good WIFI. 

They had activities every day for the kids. As well as lots of unstructured activities. For example, they had a foosball table and a jumping pad. But they also had a "color a sack" thing where the kids got a KOA canvas tote and access to fabric markers. They had a "trick or treat"/"scavenger hunt" for the kids, which was basically they all had flashlights and had to find the candy in the grassy field. They had a water fight where the kids went on a wagon ride and squirted the people in campsites with water and the adults at the camp sites used their hoses to fire back. This place is a blast for kids and my wife who has been camping 20+ years said this is the best place she's ever been. 

Best bathhouse I've encountered with something like 7 unisex bathrooms each with their own shower. Respectable campstore. And they were so friendly and hospitable. If it weren't like 10 hours away, I'd go there frequently. Bit in the middle of nowhere, but great camping if you want to visit the natural bridge.

Isolated, but not quiet. Disconnected. Fun and friendly.

Stayed here for 4 nights early July 2020. Social distancing had some sinks and urinals turned off. Seemed super clean. 4-6 tent only spots are in pretty good shade. All sites had at least water and electricity. Swingset and covered sandbox for kids. Volleyball net. I saw dogs and cats; we brought 1 dog. 

Cell coverage (AT&T for my family, Verizon for my friends) was pretty hit or miss at 0-2 bars at any given time. I could sometimes stream audio for an hour or two. Other times, it wouldn't do anything. Wifi was available, but it wasn't any more reliable than cell service down in the tent area. Service wasn't normal until hitting either of the east-west roads at the north and south sides of the UP that run along Superior and Michigan, ~8-10 miles north or south of the campground. We like limited to no signal, but realize some count on it, so try to always include it in reviews. 

Campground was pretty busy and the internal noise levels were fine, but you could hear vehicles (possibly cars as well as ATVs) racing off grounds in the night. I'm a very deep sleeper, so this didn't bother me, but I did hear it when I was awake for my nightly jaunt to the potty. My buddy mentioned it kept him awake for a while.

Went tubing with a launch from the grounds and got picked up by staff about half to 3/4s of a mile down river. My guests paid, so not sure how much, but perfectly nice little break from the heat for an hour. 

~20-5 minutes to closest spots to hit the beach, both of which were about 10 degrees cooler than the campground.

Conveniently located, ammenities

I stayed here for my first trip to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore area in early June '18. It was clearly recently renovated and very nice. It was actually my first time ever staying at a private campground, so I don't have much to compare it to. But it had 2 sets of bathrooms, a pool, a basketball hoop (I don't recall if it was a court, but I think it was just one) and a prayer room. I didn't look for laundry, because I didn't need it, but the map indicates they do have it.

The main office sold firewood and ice. Otherwise, just a few lantern batteries and such. Not a "store" by any means. But it's like a 5 minute drive to grocery and gas. Great location, in fact. Less than 10 minutes from the interstate.

Light-sleepers will have difficulty anywhere in the region because of train traffic, but it was respectably secluded. Vampires beware: there's a 8-10 foot cross at the entrance. But didn't notice any garlic strewn about.

Would stay again.

(No pictures because I found this site right after I returned. Map from website because the site is glitchy and you might not find it otherwise.)