Best Campgrounds Within an Hour of Hendricks County
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Do you like camping? After all, what's better than the sights, smells, and sounds of the great outdoors?
If you're wondering where a family might go camping near Hendricks County, Indiana, I have some suggestions for you.
Pecar Park
Folks don't even need to leave Hendricks County to do some rustic camping. Pecar Park in Avon boasts 46 acres of mostly untouched land with a playground, Nature Center and campsites. The park currently boasts eight primitive campsites, complete with a fire ring, picnic table, trash can and space for two tents.
The park has wide-open spaces, trails and a pond, as well as a community fire pit for the campsites. Restrooms and showers are available on site.
Cagle Mills Lake
Cagle Mills Lake is home to both Lieber State Recreation Area, located just west of Cloverdale, and Cataract Falls State Recreation Area, which is just a few miles southeast of Lieber. There are 105 Class A campsites and 94 Class B campsites at Lieber.
While you're at Lieber, you and the family can enjoy a state-of-the-art aquatic center, horseshoe pits, a basketball court, hiking trails, a fishing pier and much more. Take a picnic lunch down the road to Cataract Falls to enjoy a covered bridge, two shelters, a playground, trails and gorgeous waterfalls.
Raccoon Lake State Recreation Area
Outside of Rockville, to the west of Hendricks County, lies Raccoon Lake State Recreation Area and Cecil M. Hardin Lake. Visitors to this 4,065-acre property can enjoy hiking, fishing, boating, waterskiing, swimming, picnicking, the Historic Mansfield Roller Mill, a camp store, overnight camping and much more.
Raccoon Lake offers 240 campsites with electrical hook-ups, 37 sites without electricity and 35 primitive campsites. The Portland Mills Ramp outside the SRA is good access to some excellent kayaking.
Shades State Park
If you don't need an electrical hook-up and are looking for a more rustic camping experience, you should explore Shades State Park about 17 miles southwest of Crawfordsville. It has more than 100 non-electric campsites, 7 backpacking campsites and 10 canoe campsites.
Shades State Park is popular among hikers and canoeists. The park offers an array of trails ranging from easy to rugged, sandstone cliffs overlooking Sugar Creek and Pine Hills Nature Preserve to explore.
Turkey Run State Park
Turkey Run State Park in Marshall, Indiana, is full of sandstone gorges, ravines, old-growth trees and wildlife. Sugar Creek runs through the 2,382-acre park, which is great for swimming, fishing, tubing, canoeing or kayaking.
Turkey Run boasts more than 200 Class A campsites with electrical hookups, and its camping areas are equipped with modern restrooms and showers. A camp store is there, too, to provide campers with firewood, food and other necessities.
McCormick's Creek State Park
(Note: On March 31, 2023, McCormick's Creek State Park took a direct hit from an EF3 tornado that ripped a four-mile-long swath of destruction through the park. At the time of this posting, the campground is closed indefinitely and amenities at the park are limited as the long, ongoing process of cleanup continues, so be sure to check their website before planning your visit. Perhaps by the time you're ready to try camping at McCormick's Creek State Park, the campground will have reopened.)
Did you know that McCormick's Creek State Park is the oldest state park in Indiana? Dedicated on July 4, 1916, this 1,924-acre park boasts more than 10 miles of hiking trails, waterfalls, equestrian trails, an inn, a nature preserve, a swimming pool, fishing in the White River, a recreation center and, of course, camping.
McCormick's Creek offers 190 Class A modern campsites with electrical hookups and nearby modern restrooms and showers, plus 33 primitive campsites with pit toilets and no showers. Additionally, there are two group campsites and a youth tent campsite.
Prophetstown State Park
In direct contrast to McCormick's Creek State Park, Prophetstown State Park in West Lafayette is the newest state park in Indiana, established in 2004. It's near the convergence of the Wabash and Tippecanoe rivers, and it offers 55 Class A modern campsites with full hook-ups, another 55 campsites with electrical hook-ups, plus hiking trails, bicycle trails and an aquatic center.
Make sure you check out the Farm at Prophetstown (a working farm), good flat biking trails, Wolf Park in Battle Ground and the Tippecanoe Battle Field and Museum in Lafayette, while you are in there.
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