Established campgrounds that welcome vehicle-based travelers, from public campgrounds on the way to somewhere to private camps worth a stay of their own.
We’re working on adding the latest campgrounds in Indiana here.
In the meantime, BLM campgrounds are already on the public land map, with the fees and stay limits the agency publishes and a link to each one.
Wayne County. Our own reading at its map point gives 1,249. The low point is 320 feet on the Ohio River in Posey County, footnoted to the Corps of Engineers
Open two weekdays and two Saturdays a month in season, on a permit, after a safety briefing and a signed acknowledgment of danger
Camping across Indiana’s systems
Four systems, four prices. The Hoosier National Forest runs campgrounds from free at Blackwell and Shirley Creek up to 38 dollars for an RV electric site at Hardin Ridge, generally April through October with some sites open all year at reduced amenities. State forest camping is first come and first served at most properties and priced at twelve dollars or so for non-electric.
Indiana Dunes runs Dunewood from 1 April to 1 November at 25 dollars, with a 14 day limit in any 30. Corps water is mostly run by the state under state pricing, and only Quakertown at Brookville Lake is a Corps campground in our federal build.
Developed campgrounds have numbered sites, toilets, often water, usually a fee and sometimes reservations. They are the easy night on the way to somewhere.
Dispersed camping means no facilities and no fee. It is allowed on much Bureau of Land Management and National Forest land, within local rules on where you can pull off, how long you can stay and whether you can have a fire.
Private campgrounds and ranch stays add showers, laundry and hookups: the reset day in the middle of a long trip.
How to find a good one
The managing agency's own page is the only source for current status.
01Check the agency page for closures, fire restrictions and water before you drive in.
02Check the stay limit. Many public lands use fourteen days within a set period, but it varies by office.
03Check vehicle length limits and the condition of the access road.
04Arrive before dark, and have a second option.
Camp so it stays open
Most closures of dispersed areas follow the same pattern of trash, new fire rings and driving off the track.
01Use sites that already exist rather than making new ones.
02Pack out everything, including human waste where it is required.
03Have fires only where and when they are allowed, and drown them.
04Leave gates as you found them.
Questions people ask
Is dispersed camping legal?
On much BLM and National Forest land, yes, within local rules on where you can pull off, how long you can stay and whether fires are allowed. Rules are set by the local office and change with conditions, so check before you go. The public land map shows who manages the ground.
How long can I stay?
Many public lands use a 14-day limit within a set period, but it varies by office and by area. The campground details on the public land map show the stay limit the BLM publishes for each site.
Do I need a reservation?
For popular developed campgrounds in season, often. Many public campgrounds are first come, first served. Recreation.gov handles reservations for most federal campgrounds that take them.
How high is Indiana?
From Tell City at 421 feet to Hoosier Hill at 1,257.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
RichmondOn the Historic National Road, the nearest city to Hoosier Hill979 ft
BloomingtonThe base for Monroe Lake, Tower Ridge Road and the Deam Wilderness770 ft
BedfordWhere the Hoosier National Forest keeps its supervisor’s office684 ft
ChestertonThe main approach to Indiana Dunes and its state park640 ft
PaoliOrange County services for Youngs Creek and Springs Valley625 ft
BrownstownJackson-Washington State Forest, Skyline Drive and the Knobstone Trail623 ft
Michigan CityEast end of the national park shoreline, on US 12620 ft
MartinsvilleNorth gateway to Morgan-Monroe State Forest and its back country area605 ft
NashvilleBrown County services beside Yellowwood State Forest596 ft
CorydonHarrison County, at the edge of Harrison-Crawford State Forest590 ft
LintonThe town by Redbird, one of two state off-road areas536 ft
EnglishCrawford County, between the Hoosier’s sandstone cliffs and the Ohio River byway507 ft
MadisonOhio River services on the byway east of the forest491 ft
JasperFull services in Dubois County before Patoka Lake and Ferdinand State Forest468 ft
LynnvilleThe town by Interlake, the larger state off-road area463 ft
Tell CityOhio River town at the south end of the Hoosier, near the Tell City ranger district421 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Hoosier HillThe highest point in Indiana, on farm ground in Wayne County. Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 1,249 feet1,257 ft
Weed Patch HillOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the Brown County hills1,055 ft
PinnacleOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the Jackson County knobs954 ft
PinnacleSkyline Drive, Jackson-Washington State Forest954 ft
Nebo RidgeOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on the ridge the Hoosier’s 8.6 mile trail follows921 ft
Hickory RidgeOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, on the ridge above the Deam Wilderness horse trails908 ft
Hickory RidgeTower Ridge Road: Indiana 446 south of Bloomington to the Deam Wilderness trailheads and the lookout tower908 ft
Low GapOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, at the gap that names the road along Morgan-Monroe’s back country area782 ft
Low GapMorgan-Monroe State Forest roads782 ft
German RidgeOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, in the Perry County hills above the Ohio781 ft
Hardin RidgeOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, above Monroe Lake781 ft
German RidgeGerman Ridge Recreation Area road: Indiana 37 south to Indiana 70, then east less than a mile to the signed turn781 ft
Hardin RidgeHardin Ridge Road off Indiana 446: Indiana 446 south of Bloomington by Chapel Hill Road to Monroe Lake781 ft
Mount HoldenOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, one of the named dunes at Indiana Dunes State Park758 ft
Mount TomOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point. The state says its dunes tower nearly 200 feet above Lake Michigan751 ft
Mount TomIndiana Dunes State Park roads751 ft
Mount JacksonOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point, the third of the named dunes at the state park742 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
