Where to go camping?

[Branch]

I want to go camping for a week this summer but can't seem to find any place where I can just drive out into the middle of nowhere and pitch a tent.

I don't want to camp at a typical campground with a bunch of noisy people. Is there any place in Indiana like what I'm looking for?

 

[Pinchaser]

I don't want to camp at a typical campground with a bunch of noisy people. Is there any place in Indiana like what I'm looking for?

Not really. There is no shortage of places to camp in Indiana but, in the high summer season, you are going to get to spend your vacation with bubba no matter where you go. We are, of course, discussing public places. I'm sure there are some wonderful private places to go if you know someone. I have such ground in Putnam County but we don't rent it out.

 

[Landon]

Lots of places to camp in Hoosier National forest. I don't know all the rules, but I think its something like you can camp just about anywhere along any road in the forest.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

Hickory hills campground has a few primitive lots. There's about 50-100 yards between each one. The area is situated away from their usual business of seasonal campers and it's really quiet during the week.
Situated between cloverdale and spencer off of 231, the primitive area is close to the northern property line against mill creek. Some trails, 2 fishing lakes, a swimming hole. Not a bad little place to camp. They have a facebook page, and a website with a map of the campgrounds. Though I believe they cut the primitive sights by half (from this map) to the NW area. PINK triangles = primitive sights.

 

[The Bubba Effect]

Never mind, I just reread the op and noticed the requirement of being able to drive to the camp site. The hoosier has lots of car camping spots, but as long as you're on the road, you are likely to encounter morons. Morons looove roads.

 

[dj-vektor]

You dont know anyone you work with or have a friend of a friend that has a bunch of land you could go on? I've went on a farmers land before. He was a family friend and said as long as we weren't hunting he didn't care. If you get lucky maybe a fellow INGOer will hook you up

 

[Super Bee]

Brown County State Park has a ton of primitive campsites, very secluded and heavily wooded.

 

[VostocK]

If you're not against hiking a little to get to a good spot then Morgan-Monroe state forest sounds like what you are looking for. You can camp in the backcountry area for free, you just have to register at the office first. There is a sign that says that you can only stay for 14 days at a time. You can hike in off one of the trails and then head off the main trails to find a quiet spot to set up. Be advised you are on your own out there, the terrain can be rugged and I couldn't get cell service anywhere. I can pretty much guarantee you can find a spot where you won't see or hear anyone ( 24,000 acres total ).

Here is their website : DNR: Morgan-Monroe State Forest

 

[Branch]

Thanks guys I have seen some good suggestions for what I'm looking for. I was thinking of driving out west to Nevada, Arizona or Utah but decide on short notice to stay closer to home.

I was hoping to be able to drive my 4x4 on some trails out in the woods and be able to camp wherever I wanted to.

 

[MCgrease08]

If you're not against hiking a little to get to a good spot then Morgan-Monroe state forest sounds like what you are looking for. You can camp in the backcountry area for free, you just have to register at the office first. There is a sign that says that you can only stay for 14 days at a time. You can hike in off one of the trails and then head off the main trails to find a quiet spot to set up. Be advised you are on your own out there, the terrain can be rugged and I couldn't get cell service anywhere. I can pretty much guarantee you can find a spot where you won't see or hear anyone ( 24,000 acres total ).

Here is their website : DNR: Morgan-Monroe State Forest

This looks like fun. I will have to check out some of the trails this summer. Keep the suggestions coming. Tagging for future reference.

 

[Noway Jose]

Thanks guys I have seen some good suggestions for what I'm looking for. I was thinking of driving out west to Nevada, Arizona or Utah but decide on short notice to stay closer to home.

I was hoping to be able to drive my 4x4 on some trails out in the woods and be able to camp wherever I wanted to.

I've been looking for some good wilderness to camp in also. Indiana just doesn't compare to the camping I did growing up in az. We took many trips up to mogollón rim near pine, az. The best was out near the wind river range in west Wyoming. That was camping. If I can hear other drunkards laughing around a fire I might as well stay around the firepit in my own backyard.

 

[shibumiseeker]

Thanks guys I have seen some good suggestions for what I'm looking for. I was thinking of driving out west to Nevada, Arizona or Utah but decide on short notice to stay closer to home.

I was hoping to be able to drive my 4x4 on some trails out in the woods and be able to camp wherever I wanted to.

Well, you can't on any public land in Indiana. You can on private land but that actually requires effort of getting to know a landowner and taking care of his or her property, which most people who just want to 4x4 to a secluded spot so they can party camp away from law enforcement rarely want to do (I'm not saying this is what you want, just the uphill battle you will have with perception).

Out west you have the BLM and much fewer people per square mile so folks don't care as much. In Indiana every yahoo out there wants to do the same thing you do, so if such was allowed on public land it would all be trashed pretty quickly. I'm speaking from experience here as I manage a small private nature preserve near Bloomington that used to have a landowner who didn't exercise any control over the property and as it was at the end of a dead end road within a decade it turned into little more than a garbage dump. Even now when we don't charge people for access to the property, we still clean up garbage and vandalism from people who seem to think that it's ok to treat other people's property worse than they treat their own.

 

[kludge]

Hoosier National Forest.
Knob Stone Trail.

But you're gonna need a backpack.

 

[bluestanger66]

Thanks for posting this! I have been wondering the same thing this spring. New to the area and looks like quite a few places to check out this year