Indiana's 5 Best State Parks For RV Camping, Depending On Your Priorities

If you're looking to explore the United States, one of the most flexible ways to do so is by RV. Traveling in a motorhome offers many of the conveniences of a hotel room on wheels, allowing you to visit any city you like without the hassle of booking accommodations or paying expensive resort fees. For example, if you're visiting the Peach State, you can pull up to one of these five top RV camping spots in Georgia. However, today we're focusing on the Hoosier State.

From the shores of Lake Michigan to the Kentucky border, Indiana's state parks are consistently well-rated and accommodating for RV travelers. Most of the parks on this list offer more than 100 RV-compatible sites with hookups, so you have plenty of options when booking a night, weekend, or week-long stay.

For this list, we started by looking at roundup articles and social media to give us an idea of which parks are the most popular. From there, we picked five based on various selling points, such as lake access or the least crowded. This way, you can pick the park that fits your RVing style — although all five of these spots are worth a visit, no matter what. 

While Nashville, Tennessee, is notable for being the capital of country music, the Nashville in Indiana is known for being the gateway to Brown County State Park. The city also has antique shops and a charming downtown, just in case you want to explore it and the park. However, what really sets Brown County apart from other Indiana state parks is that it's the largest of the bunch, meaning it has the most hiking trails, equestrian trails, and RV sites. If you're looking for a park with plenty of room to stretch your legs, this is it. 

Overall, this park has over 18 miles of hiking trails that can accommodate visitors of all ages and skill levels. The state even offers a loaner all-terrain motorized wheelchair so anyone can tackle rough terrain in style. The longest trail is the HHC Trail, which stretches 3.5 miles and has a moderate rating. If you're looking for something a bit more challenging, the Taylor Ridge Trail is rated rugged and is 3 miles long, or you can head over to the Fire Tower Trail and climb the 90-foot structure to marvel at some of the best views in the entire state.

As the largest state park, Brown County has an abundance of RV-compatible campsites, so you shouldn't have any trouble reserving a spot. According to the state park website, there are 389 paved sites, 358 of which have electrical hookups. Nearly all of the sites are back-in only and limited to about 41 feet, with the exception of a handful of 50-foot-long pull-through spots in the Taylor Ridge campground. Brown County also has plenty of amenities, including a dump station, a comfort station with a bathhouse for longer stays, and even a refreshment stand where you can buy snacks and other concessions. 

We can't talk about the best state parks in Indiana for RV camping without mentioning Indiana Dunes State Park. If you're looking for a lakeside getaway, it doesn't get much better than this. Sure, the National Park may get all of the attention, but the state park is just as mesmerizing and offers both idyllic scenery of the dunes and extensive lake access so you can enjoy the water throughout your stay. 

For most visitors, looking at the dunes and chilling by the lake would be enough reason to visit this park. However, if you're looking to get your blood pumping, you can take on the 3 Dune Challenge, a 1.5-mile hike up the three tallest dunes in the park. But don't let the relatively short distance fool you; climbing up a sand dune is tough work, and your legs will feel it afterward. According to the state park website, the total climb is 552 vertical feet, or the equivalent of a roughly 50-story building. Then, if you ever get tired of the scenery, you can head into Chesterton, the "gateway to the dunes," and an artsy town with a vibrant downtown market.

Although the park spans over 2,100 acres, it has fewer RV-compatible campsites than the other parks we've listed so far. According to the reservation website, there are 134 RV sites, each of which comes with an electrical hookup. However, this area is perfect for larger rigs, as a majority of sites have a maximum length of 50 –55 feet — although they're all back-in only. Many of the sites also have partial shade to keep you cool. As with other Indiana state parks, there's a dump station, bathhouse, comfort station, and a retail store where you can buy snacks and other essentials. 

While natural scenery is certainly one reason to choose a state park for RV camping, Mounds State Park in Anderson is perfect if you're hoping to learn more about Native American history. Overall, the park is home to 10 unique mounds, which are estimated to date back to around 160 BCE. The park is also home to the Bronnenberg House. The Bronnenbergs were local settlers who recognized the cultural and historical value of the mounds and fought to preserve them, so you can learn more about the family and their contributions to Indiana history during your stay. 

Beyond exploring the mounds themselves, the park has various hiking trails and straddles the White River. There, you can go fishing or just dip your toes in the water and relax on the banks. The park even has a nature center with wildlife displays and interactive games to help you appreciate more of Indiana's local fauna. Another thing to note is that the park is less than an hour north of Indianapolis, so if you need a break from the wilderness or just want to stock up on gas and supplies before heading over, it's easy to do.

As far as RV camping goes, Mounds has 71 sites with electrical hookups, making it one of the smallest parks on this list. However, there's significant size variation, with a handful of pull-through sites over 70 feet long, so most rigs can fit comfortably with plenty of room to spare. Other amenities include a dump station and a camp store. 

Situated about two hours north of Indy is our pick for the best state park for avoiding crowds, Tippecanoe River State Park. According to data released by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Tippecanoe River is one of the least-visited parks in the system, with just over 147,000 visitors for the 2023/2024 fiscal year. For comparison, Turkey Run received over 870,000 visitors, while Brown County hosted over 1.5 million. While other parks technically had fewer people, including Trine State Recreation Area and Falls of the Ohio State Park, they don't offer RV camping, so we couldn't include them in this list. 

As the name suggests, the star of this park is the Tippecanoe River, which weaves through the scenery with a calm, relaxing vibe. If you have a kayak or canoe, you'll want to bring it along so you can explore the river as much as possible. There are even several canoe-in campsites, just in case you want to leave your RV in one spot and go on an adventure during your trip. Alternatively, you can just hang out by the river, or fish in different locations and try to grab some dinner. 

According to the reservation website, Tippecanoe River has 108 RV-compatible campsites, all of which come with electrical hookups. There's also a comfort station with toilets and a dump station if you're staying for a while.

Our final best Indiana state park for RV camping is also the most well-reviewed locale, Turkey Run. With over 7,700 Google reviews and an average of 4.8 stars at the time of this writing, it's clear that residents and visitors love the majesty and beauty of this park, regardless of how they experience it. Best of all, Turkey Run is practically next to another great park, Shades State Park. So, depending on your travel plans, you can incorporate both spots into the same trip and get a nice twofer.

Part of what makes Turkey Run such a memorable state park is that it's home to the "Grand Canyon of the Midwest," which you have to take a suspension bridge to see. However, while the views are spectacular, its notoriety also means that Turkey Run is one of the most-visited state parks in the state. According to locals on Reddit, they often prefer Shades because it offers similar scenery but without the crowds, but Turkey Run is the better-rated, hence its inclusion. 

As for RVing, here's the lowdown on what you can expect. There are 209 RV-compatible sites, all with electrical hookups. Most of them are back-in sites, but there are a few pull-through options if you're driving a larger rig. The average spot length is around 35 to 45 feet, so it's easier to find an open spot if your rig is within that range. There are tons of amenities on-site, including a dump station, convenience store, swimming pool, and even a restaurant. Finally, throughout Indiana's state parks, quiet hours are between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., so run your generators outside of these hours. 

Since Indiana state parks are so well managed and highly regarded, picking just five to highlight as the best for RV camping was a challenging task. Additionally, since every RVer will consider different factors when deciding on a top-tier site, it's hard to narrow down selections while keeping everyone happy.

For this list, we started by looking at roundup articles and social media platforms (like this thread in r/Indiana) to see which places locals and experienced RVers recommended most often. Then, we chose these five based on the following factors: largest park, best lake access, best for history buffs, least crowded, and most well-reviewed. 

Finally, because these factors are impossible to rank in order of importance, we listed the parks alphabetically to maintain a certain level of objectivity.