The best camping near Summit Lake State Park

Discover the most magical spots to pitch your tent or park your rig on your next Summit Lake State Park adventure.

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Discover Summit Lake State Park's scenic trails and abundant wildlife.

Popular ways to camp

Community favorites near Summit Lake State Park

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Public campgrounds in the park
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Stay at a public campground in Summit Lake State Park

My friends and I hang out around the "naked tree" in the mornings to get the best photo ops.

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Summit Lake Campground

124 sites · RVs, Tents In Summit Lake State Park

Top-rated campgrounds near Summit Lake State Park

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Hidden Valley Fun Time Happy Camp!

8 sites · RVs, Tents8 acres · Muncie, IN

Once the secret speakeasy after dark spot for local political big wigs this property has been transformed from swampland to hidden gem right on the edge of America's Hometown of Muncie, Indiana! Welcome to Narnia! Or Atlantis!? Or... The Property? The Hidden Valley? We just haven't committed to a name yet so it's a little bit of everything all rolled into one! 8 acres on the magical Ganges, er, White River makes for a fun time. You can expect a certain amount of privacy while still potentially making a new friend or two depending on the night. You will be nestled under some giant sycamores, cottonwoods, black walnuts, catulpas, and a mess of bush honeysuckle that is always being battled! We have 2-3 sites directly on the river and then scores throughout with trails, hills, and other interesting features. Multiple firepits though I CANNOT guarantee firewood. There is often plenty to collect or available on site but if you can bring your own that'd be safest bet! We are (somehow) located partially inside Muncie city limits right on the river. Yes you may occasionally hear some trains or even particularly loud cars while camping deep in the woods but this is the tradeoff for a one mile drive to bars, restaurants, and groceries! Best of both worlds. The Muncie Eagles, whose nest resides directly across the river from us, do not seem to mind! This location is also directly on two main bike trail routes and our trails are fun for low impact mountain biking! We also have a small armada of kayaks/canoes on site; IF arranged that option does exist for cost of transport! We have 2 porta potties on site as well and fresh water hose available at main house. Looking forward to hosting!

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Quiet Creek Valley

4 sites · RVs, Tents100 acres · Camden, OH

Welcome to our serene oasis in Preble County! Our property features wide-open farmland leading back to a tranquil forested creek, nestled in a valley teeming with wildlife. Enjoy playing in the creek, exploring the woods, and immersing yourself in nature's beauty. This property is in a flood plain and you could be moved to higher ground. Feel free to message us if you have questions. We offer several primitive campsites, allowing you to choose whether to camp solo or with a group. If you're interested in exploring the farm and trails on the upper half of the property, we would love to show you around.

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Sherfick Farms

66 sites · RVs, Tents34 acres · Noblesville, IN

Learn more about this land:Sherfick Farms has a 3.5acre lake and surrounded by Farm fields. Far enough from the city you can see the stars, but close enough for any of your last minute needs. Enjoy the open field and star lit skies.

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Blue Water Lake

20 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents16 acres · Montpelier, IN

Blue Water Lake is located next to the Salamonie River with fishing access in the lake or the river. Blue Water Lake was previously Baltes Stone Quarry with one side being 18 feet and the other side 30 feet deep. Lime stone edged with a straight down drop off in most places. Less than a mile from Montpelier, a golf cart community. Beach area available for swimming access. No lifeguards on duty, swim at your own risk. Primitive camping available. Out house available.

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♥ Uncle Bob's Backwoods Preserve

4 sites · RVs, Tents11 acres · Noblesville, IN

Camp with privacy on a chicken homestead nestled a quarter mile into the woods, with access to a 15-acre nature preserve featuring beautiful hiking trails that overlook the White River—a hidden gem unknown to most locals. Choose to camp in a highly frequented deer area by the driveway or walk back to the orchard. Each campsite is private, ensuring you won't have anyone camping right next to you. Sites accommodate from 3 to 7 tents, each with its unique charm and surrounded by ample firewood. Experience the natural habitat of foxes, deer, pileated woodpeckers, hawks, owls, and other woodland creatures. Depending on rainfall, a pond occasionally fills up, providing a great opportunity for catch-and-release frog and toad adventures! (Nets provided or use your hands like a pro) Meet our two domesticated squirrels, "Big" and "Little," who are always hungry and love pecans. Please be sweet to these two precious babies. They are the squirrels that don't run away from humans. Wake up to the delight of fresh eggs, straight from our homestead! (Inquire if interested) Water: Well water access (hoses at #2 & #3) & cleaning station next to restroom. Restroom: Porta potty to orchard campsites is a 2-3 minute walk. - Feel free to walk into the woods and pee like God intended Power: Electrical access available near house for charging - Ruoff Music Center: 18 minutes (Northwest, so less traffic) - State Road 37: 6 minutes - Downtown Historic Noblesville: 5 minutes - Amenities: Grocery, shops, food, and drinks! - Bier Brewery: 9 minutes (great outdoor area) - Wolfies Restaurant: 6 minutes (on Morse Reservoir) - Forest Park: 3 minutes - Features: Playgrounds, sand volleyball, skate park, basketball, bocce ball, tennis courts - Schwartz's Bait & Tackle: 4 minutes

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Sugar Maple Grove Campground

8 sites · RVs, Tents25 acres · Brownsville, IN

Nice secluded campsites with lots of space and privacy. Fire wood available also have excellent cell phone service unlike most state parks in the area. Picnic tables, fire pits with 30 amp and 20 amp outlets at rv sites 1, 2 and 3. Brookville Lake is about 5 minutes away. We have 25 acres with about 3 wooded acres and about 20 acres of flat grass Fields plenty of room to hike, just keep in mind we have one horse that is fenced In so please close gates back when you open them. Att has excellent service at 94mbps download and 11mbps upload, Verizon is good at 36mbps Download and 5mbps upload. We have an outhouse for tent campers And water is available at 3 locations. Direction: Please use SR 44 to country road 450 and go north and take a right at 4 way stop on to Springersville Road and we are about a quarter mile down the road on the left. Little yellow house with 3 eastern white pine tree before the driveway.

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Camp Rocky Run

2 sites · RVs9 acres · Eaton, OH

Rocky Run Creek is a tributary to Seven Mile Creek in Preble County, OH Learn more about this land: Small creek near residential area. Choice of wide open spaces, partial or full shade spots available. Short walking trail along the creek line is maintained. 'Rocky Cross' Geocach nearby. Please be aware that if we have had a lot of rain, the creek side spots may be too wet and difficult to get back up the hill with the wet grass. If this is the case, we do have the gravel barn driveway that can accommodate your stay. During peak busy season, the barn drive may have additional guests due to site, weather or general camping conditions. The barn drive offers a view of the creek area about 100 feet away and is about 175 feet from the patio common area. WiFi covering the entire camp and all cellular carriers work great here. 30 Amp electrical in many spots. White tank water fill is available in select locations. Plenty of room for tow vehicle at your camp site. As of 5/1/24, a new RV spot has been added with 30A electrical. As of 5/1/24, Premium WiFi is now available for additional $5 / day with fast WiFi speeds for working remotely. Just mention you would like the details on the premium WiFi upon arrival! **Please read the following advisories and restrictions** =================================================== ! TRAVEL/ROUTE RESTRICTIONS ! (State Route 127, Northbound) If traveling here from the South (only on Ohio State Route 127), please note the height restrictions on three roads that connect SR 127 with the parallel Wayne Trace Road. The names of the roads to avoid: Consolidated (Height restriction 9' 9" under the railroad) Brower (Height restriction 10' 0" over Seven Mile Creek) 7 Mile Road (Height restriction and very sharp turn to bridge) Please watch what route electronic devices may may pick avoiding these routes. A suggested route from traveling North on State Route 127 to Camp Rocky Run is to turn in Camden, OH on State Route 725 and head East to Wayne Trace Road. !! NOTE on RV types !! You must have a self contained RV with on board restroom facilities. We have no restroom facilities available. For this reason, we do not offer tent camping. !! NOTE on camp fire location !! The fire ring provided on the shared creek side patio is the only spot a camp fire, of any kind, can be built. (Sorry, but we have had too many damaged spots in the grass from the use of 'portable' fire ring units.) !! NOTE on Class A RVs with towed vehicle !! If it is too wet to access the creek side spots, we can still accommodate your stay in the nearby barn driveway but if you are unable to back up with the 'toad' then a detach will be required. Again, this is only if it is too wet to access the creek side camp spots. Generally we will be able to help you back in, but at times we may be away and suggest a helper in guiding you into the barn drive. Note, the barn driveway is not a pull through site.

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H.E.R. LIVING CAMPUS

17 sites · Lodging, Tents8 acres · Beech Grove, IN

H.E.R. stands for Honor, Educate, and Restore. As avid campers who have enjoyed the beauty of nature by camping all across America, we are happy to share the joys of camping with others. We do this in the solid spirit of Honoring our Ancestors, Educating our children, and Restoring the spirit of family. We share these values with every visitor to H.E.R. Living Campus. We hope to share these values with you.

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Marick Acres

6 sites · RVs, Tents18 acres · Carthage, IN

What once started in the mid 1800's as a 240 acre sugar maple tree farm is now our little 18 acres of heaven on earth. Our house was built on the property in 1875. The land is rolling and dotted with flower beds, animals, and beautiful green grass that is mowed weekly. We are bordered by fields and a cemetery that dates back to the 1800's.We are neighbors with those who grow crops, raise beef cows, bison, and alpacas.2 blocks from our driveway is Blue River which offers fishing, kayaking, tubing, and canoeing (if you have your own equipment). Town is 2 minutes away, but there is not much there other than a convenience gas station, aTodd's Great Outdoor Bait Shop, and an engine repair shop. There are often festivals, open Music Jams and community events. "Civilization" is a 30 minute drive to find movies, grocery, shopping, and a public pool. The sky appears to be scattered with diamonds on a clear night and during season the fireflies light the trees up like twinkling lights at Christmas! Learn more about this land: We have an 18 acre mini farm, close to a small town and near a river. We have two small ponds that can be fished in during the early spring, wildlife, and birds to watch. There are 6 very nice areas for camp sites that allow for privacy and relaxation. Each site has a fire pit and table. We also have just put in a new out house and have a port-a-potty for our campers to use. We are 10 minutes from Interstate 70 and only 30 minutes from Indianapolis. If you are just passing through or arriving late, let us know and we will be happy to have a campfire started for you. Accommodations can be made for group camping! We also have a gazebo that can be used for weddings and vow renewals. Officiant on site.

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Serenity Now

3 sites · RVs, Tents25 acres · Laurel, IN

Down a long winding road you'll find Serenity Now. Situated in a holler along Little Salt Creek in Western Franklin county. Come enjoy the 25+ acres of forested hills, green meadows, babbling Little Salt Creek. Catch a glimpse of wildlife such as deer, turkey, fox and eagles to name a few. But most of all enjoy the piece and quiet. There are spots up in the forest to relax and unwind in nature. There are trails to hike throughout the property, with more being added. End the day around a camp fire under dark night skies, where the star gazing is incredible if conditions are right. You're minutes away from quaint towns like Metamora, Oldenburg and Brookville. Franklin county has many activities and places of interest. Explore the historic White water canal, unique shops and dining spots, horseback riding, boating and kayaking as well as offroading. The camp sites are primitive. Fire rings at each site. Firewood is available for purchase (first fire is on the house). A clean portolet is on property. Sites can accommodate tents, truck campers, camper vans and small pull behind campers. 15 foot trailer max. 6 people per site max, 2 vehicles per site max. Pets are welcome if well behaved.

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The Rusted Plow

17 sites · RVs, Tents10 acres · Carthage, IN

We live off of a gorgeous winding tree lined road between Knightstown and Carthage. Our property has several options for you to tent camp or we can accommodate large RVs. Electric will be supplied via extension cord and we can provide well water to fill your tank or a hose from our pump for you to use as needed. We own 10 acres with a pasture of wild flowers, chickens, and several varieties of trees. The surrounding 100 acres along Big Blue River is owned by our family and available for your enjoyment. Kayaking, hiking, bird watching, swimming and just relaxing! We hope we can be a quiet spot for your travels thru the midwest. We are 30 minutes from Indianapolis, 20 minutes to a gorgeous lake and mountain bike trail and Knightstown has several quaint shops and antique venues for you to enjoy! Please keep all animals on a leash or contained. We do live in the midst of cornfields and forest where racoons, opossums and our pets live. We have outdoor kitties Reginald is a big gray boy who will try to climb your leg if you stand still long enough! lol Abigail and Toby are our indoor dogs, but they do roam outside during the day. We also have 2 new to our farm rescued Great Pyreneese that are adjusting! They are in an enclosed pen behind our barn and should'nt cause you any trouble. You may hear them barking off and on as they adjust to their new surroundings. If you need anything please let us know :D We are always ready to make your stay as comfortable as we can!

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Mud Creek Campgrounds

15 sites · RVs, Tents5 acres · Noblesville, IN

Woods, water flowing through the creek, sounds of nature, privacy...all reasons we moved our family from the city. We hope that you too will enjoy exploring the woods, fishing in the creek, and hearing the sounds of nature as you sleep under the stars. Learn more about this land: Our campground is a primitive wooded spot 1.8 miles east of Ruoff (Deer Creek) Music Center amphitheater. Limited camp sites for select concert dates will be available; campers must be over 18, have picture identification (driver's license or passport), and sign a waiver. Other nearby activities include Top Golf, outdoor shopping mall, Connor Prairie historical museum, and canoeing the White River. We are less than five minutes from I-69.

The best camping near Summit Lake State Park guide

Overview

About

With sweeping views and good ole fashion fishing at the heart of what makes Summit Lake State Park so great, it’s hard to go anywhere else for those coveted camp vibes. Rugged enthusiasts, nature lovers, and beachside loungers are all welcome here. Patrons find themselves on the water more than anything else, but the park also offers beautiful trails and has plenty of nature to be explored. There are expansive wet meadows and prairies that create a unique and picturesque landscape. The skies are often speckled with bald eagle and osprey and the grounds ruled by sandhill crane. Zeigler Woods is overflowing with rich flora and fauna, well-preserved by lack of human disturbance. From exquisite woodlands to glassy lake waters, Summit Lake really has it all.

Notable campgrounds

Electric Campsites: Equipped with electrical hookups, these sites offer convenience for campers seeking modern comforts amid nature.
Youth Tent Camping: Dedicated areas for youth groups promote outdoor learning and adventure in a safe, designated environment.

Tips for snagging a campsite

Book early to secure your spot, as campgrounds fill up quickly, especially during peak seasons.
Consider mid-week stays for better availability and a quieter camping experience.
Keep an eye on cancellations to snag a last-minute reservation at this popular park.
Explore nearby camping options if Summit Lake State Park is fully booked.

When to go

The best time to visit Summit Lake State Park is during the spring and fall when the weather is mild and the natural beauty is at its peak. Summer offers warm days perfect for water activities, though it's also the busiest season. Winters can be cold, with opportunities for ice fishing and cross-country skiing.

Know before you go

Check for blue-green algae advisories and follow safety guidelines for water activities.
Accessibility is a priority; the Beach Trail is designed for all visitors to enjoy the park's natural beauty.
Stay informed about park alerts and event schedules to enhance your visit.
Remember to shower after swimming and always prioritize water safety.
Trail maps are available under the MAPS tab to help you navigate the park's diverse landscapes.