Campgrounds and RV parks near Medora, IN

Water recreation anchors most trips in this area. Starve-Hollow State Recreation Area provides fishing and boat rental on 145-acre Starve Hollow Lake, swimming on a large sandy beach, and conservation programming at the Forest Education Center. The lake has three boat launches, canoe and rowboat rental is available, and a valid Indiana fishing license is required. Spring Mill State Park draws families for its historical and geological features. Highlights include a restored 1800s Pioneer Village, a nature center offering cave tours and interpretive programs, a mountain biking trail, a seasonal Olympic-size swimming pool, and a memorial to astronaut Gus Grissom with his spacesuit and the Gemini 3 Molly Brown space capsule on display. Brown County State Park adds a dense trail network for hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians, plus scenic overlooks known for fall color.

The prime camping window runs from late spring through mid-fall. At Brown County State Park, full services are available May through October, and Starve-Hollow sees its busiest use in the same window when the beach and boat rental are in full operation. Summer weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day are the busiest, and lakefront sites at Starve-Hollow book out earliest. Shoulder-season trips in April and October generally have cooler nights, lighter crowds, and stronger site availability. Fall brings hardwood color across Brown County and Jackson-Washington State Forest, which drives a secondary peak in October bookings. Winter operations are reduced. As temperatures fall in November, the Brown County campgrounds move to winter services and rates, with one modern comfort station and water source available all winter in the Buffalo Ridge campground only, and primitive camping still available. Regular rates and some services resume in mid-April. Spring Mill's campground stays open year-round, but water is available only at a central location and shower houses are closed during the winter months.

Expect wooded, hilly terrain and modern state-park amenities at the major campgrounds. Spring Mill State Park Campground has 44 full hookup Class AA campsites, three of which are ADA accessible, and 175 electric Class A campsites, eight of which are ADA accessible and 20 of which are pull-through. Brown County State Park features 401 electric Class A campsites spread across Buffalo Ridge, Taylor Ridge, and Raccoon Ridge Campgrounds, plus 28 non-electric Class B campsites all located in the semi-wooded Raccoon Ridge Campground. RV drivers should plan entry routes carefully. At Brown County State Park, all RVs and vehicles towing trailers must use the West Gate Entrance off S.R. 46 west of Nashville, because the North Gate covered bridge is restricted to a 9-foot height and 3-ton weight limit. Indiana entrance fees apply on top of camping fees, and blue-green algae is found in these lakes year-round, so swim advisories should be checked before beach days.