Hardin Ridge
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- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 9 of the next 9 nights read 14:39 UTC
- A night
- $24–$52Across the site types the agency prices
- Sites
- 201195 on recreation.gov
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 9 notices
In the agency’s own words
Hardin Ridge is a 1,200-acre recreational complex located on the shores of Monroe Reservoir in Hooiser National Forest. The complex includes six shady campground loops, two picnic areas with shelters, and two rental cabins. The area offers something for everyone, with activities like camping, picnicking, boat launching, swimming, nature walks, and interpretive programs offered in a forested environment. Keep reading
Recreation
A 300-foot swimming beach on Lake Monroe offers a place for children to play and swimmers to sunbathe and enjoy the water. The beach offers a combination of sand and sun, with a shady grass-covered hillside above. There are no lifeguards on duty. No glass containers or pets are allowed in the beach area. The Hardin Ridge Trail is a 2-mile hiking and bicycle trail that runs from the day use area to the various campground loops. This trail roughly follows the main campground road and provides a safe surface for families to hike or bike, as well as a scenic overlook. Fishing is allowed anywhere along the lakeshore within the recreational complex, but several quiet inlets provide secluded fishing holes along the lake's banks. Popular catches include blue gill, striped bass, large mouth bass and crappie. On the Ted T. Turtle interpretive trail, visitors can travel 1.2 miles through a scenic hardwood forest, along a small creek and down to Lake Monroe and back. On the trail, visitors have the opportunity to learn about the history, geology, and wildlife common to southern Indiana. For visitors interested in boating, the lake has a 3-lane launch ramp that is open year-round. A 75 vehicle/trailer parking area is also available as well as a fully accessible loading dock provided at the boat ramp.
Facilities
There are 197 camp sites at Hardin Ridge, 36 of which are walk-in tenting only sites. With the exception of Eads and Southern Point loops, the areas have electric hookups at about half the sites (walk-in sites to do not have electric hookups). Centralized water, flush toilets and showers are provided. In addition to the campground loops, there are two picnic areas with numerous tables, along with three shelter houses, two of which overlook the lake. Two of the shelters also have electricity and lights. If the shelters are not reserved, they may be available on a first-come, first-served basis. There is ample space in the fields around the picnic sites for games. The Hardin Ridge Recreation Area has two primitive cabins available for rent. The cabins each offer 6 bunk beds, one of which is a double bed, for a total sleeping capacity of 7 people. The cabins are located on the shores of Lake Monroe, between the boat launch and swimming beach. There is a picnic shelter nearby and a shared toilet between the two cabins.
Natural Features
Monroe Reservoir spans 10,750-acres and is the largest lake in Indiana. There is an overlook on Hardin Ridge Road that is spectacular in any season and gives visitors a high vantage point of the lake, colorful marinas across the water and a vast expanse of forest. The entire area is forested with hardwoods and is well-shaded to give visitors the feel of being in the deep woods. In spring, the dogwoods and redbuds bring bright color to the forest and in fall, the foliage offers colors in vibrant hues of yellow, orange and red.
Nearby Attractions
Special Places on the Hoosier National Forest Brooks Cabin Buffalo Trace Carnes Mill Site Clover Lick Barrens Hickory Ridge Lookout Tower Initial Point Lick Creek African American Settlement The Jacob Rickenbaugh Homestead Wesley Chapel Gulf
What the agency tells you
Each campsite fee includes a camping unit (tent,camper) & one vehicle (single sites) and two vehicles (double sites). There is a $8.00 charge per day for the second vehicle, and $8.00 charge per day for any additional vehicle (must be paid at time of check-in). Maximum two vehicles per single site, and four vehicles per double site. There is a surcharge for the site with electric and water.
Generators are permitted in Eads Loop only. They are not permitted in Holland, Bluegill, White Oak Pine and Southern Point Loops.
All visitors must purchase a daily parking permit during the recreation season (April 15-October 15); The permit is $8/vehicle and buses are $8 for bus and driver plus $1 per person for each additional person.
Everything else this campground posts · 6
Racoons may frequent the area: please keep all garbage and food sealed and secured at all times
Do not dump gray water or sewage on the grounds; there is a dump station located near the gatehouse
Pets are not allowed in or outside the cabins; in all other locations pets must be on a leash at all times
Click here for more information on the Hoosier National Forest
Firewood is defined as any part or portion of a tree that has been cut and removed from its original location and is to be used as fuel for heating or cooking in an open pit, grill, fireplace, or stove
Don't move firewood: To limit the spread of invasive tree-killing pests, firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Some states have quarantines and may confiscate your firewood. Please help protect our forests from invasive species by obtaining your firewood at or near your camping destination and burning it on-site. Visit dontmovefirewood.org for more information.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 201 · 36 walk-in, 2 cabin
- Hookups
- 86 electric, 14 water
- Longest rig
- 60 ft
- Paved pads
- 22 of 201
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed at 199 of 201 sites
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets
- “…electric hookups). Centralized water, flush toilets and showers are provided. In addition to the…”
- Showers
- Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind
- “Centralized water, flush toilets and showers are provided.”
- Dump station
- Yes
- recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Reservoir, Lake, Creek, Beach
- Biking
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Ranger programs
- Swimming
- Night sky · 17th darkest of 23 in IN
- Bortle 4
Full this Saturdayread 14:39 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
OpenBooked
Every one of the 163 sites on offer is taken this Saturday. 131 are free on Tue, Oct 20. read 14:39 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 25
What you actually pay
“There is a $8.00 charge per day for the second vehicle, and $8.00 charge per day for any additional vehicle (must be paid at time of check-in).” · the U.S. Forest Service’s own fee record
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $24–$52 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 6
recreation.gov availability, read 14:39 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
210 records · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 195 mapped sitesAll 210 records
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 64 of the 210 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 201 of the 210 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| BLGL | 084 | standard electric | 50 ft | 30 amp | 287 ft | 754 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 085 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 101 ft | 562 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 086 | standard electric | 50 ft | 30 amp | 101 ft | 473 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 087 | rv electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 123 ft | 346 ft | $38 | ||
| BLGL | 088 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 123 ft | 224 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 089 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 145 ft | 80 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 090 | standard electric | 60 ft | 30 amp | 102 ft | 49 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 091 | rv electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 102 ft | 150 ft | $38 | ||
| BLGL | 092 | standard electric | 50 ft | 30 amp | 117 ft | 337 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 099 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 126 ft | 532 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 100 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 126 ft | 656 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 101 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 182 ft | 872 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 102 | standard electric | 60 ft | 30 amp | 139 ft | 1,054 ft | 3,175 ft | $33–$52 | |
| BLGL | 103 | standard electric | 60 ft | 30 amp | 139 ft | 983 ftAllens Creek | 3,048 ft | $33–$52 | |
| BLGL | 109 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 151 ft | 519 ftAllens Creek | 2,463 ft | $24 | ||
| BLGL | 113 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 233 ft | 666 ftAllens Creek | 2,219 ft | $24 | ||
| BLGL | 114 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 138 ft | 711 ftAllens Creek | 2,579 ft | $24 | ||
| BLGL | 115 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 130 ft | 776 ftAllens Creek | 2,716 ft | $24 | ||
| BLGL | 116 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 130 ft | 893 ftAllens Creek | 2,831 ft | $33–$52 | |
| BLGL | 117 | type not stated | 35 ft | 30 amp | 1,070 ftAllens Creek | 2,972 ft | $34–$34.97 | ||
| BLGL | 118 | standard electric | 50 ft | 30 amp | 118 ft | 1,057 ft | 3,063 ft | $33–$52 | |
| BLGL | 119 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 95 ft | 988 ft | 3,173 ft | $33–$52 | |
| BLGL | 120 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 91 ft | 896 ft | 3,260 ft | $33–$52 | |
| BLGL | 121 | standard electric | 25 ft | 30 amp | 91 ft | 809 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 122 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 83 ft | 731 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 123 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 83 ft | 673 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 124 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 91 ft | 666 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 125 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 222 ft | 449 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 126 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 126 ft | 356 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 127 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 119 ft | 234 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 128 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 119 ft | 135 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 130 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 132 ft | 395 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 131 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 127 ft | 507 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 132 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 105 ft | 610 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 133 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 105 ft | 689 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BLGL | 134 | standard electric | 25 ft | 30 amp | 154 ft | 791 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| BWLK | 093 | walk to | 113 ft | 453 ft | $24 | ||||
| BWLK | 094 | walk to | 113 ft | 550 ft | $24 | ||||
| BWLK | 095 | walk to | 117 ft | 666 ft | $24 | ||||
| BWLK | 096 | walk to | 136 ft | 596 ft | $24 | ||||
| BWLK | 097 | walk to | 136 ft | 499 ft | $24 | ||||
| BWLK | 104 | walk to | 136 ft | 671 ftAllens Creek | 2,857 ft | $24 | |||
| BWLK | 105 | walk to | 106 ft | 548 ftAllens Creek | 2,835 ft | $24 | |||
| BWLK | 106 | walk to | 106 ft | 442 ftAllens Creek | 2,773 ft | $24 | |||
| BWLK | 107 | walk to | 122 ft | 437 ftAllens Creek | 2,615 ft | $24 | |||
| BWLK | 108 | walk to | 122 ft | 535 ftAllens Creek | 2,608 ft | $24 | |||
| BWLK | 110 | walk to | 182 ft | 438 ftAllens Creek | 2,126 ft | $24 | |||
| BWLK | 111 | walk to | 182 ft | 325 ftAllens Creek | 1,945 ft | $24 | |||
| BWLK | 112 | walk to | 187 ft | 422 ftAllens Creek | 1,898 ft | $24 | |||
| CABI | CA1 | cabin electric | 608 ft | 359 ftMonroe Lake | 256 ft | $64 | |||
| CABI | CA2 | cabin electric | 608 ft | 178 ftMonroe Lake | 446 ft | $64 | |||
| EADS | 001 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 123 ft | 1,217 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 002 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 116 ft | 1,162 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 003 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 92 ft | 1,125 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 004 | standard nonelectric | 40 ft | 92 ft | 1,126 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 005 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 97 ft | 1,126 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 006 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 104 ft | 1,161 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 007 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 95 ft | 1,257 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 008 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 95 ft | 1,294 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 009 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 80 ft | 1,307 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 010 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 80 ft | 1,304 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 011 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 110 ft | 1,299 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 012 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 110 ft | 1,212 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 013 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 196 ft | 1,063 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 014 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 107 ft | 1,008 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 015 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 107 ft | 1,042 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 016 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 92 ft | 1,271 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 017 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 70 ft | 1,353 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 018 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 70 ft | 1,422 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 019 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 97 ft | 1,490 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 021 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 106 ft | 1,351 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 022 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 89 ft | 1,366 ft | $24 | |||
| EADS | 023 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 89 ft | 1,398 ft | $24 | |||
| HOLL | 200 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 111 ft | 1,231 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| HOLL | 201 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 111 ft | 1,128 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| HOLL | 202 | rv electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 112 ft | 1,015 ft | $38 | ||
| HOLL | 203 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 201 ft | 825 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| HOLL | 204 | rv electric | 50 ft | 30 amp | 208 ft | 577 ft | $38 | ||
| HOLL | 205 | rv electric | 50 ft | 30 amp | 161 ft | 497 ft | $38 | ||
| HOLL | 206 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 161 ft | 336 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| HOLL | 207 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 154 ft | 431 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| HOLL | 209 | standard electric | 35 ft | 15 amp | 154 ft | 547 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| HOLL | 210 | type not stated | 35 ft | 30 amp | 757 ft | $34–$34.97 | |||
| HOLL | 211 | standard electric | 55 ft | 30 amp | 161 ft | 951 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| HOLL | 212 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 163 ft | 1,115 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXXX | unnamed record | 35 ft | $34–$34.97 | |||||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXXX1 | unnamed record | $34–$34.97 | ||||||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXXX2 | unnamed record | $34–$34.97 | ||||||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXXX3 | unnamed record | $34–$34.97 | ||||||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXXX4 | unnamed record | $34–$34.97 | ||||||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXXX5 | unnamed record | $34–$34.97 | ||||||
| MANAGEMENT SITES | XXXX6 | unnamed record | $34–$34.97 | ||||||
| PINE | 152 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 168 ft | 991 ft | 2,157 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 153 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 168 ft | 1,146 ft | 2,216 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 154 | type not stated | 40 ft | 30 amp | 1,283 ft | 2,256 ft | $34–$34.97 | ||
| PINE | 156 | standard electric | 50 ft | 30 amp | 134 ft | 1,711 ftMonroe Lake | 2,337 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 157 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 133 ft | 1,628 ftMonroe Lake | 2,370 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 158 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 133 ft | 1,511 ftMonroe Lake | 2,462 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 159 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 138 ft | 1,091 ftMonroe Lake | 2,214 ft | $24 | ||
| PINE | 160 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 138 ft | 1,041 ftMonroe Lake | 2,150 ft | $24 | ||
| PINE | 164 | standard electric | 40 ft | 30 amp | 140 ft | 736 ftMonroe Lake | 1,992 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 165 | standard electric | 50 ft | 30 amp | 140 ft | 693 ftMonroe Lake | 1,978 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 166 | type not stated | 35 ft | 30 amp | 484 ft | 1,851 ft | $34–$34.97 | ||
| PINE | 167 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 144 ft | 267 ft | 1,962 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 168 | standard electric | 30 amp | 144 ft | 123 ft | 2,025 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| PINE | 169 | standard electric | 20 ft | 30 amp | 156 ft | 138 ft | 2,246 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 170 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 156 ft | 261 ft | 2,229 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 171 | standard electric | 20 ft | 30 amp | 140 ft | 408 ft | 2,111 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 172 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 129 ft | 548 ft | 2,128 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 173 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 129 ft | 677 ft | 2,165 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 174 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 143 ft | 834 ft | 2,215 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 175 | standard electric | 30 amp | 96 ft | 976 ft | 2,241 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| PINE | 176 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 96 ft | 1,058 ftMonroe Lake | 2,284 ft | $24 | ||
| PINE | 182 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 222 ft | 1,952 ftMonroe Lake | 2,107 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 183 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 129 ft | 1,803 ft | 1,979 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 184 | rv electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 111 ft | 1,690 ft | 1,974 ft | $38 | |
| PINE | 185 | standard electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 111 ft | 1,588 ft | 1,962 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 186 | rv electric | 30 ft | 50 amp | 130 ft | 1,469 ft | 1,953 ft | $38 | |
| PINE | 187 | standard electric | 30 ft | 30 amp | 117 ft | 1,357 ft | 1,967 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 188 | standard electric | 35 ft | 117 ft | 1,270 ft | 2,000 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| PINE | 189 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 130 ft | 1,160 ft | 2,041 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 190 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 123 ft | 1,046 ft | 2,025 ft | $33–$52 | |
| PINE | 191 | rv electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 123 ft | 926 ft | 1,978 ft | $38 | |
| PWLK | 161 | walk to | 177 ft | 720 ftMonroe Lake | 1,778 ft | $24 | |||
| PWLK | 162 | walk to | 177 ft | 618 ftMonroe Lake | 1,627 ft | $24 | |||
| PWLK | 163 | walk to | 226 ft | 713 ftMonroe Lake | 1,815 ft | $24 | |||
| PWLK | 177 | walk to | 164 ft | 1,497 ftMonroe Lake | 2,444 ft | $24 | |||
| PWLK | 178 | walk to | 164 ft | 1,551 ftMonroe Lake | 2,388 ft | $24 | |||
| PWLK | 179 | walk to | 197 ft | 1,618 ftMonroe Lake | 2,238 ft | $24 | |||
| PWLK | 180 | walk to | 193 ft | 1,631 ftMonroe Lake | 2,110 ft | $24 | |||
| PWLK | 181 | walk to | 193 ft | 1,753 ftMonroe Lake | 2,197 ft | $24 | |||
| SLT1 | Shelter 1 | day use | yes | 1499 ft | 493 ftMonroe Lake | 1,998 ft | $59 | ||
| SLT2 | Shelter 2 | day use | yes | 974 ft | 1,067 ftMonroe Lake | 1,037 ft | $50 | ||
| SPNT | 024 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 104 ft | 1,296 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 025 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 98 ft | 1,223 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 026 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 98 ft | 1,126 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 027 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 91 ft | 1,137 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 028 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 91 ft | 1,062 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 029 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 115 ft | 1,043 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 030 | type not stated | 35 ft | 1,068 ft | $34–$34.97 | ||||
| SPNT | 031 | walk to | 125 ft | 1,249 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 032 | walk to | 125 ft | 1,350 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 033 | walk to | 125 ft | 1,232 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 034 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 126 ft | 1,029 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 035 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 101 ft | 1,089 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 036 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 101 ft | 997 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 037 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 105 ft | 1,046 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 038 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 105 ft | 994 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 039 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 111 ft | 1,101 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 040 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 95 ft | 1,131 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 041 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 95 ft | 1,226 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 042 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 109 ft | 1,257 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 043 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 103 ft | 1,383 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 044 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 103 ft | 1,418 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 045 | type not stated | 35 ft | 1,489 ft | $34–$34.97 | ||||
| SPNT | 046 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 257 ft | 1,566 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 047 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 193 ft | 1,840 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 048 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 193 ft | 1,753 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 049 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 136 ft | 1,208 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 050 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 136 ft | 1,091 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 051 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 365 ft | 1,336 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 052 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 122 ft | 1,189 ftMonroe Lake | 3,266 ft | $24 | ||
| SPNT | 053 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 122 ft | 1,126 ftMonroe Lake | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 054 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 416 ft | 921 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 055 | type not stated | 30 ft | 794 ft | $34–$34.97 | ||||
| SPNT | 056 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 111 ft | 712 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 057 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 111 ft | 774 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 058 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 119 ft | 1,019 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 059 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 119 ft | 1,138 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 060 | walk to | 117 ft | 1,103 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 061 | walk to | 87 ft | 1,129 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 062 | walk to | 87 ft | 1,191 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 063 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 115 ft | 1,122 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 064 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 131 ft | 1,011 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 065 | walk to | 137 ft | 823 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 066 | walk to | 111 ft | 688 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 067 | walk to | 124 ft | 588 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 068 | walk to | 111 ft | 711 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 069 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 142 ft | 838 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 070 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 101 ft | 773 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 071 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 101 ft | 847 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 072 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 101 ft | 821 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 073 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 116 ft | 875 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 074 | rv nonelectric | 121 ft | 800 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 075 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 121 ft | 885 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 076 | standard nonelectric | 110 ft | 841 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 077 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 110 ft | 941 ft | $24 | |||
| SPNT | 078 | standard nonelectric | 110 ft | 983 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 079 | walk to | 125 ft | 1,210 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 080 | walk to | 121 ft | 1,279 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 081 | walk to | 107 ft | 1,382 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 082 | walk to | 107 ft | 1,435 ft | $24 | ||||
| SPNT | 083 | walk to | 125 ft | 1,331 ft | $24 | ||||
| WOAK | 135 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 99 ft | 1,072 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| WOAK | 136 | rv electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 99 ft | 999 ft | $38 | ||
| WOAK | 137 | type not stated | 35 ft | 30 amp | 888 ft | $34–$34.97 | |||
| WOAK | 138 | standard electric | 25 ft | 30 amp | 99 ft | 620 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| WOAK | 139 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 99 ft | 526 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| WOAK | 140 | rv electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 75 ft | 414 ft | $38 | ||
| WOAK | 141 | rv electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 75 ft | 344 ft | $38 | ||
| WOAK | 142 | standard electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 100 ft | 278 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| WOAK | 143 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 178 ft | 84 ft | 3,180 ft | $33–$52 | |
| WOAK | 144 | rv electric | 35 ft | 50 amp | 135 ft | 148 ft | $38 | ||
| WOAK | 145 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 122 ft | 281 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| WOAK | 146 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 122 ft | 403 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| WOAK | 147 | rv electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 118 ft | 530 ft | $38 | ||
| WOAK | 148 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 118 ft | 648 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| WOAK | 149 | rv electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 126 ft | 770 ft | $38 | ||
| WOAK | 150 | standard electric | 50 ft | 30 amp | 109 ft | 893 ft | $33–$52 | ||
| WOAK | 151 | standard electric | 35 ft | 30 amp | 109 ft | 989 ft | $33–$52 |
The agency files 9 more records here that aren’t sites for the night: 2 it files as day use and 7 it types MANAGEMENT rather than a campsite. They’re in the table above, marked for what they are, and none of them is counted as a site.
25 of 210 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Blackwell CampgroundHoosier National Forest · 2.2 mi
Hickory Ridge CampgroundHoosier National Forest · 7.7 mi
Shirley Creek CampgroundHoosier National Forest · 27 mi
Youngs Creek CampgroundHoosier National Forest · 35 mi
Indian Celina Lake57 miNorth Face LoopHoosier National Forest · 57 miFrom Bedford, go 7 miles east on US 50. Go north on SR 446 for 12 miles and turn west on Chapel Hill Road and travel 2 miles to the Hardin Ridge Recreation Area.
From Bloomington, 46 and 446 intersection, go 14 miles south on SR 446. Turn west on Chapel Hill Road and travel 2 miles to the Hardin Ridge Recreation Area.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Smithville-Sanders, IN
Typical weather
Typical October night 43°F, day 67°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 21°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it · a letter you can send
Who answers for this land
Hardin Ridge is in Indiana’s 9th congressional district. Its representative, Erin Houchin (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 3
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The member who votes the moneyErin HouchinU.S. Representative · Indiana’s 9th district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationJim BanksU.S. Senator · Indiana
- Your senator, on the same appropriationTodd YoungU.S. Senator · Indiana
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Hardin Ridge, Hoosier National Forest, Indiana
Dear Erin Houchin, I’m a constituent in Indiana’s 9th district. I tried to camp at Hardin Ridge, Hoosier National Forest, Indiana, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 195 of the 201 campsites the agency files at Hardin Ridge, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 163 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Hardin Ridge keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Hardin Ridge. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Hardin Ridge (Hoosier National Forest, Indiana) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Hardin Ridge, Hoosier National Forest, Indiana
Dear Jim Banks, I’m a constituent in Indiana. I tried to camp at Hardin Ridge, Hoosier National Forest, Indiana, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 195 of the 201 campsites the agency files at Hardin Ridge, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 163 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Hardin Ridge keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Hardin Ridge. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Hardin Ridge (Hoosier National Forest, Indiana) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Hardin Ridge, Hoosier National Forest, Indiana
Dear Todd Young, I’m a constituent in Indiana. I tried to camp at Hardin Ridge, Hoosier National Forest, Indiana, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 195 of the 201 campsites the agency files at Hardin Ridge, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 163 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,647 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Hardin Ridge keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Hardin Ridge. I’m asking you to put it to the U.S. Forest Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Hardin Ridge (Hoosier National Forest, Indiana) via campanac.com