Indiana State Campground Information, Rules and Regulations

Planning a trip to a campground in Indiana? If you are not familiar with Indiana state camping laws and regulations this is your primer. Understanding and following these regulations and laws may seem like it should be easy, and many laws are straight forward common sense type things. Surprisingly, there are numerous out of the ordinary campground rules that are not as self evident as one would think. Not being aware of these could make for a rotten Indiana outdoor adventure, so here is a list to avoid any unforeseen pitfalls on your next Indiana camping trip.

Basic Indiana State Campground Information

Check in and Checkout Times

Indiana State Park campgrounds all operate under the same set of basic rules. According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) campground checkout and check in times are 2:00 PM Monday through Saturday and 5:00 PM Sundays and holidays. Cabin check in is 4:00 PM while check out is 11:00 AM all week long. Group campground check in is 3:00 PM and check out is 11:00 AM, also seven days a week. Camping is allowed only in designated areas.

Reservations

Camping costs vary depending on the particular Indiana State Park. Reservations can be made via phone using a credit or debit card, money order, or corporate check. Internet orders can be made by credit or debit card only. Both reservation options only take Visa and MasterCard. Camping reservations can be made up to six months in advance. There are seventeen different types of sites that can be reserved based on whether you will be camping in a tent, a pop-up, or a motor home. They are further delineated by the size of your pop-up trailer or motor home so be aware of this before you call.

Indiana State Park Laws

Firewood

Stopping the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer is a priority of the Indiana DNR. The website Emerald Ash Borer info states that it is a beetle that feeds on the inner bark of ash trees, and has destroyed "tens of millions" of ash trees in the Midwest area. Because of this, it is state and federal law to not allow importing of firewood form any quarantined areas which include; Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and various counties within Indiana and other states. Bringing firewood into an Indiana campground is best avoided all together. You may, in most parks, pick up that has already fallen and use this or purchase firewood from a campground store at the park.

Littering Law

Indiana Code 35-45-3 states a person can be fined up to $5,000 for littering in a public place. Specific State Parks and campgrounds may have their own fines tacked on to this if they choose to.

Alcohol at Campgrounds

According to the Indiana DNR campers are encouraged to drink responsibly. An exception you may need to be aware of before making plans is that the Indiana Dunes State Park does not allow any kind of alcohol on its premises.

Noise in Indiana Campgrounds

Making a lot of noise in Indiana campgrounds is generally not seen as a good thing to do. If you are planning to whoop it up in a major way while camping, you may want to do some research on the particular area you are camping. Noisefree.org quotes the Stueben County (home of Pokagon State Park) Sheriff as saying "...we usually consider the time of night and the day of week it is...continuous music as 2 A.M. would be something different we'd go out for. But if it was 10 P.M. on a Saturday night, we would look at it differently."

http://www.emeraldashborer.info/ More on the Emerald Ash Borer

http://www.indiana.reserveworld.com/ Make reservations,Indiana DNR

http://www.noisefree.org/newsroom/nfa-display.php?id=106