Camping Information

A large, spacious site in the Rally Campground.

Brown County State Park Campgrounds

For mountain bikers the best place to camp is in the state park. Camping in Brown County State Park is divided into four areas. The Rally Camp Area is our favorite place to camp, and it is definitely better for groups of any size (up to 75 people). It is also the closest camping area to a trailhead (western terminus of Limekiln Trail - see trail map). Please be aware that there are no electric or water hookups in this area. For smaller, more traditional individual sites Raccoon Ridge is our favorite followed by Taylor Ridge. Buffalo Ridge is best if you have an RV or large camper and you want full-hookups. There are showers and bathrooms with warm running water available within close proximity to all of the camping areas.

Online camping reservations are available. We strongly recommend making reservations. Brown County State Park is a very busy place.

Camping Rates and Fees

Camping Etiquette

Camping Restrictions

Please be aware that Brown County State Park campgrounds can be very busy. Like any other large campground you may have loud, obnoxious neighbors that keep you up at night. If you want as much quiet and isolation as possible, camp in the Rally Camp Area.

Private Campgrounds

Camping options outside the state park are mostly focused on RV's or equestrian campers. One exception is the camping at Valley Branch Retreat (VBR). They have full-hookups or primitive tent camping that ranges from $14-$20. The nice thing about VBR is that they are mountain bike-friendly and there are twenty-five miles of mountain bike trails on the property. These trails are not the same type of trails that are at the Brown County State Park. They are rougher with more ups-and-downs, and they are maintained less. They have less "flow" than the trails at the state park, but they are still very challenging and fun. VBR is an easy ten minute drive from the state park, and its centralized location makes it the closest drive to the trails at Nebo Ridge, Hickory Ridge and Gnaw Bone Camp.

Primitive Camping

The only primitive camping in the area is in Hoosier National Forest. See our Brown County Mountain Biking Google Earth map to pinpoint the best locations for free, first-come, first-served primitive campsites. You must have Google Earth on your computer to view it.

We don't have nearly all of the available backcountry campsites marked on the map, but we have pinpointed our favorites (look for the green tent icons). All of these sites are good for "car camping". You can fit one or more small RV's or campers and several tents at some of the larger sites. All of the sites are pull-offs adjacent to the gravel roads. They will all fit at least one vehicle and a tent.

They are right smack-dab in the middle of the good riding at the Hickory Ridge and Nebo Ridge trail systems, but not everyone desires that kind of rougher, backcountry trail experience (bring your bug spray, tools, lots of water and spare tubes). We use the campsites frequently, and we enjoy the isolation and remote locations. We're also self-contained, so we don't mind the lack of water, electricity or toilets. If you stay in the Hickory Ridge area, the best Hickory trails to ride are 18, 19, and 20. Link those up with Nebo Ridge, and you'll have an amazing backcountry epic ride. Please note that conditions need to be dry to attempt any rides in this area. Check or post in the trail conditions forum first.

The main disadvantage to using these backcountry sites is that they can fill up on popular weekends (especially popular hunting weekends and holidays). They are also a twisty (but beautiful) 20-30 minute drive away from the Brown County State Park trails and Nashville.