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Camping around an hour from Louisville

Dr.LutherSan

Dr.LutherSan

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My wife and I recently moved to Louisville and are looking for camping within an hour radius. We previously lived near Land Between the Lakes and didn't realize how spoiled we were until we moved.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.
 
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bkingUK

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Sep 23, 2007
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Jefferson Memorial has plots you can reserve and trails. It’s not LBL but easy drive. Aside from camping, great for day hikes. That’s in Fairdale.

Deam Lake in Borden, Indiana is about a 30 min from downtown and still in metro technically. Bridal paths surround lake but on the side of the lake opposite the public park there is a great camping spot on a little peninsula. The Knobstone Trail cuts through Deam Lake. That’s a long trail. Pretty sure it goes all the way to Indianapolis.

Otter Creek Park near Fort Knox is pretty great for camping. Park has a lot hidden. Not necessarily straight forward where to camp, but there are great spots.

Not sure if Big Oak in Madison, Indiana allows camping but that’s a good day trip and can try a few of their breweries on way out.

A bit further north not far from Bloomington, quite a few places to camp and hike.

Others:

Hoosier National Forest
O’Bannon Woods (near Corydon)
Bernheim Foest (Bullitt)

That’s all I have
 
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Ryan Lemonds Hair

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May 31, 2018
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CatGotMyTongue said:
Camping is simulated poverty.
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You obviously haven't been in some of the new campers they make now or maybe your idea of poverty differs greatly from mine.

 
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BC_Wader

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Taylorsville Lake Campground is a good spot that hasn't been mentioned. They have really spruced that place up over the years. Also the fishing has REALLY taken off the last 5 years or so.
 
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MegaBlue05

MegaBlue05

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Mar 8, 2014
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Rough River Lake and Nolin Lake are close to within an hour from Louisville. Both have some good spots.

Are you looking to tent camp or do you have an RV?
 
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chroix

chroix

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Jul 22, 2013
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What kind of camping you looking to do? Knobstone if you're hiking/backpacking and Rough River if your looking for a cabin or RVing would be my picks. And I'd wait about a month for it to cool the hell down.
 
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BC_Wader

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Love tent camping. Maybe one day I will get a small teardrop trailer for the wife and I. But tents have come a long way over the years. A good cabin style EZ-ul tent with built in lights is what I use and love it immensely. I cold weather camp a lot and that's where the Big Buddy heater is worth it's weight in gold.
 
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bkingUK

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chroix said:
Hammock camping is where it’s at. If I’m spending the money on glamping then m just getting a damn hotel room.
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If I did it over again I probably would e gone hammock route but ended up getting ridiculously expensive ultra light tent for 2-3 days hikes
 
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chroix

chroix

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bkingUK said:
If I did it over again I probably would e gone hammock route but ended up getting ridiculously expensive ultra light tent for 2-3 days hikes
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Good to have options depending on the terrain. You can get a great solo ul hammock and tarp set up for under $200. Eno sub7 is what I got and it’s held up great and kept me dry on multiple occasions.
 
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bkingUK

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vhcat70 said:
Brown County SP, In.
Mammouth Cave
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Total aside but I took wife to Story Inn at Brown County State Park for our anniversary. Staying there is like some sort of LSD experience but if anyone is in that area, if you take 20-30 min and drive to Story Inn for drinks, it’s worth it.

Actually planning on doing same this fall and taking trails from there into BSP.

For reference, this is the Story Inn:


 
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Dr.LutherSan

Dr.LutherSan

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chroix said:
What kind of camping you looking to do? Knobstone if you're hiking/backpacking and Rough River if your looking for a cabin or RVing would be my picks. And I'd wait about a month for it to cool the hell down.
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We're not backpacking this time. We normally go with hammocks, but recently bought a 6 person tent and cots in case there is not a convenient tree setup available.

We're wanting to go on Labor Day weekend. Hopefully it will be cooled down by then.
 
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H. Lecter

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Zissou87 said:
We're not backpacking this time. We normally go with hammocks, but recently bought a 6 person tent and cots in case there is not a convenient tree setup available.

We're wanting to go on Labor Day weekend. Hopefully it will be cooled down by then.
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Mammoth cave is great with plenty of hiking, canoeing and kayaking. We like to canoe from mumfordsville to green river ferry and camp along the banks. You can rent canoes overnight. Never camped in the campgrounds but you better hurry and reserve for Labor Day weekend. As mentioned before Jefferson memorial Forrest is super close with plenty of hiking trails. Otter creek is super close but again better hurry for those dates. Yellow bank WMA used to have free camping and it’s about an hour. I think they even have primitive sites. Just pull off the road and camp
 
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BGCATFAN2012

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MegaBlue05 said:
Rough River Lake and Nolin Lake are close to within an hour from Louisville. Both have some good spots.

Are you looking to tent camp or do you have an RV?
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Yeah Nolin Lake has alot of weekend people, not alot around so bring what you need. Very calm and easy to access. Hope you find your spot, KY has plenty of camping and water recreation so sure u can find one.
 
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BC_Wader

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Mammoth Cave mentioned above is one of the best campgrounds that I have been to. Clean and lots of wildlife in the area. I really want to take a trip to Energy Lake. I've heard the camping experience is top notch.
 
Dr.LutherSan

Dr.LutherSan

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Sep 6, 2019
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BC_Wader said:
Mammoth Cave mentioned above is one of the best campgrounds that I have been to. Clean and lots of wildlife in the area. I really want to take a trip to Energy Lake. I've heard the camping experience is top notch.
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Energy Lake is pretty good. They even have dry cabins available.
 
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