Blackwell Horsecamp

My first car camping EVER!
Well prepared that is, I have slept in my car b4.
I was a bit nervous more so to be told, you can’t stay here. I wasn’t.
Took my dog for a short hike, he loved the trails.
Vault toilets, clean and well stocked with TP.
Thank you for this site, I’m grateful.

Location: gps lies or least mine did. It directed me to a road in which is NOT the park.
On a good note, a family yelled,”WRONG WAY” and kindly directed me.
I suggested to them they need to put a tip jar out. They smiled and laughed...then again, they could just be laughing at me...that’s ok too.

This was a nice stop to take a break from driving west for a few days. We waited out a rain storm here, checked out the free art museum on the Indiana University campus, and got some work in. Cell service wasn’t spectacular, but it did the trick. We used our generator for a couple of hours a day, but someone was running theirs all night. There was a dumpster.

You drive down a dirt road for about 5-10 min until you get to the camping field after you turn where you see the Blackwell Horse Camp sign. There are two loops on each end of the field so not to worry about having to turn around. You pretty much park wherever you can find a spot, but if it’s not crowded it is easy to not be “that guy” and park right up on your neighbor.

There were about 5 other campers there during the week and maybe 10 on the weekend. Hunting season was going on so we did see a gutted out deer hooked up to someone’s camp there and many hunters.

There is a huge Kroger where you can pay to refill your 5 gallon drinking water container in Bloomington. We dumped our tanks at the flying J some miles away, and for the first time ever, paid for a shower. It was worth every penny.. hot, clean, and no time limit. There aren’t really places to fill up water for fresh tank or jugs for free so I would make sure you bring some in.

Internet service here is limited. Wasn't able to get any Sprint or T-Mobile signal. Verizon was ok. There is no water so plan accordingly. There are some trails at both ends of the campground but didn't use them.

This place was perfect. We had planned on just spending a night on our way out West but decided to stay for another day do some hiking.

Smooth gravel road for about 3/4 mile which led to paved loops where there was plenty of flat, grassy camping. We arrived at night and turned to the left after the entrance as the GPS instructed us to do. There were 4 other campers and still plenty of room for us in our 32' fith wheel. When we got up the next morning we noticed if we had turned right there was another whole empty loop with lots of great campsites. This place is perfect for bigger rigs. Lots of great hiking right on site too. Vault toilets were also available.

We camp here often. There is no electricity or water. It is a great place to boondock. It is geared towards horses, but anyone can camp here. It is great for big rigs.

Pulled in on a Sunday. It was almost empty. Some tent campers on the east end. We went to the west side. Large grassy area. Good solar. Great trails, although the better ones are down by the fire tower. If you get a chance, climb the tower. The view is awesome. On the weekend it got a little more full with people bringing their horses.
I only gave a four for cleanliness because the forest service was fixing the corrals and put all the wood they cut into the dumpster. Dumpster was overflowing for several days.
There is a proposal to charge $10 per nite, so it may not be free for long.

Very nice and clean lots of space!

The camp is a little way down a gravel road. We didn't have any problem getting out 35' diesel pusher in and back out, although there is a rather big pothole right at the entrance to the horse camp.

The area is grass with no defined sites. It is first-come, first-served to find a level enough spot. There was plenty of room while we were there, but most of it was sloped a bit too much for our Class A. Fifth wheels and travel trailers will have an easier time finding a level enough spot. There are restrooms, but we didn't even look inside them so we can't comment on them.

Pretty little campground. Clean and well-maintained. Easy to find with Google Maps GPS directions. Big rig friendly. Big trash dumpster is available. No water, dump station or power. Camping sites are in the grass. We recommend camping on the side away from the road. As people drive down the road, a big white cloud of dust drifts through the trees and into the camping areas near the road. Pit toilets were clean w plenty of TP. Around 6 tent campers, 1 horse trailer/camper, and 1 other rv were there when we arrived on a Saturday afternoon in October. Sunday saw around a dozen vehicles coming and going at the trailhead. By Sunday night, only one other camper and 2 tents remained. The kids and I walked into the forest and looked for some play spaces behind our campsite. It was beautiful. The night was dark and quiet, and the stars were bright. We loved it and would love to return and stay longer.

This camp is a mile from the main road and is very well laid out with spacious sites for both equestrian and recreational campers alike. Split into two sections with a huge loop to the left and a huge loop to the right. Surrounded by the Hoosier national forest with plenty of trails to hike and explore. You can tell this area is very well taken care of. Will definitely come back.