U.S. Forest Service · Hoosier National Forest · Branchville, IN

Tipsaw Lake

The Tipsaw Lake Recreation Area is located on the shores of its namesake lake in south-central Indiana's Hoosier National Forest. It offers camping, picnic areas, boating, swimming, hiking, biking and educational programs. Visitors enjoy the scenic views of the forest and all it has to offer.

Reservable · Recreation.gov 50 sites From $8 per night 102 ft max Full hookupsPets okFires ok

More like this: electric hookups in Indiana · full hookups in Indiana · reservable in Indiana · big rigs in Indiana · pets allowed in Indiana · group sites in Indiana

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗

Photos courtesy of Nancy Myers, Juli Smith · Recreation.gov

Site mix

Standard with electric		16
RV with electric		15
Standard, no hookups		10
Walk-in		4
group standard electric		2
group shelter electric		1
group shelter nonelectric		1
Host/management		1

Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

Will my RV fit

Towing a trailerRear or front mounted accessoriesi

Tow vehicle length, ftTrailer length, ft

The longest site here provides 102 feet of vehicle capacity. Most sites are shorter.

Have the trailer VIN? It carries the trailer length.

49 sites in 7 loops. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

Site	Loop	Type	Entry	Fits, ft	Surface	Shade	Power	Water / sewer	People / vehicles	Fires	Accessible
001	CATB	RV electric	Back-in	44	Paved	Full	50 amp	Yes / –	8 / 2	Yes
002	CATB	RV electric	Back-in	53	Paved	Full	50 amp	Yes / –	8 / 2	Yes
003	CATB	RV electric	Back-in	35	Paved	Full	50 amp	Yes / –	8 / 2	Yes	Yes
004	CATB	RV electric	Pull-through	102	Paved	Full	50 amp	Yes / –	8 / 2	Yes
005	CATB	RV electric	Back-in	50	Paved		50 amp	Yes / –	8 / 2	Yes
006	CATB	RV electric	Back-in	55	Paved		50 amp	Yes / –	8 / 2	Yes	Yes
007	CATB	RV electric	Back-in	65	Paved		50 amp	Yes / –	8 / 2	Yes	Yes
008	CATB	RV electric	Back-in	54	Paved	Full	15 amp	Yes / –	8 / 2	Yes
009	CATB	RV electric	Back-in	72	Paved		50 amp	Yes / –	8 / 2	Yes
010	CATB	RV electric	Back-in	49	Paved	Full	50 amp	Yes / –	8 / 2	Yes

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

Hookups	Electric, water, sewer
Max vehicle length	102 ft
Equipment	RVs & trailers, Tents
Pets	Allowed
Campfires	Allowed, subject to restrictions
Tent pads	Yes
Fees	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).
Accessibility	Sites 003, 006, 007, 011 are listed accessible

The area offers dozens of individual, double and group campsites, available for tent and RV camping. Group sites can accommodate up to 65 people. Each site is equipped with tables and campfire rings with grills. Accessible flush toilets, showers and drinking water are provided. A beach area is fully accessible and is equipped with washing stations and changing rooms. Electric and water hookups are available at some sites and parking surfaces are paved. A day-use area is also available and provides access to the beach and picnic areas and shelters, as well as the boat ramp. Horseshoe pits and open areas for games are nearby.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Saint Meinrad, 10 miles from the campground at 510 feet, station USC00127724 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 50 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 8 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

From St. Croix, Indiana, travel south on State Route 37 about 5 miles to the Tipsaw Lake sign. Turn right and continue about 3 miles to the campground. Tipsaw Lake is only 3 miles from Interstate 64.

Nearest town	Branchville, Indiana
Coordinates	38.1331° N, 86.6331° W · Directions ↗

Supplies & services

Dump station	Dump station ↗	18.6 mi
Outdoor gear	Sierra ↗	34.7 mi
RV sales & service	RV sales & service ↗	39.1 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

Tipsaw Lake Campground - Saint Croix, IN

Worth a stop

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

8.8 mi
Mano Point Fishing Area ↗Fishing site

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

0.2 mi
Tipsaw Trail 6
0.05 mi trail · hiking, bike
0.3 mi
Tipsaw Trail 4
0.2 mi trail · hiking, bike
0.4 mi
Tipsaw Trail 3
0.1 mi trail · hiking, bike
0.4 mi
Tipsaw Trail 1 ↗
5.7 mi trail · hiking, bike
0.5 mi
Tipsaw Trail 2
0.1 mi trail · hiking, bike
3.7 mi
Two Lakes Trail 2 ↗
1.9 mi trail · hiking · national_recreation_or_other

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

Hoosier National Forest begins about 9.5 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

9.5 mi
Hoosier National Forest ↗
National Forest · Forest Service · 646,949 acres

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Other campgrounds nearby

Historic landmarks nearby

On Register Atlas →

National Historic Landmark · 16 mi

Cannelton Cotton Mills

Cannelton

Natural features

The campground is adjacent to 131-acre Tipsaw Lake, in a hardwood and pine forest. Situated at an elevation of 380 feet, the campground is composed of five loops that offer dozens of campsites. Some sites are shaded and the roads are paved.

Recreation

Boating, fishing and swimming in the lake are popular activities. Electric motors are allowed, and fishing for pan fish is considered excellent. The boat ramp and parking area is open year-round. A beautiful swimming beach with playground equipment and a modern bathhouse is also available. The beach offers a combination of sand and sun or a shady, grass-covered hillside. A 5.9-mile trail for hiking and mountain biking runs from the day-use area around the lake. The trail includes scenic overlooks of the lake and valley and traverses a variety of forest types. A trail permit is available for purchase and is required for mountain bikers age 17 and older.

Guidebooks for Indiana

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Five-Star Trails: Louisville and Southern Indiana
Valerie Askren, 2022
Find at Bookshop.org
Rail-Trails Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2018
Find at Bookshop.org
60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Cincinnati
Tamara York, 2021
Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Tipsaw Lake?

Sites at Tipsaw Lake are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at Tipsaw Lake?

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).

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Tipsaw Lake?

Check-in 2:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Tipsaw Lake have?

50 sites, including 16 standard sites with power, 15 RV sites with electric, 10 standard sites without power, and 4 walk-in sites.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Tipsaw Lake?

Recreation.gov lists no practical vehicle capacity limit for the largest site here, which usually means pull-through or open parking. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Does Tipsaw Lake have hookups?

Yes, electric, water, and sewer hookups at some sites.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are there showers or a dump station at Tipsaw Lake?

Accessible flush toilets, showers and drinking water are provided.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Tipsaw Lake?

Yes, pets are allowed at Tipsaw Lake. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Tipsaw Lake?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are there accessible sites at Tipsaw Lake?

Sites 003, 006, 007, and 011 are listed accessible on Recreation.gov. What that covers (a paved pad, an accessible table, a nearby accessible restroom) is on each site's booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Tipsaw Lake?

Boating, fishing and swimming in the lake are popular activities. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Tipsaw Lake?

Branchville, Indiana. 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

Source: Getting there