Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF)
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · IN · 38.20807, -86.66874
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
Nearest places named on the USFS map sheet: Uniontown, Celina and Fairview Ridge. Tell City Ranger District.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF)
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 648 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF)NIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF) · U.S. Forest Service · IN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel4 mi
- GGrocery4 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- RxPharmacy11 mi
- DDump14 mi
- WWater14 mi
- ShShower14 mi
- +Urgent care14 mi
- HHardware15 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- LLaundry16 mi
- AAir-up17 mi
- EVEV fast charger18 mi
- OOutfitter37 mi
- PPropane53 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF)
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
648 ft
State
IN
Coordinates
38.20807, -86.66874
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF) · U.S. Forest Service · IN (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townBirdseye · ~7.4 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelMarathon · ~4.4 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~13.5 mi
- GroceriesMarathon · ~4.4 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~10.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicFirst Aid · ~14.5 mi
- HardwareSanta Claus Hardware · ~15.1 mi
EV charging — from Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF) · U.S. Forest Service · IN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger18.0 mi straight-line W — Sternberg Ford, Dale, IN (at a public site) · FORD_CHARGE · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 23 within 50 · 103 within 100 · 356 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)39.7 mi — Washington, IN - Tesla Supercharger, Washington
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO29.4 mi — Corydon, Corydon
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)15.7 mi — FROSTY JONES FROSTY JONES 1, Huntingburg, IN · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Holiday World & Splashin' Safari - Tesla Destination, Santa Claus, 14.8 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas only. · AFDC lists it “Free”
Level 2, restricted access — Saint Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, 8.4 mi · J1772 · hours: School business hours; call 812-357-6611 if you wish to make a reservation · AFDC lists it “$1.50 per hour” - Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 454184 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF) · U.S. Forest Service · IN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletIndian Lake Boat Ramp · ~1.3 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCelina Boat Ramp · ~3.3 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletRickenbaugh House · ~3.3 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCelina Ampitheater · ~3.3 mi E · USFS
Open Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF) elsewhere
Other camps near Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF)
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 3 (Hoosier NF)~1.4 mi
- Celina Southslope Loop~3.5 mi · fee
- Celina Northface Loop~3.6 mi · fee
- Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 2 (Hoosier NF)~3.9 mi
How we know this — Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF)
Stay limit
14 nights (14 days in a 28-day period)
Area rules
All dispersed camp sites must be at least 200 feet away from trails, trailheads, roads, water sources, rock shelters, caves, and historic structures, unless in a designated campsite. Personal property must not be left unattended overnight.
Source
public land records
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Designated roadside campsite in the Hoosier NF "Indian Lake Area", Tell City Ranger District. Official map sheet: https://www.fs.usda.gov/media/241270 (dated 9/5/2024, read 2026-08-14). Hoosier NF dispersed-camping rules (read 2026-08-14 at https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/hoosier/recreation/dispersed-camping): "There is no charge for dispersed camping." Stays limited to 14 days in a 28-day period and 28 days total per calendar year. Personal property must not be left unattended overnight. Camp at least 200 ft from trails, trailheads, roads, water, rock shelters, caves and historic structures unless in a designated site. "Firewood restrictions apply throughout the Forest" - check for fire bans before you go. Map sheet adds: campsite may be occupied up to 14 days in a 30-day period but no more than 30 days in a calendar year; use the existing campfire pit and dead-and-down wood only; bury human waste at least 200 ft from campsite and water; pack everything out. COORDINATE IS DERIVED, NOT PUBLISHED. The USFS publishes these campsites only as symbols on a raster map sheet. The sheet was georeferenced against two USFS EDW recreation-site points that the sheet itself draws as icons, then the campsite symbol centres were read off by colour detection. Cross-checked: the two control points agree on scale to 0.4%%, and both land dead-centre on their icons. Expect roughly +/- 40 m. EDW source: https://apps.fs.usda.gov/arcx/rest/services/EDW/EDW_RecInfraRecreationSites_02/MapServer/0 | auto:agency-trust 2026-08-18: state agency GIS record with a source URL and coordinates, confidence not low. Fee value is the agency's own, not field-checked. Not field-verified -- confirm access, road conditions and fire rules before you go.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF)
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 1 (Hoosier NF)
Camping near a reservoir →Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Reading your camp page →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →