Agency-listedUSFSFee
Tipsaw Recreation Area
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · IN · 38.15357, -86.60496
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 as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Tipsaw Recreation Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 667 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Tipsaw Recreation AreaNIFC · 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 Tipsaw Recreation Area · Hoosier National Forest · IN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel1 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- RxPharmacy15 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- +Urgent care17 mi
- LLaundry17 mi
- DDump17 mi
- WWater18 mi
- ShShower18 mi
- EVEV fast charger21 mi
- AAir-up22 mi
- OOutfitter37 mi
- PPropane49 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 1 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 — Tipsaw Recreation Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
667 ft
State
IN
Coordinates
38.15357, -86.60496
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Tipsaw Recreation Area · Hoosier National Forest · IN (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townLeopold · ~3.7 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelCitgo · ~1.0 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~17.4 mi
- GroceriesMarathon · ~4.9 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~14.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicFirst Aid · ~16.9 mi
- HardwareHardware · ~15.8 mi
EV charging — from Tipsaw Recreation Area · Hoosier National Forest · IN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger21.1 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 · 25 within 50 · 104 within 100 · 359 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)44.8 mi — Washington, IN - Tesla Supercharger, Washington
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO26.2 mi — Corydon, Corydon
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)16.8 mi — RMC, Tell City, IN · Blink Network · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Saint Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, 11.4 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 Tipsaw Recreation Area · Hoosier National Forest · IN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletTipsaw Recreation Area · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTipsaw Catbrier R.V. Loop · ~2.0 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTipsaw Primrose Group Site · ~2.1 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTipsaw Goldenrod Group Site · ~2.1 mi SW · USFS
Open Tipsaw Recreation Area elsewhere
Other camps near Tipsaw Recreation Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Tipsaw Catbrier R.V. Loop~2.0 mi · fee
- Tipsaw Primrose Group Site~2.1 mi · fee
- Tipsaw Jackpine Loop~2.4 mi · fee
- Indian Lake Roadside Dispersed Campsite 2 (Hoosier NF)~2.5 mi
The unit that manages Tipsaw Recreation Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Tipsaw Recreation Area are set by Hoosier National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Tipsaw Recreation Area
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
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
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
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 Tipsaw Recreation Area
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 — Tipsaw Recreation Area
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Fire rules & restrictions →Gear & rig loadout →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 →