Brown County State Park Campground
Nashville, Indiana
Campground Details
Campground: Brown County State Park
Location: Nashville, Indiana
Camping: Electric, non-electric, rally, youth tent & equestrian
Electric Sites: 401
Non-Electric Sites: 28
Rally Camping: 60 sites
RV Friendly: Yes – site sizes vary
Nearby Hiking: Trail 9
Facilities: Restrooms, showers, camp store & dump station
Pets: Dog friendly – leash required
RV Entrance: West Gate – 1405 S.R. 46 W., Nashville, IN 47448
GPS: 39.17648001, -86.2657938
Important: RVs and trailers must use the West Gate.
Brown County State Park is one of those campgrounds I keep wanting to come back to, and if I can get it, site 422 is my spot.
What I like about 422 isn’t just the campsite itself. It’s where you’re sitting. The Ten O’Clock Line area is right there, and families pass by the site heading toward the playground. I’ll sit outside and watch kids riding bikes and scooters with their parents, laughing and actually enjoying being outdoors instead of sitting inside doom scrolling on a phone. There’s something pretty great about seeing that.Then there’s the hiking.One of the biggest reasons Patriot and I enjoy camping here is Trail 9. It runs through this part of the park, which means we can get up in the morning, walk out of camp and hit the trail. We can easily get two hikes in during the day without loading everything into the truck just to drive to a trailhead.There’s plenty happening around camp even when we’re not hiking. Wildlife is everywhere, and sitting outside the motorhome enjoying a cigar, with a fire going and watching the woods settle down for the evening, is a big part of why I camp in the first place.I’ve also had really good experiences with the people here. The staff at the campground gate have always been friendly and helpful, and the bathrooms and showers have been consistently well maintained when I’ve stayed. They’re cleaned several times throughout the day, and that makes a difference when you’re staying for several nights.Campground DetailsBrown County State Park gives you quite a few camping options. The main family campground has 401 electric campsites and 28 non-electric sites, along with a 60-site rally camping area and youth tent camping areas. There’s also a separate equestrian campground with 118 electric and 86 non-electric sites.The campground has a mixture of campsite configurations, including paved sites, accessible sites and designated pull-through sites. That makes Brown County an option for everything from tent campers and smaller travel trailers to larger RVs and motorhomes. Because individual site dimensions vary, I recommend checking the specifications for the individual campsite when making a reservation, especially if you’re bringing a larger rig.One important tip for RV owners: use the West Gate when arriving. The historic covered bridge at the North Gate has height and weight restrictions and is not an RV entrance.
Patriot’s Campground Report:
Patriot has his own priorities when choosing a campground, and apparently my opinion only carries so much weight.
Walkability: 5/5
There’s plenty to explore without getting into the truck, and having hiking trails accessible from the campground earns high marks from Patriot.
Wildlife: 4/5
Plenty of birds, deer, squirrels and other woodland activity to keep him interested.
New Smells: 4/5
A respectable assortment of trees, trails, campsites, wildlife and whatever mysterious information dogs apparently collect from every blade of grass.
Dog Friendly: 5/5
Being able to camp, walk and head out for a hike together makes Brown County an easy five from Patriot.
Nap Quality: 3/5
This category would score considerably higher if it weren’t for the ornery squirrels that apparently consider taunting Patriot part of their daily responsibilities. It’s difficult to maintain proper campground nap standards when the local squirrel population keeps running around outside talking trash.
IAN VerdictBrown County State Park is an easy recommendation for me. You’ve got a beautiful wooded campground, good facilities, friendly staff, plenty of wildlife, families outside actually enjoying the park, and some excellent hiking you can reach without ever starting the truck.For me, camping is about more than having somewhere to park the motorhome. It’s getting outside, hitting a trail with Patriot, watching families enjoy the outdoors, then coming back to camp, lighting a fire and enjoying a good cigar while the woods settle down for the evening.And if site 422 is available, that’s the one I’m looking at first.
