Saddle Lake Recreation Area Campground

I was worried about the two miles of gravel road, but my 23’ Airstream did great. Only about 10 or 12 spots, well maintained with picnic tables and fire pits, mostly level depending on some sites. I was hoping the lake would be closer but it was a 15 min walk. Beautiful area, lots of trees, 5 degrees cooler than getting off the freeway. Cell signal was spotty at best. Only two other campers when I was there. The park ranger does come by to make sure you pay. Lots of bugs, bring bug spray!

Camped here 8/5-8/9/21. $5 per night, $2.50 with senior pass. Single outhouse on concrete slab, clean. Picnic table and fire ring. No water, electric or garbage receptacle.

This place is quiet! 13 sites I believe with ample room for most rigs. Place isn't busy at all. Even on the weekend it was just me and two others. I'd say about a mile on gravel road from main road that's in great shape. Boat launch a little further down the gravel road with a hiking trail that goes around the lake. Cell coverage suxs, but can manage to text ok Tell city about 20 minutes away for supplies. And it's very quiet here.

We weren't sure if we could fit our 40ft coach in here until we arrived and yes, not a problem, even with toad. some sites are small and not level but we had our choice of several that would fit our rig. We were not sure how crowded or full it gets here so originally we planned on staying 2 nights but was so quiet and peaceful we stayed 4, it was a welcome retreat. Other campers came and went, but never more than 4 sites occupied. Only bad we experienced was a forest service police officer tac'd out in bulletproof vest and full gear not just driving through but stopping at each site, getting out and approaching all the campers for their pay envelope receipts, (one younger couple he actually we overheard across from us being asked for ID even though clearly they were not doing anything wrong) now normally police presence is a good thing but troubling that this was done at night, in the dark, and when he could have checked pay envelopes at the iron ranger and clearly see who has or has not paid (there were only 3 or 4 of us camping) ... this was done 2 nights, in the dark, while here and honestly I was glad not to see him return it just felt invasive. But that's it, we did enjoy our stay enough to stay an additional 2 nights. Please note t-mobile and ATT cell signal was hit or miss even while boosted, we were connected most of the time but occasionally fell off for a couple hours.
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Cheers, Dave & Karen

This place is great! Quite and clean.
I found this campsite on this app and took a chance. I’m glad I did, it was just two of us camping and we didn’t get in til the sun was set so was sketched out that we were the only ones there at first but it was perfect. The pit latrene was clean and well stocked with TP. I did see a spigot but didn’t check it out. There was some trucks coming up from the boat ramp in the middle of the night that did wake us up but not a big deal. Great place.

Secluded peaceful small campground in the Hoosier National Forest. Campground is within walking distance of a nice 2.2 loop hike around Saddle lake. Tell City is 10 miles away and it sits on the Ohio River and is an interesting small town to check out (stop at visitor's building near the flood wall - old train depot).

Pit Toilet was clean and stocked with toilet paper. We also saw a HUGE Class A parked in the campground but I believe they found the 1 spot that they could fit. Most sites were pretty short and uneven and would be best suited for tents, pop ups and under 15 foot trailers. There are no pull thru sites. Leave no trace...take your trash with you and if possible, clean up trash that others have left behind.

Enjoyed our stay on a Friday night - very quiet with just a few other campers. Campsites are in the woods surrounded by tall evergreens & deciduous trees. We expected it to be buggy, but it wasn't. Sites had big fire rings, and we were able to collect some wood for a fire. Vault toilet was pretty much at the center of the camping area, was clean, & didn't smell. Saddle Lake was a bit farther down the road from the campground, with parking spots & a boat ramp. We had intended to kayak, but were a little disappointed the lake was drained down about 4' or more due to a dam project. Also campers previous to us left some trash in the fire pit & on the ground, which we cleaned up.

Note: Camping was free, but a posted notice stated in 2017, they will begin charging $5.