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Indiana Free Camping Rank and Rules

Indiana ranks #31 of 50 for free camping

Indiana ranks #31 of 50 for free camping, with 3.9 known dispersed sites per 1,000 sq mi.

Data as of

Indiana free camping in numbers

Indiana ranks #31 of 50 for free camping, with 3.9 known dispersed sites per 1,000 sq mi.

Rank
#31
Known dispersed sites per 1,000 sq mi
3.9
Known dispersed sites
138
Land area
35,826 sq mi
Developed campgrounds
283
State-land rule
Marked sites only
Forest restrictions tracked
0

Dispersed camping in Indiana

Can you camp on Indiana state land?

Marked sites only. Backcountry camping is allowed only along the trails the state has mapped for it, not anywhere else on state land. (312 IAC 8-2-11) Roughly 326 km of legal, agency-mapped backcountry trail camping exists here. You walk in to reach it, and it is missing from our index. That is our gap, not the state’s. Every state, with the rule behind each answer: dispersed camping on state land, state by state.

Where is dispersed camping restricted in Indiana?

Our records hold no National Forest restriction on dispersed camping in Indiana. That is not the same as having none, so check the forest's own alerts page before you camp.

Each restriction, cited and dated: where dispersed camping is restricted.

How the rank works

We divide the known dispersed campsites in a state by its land area, in square miles, and multiply by 1,000. The rules above sit beside the rank but never change it. The count includes only sites that public sources map, so mapping effort affects the result. Roadside camping corridors and the points we place inside state wildlife and forest areas are not counted.