Camping at Pokagon State Park

Pokagon State park in Angola, Indiana is a lovely park with plenty of room to explore. We took a summer trip to the park as well as to nearby Trine State Recreation Area which is just down the road. Entering the park you are invited by beautiful green forest and the impressive Potawatomi Inn on Lake James. Even if you are not a camper you can stay at the Inn and still enjoy all the amenities that the parks have to offer.

A little background on the park, Pokagon State Park features the unique work of the Civilian
Conservation Corps, whose members lived and worked at Pokagon from 1934 to 1942.
They built the beautiful stone and log structures that dot the park
landscape and provide accent to the rolling wooded hills, wetlands and open meadows.
Natural lakes created by glaciers that melted 10,000 to 15,000 years ago, highlight
Steuben County, which has more lakes than any other Indiana county. The park is
framed by Lake James and Snow Lake, which offer abundant opportunities for boating,
swimming, fishing and beautiful sunsets.

The campground 200 Electric sites spread out into 5 areas, 73 primitive sites, and a group camp area. Lake James is one of the main focal points of the park, there are pontoon and rowboat rentals available at the Inn but if not looking to be on the somewhat busy lake there are a ton of other great activities. Hike the many trails including the Hell’s Point Challenge. This is an 8-mile loop trail connecting many of the park’s trails—including a visit to Hell’s Point, the park’s highest peak. The park also has a fantastic Nature Center and Saddle barn where you can take a trail ride through the woods, or for the little one’s, a pony ride at the stable. This was definitely my daughter’s favorite part of the trip and now wants a pony of her own!

Trine State Recreation Area is a hidden gem of a park, with quiet winding trails and a wonderful small lake perfect for catching panfish! They also have boat rentals there which have trolling motors included. For a fishing family like us, this was a great find! This quiet park is definitely worth a visit.

Not only are there a ton of activities to enjoy in the summer, fall and winter a great months to visit Pokagon. The fall colors of the park are vibrant and amazing and make for some memorable hikes. In winter the park offers cross country skiing, sledding, ice fishing, and the epic Toboggon run which can thrill you with speeds up to 40 miles per hour! The twin track run run from later November through February and hosts about 90,000 riders every season. After a day of winter fun you can warm up with some hot cocoa at the inn and enjoy the winter wonderland scenery.

One more local attraction worth checking out it the RV Hall of Fame Museum in Elkhart, IN. This was on our way into the park so we stopped by to check it out and it was amazing! You can walk through the museum and there are staged vintage campers all around. Some of these are super old and well preserved so it was great to see. Definitely check this out if you are in the area!

A trip to Pokagon State Park and Trine SRA will not disappoint! Put these on your camping bucket list and enjoy Northern Indiana in any season. Happy Camping!