Battle of the State Parks
There is a controversial topic in North Central Indiana. Which state park is better, Salamonie or Mississinewa? It is almost as controversial as the presidential election and has been dividing households for years. Both are phenomenal state parks with campgrounds and lakes, So what makes one superior over the other? Well, we decided to find out and settle this long lived debate, or add fuel to the fire.
We started our adventure at Salamonie, which is in Andrews, Indiana. We stayed at Lost Bridge West SRA Modern Electric Campground in site # 108. There were 245 total sites at this campground. Though there are a few other areas with primitive sites around the park. It was super easy to back in our camper. The way the park was set up made it a bummer for lookyloos who like to watch your neighbors fail at trailer back-ins, sorry folks.
The site itself was great. I was blown away by how roomy it was. My only complaint was that the fire ring was in a stupid place. I wish it was closer to our rig, but it probably had to be here due to the varying sizes of camping units. The fire ring also had a grill grate on it for cooking if needed, so that was a nice touch as well. This was an electric site only so fill up those holding tanks for water!
Our site had a row of campers behind us and we had one camper on the right and no neighbor on the left, then the woods. This was the campground kids hangout, which was AWESOME. It was so nice to see kids outside, off their phones and being kids. Some people might not like the rowdiness, I reveled in it. These kids played, laughed, and rode their bikes, scooters, and everything else with wheels well into the night.
We do not have a boat, if you do, you are in for a treat! This lake is fantastic. According to the DNR website Salamonie Lake is 2665 acres of water paradise, and the state park boasts 12,554 land acres. There are several State Recreation Sites around Salamonie as well. We did not explore all of these and stayed close to the campground.
There is a camp store in walking distance at the marina, Pirates Cove Marina has a bit of everything, and it is a fun hike with picturesque views of the bay. They offer dock rental for your boats and if you don’t have a boat they have you covered, you can rent one! We just went to check out the store, and to take in the views. Bonus points is that Korey got to ag on the kids trying to snag the giant carp with their bare hands. I don’t know what they would have done if they would have nabbed one.
There are a few 9 trails, each varying in distance and skill level. The one thing that I also think is the COOLEST feature that Salamonie offers is a motorized trail chair for those with disabilities to also participate on the hike.
I also forgot to mention that furry friends are welcome. We took our lab. She was sad that she was not allowed on the beach, but to be fair the beach was closed anyway. We found a little area off the beaten path where she could swim her little heart out though. We enjoyed our time here, and for just a short hour drive, this is a getaway that we will do again.
Now for the big guy, Mississinewa State Park. This is the state park that we keep hearing people near us rave about, let’s see if they are warranted. Located in Peru, Indiana, Mississinewa is home to 14,386 land acres and a 3,210 acre lake. The campground we stayed at had over 400 sites, this was a big place.
We stayed in site 213, which was in the roundabout so we had some extra room and a woods behind us. Bonus! There was electricity at each site, you would need to fill your holding tanks for water. We were also close to the shower houses, if you did not want to shower in your rig and use up your water, this was super convenient.
Like Salamonie, the kids were out well into the night. There was a sense of nostalgia when we were blessed with hearing them holler “Ghost in the graveyard! Run! Run! Run!” I loved that game when I was a kid. If you don’t know what it is you missed out.
This park, like Salamonie, is a boaters paradise. The one difference that I did notice is that there were also seasonal campsites that you could wrestle for later in the season. I’m just kidding, no bloodshed is needed, there is a lottery held every year for these coveted spaces that are FULL HOOKUP. An extra bonus is that they are very close to the beach as well. There is also a nice little beach store and snack bar for an added star.
When we were at Mississinewa, we just happened to be staying during a Triathlon. Nothing makes you feel more horrible about yourself than to see older folks, older thank yourself, competing in such athleticism. I would love to share with you the mileage of each event, but I have had another seizure since then and those memories are gone. The glorious winner did make it through an amazing time of 1:10 wearing a lovely blue jean speedo. You got to love the midwest, we like to turn things up a notch.
I think these two parks are well matched and it comes down to personal preference. Mississinewa has the edge due to having full hook up seasonal spots but I loved Salamonie because it was closer. All in all, I cannot solve the fight. They are both well worth the visit and you need to decide for yourself which is the better State Park. They both rock in my book!
