After my wife's chemotherapy this week, she needed some fishing therapy. She's caught 3 so far. I love to see her smile! read more

Summit Lake State Park - Parks Near Me - Mooreland, Indiana

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Beautiful lake!! We've taken the pontoon out here and also do paddle boarding. It's a spectacular area! read more

Summit Lake State Park - Enjoying the view on the paddle board - Parks Near Me - Mooreland, Indiana

This review is based on the camp ground and the beach. The camp ground is nice medium spots most of them are in the sun and with no trees around them but some are is the forest witch are the best because most of them have trails to the water. The beach is really rocky and the water is nice but they don't open it until Memorial Day. So over all 4 stars read more

Took my family with me we had a blast! We had just moved to Indiana and we're looking for things nearby for the kids to enjoy.

Another great weekend at Summit, yes the sites are still small and mostly out of level so bring plenty of cribbing and camp courtesy even if you think that your music is up and coming your neighbors might not. Very clean we hiked all the trails and other than the 1 pretentious lady who walked her dog to the vacant site to crap (you know who you are) the absence of dog crap was amazing. The camp host is a sweetheart and she makes her rounds so mind your manners. DNR presence was extremely reassuring unlike some of the other state parks we have stayed at. HEY DONT FORGET if you are camping here you are only about 5 minutes away from 1000 degrees pizza in mount summit. (Shameless ploy for you to read my 1000 degrees pizza review) read more

During 2020, I've been visiting n ew-to-me state parks and this was on the top of my list given its close proximity from downtown Indy (about 1 hour or so). I went on a random weekday and explore the hiking trails. All said and done, I did every hiking trail in about 1.5ish hours. That being said, the highlight of the park is, you guessed it, the lake. There are lots of options for those that are going for the water - boating, swimming, fishing, and more. There are lots of places to venture off the beaten path and set up a picnic or have a nice, relaxing hammock session. There is also camping available. Would I come back? Yeah, but it wouldn't be for hiking alone. read more

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While it's not the coolest of the Indiana State Parks, you can still make the most of your day at Summit Lake between hiking, canoeing, boating, fishing, and/or swimming. Note that this park is more geared toward water activities, so if you're only coming to hike, you'll have covered all of the trails in under two hours. in short, BYOB (bring your own boat). read more

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This is definitely a fisherman's park! BUT don't let that sway you from visiting because I found myself really liking this park after just one visit. And this is why... THE BEACH Visiting on a perfect Wednesday afternoon ended up being a great beach day for our family. It wasn't very busy and the kids loved swimming in the lake. The beach area isn't very big but it's ample room as long as it's not crowded. The sand was clean and soft. The swimming area of the lake is seperated by by rope to keep kayakers and boats away. It goes about 3 1/2 - 4' deep. There is even a concession stand was typical snack and drink (pizza, hot dogs, candy, ice cream, soda, etc.) and it pretty affordable. Or you can bring coolers with your own food and drinks. There is shaded area and picnic tables by the beach as well. There is a small walk from the beach to the parking lot, but they do have handicap parking by the beach. Or you can drop someone off and then go park. RECREATION Besides the beach, Summit Lake Park is known for having some great fishing spots. Lots of fishermen here, boaters, and kayaking. Bait shops available on site and a boat launch. That are lots of hiking trails with great views of the lake. Be sure to bring the bug spray! Volleyball pits can be found by the beach and playground. There are 2 playgrounds, one in within the camp ground. A lot of people come here for the camping. SUNSETS The sunsets here over the lake are very pretty. There is a Sunset pavilion, you can pack a picnic dinner and go watch the sunset! My one negative (reason for 4 stars) was that there were people smoking on the beach. I was under the impression that smoking was not allowed in state parks, but with the number of butts on the grounds this seems like something a lot of people were doing. I didn't see any rangers come around but there was a gal working in the concession stand that didn't say anything to them. read more

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It snowed while I was here but the fire was warm the lines were swimming around with their mate beautiful sound they make read more

Summit Lake State Park - Parks Near Me - Mooreland, Indiana

Very clean and quiet campground. There was not a lot to do, but we took Kayaks and had a good time. However, our son and his family joined us for the weekend and any time they pulled in the campground host would follow them down to our site and remind them that there is only 1 car allowed at the campsite (which we already knew). Friday, they came in and, within 40 seconds, got the 1st "reminder." He was just there unloading the car. Saturday morning, he went home to pick us up his wife and came back. Again, less than a minute later, the host came down to remind him of the rule. He unpacked the car of a scooter and bike and 1 more blanket. Both Friday and Saturday, his car was down at the site to unload a total of 3 minutes before he went to park it in overflow parking. We have camped there for 30 years and always obey the rules. We do not camp to get harassed each day we are there. Then you look around the campground and there are 2 to 3 cars parked at every 3rd campsite we came to. They need to give people 15 minutes before following them down to harass them and spend that time letting the people know the rules that were next to us with 2 cars parked at their site the entire weekend. read more

One of our very most favorite state parks! Camping spaces are ample and not right on top of your neighbors! They do a great job of Keeping it clean (including the rest rooms!) The folks at the gate & campground entry are so very helpful! During summer & early fall months reserve your camping site early. Spring is the best I think...plus fishing is great! read more

Nice camp sites, lake is very weedy this year (2018) Water is very clear. Great kayaking lake, staff friendly park is kept clean. read more

Summit Lake State Park - Kayaking on summit lake 2018 - Parks Near Me - Mooreland, Indiana

We came here for a long lazy Sunday afternoon, found a great place to set up our hammocks, and watched the sunset over the lake. It was the perfect afternoon! What I loved about this park most was it was practically empty. We really felt like we had a little piece of the park all to ourselves. Other fun things about this park: -You can rent canoes for $5 per hour, $20 per day. -Plenty of places to grill -You can fish -Campsites (all electric) available $30 per night -Boat ramps available (idle speed only) -Rent-a-camp available for $40 -Shelters available for rent $35-$40 -Park is open year round -Swimming beach available I wouldn't recommend coming here for hiking. Trails are pretty boring. However, if you're looking for a place to simply sit by/on the water and relax I would highly recommend coming here. The lake is beautiful and the sunsets over the water are stunning. read more

Summit Lake State Park - Parks Near Me - Mooreland, Indiana

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This park is beautiful. I have camped here a couple of times and haven't been disappointed! There is a nice lake with fishing, pretty trails, and sizable campsites. Our 30 foot RV has no issues navigating. The electric hookup has 30 and 50 amps. I would highly recommend this campground if you're looking for a nice weekend getaway. read more

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Beautiful state park. Expansive and so useful! Fishing, birdwatching and a multitude of other activities!

I have been to nursing homes and had more fun! They should be ashamed of themselves for charging 7$ to get in. We paid to walk around basically, we couldn't buy food or drinks. We brought are dog thinking it would be ok but they didn't even have any kind of clean up bags. NEVER AGAIN!!! read more

The campsites around the lake are fairly close together but they do have beautiful views and access to fish and put in a kayak. Seemed to be a lot of families so kids would have lots of others to ride bikes and play with. read more

My review is based upon my day trip for hiking to the park. I can't really comment on the camping/boating experience. The park has four trails (officially) for hikers to explore though there are markers along Trails 1 & 4 that indicate a "mysterious" Trail 5. Unless you are adventurous and like taking trails that are quite long andyou have no map for, I would advise sticking to the official trails. I started with Trail 1 on the north side of the park. It is known as the prairie trail because the majority of the hike is around an irregular loop around a wildflower prairie. The trail offers some nice views of Summit Lake as well on the west side of the loop. The path is wide and easy to follow, though there are a few random intersections that were sometimes confusing. (Just think about it being a loop and that will help navigate.) The map is a bit confusing since it shows a strait path from the parking lot to the loop. That is completely wrong as the path heads back to a wooded area first before taking a left turn towards the prairie. It threw me off until I actually reached the lakefront portion of the trail. There are some information boards located around the loop and an occasional bench or picnic table. During the summer, the wooded parts of the path were quite "buggy" since the shade kept the grass quite wet from dew. The prairie was home to a variety of wildflowers and native plants, birds, and butterflies. The sounds were plentiful as I could hear small animals scurry or birds landing on small branches. The trail is around 2 miles including the access path to the loop. Near the Trail 1 parking is the beach house and small beach area on the other side of the road. The parking is quite a walk from the parking lot to the beach house if you are carrying a cooler. I didn't intend on swimming, so I can't really comment on the conditions. On the south side of the park is Trail 4 which is a mini trail about 3/4 mile (loop). It is another prairie loop that is located near the Harvey Shelter and finishes walking on the lawn by the playground area there. The playground is small and rustic and I think there was a volleyball area too. Nice views of the lake from the shelter as well. If you wish to hike here, I recommend going when conditions are dry and to wear some shoes that will keep your feet dry in case you catch the morning dew. Review #1191 read more

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Love coming over here, close to home. Great spots. Friendly staff. Nice lake for kayaking or canoeing.

Great place to enjoy the scenery and unwind. The beach is nice in the summer. The only problem is that there is no way around the duck poop that is everywhere for this place. Really makes it hard to enjoy when you're just trying to avoid stepping/sitting or otherwise interacting with the duck poop. We did go ride bikes on a day it was raining, luckily we found a shelter house quick! read more

I'm into tent camping, relaxing outdoors and leisurely day hikes with some gentle bicycling thrown in, so that's what my review will be based on. You can find more activities in the park if you're into other stuff. The park is open all year but most activities are limited to the warm months. Summit Lake has a few shortcomings that are nicely balanced by CONVENIENCE. If you need to get out of the house for awhile on short notice with minimal fuss, this spot should definitely be on your short list of "Go-To" places. Summit Lake SP has two adjacent camping areas that can accommodate everything from tents to full hook-up RVs. Recent improvements to the campground have favored "modern camping", so all spots have been upgraded with electricity. You'll also find real toilets and hot showers nearby, so avoid the few remaining stinkhole outhouses at all costs. As with all the Indiana State Parks I've been to, the staff does a good job at keeping the place well maintained. While I'd prefer to save a few bucks and have a non-electric tent only spot, I'm sure many folks will appreciate having power. On a visit during late July electric box fans were all the rage, especially with folks staying in those crazy 3-room mega-tents. Except on busy summer holiday weekends, tent lovers should be able to find spots away from RVs with trees and partial to full shade. This is a pretty small park, so calling ahead of your visit (or reserving a spot online at camp.in.gov) is a good idea during the summer. Hiking Summit Lake kind of sucks. They have trails, but they are weenie, uninteresting paths. Same goes for biking, you're limited to rolling down the car paths. The campground, boat launch and swimming beach are all separated by absurdly long distances though, so bikes are handy. The best bet for entertainment is to go rent a boat. For $5/hr or $20 for 24 hrs, you can rent a rowboat or canoe (paddleboats are available for a little more, but they go VERY SLOW). The rowboats hold 4 people + gear, come with life jackets, anchor and oars and give you access to the entire lake. Fun ! The best part is that the campground has its own pier that you can tie off to overnight, or choose one of several camping spots that have direct lake access and row right up to camp. Either way, it's cheap and enjoyable- grab a boat ! If you need provisions beyond ice and firewood, you'll need to drive to New Castle. Losantville is 10 minutes away and has a gas station and pizza, but New Castle is only 5 minutes further and has everything. Summit Lake SP is a clean, close and convenient place to hang out for a day or a weekend if you're stuck in East Central Indiana. There's not much going on there, but that may be its most appealing feature-- you've got no choice but to relax. Bring the kids or some friends, get a boat, then hang out by the fire and burn some marshmallows in the evening. Happy trails read more

We've spent quite a bit of time this summer tent camping in various Indiana State Parks. Summit Lake was our most recent trip, taken the last weekend in July 2013. The drive there was decent - only 1.5 hours from our home. The park itself is beautiful and very scenic. The lake is wonderful for fishing, as no high speeds are allowed. You can rent paddle boats, canoes and row boats for very reasonable prices and there are lots of small islands in the lake that you can explore. The beach area seems pretty nice, but the weather was too cold for swimming. That pretty much sums up everything that's good about this park. Now, let's talk about the bad: The park is laid out so everything is very far apart. You pretty much need a bike or car to get from one area to another. You wouldn't be able to comfortably walk from the campground to the beach - especially if you had small children. The bathrooms are disgusting and dingy. I'm used to the cleanliness at Mississinewa and Raccoon Lake. These pale in comparison. There's no hand soap in any of the restrooms, including the public restrooms near the beach and boat rental. There are no paper towels either. Quite a few of the hand dryers are non functional. We never found the camp store. They sell ice and wood near the picnic area, but there doesn't seem to be a fully functional store, although one is listed on their website. That's ok - there are a couple of bait shops down the road, but it would have been nice to visit a store in the park. There seems to be a problem with funding at this park, as there are a couple of partially completed construction projects that another camper told me looked the same as their last visit in October 2012. There is no streamlined campground entrance like you would find at other state parks. Instead, you pull into a parking lot and then walk up to a building to check in. It's inconvenient and the parking lot turns in to a zoo when there are several people trying to check in at once. All in all, I really wanted to like this park. I would love to go back someday, but I think we will be sticking with the more comfortable, clean state parks for the rest of the summer. Summit Lake - you could be great, but you need to buy some soap and hire some people to clean. read more

Definitely a good park for the family I hear there's a lot of good fishing I do not have a boat to go fishing also the swimming area in the campground are great places as well read more

I've been here a couple of times, it's hype, great trails for beginners, nothing extraordinary difficult, but great views of the lake. I took my girlfriend here who isn't the biggest outdoor fan, but she still loved it. read more

Great modern amenities, wood is readily available, but campsites are very close and there isn't much to actually do in the campground.