One of my favorite places to camp has always been Brown County, Indiana. It is only 150 miles from Arcola which makes it about a good 3 1/2 hour pull with a horse trailer. The Horseman's Campground has 107 Class A sites and about 86 primitive sites. Making a reservation and choosing a camping site are easily done online. You are a click away from a nice map of the campground, and a special feature allows you a detailed description of the spot you choose, such as pad dimensions, its slope and surface, the proximity to water and the showerhouse, etc. AMP information is included so there are few "surprises" upon arrival. There is also a handicapped site available. One feature which I think sets this campground apart from others is the way the sites are clumped together into smaller sects. Fence-lined walkways or small ravines separtate the various clumps giving a feeling that you are part of a small neighborhood. Just riding the vast length of the entire campground provides a nice evening or cooling down ride on your horse.

     There is a clean showerhouse in the campground; pit toilets and water spigots are scattered throughout and are indicated on the campground map. Thus you can tell how far your site is located from these necessities. Each site has a huge hitching rail for tying up the horses; the uprights allow haybags to hang high. Picnic tables and rocky fire-rings are at each site, but bring your own firewood.

     Horseman's Camp boasts about 30 miles of trails. Excellent trail maps are provided at the entrance gate; be sure to take the extra time to read the information provided with the maps. The maps are very accurate. They not only give the exact distance of each trail, but also provide detailed information about the marking system--tags on the right side of the trail lead away from its beginning; tags on the left lead you back to where the trail began. We like to ride the north A and A-1 trails for shorter rides, leaving the south B and C trails for dayrides. Several picnic tables are scattered here and there along some trails, offering handy places to rest horse and rider. (Check the trail map for their locations.) The lettered trails are firetrails, whereas the numbered offshoots are for single file riding. The hills are moderate, but caution should still be taken if your horse is not properly conditioned, especially if you're a "flat-lander", too!

     A couple of things about Brown County:

     In the fall, the colors are truly hard to beat. Get reservations as early as possible, because people from far and wide travel to Brown County just for the spectacular fall foliage! With the deciduous trees showing off their color and dropping leaves, even the pines seem to stand out with a more regal color.

     In the summer, you can practically have your choice of sites. One hot July, I met my MI friend Penny at Horseman's Campground so that we could split the traveling distance. She brought her laptop and taught me tips on web building. We rode in the morning and late afternoon, but in the heat of the day we took refuge in the nice little creek which runs throughout the camping area.

     Be sure to take at least ONE morning ride to the Story Inn for breakfast. Under new ownership, it is my understanding that it is now open daily as opposed to only Sundays. I eat the same thing each trip: banana walnut pancakes with real maple syrup, smothered with cinnamon yogurt topping! Believe me, it is worth every rain-soaked cent in my wet chaps! It's only about an hour and a half ride up trail B to merge onto the Story trail. Be sure to take halter, lead rope, money, and a big appetite!

     If I'm camping at Brown County, I always pack my raingear when loading up the trailer. Just call me the "draught-buster" for obvious reasons. It never fails!!

     When driving the last 8 miles inside the park towards the Horseman's Campground, GO SLOWLY! The road, though smoothly blacktopped, is extremely narrow, little to no shoulder, windy, hilly, and some steep embankments off each side. Another lesson learned the hard way but with a happy ending--neither horse nor human was hurt; the fence didn't fare as well.