When you try camping at Fall Creek Falls State Park, you’ll quickly learn why so many people love camping here. There’s so many great things this park has to offer and camping is one of them. Let’s dive into why you need to try camping at Fall Creek Falls.
The Campgrounds
Obviously, the first thing you want to look into when figuring out if you’d like to camp somewhere are the campgrounds. And Fall Creek Falls does not disappoint. Whether you’re looking to backpack camp, RV camp, or tent camp, there’s plenty to choose from with over 200 sites throughout the park. Personally, my friend and I chose to tent camp on a site that is usable by RVs as well. I chose campsite B70 because of its size and how heavily wooded it was behind it. I love camping at Fall Creek Falls because you can actually see photos of the campsite before you reserve it. It will tell you the amenities (water, electricity hookups, etc.) as well as site dimensions. Below is a photo of me using the outlet at our site to heat up my water for hot tea. I’ll go more in depth on how and why I chose this method in next week’s blog post.
Checking-In
There is no need to stop at the Visitor’s Center on your way into the park. You can simply drive straight to your campsite and set up camp. Each campsite has a clip on the number pole letting you know who has reserved the site and for what dates. Now, you don’t HAVE to reserve a site if you don’t want to. If you’d like to camp without reserving a site first, you’ll have to stop by the Visitor’s Center to see what’s available. Reserving a site is super easy and cost effective however. Not to mention it’s a time saver. The only cost is a $5 non-refundable reservation fee. Then you pay the total of the campsite up front. This total is refundable up until a timeframe before your visit. This information will be disclosed to you as you complete the reservation process. I highly suggest making a reservation especially if you want a particular campsite. To see the campsites available and make reservations click HERE.
What it’s Like Camping at Fall Creek Falls
The campsites are close together and campers will come in and out throughout your stay. But what impressed me most was how quiet it was. Around 10PM the campground is dead and all you can hear is the crackle of dying fires and chirps of night time wildlife. It’s amazing how peaceful it is and quite easy to get a good night’s sleep because of this. At first, I thought it was just luck that it was like this every night of our stay in November. But no, I visited my friends camping later in December at a different campground area in the park and it was exactly the same there. Of course, this really does depend on your neighbors here, but for the most part, it seems everyone who camps here is respectable and quiet during the hours of darkness.
My other favorite feature are the bathrooms. I think we can all agree that bathrooms can make or break a place, right? Well, camping at Fall Creek Falls will surprise you how nice the bathrooms can be. Even in the campgrounds, the bathrooms are fairly clean and well taken care of. My friends that I visited in December said the same and they were impressed. They have camped at numerous state parks across the country and said that this one had some of the best bathrooms they’ve ever seen. I think that says enough. Also, the bathrooms are nicely located near all the campsites. In Campground B the restroom is actually in the center of the circle. This means that no matter which campsite you choose, the bathroom is not too far away.
The Taft Village
I cannot forget to mention The Taft Village when telling you how great camping at Fall Creek Falls is. The Taft Village is exactly what it sounds like. Multiple buildings are clustered together while a nice walkway meanders between them. There’s even a tiny man-made creek that flows in the center, although it was dried up when we were there.
The Taft Village consists of a launderette, The Outfitter, The General Store, and the Snackbar Grill. There are also pavilions and an outdoor theater that can be rented for events as well as the swimming pool by the lake. We walked around and checked out The Outfitters as well as The General Store and, well, let’s just say they have everything you could possibly need. If you forgot to pack something for camping at Fall Creek Falls, just swing by The General Store and pick it up. I’m sure they’ll have what you are looking for. As for the Snackbar Grill, I’ll cover more about this in next week’s post. You won’t want to miss it because what you’ll find might surprise you.
What if it Rains
Rain is one of a tent camper’s worst fears. Going into the weekend that we were camping, we knew rain was a possibility. By Sunday afternoon, we knew it was indefinite. We remembered the covered and screened in pavilion that we had seen in The Taft Village. This became our go-to spot for rain protection. We prepped our campsite for any monsoon that may occur, and drove up to The Taft Village. It was empty by 3pm as the rain started to sprinkle down.
I believe The Taft Village is typically more busy in the summer months than the colder fall and winter months anyways. We were pleasantly surprised with how nice the enclosed pavilion was. We were able to stay dry and set up our laptops on the picnic tables. The pavilion is lined with countless outlets so you can charge anything and everything you desire. As night fell, the rain continued and it got colder. Since the pavilion is only screened in, it doesn’t block much wind. But if you’re prepared to bundle up, this is the spot to wait out the storm. Also, the bathrooms are only a short walk up the pathway. And, if you ask me, these are my favorite bathrooms in the entire park.
Other Tips for Camping at Fall Creek Falls
The Snackbar Grill has only one outlet in the dining area, but they also offer free wifi. Depending on the season that you go, this would be an ideal spot to work on whatever you need to if you can’t go off-the-grid completely. But, it was also brought to my attention by my friend in December that the campgrounds also have free wifi. I don’t know how I missed this detail in November. This was also a shocking factor to me because wifi is not something you typically see while camping. Of course, this could be seen negatively or positively depending on how you want your camping experience to go. But knowing that wifi is an option is quite nice if you ask me.
Why Choose Camping at Fall Creek Falls
If I haven’t already convinced you to try camping at Fall Creek Falls, let me just add this. Fall Creek Falls is one of my favorite parks that I’ve been to. There’s a reason thousands of people from all over the country come here to camp. The park itself has so many hiking opportunities, waterfalls, and overlooks. If you want to see what all we packed into three days of fun, click on one of the topics below:
- My Favorite Waterfall Overlook in the Park
- My New Favorite Hiking Trail
- The Best Overlooks
- Adventure-Seeker Finds
Next week I’ll share what food we ate while camping and my review of the Snackbar Grill. Disclaimer, I kept calling it “The Snack Shack” and I’m not sure why. So if you get confused watching my videos, that’s what I’m referring to. Speaking of videos, click HERE to watch the video of my experience camping at Fall Creek Falls. I’ll see y’all next week and until then, get out and enjoy Exploring Chatt!
