Chain O’ Lakes Campground — Hotel in Avilla

We had an enjoyable time at site 220 at the campground! Pros: Great shade and shelter from the rain. On a quiet loop in the park. Few cars were driving by. Nice privacy from neighbors on one side because of trees Close to the bathrooms without being annoyingly code The site nextdoor has the closest potable water.

Cons: Our site was a bit awkward for a tent location so we put it on the gravel and had a lot of mud around when it rained. Not very good hammock trees Not a lot of sun if it is cold (but great if it's hot! There is a break in the trees but not too big).

I wish the bathrooms were maintained and designed better. The doors made it hard to get out of the restrooms, feminine hygiene box fell out and onto the floor on me, only one soap dispenser, and there was always at least one of the four toilets plugged or full of paper. There is also no handicap stall or changing table. I understand that most campers these days have restrooms in their motorhomes, but as a tent camper I had expected more.

The showers were okay. The women's had 4 stalls with little rooms with doors that closed that had a small changing area with a bench, 3 hooks, and a shower with about 3" to place your shower items. The water was nice and hot but very sulfuric in smell. There was no curtain to the shower. The men's were more locker room style with next to no storage and curtains (the changing area/towel hanging area is outside the shower in a common area).

We also did the 9 Lake Challenge while here with our own kayaks. You can rent as well. Let me tell you, this is DIFFICULT to do with only one vehicle. We ended up doing one half (to Miller from Sand) and then took trail 4/5 back (almost 3 miles) to where we parked at Sand, and finally drove to Dock Lake and Long Lake to finish the challenge. It would be an incredible service if the park offered shuttles from the end of the lakes (I would have paid a fee) to allow people to do this more easily. Also, Mud Lake does truly feel like you're paddling through mud.

I don't know if I'd camp here again, but I would recommend the site due to its privacy and convenience if you don't mind having your tent on gravel. I also highly recommend the 9 Lake Challenge if you have two vehicles to move your own/rental boats. They also have lovely signs on the trails so you don't get lost.

You will need a $5 tag per non motorized watercraft if you...

Chain O'Lakes State Park, in Albion, Indiana is a large DNR Park with several amenities to help you enjoy your leisure time and camping experience. As one of the larger State Parks of Indiana, you can be sure to find the perfect site for you. They have primitive sites, electrical sites, full hookup sites, & Handicap sites. There are trails for hiking, a beach for swimming, plus boat rentals for canoes, Kayaks, and rowboats. The lake is for electrical motors or paddlers. But the lake connects to another lake and so on to form the chain. So if you're an adventurous boater or fisherman you'll have a wonderful trek to enjoy each day of your trip. The downside of this Park is the site size. Many sites are long enough for the longer bigger campers, but their width is lacking giving you that stacked feeling. As well as low privacy. Visit during the week when attendance is lower and you won't find this a problem. We were also fortunate to get a corner site that had a bit more room to it. Most corner sites there did seem to be a bit roomier. I would like to see them upgrade their two Septic Claiming Stations as they only allow for 2 campers to dump at each station at a time. A Park the size of COL needs bigger...

I love staying here, but I let my son go with his friends family, and he forgot his blanket, so I brought it to him, and I got treated so disrespectful. I understand like I told the lady, you have cut off for visitors, but I didn't know what time, and it was cold, and no one is ever going to keep my son from me. Either or I tried apologizing, and I was ignored, while she was yelling at my sons friends parent. I got accused of revving up my engin, I tried to explain it is a manual, I don't purposely try to cause trouble, but she threatened to call cops, I said I would wait, because she was being way too disrespectful to the other parents and me. After a while of trying to talk to her I seen she was not going to call cops so I apologize to the other parents and once more to the lady who just keeps going on, now she could hear my stereo from the front gate, I will not lie, I am guilty of playing it louder than normal, but I turned it down when I got by the beach Either or I have been coming to channel lake since I was 6 and I missed last couple yrs of camping. I don't think I will go back with someone in charge like that lady. She was way too high strung I don't...