Ways to stay at Jellystone Barton Lake - To Infinity & Somewhere

Are you looking for a campground that can meet the needs of almost all camping styles and offer so many activities you won’t need to leave the campground? Continue reading to see why Jellystone Barton Lake is perfect for you.

Jellystone Barton Lake is conveniently located off the Indiana Toll Road. A quick 2 minute drive from the Michigan line and about 20 minutes from the Ohio border.

140 Lane 201 Barton Lake, Fremont, IN 46737

So what is so amazing about Barton Lake that makes campers come back year after year? In the beginning it was the fact that it was run by Roger and Anna Barry and their family. You could feel the love that came with it being run by a family. You would always find Roger going site to site making sure everyone was having a good time and if there was anything he could help with. Anna was usually outside watering the flowers making sure the entrance looked welcoming.

The Barry’s started their campground in 1965 with only 20 sites. They joined the Jellystone Park franchise network in 1980. As the years passed, the campground became an amazing resort with a few hundred sites including tent, water/electric, full hook and cabins for those that wanted to visit without a camper. In 2020 the Barry’s made the announcement they would be retiring and handing their Yogi keys over to Northgate Resorts starting in 2021 to continue managing what they had started so many years ago.

There are many variations of sites and ways to experience this beautiful, fun, filled campground. Keep reading as we go through each area of the campground. We’ll provide details to help you make a decision on which area is the best for you and your family. You will find a wooded area, an island, pull-thru, back-ins, full hook, water/electric, rustic, a couple different styles of cabins and a lodge that sleeps up to 19. There is a camping style to fit everyone’s needs.

All sites and cabins will have a fire ring and picnic table. If you are staying at a preferred premium, red carpet or cabin you will also have a charcoal grill. The lodge will have a gas grill. Throughout the park you will have several restrooms with showers and three laundry rooms. You will have non stop fun between all the water activities, playgrounds, lake fun, activities planned by staff and more. To learn about all the exciting things you can do at Jellystone make sure to read our blog Recreational Activities at Jellystone Barton Lake.

Wooded Area

You will find in the wooded area campsites 1-99. As the name implies it’s the more wooded area of the campground and also the original area. In this section you will find the rustic tent area, standard tent area, water/electric sites, woodland glamping pods (one room with a queen bed and futon, sleeps 4), 4 person cabins (one room with a full-size bed and a bunk bed), 6 person cabins ( two rooms with full size bed and 2 sets of bunk beds) and deluxe cabins (two rooms, one room with a full size bed and the second room with bunks plus a loft). There are several “buddy sites” located in the wooded area as well. The ones along the beach/canal area always have large groups at Halloween with amazing decorations.

Within these first 100 sites you will have two restroom buildings, a laundry room, a playground, and be the closest to the beach. The recreation building will be a quick walk as well. If you like to fish, the catch and release pond is on the south end of the woods and Barton Lake (dock area 3) is to the north. The downside to being in the wooded area is you will be the furthest from the pools, water slides and ranger station. The wooded area does have some hills but we have not had issues with leveling when we have stayed here in the past.

100s

Ever camped on an island? Well that’s where you will find all the RV sites in the 100s. The kids always loved riding their bikes over the wooden bridge and making noises with every bump. It always made us giggle. While a lot of the waterfront sites on the island are reserved for seasonal sites there are a few water sites available along the canal. All of the sites are water and electric only.

The north end of the island will have more trees than the south end. Depending on how much sun you like shining on you may depend on if you turn left or right when crossing the bridge. There is one restroom building on the island and one right before you get onto the island. This restroom just before the island bridge may be closer for some of the sites. If you are staying on the island you are fairly close to the recreation building and athletic field/playground. A quick way to the beach when staying on the island is to walk across the swinging bridge. Make sure to look down and see all the little fish.

200s

The 200s are a little of everything. You can find waterfront sites along the canal (sites 231-244) and along the lake (217-224 buddy sites). There are full hook up sites across from the playground (201-216). With a few other full hook sites (282-284) near the wooded area. The other sites are water and electric (255-278). The closest restroom for most of the 200s will be near the bridge.

The 200s are very close to the recreation building and the playground. Sites 275-278 are essentially in the athletic field. This would be great if you have little kids that want to live at the playground and you want to be able to watch them from your camper. The downside is the potential that kids will be running and yelling most of the day and evening. You might feel like your camper is ground zero at the playground.

If this isn’t something you want to deal with all day I wouldn’t recommend those sites. Sites 231-278 are close to the recreation building. If you have small children that go to bed early and need the area to be quiet, I wouldn’t recommend these sites near the recreation building either. Some nights there are dance parties where the music travels throughout the park a bit. Don’t get me wrong, we love the dance parties. We just prefer to walk there from our campsite on the other side of the campground. If you have kids that like to be in the action of all the activities and play at the playground then the 200s are a great location where you wouldn’t need to walk far for most things. The exception would be the pools.

300s

The 300’s are located on or near the main road going to and from the Ranger Station, pools, and the way in and out of the park. The main street can be very busy with cars, bikes, golf carts, and people walking. If you have young children that like to run across streets without looking, I would not recommend being on the main road. You can definitely stay in the 300s on one of the side streets. Sites 301-323 are Boo-Boo bungalows. These bungalows have a private bedroom with a queen bed, two lofts each with a queen bed and sleeper sofa. This also has a private bathroom, air conditioning/heat, and a full kitchen. These bungalows can accommodate up to 8 people.

Sites 325-334 are water and electric. Sites 335-341 are full hook-up. The closest restroom will be at the Ranger Station or the pool area. A couple of the popular sites for this area are sites 327, 329, 331, and 333. The reason is because they have really large grass sites. If you or your children want to be able to run around or play a game of volleyball or cornhole then these sites are perfect. The 300s are located between the athletic field/ playground and the Ranger Station and pool area. Another wonderful location to be near all the fun.

400s

The 400s start over by the pool area and sprawl out all the way over to the wooded section. Sites 400-419 are the Barton Lake Bungalows and are near the pool area. You will have one bedroom with a queen. The second bedroom has a twin over full bunk bed. There is a futon in the living room and two twin mattresses in the loft. These bungalows also have their own restroom and kitchen area.

The rest of the 400s will be full hook ups with a mix of back-in and pull-thru sites. Sites 420-435 are across the street from the athletic field/playground. Another good area to camp if you want to be able to watch your children play from your campsite. This road can also be very busy so be careful with small children. If you are staying closer to the 430s and want a playground with possibly less children than the athletic field playground, there is another playground near the wooded area. Same for those camping in the 440s and 470s. There is a smaller playground located near the game room/pool area that may be a little calmer for little ones. Even though the 400s are full hook-up sites there are restrooms near the south side of the pool, another by the game room, and the Ranger Station.

500s

The 500s are one of our favorite areas. They are mostly pull-thru with the exceptions of the ones along the pool fence and a few along the toll road. Most of them are also full hook-ups. When we camp with Jen’s parents we like to do buddy sites (camper doors face each other) if we can. Sites 546/547 are the buddy sites in this area. They are also across from the free large water slides. This is great for those that like to utilize the water slides and don’t want to walk very far.

The reasons we like the 500s are because we are near almost everything our kids like to do. If we aren’t at our camper then we are in the pool, water slides, putt-putt, game room, jumping pillows/playground, on the lake or at the Ranger Station. All of these things are really close to the 500s.

Because we come to Jellystone frequently we don’t tend to do a lot of the planned activities at the recreation building. We can only make so many tie dye shirts. LOL. We will go down for bingo or some new activity that we haven’t done before. It’s a nice easy walk over there and we don’t have little kids that have to make that walk. So this distance doesn’t bother us.

The 500s are actually a pretty quiet area even though you are close to everything. The street traffic is very light so our daughter likes to draw with sidewalk chalk in the road. The sites that might be a little louder are the ones that are along the pool fence. You get to hear the sounds of water splashing and laughter (or maybe some kids screaming at each other). If you have some water bugs in your family and don’t mind the noise during the day, these sites may be a good choice. There is also a restroom along the fence and a gate to enter the pool area. No need to walk all the way around to the main pool gate.

600s

The 600s are all to the east of the water slide and closest to the main entrance. All of the sites are full hook and almost all of them are pull-thru. The only exceptions are site 670-674 along the fence. The 600s will be fairly quiet with the exceptions of the ones right across from the large water slides and playground. Those sites (600-609) are considered Red Carpet “premium” sites. You will pay a little more for those. The 600s will be the furthest from the recreation building and athletic field/ playground. The pools, water slide, and jumping pillows will be a quick walk. There is a restroom and laundry room near site 620. The 600s is also another area you will find us camping in. Just like we mentioned for the 500s, we prefer the quieter areas near the pool vs being by the recreation building and athletic field.

Deluxe cabins

When you first enter the campground you will find a row of 13 deluxe cabins along the right side facing a wooded area. This will make you feel a little more secluded. They are located across the street from the 600s and jumping pillow/playground. Inside the cabin you will find one room with a full size bed, a second room with two twin bunk beds and a living room with a futon. This cabin can sleep up to 8 people. You will also have your own bathroom and kitchenette. Just like the 600s you will be the furthest from the recreation building and athletic field.

The Three bears lodge

This is a great opportunity to have a large group of friends or family get together all in one place. This lodge can sleep up to 19 people. Bedroom 1 has one twin bunk and one twin bed. Bedroom 2 has one queen bed. Bedroom three has a twin over full bunk with trundle. Bedroom 4 has one queen bed. Bedroom 5 has 2 sets of twin bunks, and 2 queen sofa sleepers in the lodge. Enjoy a full kitchen, 2 full bathrooms, game room, washer/dryer, and air conditioning/heat. Step outside to enjoy the deck overlooking the lake with a gas grill, picnic table and fire ring. The lodge is across the street from the pools and jumping pillows/playground.

Have we peaked your interest in booking? Before you book, make sure to sign up for Club Yogi Rewards. It is a free frequent camper program that rewards you with membership privileges for every qualified dollar spent at Jellystone Park Camp Resorts. These points will accumulate in your account until you are ready to redeem for a FREE night stay or for select Jellystone Park merchandise.

Also don’t forget to check out all the amazing amenities here by reading our blog Recreational Activities at Jellystone Barton Lake.

Ready to book your next vacation? Visit their official website here.

Don’t have a camper? We can help you. Visit our RV rental page to rent our camper through RVshare or Outdoorsy.

Campground - Video review

Note: this video was made in 2020 prior to transitioning to Northgate ownership. Some details may have changed.