This park would deserve five stars if not for cars speeding on the main park road. When we were there on a Sunday through Wednesday in October, the trees were at peak fall color, so I was surprised the campground was so empty. The site we chose for a 23-foot travel trailer was a little small for our rig and our vehicle, but that was probably our fault for not picking a larger one. It was the first time we chose a sight that was not described as level, so it also took longer than usual to set up camp. Despite the short length, the campsite had a generous living area with a picnic table, fire ring, and grill.

All this aside, Standing Stone State Park is surrounded by 11,000 acres of State Forest and would be lovely any time of the year, but it was exceptionally beautiful with the trees in the brilliant reds, sunny yellows, and fiery orange of Fall. As it offers many activities, such as a swimming pool, boat rentals, and playgrounds, I imagine it is much busier in the summer, but we enjoyed the solitude of our stay. Usually, we do a lot of hiking, but the portions of the trail within the park were overgrown and too steep to walk with our dogs, who tend to pull a lot. We took part of the trail from the cabin area to the boat docks and the dam. We also walked along the main road, but when the sidewalk ended, I felt a little nervous walking on the shoulder due to the speeding cars.

On subsequent days we left the park to hike in the State Forest and the nearby Cummins Falls State Park. The area offers a diversity of natural areas and many interesting geological features.