$240 / night

Camper submitted image from Canal - Lake Barkley - 1

Camper submitted image from Canal - Lake Barkley - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Canal - Lake Barkley - 3

Facilities

Camper submitted image from Canal - Lake Barkley - 4

People

Camper submitted image from Canal - Lake Barkley - 5

Animals

Established Camping

Canal - Lake Barkley

17 Reviews

About

US Army Corps of Engineers

Barkley Lake

Overview

Situated along a peninsula between the lush shorelines of Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake, Canal Campground offers modern camping and provides the ideal setting to enjoy nature at its best with family and friends. Visitors can enjoy a stunning view of the Barkley Dam and boats traveling through the canal from the comfort of their campsite. The campground faces Barkley Lake, and the shore of Kentucky Lake is a brisk one-mile walk across the canal.

Recreation

From water sports to wildlife viewing to hiking and biking, Canal Campground is the perfect setting for outdoor activities. Eagle nests can be spotted throughout the grounds, and its not unlikely for visitors to encounter deer and other wildlife. A short hiking trail allows campers to enjoy the outdoor scenery at their leisure. Fishing is also a popular pastime, and during warm months bass and catfish are plentiful in both lakes.

Facilities

Natural Features

Lake Barkley, as part of a dam project at the Cumberland River, spans 134 miles along the Kentucky landscape, offering countless recreational activities to visitors. The canal connects Lake Barley with Kentucky Lake, forming one of the greatest freshwater recreational complexes in the country.

Nearby Attractions

Grand Rivers, a short drive from the campground, has several restaurants and two public marinas.

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Location

Canal - Lake Barkley is located in Kentucky

Directions

Physical Address: 1010 Canal Campground Road, Grand Rivers, KY 42045. From Interstate I-24, take Grand Rivers Exit 31. Drive south on Highway 453 for approximately 4 miles. Turn left onto J.H. O'Bryan Avenue for .1 miles. Turn right onto Canal Campground Road for .5 miles.

Address

Canal Campground 1010 Canal Campground Road
Grand rivers, KY 42045

Coordinates

36.9955556 N
88.2097222 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Boat-In
Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Good
AT&T
Good
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group
Tent Cabin
Equestrian

Features

For Campers

Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups
Pull-Through Sites

SEE WHAT'S AVAILABLE

$240

/ night

First Come - First Served

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Contact

General Info

Karen

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 6, 2022

Beautiful Views

I stayed here for 1 night in early April at an RV back-in site#81 on the hill. Water and electric were at the site. There was a dump station, trash and recycling near the campground entrance. The views were spectacular- especially the sunset. I would gladly stay here again!

SiteRV back-in site#81 on the hill

Month of VisitMay

(5) View All

Jessica F.

Guide

Reviewed Jan. 12, 2022

Large campground

Lots of different areas. One of my favorite in LBL. Tons of deer, and skunks, but they don’t bother you.

Month of VisitJuly

(7) View All

Tyler D.

Scout

Reviewed May. 26, 2021

Great campground

Great campground to get away with family. The beach and the playground were nice for the kids. Our campsite was level and huge. I did notice a few sites were a little rough though. The bathhouses were nice and clean as well. We will definitely go back.

Siteprimitive loop #3

Month of VisitJune

Chris O.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 8, 2021

Beautiful sites. Get a lake view.

Very nice. Very clean. The peninsula offers many sites with water views and access. There’s a great boat ramp and dock. Drive into town and eat at Paddy’s. I suggest the coffee crusted pork chop or catch your own and grill it on a provided grill. The bathrooms are clean. Will come back.

Site110

Month of VisitNovember

Carl J.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 24, 2020

Hidden treasure

Right on Lake Barkley where it joins Kentucky Lake. Over 200,000 acres of lake. We had sites 76 and 77. The roads to the sites have a lot of curves be careful not to clip your trailer on a tree. Our sites were easy to back in, plenty of room for the two tables that were there. The sites are gravel, but you do have water and electric hookups. Very quiet and peaceful place. Bath houses were clean and stocked, campground was clean. There is a beach area and also a playground for the kids. While your here be sure to go to the elk and bison prairie.

Taylor W.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 23, 2020

Good campsite for travel stops

I stopped here on my way back home splitting up a 14 hour drive. The campsite was clean and had a good size. Each campsite has fire pit, tent pad and picnic table.

The bathrooms were clean. Most of this campsite is for RVs but tent campsite was still nice. However there are tons of golf carts.

Cherri H.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 30, 2019

Good campground on the water

We got the last site. #7. It is across the rd from the lake/bay and a short walk from the bathroom and showers. The campground was clean. The bath house was clean, as well. There were a lot of golf carts making the loop for some reason. Maybe 10/ hour until about 8 pm. It didn’t bother us, but it is worth mentioning. The people who booked the site next to ours came in about 7, and unloaded about 12 teen boys. We thought it was going to be another noisy night, but not so. It was a group of Boy Scouts returning home from camp in GA and they arrived, did bedtime routine, slept, got up and did morning routine, broke camp and left by 9 am. From site 7, you can see the water if whoever is in 6 isn’t using a trailer or RV. You can see water, but through trees. There is a little poison oat or Ivy near 7. There is a dumpster on your way out of the campground. No other trash receptacles. I’m including the campground rules and map. Site 7 was a good site, but the lights from the bathroom interior are blinding from this site at night. We hung a bath towel over the tent to help block that when people opened the door. If we return, we want site 6! our maps app sent us 15 miles for groceries. You don’t need to go that far. There is a nice market and cafe, as well as a dairy bar in the little town about 2 miles before the campground off of Cosby Rd. There is also a bakery just down the rd. on Cosby Rd. Enjoy!

(6) View All

Lori J.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 9, 2019

Convenient stop

We stayed in the primative loop for $18 with electric and water. The primative sites can be difficult to park in, but, if you are lucky enough to find one that your camper can fit into what a deal.

Amy H.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 1, 2019

Nice place

Quiet, peaceful. Slots are large, definitely not confined.

Jessica B.

Traveler

Reviewed Apr. 5, 2019

This place was great!

We loved canal campground! We originally had reserved a spot at another location, after driving for 3 hours to get there we discovered it had litter strewn about and was basically a parking lot full of RV's. This was very disappointing because we are tent campers. We were contemplating just driving back home or getting a hotel but the kids were so bummed. Well anyway we happened to stumble upon Canal Campground and we are so happy we did. We camped in the primitive loop site 10 (all sites have water and electric) and it had views of the lake, it was decent on the privacy (we had 1 site that was a little too close) the part that amazed me was how clean the area and bathrooms were. We only saw 1 small spider in the bathrooms and no webs or anything. They have a dock for boats, a swimming/beach area, a playground, fishing, and golf cart rental. Overall we really enjoyed our stay and we plan on definitely coming back. 4/3/2019

Tim D.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 9, 2018

golf cart campground

not the best place if you like tents and nature. it's a well maintained campground with a private beach, a shower house, washing machines, and a playground. there are golf carts everywhere! this isn't a bad thing if your into that but don't go here thinking you'll be spending your trip among nature. canal is run by the Corp of Engineers. It's really more of an RV park with trees and water than a campground. on the bright side you can drive a golf cart to the local town ( Grand Rivers ) which has some neat stuff to see.

Cheryl K.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 30, 2018

Beautiful COE park.

Some sites have gorgeous views of Lake Barkley. Immaculate and well maintained. Close to Grand Rivers and the famous Patti's Porch Restaurant, currently being rebuilt after a disastrous fire.

Site#92

Month of VisitJune

Rachel T.

Scout

Reviewed May. 16, 2018

My favorite campground

i love everything about this campground.

They have a small playground, beach, several bath houses, a group camping “pad”, boat ramp, boat dock and easy roads for cycling.

Shelly S.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 29, 2017

Good layout

Canal Campground is definitely a busy campsite. Right outside Grand Rivers , Ky and along the canal that connects the two lakes. Reserve WAY ahead if you want one of the premium sites. Of course what you consider premium may not be what I consider premium.....which at this campground they would have us both covered by the variety of site types and locations.

The Campground is large enough that you can get some excercise right on site, jog, walk or bike. OR jump in your water craft from the boat ramp/dock within the campground and maneuver into either lake for site seeing, fishing and other water fun. OR jump in your car and visit one of the many trailheads throughout Land Between The Lakes, visit Patti's in Grand Rivers and explore the surrounding area which has several local attractions.

One of The only things LBL doesn't have is mountains to climb but there are plenty of awesome views.

Month of VisitSeptember

(12) View All

Staci R.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 27, 2017

Extensive Glamping

This portion of the canal Campground, is way back in the campground but right next to the actual Canal that connects the two Lakes. There is a pavilion and a flag pole and a large area for outdoor games and activities, however outhouses are the only nearby toilet. This is a portion of the canal Campground that has traditionally been primitive camping, now however it has morphed into having Water and Electric hookups

Month of VisitSeptember

(6) View All

Staci R.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 27, 2017

Premier Glamping!!

Canal campground is right on the canal that connects Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake at the north end of Land Between the Lakes. Sitting on the north side of the Canal, just outside of Grand Rivers, KY, where the famous Patti's Settlement boasts a two inch thick pork chop and home cooked everything. Canal campground books fast, and offers a substantial number of activities for all ages. Very well upkept and constantly making improvements, this is a favorites campground for folks from miles around.

Month of VisitSeptember

(10) View All

Shelly S.

Legend

Reviewed Aug. 26, 2017

And then some.....

Canal Recreation Area is right by Grand Rivers, Ky and Patti's Settlement. That right there is enough said as far as outdoor activities go. Then you have Canal Rec Area that just adds too the vacation.

Book early because the best sites stay full, but really they are all pretty good sites. The different areas cover just about anything you are looking for in a site from big rig pull through sites, tiered tent sites, water and beach access sites and boat ramp sites.

There is a trail within the campground to walk, a day use area, newer showerhouse/laundry facilities and dump stations. The area is large enough to jog, bike and golf cart. If your not interested in the nearby entertainment there is enough to do right on site to keep you occupied for your entire vacation be it a day or a week+

Month of VisitSeptember

(8) View All

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Canal - Lake Barkley have RV hookups?

According to TheDyrt.com, Canal - Lake Barkley has water hookups and sewer hookups.

What is the max vehicle length at Canal - Lake Barkley?

Canal - Lake Barkley allows vehicles up to 99 feet.

Are fires allowed at Canal - Lake Barkley?

Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Canal - Lake Barkley, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

Does Canal - Lake Barkley have wifi?

No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Canal - Lake Barkley does not have wifi.

Is there cell phone reception at Canal - Lake Barkley?

According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is good, AT&T is good, and T-Mobile is unknown.

How hard is it to get a campsite at Canal - Lake Barkley?

Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Canal - Lake Barkley. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Canal - Lake Barkley, try setting up a text message Alert at TheDyrt.com/alerts

Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Canal - Lake Barkley?

There are 115 campsites at Canal - Lake Barkley and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert at TheDyrt.com/alerts

Canal - Lake Barkley

About

Overview

Recreation

Facilities

Natural Features

Nearby Attractions

Location

Directions

Address

Coordinates

Is Canal - Lake Barkley sold out?

Access

Stay Connected

Site Types

Features

For Campers

For Vehicles

Select Dates

4.5

Beautiful Views

Large campground

Great campground

Beautiful sites. Get a lake view.

Hidden treasure

Good campsite for travel stops

Good campground on the water

Convenient stop

Nice place

This place was great!

golf cart campground

Beautiful COE park.

My favorite campground

Good layout

Extensive Glamping

Premier Glamping!!

And then some.....