Canal - Lake Barkley, near Grand Rivers, Kentucky, is a fantastic campground that offers a mix of relaxation and outdoor fun. With spacious sites that come with water and electric hookups, it’s perfect for families or anyone looking to unwind by the water.

The campground boasts beautiful views, especially at sunset, and many visitors rave about the clean facilities, including well-maintained bathrooms. One camper noted, “The views were spectacular—especially the sunset,” highlighting the picturesque setting that makes this place special.

For those who enjoy activities, there’s a beach area for swimming, a playground for the kids, and plenty of opportunities for fishing and boating. The campground is surrounded by nature, with wildlife like deer and skunks roaming around, adding to the serene atmosphere. As one reviewer put it, “Very quiet and peaceful place,” making it an ideal escape from the hustle and bustle.

If you’re up for a little adventure, don’t miss the nearby elk and bison prairie. Whether you’re camping in an RV, tent, or trying out glamping, Canal - Lake Barkley has a little something for everyone to enjoy.

## 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

 A designated swimming beach and a boat ramp help campers enjoy the lake. Picnic pavilions and a playground create a perfect setting for a party or family get-together. For group camping, several sites surrounding the pavilion can be reserved, and a fishing float nearby allows groups to go out on the lake together. Electric hook-ups, showers and flush restrooms create a comfortable camping experience. 
## 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.

Canal Campground- Lake Barkley COE

Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Grand Rivers, KY has a lot to offer. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Grand Rivers, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. You're sure to find the perfect campground for your Grand Rivers camping trip.

Grand Rivers

The Best Camping Near Grand Rivers, Kentucky

**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+

And then some.....

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.

Premier 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

Extensive Glamping

**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.

Good layout

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.

My favorite campground 

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.

Beautiful COE park. 

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. 

golf cart campground

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

This place was great!

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

Nice place

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. 

Convenient stop

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!

Good campground on the water

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. 

Good campsite for travel stops

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. 

Hidden treasure 

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.

Beautiful sites. Get a lake view. 

The area is feels like you stepped back in time. You’ll never want to leave because everyone is so nice. The campground is in the shape of a peninsula so there are many campsites with water views and access. The bathrooms and showers are very clean and the road in is very nice. If you forget something, it’s just a small trip back to town to stop at the local IGA (try the chicken salad) or eat at Paddy’s. They just rebuilt it. The campground is big enough for golf carts and small enough to walk to the beach from any side. One of my favorites.

Great place to camp. 

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.

Great campground

We stayed in camping spot #11. Although it wasnt very private, and very busy on a Tuesday, it did have a view of the water and was very close to the bathrooms and showers. The facilities were extremely clean and people were friendly. 
There are flushing toilets, hot showers, and new picnic tables at sites. 

Beautiful and Clean

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

Large campground 

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!

Beautiful Views

Primitive campground with electric and water, who knew. Nice sites well kept. Showers were disgusting, drain had accumulated crud. Sinks also gross. 

Nice campground, disgusting bathroom. 

Grand Rivers KY Canal Campground at Barkley Lake COE Site 111 This is a great COE campground located between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, with views of the Barkley Dam. The canal connects them and you can see boats and occasionally barges passing through. There are over 100 campsites are available, many with water views. We had a spacious site with a river view. Other loops are closer together and no view. Sites offer electric and/or water hookups, tables and fire ring. Other amenities include clean old style bathhouses, a dump station, laundry facilities, a playground, and picnic pavilions. We saw several deer roaming the grounds. There's a great pizza place in town Papa Z.

Photos of Canal Campground- Lake Barkley COE

Real photos from real campers