Energy Lake Campground

We had so much fun at Energy Lake Campground. We were only able to stay one night but it was the reset we needed. Our pups loved it too! Bathrooms were clean, electricity worked great and the view was STELLAR! Super easy check in and check out.

I've stayed at Energy several times, and thought this would be a good time to update the review. Energy Lake is in Land Between the Lakes (LBL) and is ideal for nature viewing, hiking, swimming and hanging out by the camp fire. There are four loops, with A being the newest camping loop, B has been converted to all single room cabins, C & D remain unchanged, but are well kept and maintained. The staff at this campground is AMAZING, and very knowledgeable about LBL and the two small towns on either side of LBL (Aurora and Cadiz). The lake itself is man made, and motorized water craft are not permitted being there is a nature sanctuary in the back creek end of the lake, which makes for great swimming, and my favorite lake to kayak through with all three dogs on board. There are multiple access points to the lake with roads leading to the lake from both sides for launching, or you can paddle across.  There are NO WATER or SEWER hookups at any of the sites, and the sites in A & B are compacted gravel, designed for either RV or tent, loop D's sites are all paved and preferred by RV's.

It was fun! Nice ad quiet ! We went horse back riding and canoeing!

We stayed for 2 nights and had a very quiet, comfortable stay. You can see the lake through the trees, and there's a trail down to the shore off the back of the site - looked like a great spot to launch a small canoe of you don't mind hauling it back up the hill afterward. We tent camp and the site is level and fairly easy to back a car into. I imagine more challenging for a camper though. We had enough space and trees to hang a couple hammocks for lounging too. The bathrooms and showers were directly across the way and relatively clean, though there was a dirty bandaid on the sink in the ladies (shame on whichever last left it instead of throwing it in the trash 2 feet away), and bar soap for hand washing (I ended up taking my own bottle of Dr Bronners with me when I used the loo). The showers are campground showers and as such are nothing to write home about, but they were clean enough and I like that they are set up as individual, lockable shower rooms, rather than one big shower room.

This campground has good spacing and nice bathhouse. The area is very peaand clean with plenty to offer. I just stayed one night as I passed through but I would go back and stay longer.

Has everything. Water, electric, nice bath facilities, waterfront, boat ramp, trash, firewood availability, well kept. You name it. I live that it's inside LBL with all of these.

Access to Barkley or Energy Lake. Boat or bank fishing with a fishing pier and parking lots big enough for boat trailers.

Quiet and tucked back from everything else.

Started a 4 day kayak trip around LBL (41 miles from Energy Lake to Fenton Self Service Campground) from Energy Lake. Nice spot, lots of skeeters in the summer.

Took our first ever camping trip to this campground and couldn’t have had a better experience. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

A friend and I and our 4 kids stayed in a camper cabin here in September. We normally tent camp but it was a weekend with record heat. I love this campground as an alternative to Hillman Ferry, where we have often stayed. The cabins were clean and comfortable with cold AC, the hosts were friendly and the no-wake lake and canoe rentals were fun. I would advise checking with the hosts about canoe and kayak rentals upon check in, there is limited availability when camp is full and hot weather can also affect. This campground is also in a good location to explore all LBL has to offer when compared to Hillman, it's closer to the Elk and Bison Prairie and Wranglers Campground, as well as the Nature Station, which is great for us since we like to trail ride and hike. Downfall is the beach is muddy and rocky and the playground is old with just a metal slide and swings. We didn't want to swim here so maybe plan on doing that elsewhere at the lakes. Next time we will camp, likely on loop D, which had some nice lakeview sites. You can't see the water from the cabin loop. There is spotty cell service throughout the campground.

We ended up at this campsite by accident. We were looking for dispersed camping sites, but right as we were pulling into one of the only good tent sites at the campground, someone snagged it from us. We ended up in area D right by the restrooms. Hubby and I would’ve never camped there on our own because we prefer to be more secluded but it was perfect for our daughter! Our site was tucked in the trees across from the restroom. Bathroom was clean and convenient. We woke up the next morning and rented kayaks and got out on the lake! Good experience! Probably better for RVs and Campers than tents, though.

We stayed at site D3 over Memorial Day weekend. I was pretty nervous when we first saw the site, it was literally on a hillside. We have two small kids and were with family (in adjacent D4) so we really hoped for a site with flat space for the kids to play in, but there was absolutely no grassy area. That didn't stop us from having a good time!

The D loop was nice and quiet with very little traffic. We were very close to the lake to drop our kayaks in the water or fish without going far, always a plus!

Bathrooms were very clean for camp restrooms. The showers were in their own rooms, so that was really nice. Great water pressure and it wasn't a push button shower like some campgrounds have!

Since we have kids, we had to check out the play ground. It was pretty disappointing with only a couple swings, a hot metal slide and a climbing bar. The beach was far from impressive with basically gravel as half of the beach. I wasn't expecting Florida beaches in Kentucky, but in Indiana we have nice sandy beaches at lakes so I was disappointed.

The lake was gorgeous and perfect for kayaking though, with lots of nice coves to explore and wildlife to see. I saw a doe with a spotted fawn nursing on my first trip onto the water

All in all, if you want flat spaces, don't go to loop D, loop C was much flatter. We probably won't return, but it was a nice stay, but probably better for those without small kids to entertain.

Well maintained campground in heart of the Lake Between The Lakes area. I'd never been to the area and really liked it a lot.  Tons of stuff to do and all a short drive away. 

Campsite was a short walk from the water and short walk to swimming area and park.  Showers were right across the road from us and were kept up pretty well.  There was even coin operated washer and dryer just at the end of the loop, which came in handy when we got some rain into our tent that soaked a bunch of clothes.  Not a ton of privacy but not the worst I've seen.  Checked out the Elk and Bison Prairie, which was really cool. Nature station was really cool and we rented some canoes to explore around that area.  Went to the Homeplace, which is a working farm and 'living history museum,' which the kids really loved.  Rented a pontoon boat for the day at Kenlake Marina which was fun.

Clean bathrooms easy spots for my rig to park. Well maintained camping quiet and away from it all.

We reserved campground 6 which was one of the only available. We scored! We arrived and our neighbors were away, campers set up and left, kayaks sitting near the edge of the private beach. We were in tents which was great except for the weather that blew in, 50 mph wind with rain and thunder. We had to run out before it hit the second night, the folk that watch over the camping area were awesome! We got super lost on a really bad dirt road and the gentleman came out to look for us! The kids staked their intertubes to the bank and floated all day once we got there. We will be back, with a camper! We stayed on the B loop which allowed us to be right on the water. These sites are built for campers really, but site 6 and 7 had the most usable space for tents and privacy. Great location, great folk.

Great family campground where you can do anything from camp in a tent to rent a bunkhouse.

Energy lake is at land between the lakes but you pay for your site at the gate. You can choose a primitive site, a camper site with utilities, or a bunk house with heat and a/c. You can also rent a canoe or a kayak for the day. There is a private beach and great fishing.

I would recommend energy lake to any type of camper.

we love this campground. It has lots of shade, it's fairly small, lots space, nice bathrooms & showerhouses. It does not have sewage or water at most sites, but there are several places to get water throughout the campground. The lake on the campground side is "no wake" so it's perfect for kayaks.

Campsite Review

I wound up staying at five different campsites within the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, and this was my favorite. That largely is due to them having showers and canoe and kayak rentals, but hey – when you’re here in the summer, that’s what you want! Actually, Energy Lakes has the most amenities of all the campgrounds – including ice and firewood to buy and some additional common areas like a designated swim area (no lifeguard, but I imagine this makes it easier to keep an eye on kids) and basketball and volleyball courts. The only downside to this place is the lack of boat ramps, which is also surprising considering more primitive sites in the area offer those. I guess that’s the trade off – showers for no boat ramp. Luckily there are ample spots around the rec area in the park if you need to launch your boat. I would highly recommend a reservation here given it’s the most popular campsite in the park and only a few spots will get you truly “lakeside”. It is $10/hr for the boat rentals.

Product Review

As a Ranger for TheDyrt, I am given products to test from time to time. Today I was testing out the Showers Pass Waterproof Socks. You can watch the video review here. I didn't think there was any way someone could make a sock waterproof. I thought it would be more like a dry sack shrunk to mini proportions with some fitting elastic and it would be called a 'sock'. But here's Showers Pass, this Pacific Northwest-based company (I heard it rains there a lot) making this coolmax inner lined comfortable foot shield. Like, how?

I did a few bike rides in these, and the coolmax liner is definitely necessary since the socks are thicker to give you that water protection and in summer heat (it was about 90 degrees most of the days I was in this campground park) I was sweating everywhere. Energy Lakes has canoe rentals so I left my shoes in my car and dragged out a boat into the water and went for a paddle around the lake. It's a super cool feeling to walk into water just wearing socks and not get wet. It's like a wet-suit for your feet.

I did try to soak my feet, see if there was a "breaking point" for these guys. No surprise really, but if you walk into water that goes above the sock line on your leg, water is going to seep in since you've now completely submerged your sock and the elastic holding them against your leg really shouldn't be designed to be airtight, since then you'd have all kinds of other issues going on with the comfort and breathability of this sock. I imagine the majority of people using these aren't canoeing, they're bike riding and so unless you're trying to pedal through a waist deep puddle, I think you're going to be ok.

I do canoe a lot and these are my new favorite accessory. What I think is really promising about their performance too is since these socks were designed for activity, portages would still be enough for these socks to handle. Seriously Showers Pass how did you make these so freaking comfy and waterproof!?

Veteran's day girls weekend camp over! Spaces are close together but laid out to allow for privacy. Stayed close to Energy Lake Loop 2 trail head and refund poorly marked trail. Camp site administration is very knowledgeable & helpful with Land Between the Lakes

Large camping area w/several loops. One which will soon be all rental cabins. Each loop has its own restroom/shower house and all are near the lake( some closer then others) canoe rental or bring your own, basketball court and playground as well as swimming area. There is direct access to one of the many trails in LBL and several within easy biking or driving distance. The staff was very helpful.