Best Cabin Camping near Blue River, KY

We have been camping at Pappys for 2 yrs now!  We always have a great time, the folks out there are so nice and friendly it literally feels like a family reunion everytime!! We ride with the WV Outlaws and they take you on awesome trail and creek rides!! Kids love the creeks on hot days they have so much fun!! 

I definitely would recommend Pappy’s to everyone looking for an awesome camping / cabin experience and WV Outlaws for Awesome trail riding.

"Zilpo, a large, fun-filled campground on Cave Run Lake, is a prime destination for families. The scenic campground offers a cabin rental, tent camping, RV sites with electric hookups and a selection of lakefront sites.  

Views of the lake are enjoyed by those who relax on the sandy beach. Tater Knob, a fire tower open to the public, is nearby, offering outstanding views of the area."

We were planning on staying multiple night because of the reviews online but it ended up being a whole lot of families with kids running around like wild beasts for hours on end. it truly annoyed us the entire time we were there and left early in the morning. I'm sure we could have spoke to some one and moved sites. It is advertised as above as fun for the whole family so we felt like dicks haha. whatever. moving along now.

Stayed at cabin D11. Nicely maintained.  A bit on the small side but good for a place to lay your head. This cabin is directly opposite the restrooms for this loop. Cabin is about 10 x 20. The front room has two chairs a bench and table and the air conditioner. The second room has four single bunk beds.

The grounds around the cabin are nice with gravel area for setting up an outdoor kitchen or tent or lounge chairs.

This campground has it all:)  I picked this campsite as it is further south in the Daniel Boone National Forest so it isn't near the chaos of the climbing that is found further North.  

"Peak Season Rates as listed on website - https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232370?tab=fees

Cabin Electric$75.00 Standard Electric$30.00 Standard Electric Other$41.00 Standard Nonelectric$22.00 Standard Nonelectric Other$27.00 Standard Nonelectric Double Site$33.00

Limit 6 people and 2 vehicles per single campsite; additional vehicles will be charged$8/night; additional campers will be charged$1/night A$5 nightly fee is charged for electric hookups Each cabin has 2 double bunk beds with out mattresses, Please bring your own sleeping bags or other bedding."

We wanted to check out the cabins as they looked so darling.  We couldn't quite tell if the cabins had AC or heat. 

As for the beach, it was a blast and we spent pretty much the whole day there and every day with the heat. At night the beach is sadly closed but if you go up a little more on the road you will find another "beach" spot that isn't closed so you can look at the stars over the lake. 

It is a pain to get back to town in my opinion so make sure you have what you need.

We stayed in a cabin, didn't have any mattress in lol but the view was amazing

beauty in ever direction. get a back country pass and head for one of the many trails or stay at one of the campgrounds in the area...cabins in area also.

We fell in love with The Gorge in April and will be back in September and at Christmas! Several kid friendly (ages 8, 4, & 2) spots and while we went the cabin route, we'll be tent camping next round!

It’s peaceful and the area we were in was not too close to each other. They have spots for tents, campers and they also have cabins. It’s surrounded by a huge lake with fishing and a boat ramp. You do have to make sure you have all your supplies, the closest store is 30 to 40 minutes away.

We’re very familiar with twin knobs. Zilpo is the backwoods cousin. A bit more remote, but we found the campground to be fantastic. It is more densely wooded than twin knobs. The sites are generally just as good, but there is more variety between primitive/hookup/cabins. The beach is not quite as big, but plenty big, and wasn’t crowded over July 4 weekend. The beach store has bare essentials. There doesn’t seem to be ranger programming. Not all the loops have showers in the bathroom buildings.

I would give it a zero if possible. The cabin we stayed in was absolutely filthy-dirt and dead bugs on the floor, coffee pot was nasty, extremely small counter was dirty, no access to running water(no even a sink in the bathhouse) and I could go on but I think you get the point. The bathhouse looked like a shed and was also dirty. Were told there were groups going out every weekend, all day long and also night riding. Trails are not marked so you really can't go out on your own. We paid for 3 nights, but only stayed for 2. And of course, we were never offered a refund or partial refund. Like Share

Good place to get away for the weekend.

Very clean and fun lake, close to campgrounds, boat rentals, marina, and hiking close.

Tight sites with some rowdy neighbors. Nice place to go with friends for a local weekend getaway. Not too far from Red River Gorge for more hiking and beautiful KY scenery.

Fantastic campground, quiet, safe, surrounded by woods, clean and nice laundry facilities and bathhouse. Affordable, with electric, water and sewage hookups. Very nice retail shop in the check in office. Offers kayak and stand up paddle board rentals and tours. 5 minute from lake access.

We love this place! Close to home, easy to get away for the weekend. Very friendly campground, everyone you meet is nice, and very helpful if you need it. Very kid friendly, beautiful views, and Halloween there is GREAT!

As of 9/10/2021 the Wi-Fi has been fixed. It's not the best but way better than before As of our past stay, 6/10-6/12, the Wi-Fi is great. They installed new antennas throughout the campground

We stayed one night in Spruce Creek Campground at Cabwaylingo SF in April of 2023.  The campground is small, tucked into a side hollow just off the main road through the State Forest with tiny Spruce Creek flowing right through it.  Be advised: heavy rains can cause the creek to partially flood the campground and the moderate rains we experienced turned some of the sites into a soggy mess.  Site #1 is a paved, level pull-through that easily accommodated our 21' campervan, and that site has electric and water hookups.  It's a short walk from any of the sites to the nice playground and the older but completely serviceable showerhouse.  Firewood was available from the camp store/office, which has limited hours as of this writing.  The wood was okay, cut & split but a touch damp to truly burn well.

There are multi-use trails and hiking-only trails that run right through the Spruce Creek campground, and we saw light ORV/ATV traffic driving through in the late afternoon of our stay.  This is a real bonus if you're wishing to drive those trails during your stay, I'm sure!  Our goal was fishing, which was a bust.  We only discovered after our arrival that Twelvepole Creek - while described as a stocked trout stream - has nearly all of the trout caught & removed by overzealous anglers within a few days of each stocking, according to the rangers.  Additionally, the streams and creeks in the State Forest were all pretty heavily littered with refuse, a real shame considering the potential natural beauty to be had.

All of the staff with whom we interacted were courteous, polite and extremely helpful - really wonderful people work at Cabwaylingo!  The cabins looked nice from the outside and the other facilities seemed pleasant but rather dated.  There are no good gas stations or markets in the immediate vicinity so definitely plan accordingly!