Best Tent Camping near Buckhorn Lake, KY

This has ranked #1 for campgrounds for our family this season.

Nestled in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, this campground has all the things your family could want to do in nature.

Check in was super easy and the staff was great.

The site was very easy to get to.

We were on site 13 and it was nearly perfectly level from left to right. It had both 30 and 50 amp hookups and water (about 35psi on pressure). Each site has a charcoal grill, a fire pit with a grate for cooking and a large picnic table.

Our site backed up to the creek and a nice little levee for fishing. You could also go up back the park and fish right at the spillway from Buckhorn Lake Dam. Really fun experience.

Hands down the best playground for kids we have seen in a campground.

They had a large bathhouse with super clean bathrooms. Unsure about showers as I use the one in my TT.

There were horseshoe pits in two locations in the campsite. Several locations to dispose of trash. They also provided trash bags upon arrival.

Laundry facilities onsite and firewood you could purchase.

The dump station was clean and easily accessible with a hose for flushing.

Erica and her husband are the hosts and were so friendly and helpful. We were there over Mother’s Day weekend and they provided coffee juice and doughnuts for Mother’s Day.

A ton of kiddos for kids to play with and a great area for their bikes, etc.

We 100% will be back to this campground this season.

showers, tent camping, little to no trees for shade. friendly

One section is for campers and rv’s with electric hook ups. While one is tent camping . Showers available

This park is so beautiful in autumn! Even if a person comes for a picnic only a couple of hours they will enjoy the scenery. The hike-in tent sites are nice. I did expect a bit more privacy from a walk-in site but it was not busy when we were there, so it wasn’t a great issue. If it was busy, that may have impacted our experience greatly! There is a nice dock area if you have a boat otherwise there isn’t a whole lot to do (no hiking or anything like that). But an okay place to escape for a bit :) (the photo posted by another reviewer is a great view of the tent sites!)

Whittleton Sites are level, not huge, well kept. Good mix of shade and sun. Small creek runs behind camper and tent sites. we plan on returning in a month for the fall leaves.

We stayed here Mothers Day weekend. Had perfect weather and our tent site was by the creek so we could here running water all night. It was so peaceful! You can stay in the tent site only area which I recommend if you want to be away from the noise and lights of a campground. The campground was not noisy but with the travel trailers and RVs you always get a little more noise. Campground was clean and the shower house was clean but very small for the size of the campground. They did run out of toilet paper in the women’s bathroom but replace it quickly. It was quite a walk to bath house if you stay in the tent only area. We will definitely go back though! The Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge area is beautiful with great hiking!

Stayed at Middle Fork Campground in March 2021, love Daniel Boone National Forest and love the hikes/views at Natural Bridge but the campground is not what we had hoped for. Primitive tent sites are almost right on top of each other with little to no foliage to create privacy. Tent sites are a hike from the restrooms, if you have to go in the middle of the night just hope no one is driving over the ridge from the RV lot, you likely will get surprised! Though the area itself is beautiful, we will not stay at this primitive site again. We have reservations coming up for Whittleton, the other campground across the street, and are eager to see if it is right for us. This is only a short drive for us and a great distance to get away for the weekend. Happy camping!

Stayed 2 nights mid week and campground wasn’t busy. Many nice tent sites and also good level RV sites. Easy access to hiking. Helpful resident manager. Management by Thousand Trails, although the campground is not associated at all with Thousand Trails. No reservations accepted. Self register and pay at the entrance.

I have tent camped here a couple of times in the past few years. The campground is clean and neat, and some sites offer great views of the lake and surrounding cliffs. It's a beautiful place to hang out at during sunset or sunrise. The shower and restrooms are clean, and the general store is nice and convenient. The laundry facilities are a nice place to get things cleaned up while you're on the road. The biggest problem I see with this area is the noise. A lot of the Wahweap workers live in an area of mobile homes above the campground, and they definitely like to party at night. A group of motorcyclists also thought it was a good idea to rev their Harleys up at 6 am one day. I am sure camping in and RV would isolate you from the noise, or maybe camping during a weekday would be better. Either way, I would stay here again. As for tent camping, some of the sites have zero shade, so be prepared with your own shelters. Just make sure you anchor them down; afternoons can bring some strong winds to the area.

When we pulled up to check in we were a little confused about the honor system they run off of but after a quick phone call to the owner we had everything figured out and ended up with a great tent site and wonderful neighbors. Not all sites have electric hookup, when booking call and check. The small lake has excellent fishing for Bluegill

We usually camp here at least 3 times every year. They have dedicated tent sites with electric and also a primitive tent area. It's open year around but in the summer season you can take a trail off of loop I that leads to the community pool to cool off. The campground organizes fun activities for the summer holidays like tie dying, camper's only pool party, bingo, best decorated campsite, etc. It always seems to pack out everytime we are there.

Kingdom Come State Park is a little jewel in southeastern Kentucky! There are 6 tent sites (7 if they allow you to reserve the one next to the duck pond), each with a gravel drive, mulch tent pad big enough for two smallish tents, fire ring, and picnic table. The nearby shelter house provides restrooms and trash cans. The local ranger was most helpful in providing firewood (free!) and offering to bring us water to wash up with or for drinking (there is a water fountain across from the CG, but it wasn't turned on and there is running water in the restrooms). The area is known for bear activity, but we saw none. The surrounding mountains provide many short hikes that can be easily strung together to make for a longer trek if desired. We look forward to camping there again!

Tent sites are pretty close together and small, as well as far from the bathroom. Bathroom is clean though. Not really any connection with at&t but the hemlock lodge is open all night w free wifi, but you do have to drive to it (nice to have the option if you need to use the internet for something). Safe place, friendly people, pretty much what you expect at a state park- nothing crazy!

The Natural Bridge is advertised in every rest stop within a 5 hour radius, but it is a very nice park with interesting geology and lots to do. It's pretty touristy, good for kids, not super great for secluded camping. Know what to expect and you'll enjoy yourself. Make reservations! Slightly more resort-y camping accommodations but still rustic. Tent sites are pretty spread out. Nice little stream near campsites and lots of shade. Also a lodge and cabins on site.

General: A mix of electric sites, tent sites, and cottages spread out along Route 11. 

Site Quality: All sites were level; some were paved, and some were gravel (riverfront sites tended to be gravel). Most are back-in, but the middle row has pull-thru sites, however, if you had a large RV with a toad, you would likely not have room for both in your site. 

Bath/Shower house: More than adequate toilet stalls, two sinks, and two showers. Only one sink had hot water. The shower was wimpy at best. Took a long time to coax hot water, and then the flow was very weak. 

Activities/Amenities: Upon check-in, we were given a pamphlet of the many area hikes. There is a sky lift (chair lift) that takes you to Natural Bridge (or you can hike to it). In season, there is a small mini-golf course. Trout fishing is permitted. Closer to the cottages is a lodge, playground, and pool. Ice and firewood are available.

Because of its proximity to Route 11, you will hear road noise at many of the sites, including the tent sites. The cabins are situated further back in the woods, so you won't hear the road noise there. This campground suited our needs for area fun for four days.

Is all tent and pop-up camping, so don’t plan on bringing in an RV. Campground is run by the National Park ServIce, so Golden Passes do apply for dIscounts. All sites are well wooded, and some tent sItes do have steps to pack your gear up, which does add privacy. Main bathhouse is fairly well maintained, and outer ones are just okay with some hot water service issues in the past. You can hike out of the campground to see part of Red River Gorge, but it is also nicely located to drive to other trailheads.

One of the best forest service campgrounds I’ve stayed in. Beautiful and well maintained, lots of great hiking trails leaving directly from campground.

A lot of sites are too slanted for a van or RV, but amazing for tent camping. If you’re staying in a vehicle I recommend doing first come first serve or extensive research. The more slanted sites also are much more secluded - we couldn’t even see our neighbors most of the time. Unfortunately sound echoes so you can hear everything.

No hookups and super shady so solar is difficult. Was on Verizon extended network and had hotspot service from at and t and t mobile.