Mark S.
Scout
ScoutKoomer Ridge Campground — Daniel Boone National Forest
Very close to hiking and most sites are not level but a beautiful area
Tent Camping near Buckhorn Lake, KY
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Tent camping near Buckhorn Lake in southeastern Kentucky ranges from developed tent-specific campgrounds to primitive backcountry sites across several nearby recreation areas. Kingdom Come State Park Campground offers tent-specific sites with mulch tent pads large enough for two small tents, while Red River Gorge, located farther north, provides extensive backcountry tent camping options in the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Most tent sites in the region include basic amenities such as fire rings and picnic tables, though facilities vary significantly between locations. Kingdom Come State Park provides restrooms with running water in the sinks but no drinking water spigots or showers. A ranger delivers complimentary firewood to campsites daily. The Red River Gorge area offers dispersed primitive camping requiring backcountry permits, which must be purchased in advance. A review mentioned, "This is a dispersed camping area, so bring EVERYTHING you need," highlighting the self-sufficient nature of many camping options in the region. Bear activity is present, particularly at Kingdom Come, where dedicated food-hanging poles are provided at each campsite.
Tent campers at Kingdom Come State Park enjoy a small, quiet environment with just seven designated tent sites, creating a peaceful experience even during peak seasons. The camping area sits near a small fishing lake regularly stocked with trout, bass and sunfish. A recent review noted, "We only saw one other camper the whole time we were there." Many sites throughout the region provide excellent access to hiking trails, with Kingdom Come offering paths to features like Raven Rock and Log Rock. In the Red River Gorge area, backcountry tent sites can be found along trails leading to natural arches and scenic overlooks. The terrain varies from relatively flat campsites to more challenging hike-in locations requiring preparation and appropriate gear.
Best Tent Campgrounds near Buckhorn Lake (12)
1. Gays Creek
2. Red River Gorge Campground
"No fee, but you do need a permit which you can buy at nearby town. Camping is in the forest, so lots of shade. There is no water. Trash disposal and vault toilets at the parking lots at trailheads."
"primitive and paid campsites both available, depending on your comfort level and preference."
from $10 / night
3. Kingdom Come State Park Campground
"This campground in the Kingdom Come State Park has about 6 or 7 sites, and they are primitive with no running water, but good pads, picnic tables, food hangers, shade from trees, and fire rings."
"Kingdom Come State Park is a little jewel in southeastern Kentucky!"
Check Availabilityfrom $14 / night
4. Red River Gorge Adventures
"The campsites are fairly primitive, only including a fire ring and a nice picnic table. They do not have any water or electric hookups and no cell service, which is all a plus in my opinion."
"The spots were all primitive with rock fire rings. One site had a pic nic table. During our two night stay the other sites were all filled with families, so very kid friendly. Not a lot of amenities."
Check Availabilityfrom $8 - $20 / night
5. Carr Creek Lake Shelters
Check Availabilityfrom $60 - $80 / night
6. HomeGrown HideAways
"Nestled in a narrow valley between high ridges of The Knobs, this campground gives the feel of secluded country living with your own trails and creeks to explore."
"Instead of sleeping in it, which would have been perfectly comfortable, we actually used it as more of an extra shelter and we pitched out tents in the field in front of the Yome."
Check Availabilityfrom $15 - $75 / night
7. Grove Boat-In Campground
"It was dark once I set up but an awesome could helped me with fire wood and had a nice talk around their campfire. Beautiful area. Very busy on labor day weekend!!"
8. White Oak Boat-In Campground
"It’s within the Daniel Boone National Forest on Laurel River lake and is not actually an island. It can’t be accessed by car but you can bike in on a dirt service road."
9. Craigs Creek Group Area
"The bathroom facilities were pretty nice and the campsites had awesome fire rings. Direct access to the lake via a short trail"
Check AvailabilityCampground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $150 - $204 / night
10. Wood Creek Lake Ramp
Drive Time
- 1 hr 48 min from Lexington, KY
- 2 hrs 31 min from Kingsport, TN
- 2 hrs 42 min from Johnson City, TN
- 2 hrs 55 min from Morristown, TN
Recent Tent Camping Photos near Buckhorn Lake
29 Photos of 12 Buckhorn Lake Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Tent Camping Reviews near Buckhorn Lake
419 Reviews of 12 Buckhorn Lake Campgrounds
- AAndy B.
RangerKoomer Ridge Campground — Daniel Boone National Forest
Sites 36/37
Koomer ridge is very pretty and quiet. Views are great, we didn’t do anything with the camp store so I can’t speak to it, but it’s also close to great hiking.
Pit toilets are…well pit toilets. The set near our sites were cleaner and newer than others.
Juliana J.RangerTurkey Foot Campground
Pretty and Quaint
No service and I wholeheartedly suggest getting here before dark because driving in was like the intro forest version of The Hills Have Eyes. Abandoned houses and even a cemetery at one point. If you’re into it like I am, this was a welcomed, eerie experience. Only complaint is that the site felt a little “lived” in with random items and trash left behind. For the love of Pete, please pack out your stuff. Found a spot with direct water access. There was a picnic table and fire pit. I arrived after dark so did not explore until morning. The river had cool rocks and there was obvious beaver activity. The massive boulders and Tarzan worthy tree vines made for a scenic adventure that was worth the drive for.
- KKathleen M.Scout
Koomer Ridge Campground — Daniel Boone National Forest
Koomer campground
Beautiful and spread out sites. I experienced bad traffic noise … loud trucks all night. Never ending road noise all day. Maybe some other sites further in are different.
Maddie L.
TravelerLago Linda Hideaway
Quiet, Relaxing Hideaway with Great Ownership
This place could not have been more accommodating. There’s a restaurant that serves all 3 meals! Good for all types of campers - excellent tent spots, RV spots, and cabins. Some of the RV spots are difficult to get into but they more than made up for it with everything else. Would stay again for sure!
- DDrew B.
GuideKoomer Ridge Campground — Daniel Boone National Forest
Nice campsite.
Good place to stay. On the noisy side due to distant highway traffic. Facilities clean but the site was a bit on the pricey end for a walk-to basic campsite. Did have some Verizon cell coverage.
Luke M.ScoutMiddle Fork Campground — Natural Bridge State Resort Park
Great hiking but the campground is kinda meh
I’m glad we visited this park but I feel like calling it a “resort park” is pushing it. We visited Silver Springs State Park in Florida, and Cloudland Canyon State Park in Georgia and their amenities were much better.
Pros:
- The trails are beautiful. Natural Bridge, Chimney Rock, Princess Arch, and Grey’s Arch were all wonderful.
- The staff seems nice and willing to help
- There is a restaurant in the park and it has decent prices
Cons:
- The dryer near the bathroom was non-functional. It had a sign-up noting that it didn’t work so I know that staff knew about it. Despite that, it was not repaired during our several day trip.
- The dump station is on the main entrance to the Middle Fork Campground and it is on the right side of the road. This means you have to stop in the middle of the oncoming lane to dump your tanks. It is a really weird layout.
- The bathrooms could used better cleaning. My wife noticed pee stains on one of the toilets and it present for several days on our trip which indicates they weren’t being cleaned very well.
- The
Other thoughts:
- Site B35 is weird because you have back in past several sites to get into it. We have a camper van with a 360 cameras so this isn’t too bad for us, but it would be a pain if you had a larger rig.
Kate E.ScoutKoomer Ridge Campground — Daniel Boone National Forest
Really nice walk to site!
Our site was down a path about 60 steps from our parking space. The tent site area was rocky. We always use small rug runner next to our air mattress in our tent, which was a must for this site. It rained before we arrived, so we saw where water would pool near the front of the tent pad (this was two steps up from the rest of the campsite) so we set up our ten near the back. Nice big picnic table and fire pit.
Very private site with huge trees. Being August and down in a valley meant very little wind at the site so it was quite muggy as expected. Pit toilets nearby were fine. Wish there would have been a hook for our light at night. Full bathrooms were in the main loop of the campground. They were fine, not the worst we've experienced, but not the best either.
Tons of great hiking nearby (within 20 minutes or so). There was also a nice trail just off the campground near our site.
- Nan N.Guide
Levi Jackson Wilderness State Park Campground
Very clean, beautiful park with lots of amenities
The sites are pretty spacious, varying degrees of level, but the park is well maintained with beautiful flowers, clean bath houses, friendly staff. I'm disappointed we were just doing an overnight here as I would have liked to have gone to the pool and done some hiking. Overall a great experience. I was a little concerned when the youngsters in the park were still running amok at 10:15pm, but then realized quiet hour isn't until 11... and little later than I would have preferred, but they were having fun and things did get quiet around 10:30pm. If you don't want that, I might suggest not picking a site right across from the main playground. I would definitely stay here again. They also have a couple of adorable cottages available too.
Guide to Buckhorn Lake
Tent camping near Buckhorn Lake provides access to southeastern Kentucky's low mountains and dense forest ecosystems ranging from 700-1,200 feet elevation. The region experiences four distinct seasons with summer temperatures averaging 75-85°F and winter lows reaching 25-30°F. Several camping areas maintain primitive conditions requiring self-sufficiency, while others offer basic facilities during peak seasons from April through October.
What to do
Hiking to natural arches: Multiple tent campsites provide access to unique geological formations throughout Daniel Boone National Forest. At Red River Gorge Campground, campers can explore more than 100 natural sandstone arches. "Princess Arch offers 105ft of elevation and is a quick 0.6 mi hike from the parking loop," notes one visitor.
Fishing at stocked lakes: Several camping areas maintain small lakes with regular fish populations. Kingdom Come State Park Campground offers a fishing lake within walking distance from tent sites. A camper reported, "If you like fishing there is a small lake which is regularly stocked with Trout, Bass, Blue Gill, Sunfish, and a few others. It's just a short walk from the campsites."
Rock climbing: The region attracts climbers seeking quality rock formations. The Red River Gorge area contains numerous climbing routes on durable rock. As one visitor mentioned, "A fantastic place for primitive backpack camping! There are 100's of rock climbs on bullet proof rock!"
What campers like
Privacy and seclusion: Many tent sites offer separation from neighboring campers. At Red River Gorge Adventures, "It's very spacious, I've camped on holiday weekends and never had other campers within 100 ft of my site. I've also been on weekends where I was the only camper there."
Complimentary amenities: Some campgrounds provide unexpected perks beyond standard facilities. At Kingdom Come State Park, "Everyday a ranger will come by and keep you stocked with wood. It's included with the price of camping."
Water access: Tent camping locations with river or lake frontage are particularly popular. Grove Boat-In Campground allows kayakers to paddle directly to their camping spots: "I parked at the Grove marina and packed all I could on my kayak and headed to the sites. This was a pretty decent paddle away."
What you should know
Bear precautions: Black bears are active throughout the region, requiring proper food storage. Kingdom Come State Park provides "its own picnic table, fire ring, and pole for stashing your food away from bears."
Limited services: Many tent sites lack standard amenities found at developed campgrounds. At Red River Gorge, permits must be purchased before arrival: "Pick up your parking pass at the Shell gas station at 12187 Campton rd, Stanton, KY. A three days pass is $5."
Variable water access: Drinking water availability changes seasonally and between locations. HomeGrown HideAways offers drinking water, but other areas like Princess Arch require self-sufficiency: "This is a primitive camping area, so bring EVERYTHING you need."
Limited cell service: Most camping areas have poor or nonexistent mobile coverage. A camper at Kingdom Come noted "Great area, no service or wifi."
Tips for camping with families
Check site spacing: Some campgrounds cluster sites together, while others provide separation. At Kingdom Come, "The campground has 7 sites each with it's own picnic table, fire ring, and pole for stashing your food away from bears. Of the 7 sites 6 are close together. The 7th is of by itself and about 100 feet from the lake in a more secluded area."
Consider alternative structures: Beyond traditional tent sites, options exist for families seeking more protection. White Oak Boat-In Campground offers "great spacious sites, beautiful and wooded. It's a medium sized campground" with "potable water provided, pit toilets."
Plan for bathroom facilities: Restroom types vary significantly across camping areas. At HomeGrown HideAways, "The outhouse was perfectly clean, but there were flush toilets available if you took a little walk."
Tips from RVers
Access limitations: Many tent camping areas restrict vehicle types or require special access methods. White Oak Boat-In Campground "can't be accessed by car but you can bike in on a dirt service road. Most of the docks are quite small, so plan to visit by small boat or by canoe/kayak."
Challenging terrain: Road conditions limit larger vehicle access at several sites. Kingdom Come presents specific challenges: "The road in from Cumberland is STEEP! We made it in a mini van pulling a scamp, so you'll probably be fine."
Gate hours: Some campgrounds restrict entry and exit during certain times. Red River Adventures has specific policies: "They close the gates at night and don't open the gates till 8 am was the only drawback. The gate adds to the security of the campground I liked that they control coming and going at night times."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent
campsite near Buckhorn Lake?
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Buckhorn Lake?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Buckhorn Lake is Gays Creek with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.
What is the best site to find
tent camping near
Buckhorn Lake?
What is the best site to find tent camping near Buckhorn Lake?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 tent camping locations near Buckhorn Lake, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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