Best Glamping near Burnside, KY

The campground has all of the glamping necessities. Water hook-up, electrical, dumping station, clean hot water showers, etc. It's pet friendly and the campground is very clean. The location is excellent for those who love rock climbing (sport and trad), easy and moderate level hiking, white water kayaking, or maybe want to spend a day or two also doing some backcountry camping. There are bears and other curious wildlife so make sure to keep your stuff in the provided bear boxes!

A nice quiet campground on Lake Cumberland in the Burnside area.  Nice RV sites and tent sites

The spots are very large and paved. They have full hookup available with a gravel side lot that comes with a fire ring. Perfect area in Burnside close to Daniel Boone National Forest and Lake Cumberland. It also has a nice golf course on the grounds if you’re into that!

General Burnside SP campground is large and can accommodate most rigs. My site, 14 was smaller than most, but right across from the bathhouse. State Employees kept it meticulously clean and did so each morning around 8am. Some camp sites provided more shade then others. I stayed here because I wanted to the play the on site golf course, which was also well taken care of. Many people camp here also because of the public boat ramp for Lake Cumberland. Seemed also to attract a lot of family reunions. If you are a sightseer, I would definitely recommend visiting Cumberland Falls State Park about 30 minutes away.

Great option for young families. Many activities at the park and it is also close to the birth place of Kentucky Fried Chicken. They have nice sites for larger campers and some for small units that are more shaded.

We camped here over the weekend with our dogs. The campground is actually not in Tennessee. It's located on the Kentucky side of Big South Fork. The campsites have a picnic table and a firepit. Our campsite was very nice and private with a big grassy area. The bathhouse was nice and clean. There are hiking trails nearby and access to a small mining village. We would definitely camp here again.

This is great for a night or two, we have used it as a base camp for property search. For this ise it has been great. The sites are a good size with picnic tables at each site. The only problem right now is construction going on behind it, they are clearing out land to build something and they started work today at 5 in the morning. Also you do get road noise as it is at the intersection of two main Kentucky roads.

Alum Ford Big South Fork Recreation Area is in my top 10 favorite areas.

I try to participate in the Yamacraw Trail Run every year because it is just AWESOME, and this area is part of their route due to the excellent scenery of the area.

If you like trees, hills, streams, falls, historical markers, old cabins and history , plus not much use of modern technology when you camp then you will thoroughly enjoy Big South Bend! If you are a bring the kitchen sink kinda camper you might wanna find a nearby KOA or other type campground.

The campground has no signal, no electricity, no showers, no host. Just you, a tent pad, picnic table and fire ring. Oh, and there is one pit toilet. Bring 5$ cash for the honor pay station and your hiking shoes and watercraft. There is a Trailhead at the back of the 6 site campground and a boat ramp down the hill.

The sites are well maintained and old , probably CCC built with wood steps leading up or down to your site. There is no direct access to the boatramp but there is a short trail that connects the sites to the boatramp that runs along the cliff face down to the ramp.

The trailhead is part of the Sheltowee Trace Trail and connects to the Yamacraw Bridge. You could easily stage a multi day backpacking trip from Alum Ford to take in the local sights.

Not far up the road is the Yahoo Picnic Area. I think it used to be a campground just by the way it’s set up. Picnic tables on pads and a nice old pavilion for groups with a grill. Past that Yahoo Falls. This is a technical, moderate trail down to the tallest falls in Kentucky. Also a very old area but maintained with newer restroom facilities. The loop trail was approximately 1.5 miles long with a metal staircase on one side and trail on the far side. This is also part of a thru trail. Get you an old fashion paper map before coming cause your fancy electronic gear may or may not work here.

This is one of many areas through the Kentucky/Tennessee Big South Fork if you are able plan for an extended stay to check the whole place out;)

Big South Fork NRRA is definitely one of my favorite places in Tennessee. It stretches into Kentucky’s too. So much to do and see, and the hiking and camping is equal to the Smokies in my opinion, except there’s no crowds, no traffic, not many people! It’s great! There’s a few campgrounds in BSF, like Bandy Creek and Station Camp,and they are excellent spots, but the backcountry is where it’s at n the BSF! I have found so many excellent camp sites along the river and in the forest, and I’ve always been able to find one with plenty of privacy on any given weekend. There’s lots of hiking, 4-wheeling, fishing, swimming, mountain biking, horse riding, kayaking, rock climbing, etc here. The possibilities are endless! The sounds at night are so peaceful and relaxing, and the lightning bugs put on quite a show in the summer! I tried to make a video, I don’t think you can see them, but you can hear the woods at night!

This was a one night stop on our way to Ohio. The property is nice and the sites are spacious. Didn't really like the placement of the fire ring. Had we used it, we would have been listening to our neighbor's music most of the night. We had a W/E site. Our Verizon cell signal was terrible and the campground wifi was not much better. The sites were gravel but were level. We didn't use the showers but they looked clean. The laundry room had only 1 washer and 1 dryer. The playground is best suited for toddlers. The dump station would have been convenient if we were dumping on the way in, but not placed well for dumping upon departure. They did have a zip line and a gem mining station for an extra cost. It was secluded enough that there wasn't a lot of road noise at night. It seems like it would be a nice enough campground during the summer. For the price paid for the site, it would have been nice to have included some of the extra activities. No cell or wifi service would probably keep us from staying here again as it was impossible to get any work done. Be sure to check out the Birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken. We didn't get to go inside the cafe(COVID), but we did have some photo ops outside.

The sites are inconsistent between their sizes on the Clifty campground.  We had two small tents and one car.  If we had any more gear or people it would have been uncomfortable.  

I had to be careful when parking as I had to avoid the water supply, 2 trees, a safety pole for the water supply (painted brown), electricity box, and then the drop off on the other side of the road.  It did take a few turns to get in and out of the campsite.  We did have cell phone service (Verizon) at the campground.  My friend that was T-Mobile did not have cell service. There are areas in the park where I did not have a signal such as when we went hiking or exploring.  I would pre-download maps for the area on All Trails as that was extremely helpful. 

Some of the campsites at Clifty were much larger and were 2 of my site.  Each site had a water hook up, standard lantern/trash pole, fire ring, electric box, and was a short walk from the Clifty campground bathroom. If you can hand pick your site or scout it out before hand it is well worth doing that if you have a larger sized family or tent. 

I actually preferred Clifty over the main campground (Ridgeline). Ridgeline was down a long winding road.  It had way more folks.  Ridgeline is better suited for the RV and large tent crowds. Look closely as each site is rated for a different RV length and they had one pull in site. At Ridgeline they even have one campsite (tent) that was rated for 16 campers.  Generally, each site was rated for 8 campers.  Ridgeline also had some horse campers as I was able to see their horse trailers when going through the campsite. I saw 3 riders on horseback when I was driving to the camp store.  The stables are in two spots on the road down to Ridgeline. 

Taken from Cumberland Falls State Park webpage "Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is the perfect destination to introduce the family to the thrill of horseback riding. The park offers guided trail rides that are easy enough for the first timer and still adventurous for the more experienced. Riders, age 6 and up will enjoy a 45-minute ride through an eastern Kentucky forest, beautiful in any season. The stables open weekends in May and are daily after Memorial Weekend until Labor Day. Also open on weekends during Sept. and Oct. Rides start on the hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cost is$20.00 per person. Personal horses are not permitted on the trails at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, but there are several opportunities to do so in the surrounding area. There are many miles of trails and several horse camps in the nearby Daniel Boone National Forest and The Big South Fork National River and Recreation area."

Clifty was smaller and quieter.  It felt like it had more trees and only tents on this row of campsites.  The campsites are close to each other as we talked with our camp site neighbors on the both sides.  When I first booked my site I knew of the difference in locations between Ridgeline and Clifty but I couldn't figure out what the difference in settings/vibe would be like and I am so happy that I had picked Clifty. 

The perk about the Clifty campsites is that they are close to the pool.  You can easily walk to the pool with your family when it opens.  The pool is free for campers.  I didn't get to check out their bathrooms but my fellow camper did and she said it was good.  I also discovered a trail and more down behind the Clifty campground.  I only found it as I noticed yellow blazes by the bathroom and followed it back to the trailhead.  Close to the bathroom is the dumpster with a home made jamming device to keep the bears out of the dumpster.  The Clifty bathroom was not ADA accessible as no wheelchair bathroom stall.  Shower wasn't accessible either if you have any mobility challenges. 

Moonbow at Cumberland Falls - We arrived early and had a picnic dinner.  The moon bow is best when the moon is high over the falls.  We were hoping to see it around sun set at 9:30 - 10:00 but we actually had to stay later.  Make sure you take advantage of the picnic tables that are near by and the bathrooms.  The best site to see the Moonbow is at the Upper Falls which is close to the gift shop/snack bar.  You can see the falls from further down at the other observation decks. We hung out there for some time to avoid the crowds at the Upper Falls.  

The parking lot will fill up as it gets closer to the time of the Moonbow. I avoided that by doing the picnic dinner and coming before sun set. The Cumberland Falls remain open till midnight as they know folks will want to see the Moonbow this is only seen at certain times of the year due to the moon.  It was nice to notice the ranger at the entrance of the park as we were leaving.  He was keeping tabs on the crowds at a distance as he wasn't needed at that time. 

Hiking - Ask for a map at the lodge as I didn't see them at the campgrounds or even signs explaining what trail 12 vs 2 was in the area.  Also, be aware that the Sheltowee trail is in the area this is a 333 mile long trail and you will see the white blaze or turtle blazes. 

Even some of the signs such as where the waterfall was for the near by Dog Slaughter Falls Trail said the falls were 1 mile away but it was actually several more miles.  I used the All Trails App and kept track of the miles on my Fitbit.  We found the Extended trail on All Trails and that matched up to the GPS tracking we did while on the trail.  We found 3 different signs for this hike in 3 different locations and each time the mileage was off.

Nice COE campground. Plenty of trees . Clean and quiet

Very clean great view of the lake

Nice place, close to amenities but still feels like you’re somewhere very far.

Pros: tranquil, beautiful, waterfalls at several locations on site, views of the lake from every location and I mean every location, clean, flushing toilets

Cons: they close the gate at night but it isn’t locked. Almost thought we were locked out and was ready to turn around, bathrooms sort of have a feeling of a rest area public bathroom but just cleaner

All in all, I think we will try and come here again.

This campground is built between a steep hillside and the Cumberland River. Most sites don't offer much privacy, but the views of the river are so nice. The bath house was very clean and the showers were hot. Our site was all gravel and level. I think every site has electric and water. Sites 1-4 are closest to the water, but do not have easy access to the river. The campground is not remote. You can hear traffic from the nearest town. But, the campground itself is quiet. We would camp here again!

Site 22 was perfect, and the host was very nice and helpful.

This place was clean, had several choice spots with water view, and lots of shade! Loved it! Lake Cumberland is the perfect summer rec lake to cool off at. Near Somerset, KY as well for town "stuff!" The best part of this campground are the water sites. Fall asleep to the sound of the gentle lapping of the water!

This place is such a fun place to hang out and just play in the water, the camp sites are within walking distance to the water, and a majority of the sites have full hookups

This is a big reservoir with fishing. There’s a short nature trail and a playground, plus the whole area has a lot to do. We were happy to find laundry here (it’s the little things when you have kids!). Good camp site but nothing fancy or really memorable.

The site I was in was on such a steep hill I left early because I was afraid I would break my leg getting in and out if my camper.

Nice park on lake Cumberland. VERY busy in season. Doubt you'd get in without reservations. Bath houses available but we didn't check them out. Not the most level sites, but not too difficult to get leveled out. Would stay here again.

Sites are big but not level. We put one side of the RV on the pad and the other in the gravel just to be level. Sites are also awkwardly diagonal in places so the back ends get pretty close. (Pic for example)

The bathrooms are clean and laundry is nice. Showers are free and hot.

There are some awesome hikes nearby in Daniel Boone National Forest. Natural Arch, Yazoo Arch and Yazoo Falls are all worth the drive.

Lastly, there’s a racetrack across the highway (Lake Cumberland Raceway) and it is LOUD. The race continued from 6pm-1am. Highly recommend you check their schedule before booking here.

We had a great time there. Some sites can be small so do your research. It was nice and quiet in the area we were in. The bathhouse was nice and clean and all the workers were very friendly.

Camp ground is set up pretty well. Could use a little more gravel since it's a little muddy at times but overall a great experience. Clean and convenient bath houses. Sites laid our really well for buddy camping. Already booked 2 more weekends there this summer!! Ice and firewood on site for sale. Utilities placed conveniently close to rv pads.

Come here for golf, fishing, and/or picnics not much else to do. The golf course is apparently well known and quite pretty, but we spent the weekend hiking in nearby Daniel Boone Park while the guys golfed. There’s some Civil War history here too (hence the name of the park). There’s a town with grocery, supplies, restaurants, etc. just a few miles up the roads, which is nice and convenient. The campgground is among the trees but no sites (AFIAK) are along the water and most aren’t too shady. Ours was nice and grassy and close enough to the golf course that the kids enjoyed finding golf balls...so if you’re afraid of getting hit stay to the northern campsites. Great site if you’re boating (there’s a launch on site) or golfing, but not so great for enjoying nature and getting away from it all.

If your going to the woods to golf...then this is for you. No trails, but a very nice golf course. Then there's the boating. The campground was a little close and crowded the October weekend I was there, but maintained and well staffed.