Join the fun near Calvin. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Enjoy the scenic camping, fun activities, and sights and sounds of Calvin. Find the best campgrounds near Calvin, KY. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
$8 - $100 / night
Blue Heron Campground is a rustic and spacious campground, situated on the Kentucky side of The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area--a vast and scenic expanse of land that offers visitors countless recreational activities.
Numerous trails snake through the Recreation Area, offering mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding for visitors. The main river of the Big South Fork is also a short drive away, offering fishing opportunities.
Numerous trails snake through the Recreation Area, offering mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding for visitors. The main river of the Big South Fork is also a short drive away, offering fishing opportunities.
The Big South Fork is located in north central Tennessee and southeastern Kentucky in some of the most rugged terrain of the Cumberland Plateau. The park encompasses approximately 125,000 acres of both rocky gorges and forested plateaus. Numerous pristine streams unite with the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. Over thousands of years, this ceaselessly moving water has carved the sandstone of the plateau into impressive cliffs, arches and chimneys that are found throughout the park.
Just a few miles from the campground is Blue Heron Mine, also known as Mine 18, a historic abandoned mining town that has been rebuilt as an outdoor museum. Visitors can hear audio presentations from actual people who lived in the community in the 1950s. The Big South Fork Scenic Railway Depot is located about 9 miles away in the town of Stearns, which offers train rides and other educational opportunities for campers. More information can be found online at https://bsfsry.com. Additional attractions include the Daniel Boone National Forest and Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, offering additional recreation opportunities.
$35 / night
$25 - $174 / night
We have a 18' Tipi on a 20 x 24' deck, with heat and air conditioning. It is located on a beautiful cliff above the Clinch River.
If you love nature, you will love our place. We have a wide variety of birds that fly the river and the trees. See if you can get picture of the eagle that will soar at different times of the day. We have an abundance of wild life the property.
We have fun activities corn hole, fireside chats(with smore's),hiking, bird watching, Elrod Falls is close by, you can chop your own wood or purchase already cut. Must abide by fire bans by the state.
We have small kayaks to rent for the local rivers or bring your own, We are in progress of making it easier to get to the river. It is a hard hike down.
Amenities for the Tipi rental:
Air conditioning, heat, TV, internet, bath house has an outdoor shower that views the river, small fridge, washer/dryer, log lounger that can be a bed or couch, air mattress or coat available. board games.
Cook over your own fire pit or we have a propane/bbq grill to use
There are several different primitive sites you can rent with your tent or you can rent my small yurt or hammock.
Things to do:
We are an hour from Pigeon Forge and hour and halve from Bristol.
We are very close to Veteran's Overlook, they have a motorcycle rally every Memorial Day. We have several motorcycle trails that are gorgeous views around the area. We are working at getting a jeep or a small convertible for our customers to rent.
Bird watching
Hiking
We have several places close by, for fishing. Out of state fishing license is $20.00 for a 3 day.
Antiquing
$30 - $150 / night
Easy to find, well marked. It’s has many (12) trails and many falls. Would definitely recommend shopping before camping, it’s several miles, and mountains, to get to stores. There are several lodging options…cottages, The Lodge, (which is beautiful) tent and RV camping. There are 2 small campgrounds ~ 1) Ridgeline which accommodates RVs up to 26”, water and 10/30/50 amp hook ups. Sites have a fire ring and picnic table. WiFi is available, and there is a dump station. A small playground, office/campstore, and a bathhouse and laundry next to it. 3 sites are walk-in. Big rigs would have to stay elsewhere. 2) Clifty Campground is tent camping only 7 sites offer electric and water. WiFi is also offered. There is a bathhouse and a playground, and these CG’s are pet friendly. (Falls Creek is a few miles up the road…they have pull through and back ins. For bigger Rvs. They also have tents, wagons, cabin rentals, and primitive sites) We had no T-Mobile service, or satellite service in our vehicle. The trails and Cumberland falls were awesome. The horse rides looked amazing, and the Pool was big, with a diving board, and a small fee for campers to use it.
Sites are level and pretty spacious, if not some a little tight together. My only complaint was that the restroom wasn’t marked on the map that I could see so I ended up being very far away from it. So more of an issue with recreation.gov than the campground itself. The restroom was nice and clean.
Great experience, the lady who took my booking was super helpful and friendly. Campground is quiet and feels very safe. Nestled nicely in the hills in the Pennington gap . Lots to do within easy driving distance. Overall a great experience
Visited in 2020 and the property was extremely rough. Came back in 2021 after hearing about new ownership...TONS of upgrades have been completed in a short amount of time. Group Chalet & Motel upgraded and remodeled. New bathhouse, docks, new marina store/gas pumps/restaurant with an extensive list of craft beers on tap and hand-dipped ice cream. Great food as well. Cornhole boards on the dock outside of the restaurant area, trivia nights on Thursdays. Campground is being upgraded in stages but is clean and family-friendly. The marina also has a number of rental pontoons available. We have come back every summer and had a great experience.
This is a scam do NOT book with them. Tried to go on a Cumberland River Boat Cruise. Directions given were in accurate, no address was given to use GPS. Google Link given inaccurate Directions. Called several times and even talked to the manager asking for help none was given. River Boat was Gone When we Finally Found the Boat Ramp. Drove to the Office to request a voucher or refund. Would NOT give either one. People were not helpful at all DO NOT waste your money. We lost$120 to them due to the businesses own fault. They did NOT offer options for people with disabilities, We even asked for a 1/2 of a refund and they would NOT even do that as they said we made lunch for you. How much can a sandwich and chips cost. If they were kind people and did what Jesus would do they would have gladly refunded even 1/2 of the money paid Do NOT support a company that doesn’t support people with disabilities nor are they Christian at all. What happened to having manners. If they would refund our money we would delete this entire post.
This campground is a hidden gem. It's in the hills, far off the beaten path, and half of the campsites are right on the water. In addition to campsites, the park has picnic areas, bathrooms, showers, a playground, and a boat ramp.
Campsites have hookups for electric and water, with a dump site nearby. There are also picnic tables and fire rings, with firewood available to purchase.
Access to the camp may be tough for larger rigs as theres a few miles of windy, one-lane roads with switchbacks, drop-offs, and the occasional washout.
There is also no cell service here, so be prepared to unplug and unwind. =)
This area looks to be prone to flooding in the the spring months when the snows thaw so time your visit accordingly.
The men's bathrooms don't appear to have been cleaned in awhile and weren't cleaned during my week there. Only half of the toilets would flush.
It's a popular place for the locals with kids on the weekends so if you're looking for peace and quiet it's best to visit during the week. Great place to let the kids run wild and make friends though.
Other reviewers will do this place more justice than I can. It’s already been said. I’ll just say that a 45 minute horse ride for $25 is an absolute steal. Seeing the falls is free. There is a small on-site store and a playground for the kids.
Quiet, easy back in, water and electric hook up. TMobile cell service was very spotty. Short walk to Lake with view of lake from campsite.
Great area, no service or wifi
Not what I figured it would be but considering it was alright
Wilderness Road Cumberland Gap :
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
70 yr olds in 17’ trailer:
Overall Rating: 4
Price: $24 w electricity $18 w/o. 1/2 for seniors
Usage during visit: low
Site Privacy: 2 to 4 depending on location. In some areas, sites are close in 3 directions. Looks to be better privacy in non electric sites. Study campground map for outside sites.
Site Spacing: Some are pretty close. Just look at the campground map and choose one accordingly. Our site was very nice.
Site surface: Gravel for non-electric sites. Ours was tough to level and as per rec.gov website for our site. . Electric sites have black top.
Reservations: Yes
Campground Noise 5. Quiet
Road Noise: 4, depending on location. Highway noise
Electricity. 2 loops have electricity.
Water: at dump station and restrooms
Sewer: No
Dump: Yes
Bathroom: 5 Clean
Showers: 5. Private rooms
Pull Throughs most are backing
Cell Service (Verizon): 5. Great
Setting: Deciduous forest
Weather: 60s to upper 30s
Bugs: None
Solar: Great. May change as the trees leaf out more.
Host: They are active.
Location: Near Town of Gap - quaint, make sure to visit. 1919 is the place for lunch or dinner we hear from locals. 10 minutes to good grocery stores in Middlesboro.
Loops: Portions of some sites sort of back up to each other. The sites I took pictures of are some of the better sites for privacy
Friends I want to ask you do not use or refer family and friends to Laurel Lake Camping Resort in Corbin.We booked a reservation before their system upgrade per the management we just spoke to. We booked two camp sites for July. At the time of booking my daughter was told she could cancel outside 30 days. I never received an email confirmation and we called back asking for confirmation email. They sent an email with Zero information included. There is a PDF attached which has no information in it. Now that we did not secure a camper for our dates and went to cancel, they referenced a cancellation policy we never saw nor was made aware if through their email process when we made the phone booking. I replied to the email multiple times. My daughter talked to them multiple times, My wife talked to them and I also did trying to find out details of the site, which I never received, only verbally over the phone. They behaved as a small operation, which is fine when you conduct yourself with integrity and provide good customer service. Neither of which they did. Now that we cancelled they informed us they will keep 100% of the deposit and we are more than 60 days before our reservation. Again, The management on the phone admitted their system has been upgraded 5 times by that we just talked to and made the comment of people don't receive or they do not receive emails all the time. Well, I received theirs with no info, so seems like they have practiced their blame of technology on others besides me. While I overpaid for a lesson learned I ask you to avoid them. My large family will for sure. If they miss out only only a couple of bookings because of my experience during their slow season then karma has worked. Stay away from Laurel Lake Camping Resort!!!
This was my first time to the Niagara of the South. My husband and I left our dog back in Louisville for this trip which was originally an attempt to see the moon bow at Cumberland Falls.
We looked at the tent site map on the state resort park map and nothing looked GREAT except for Clifty Campground spots 050, 048, and 049 they all look isolated from any of the other sites with 050 being a site that you have to traverse a grassy/rocky area from your car to set up.
We opted for spot 047 because, on the map, it looked set back from the campground road… and it was… sorta. Nothing at this campsite is going to be private. The majority of the sites do not have so much as a weed between them although the sites themselves are very roomy for car camping. Your vehicle will be a presence at the site, which have electric hookups so if, like me, you have an electric car… it's nice to be able to simply plug the car in. This site did not get a lot of shade except for where we had the tent set up, and still… that would've received sun had it not been raining.
Our site had a good picnic bench, a sturdy wooden post for hanging trash etc and the fire pit seemed pretty new. The grill wasn't bent at all, which was a 1st in my years of camping. The view from this site was pretty cool… we set out tent up at the furthest out spot on the small cliff as we could before it turned to mostly rock and faced the door out over the trails. We hung our rain tarp because, instead of a moon bow, we endured a nearly 24 hour torrential downpour. The tarp, which is small, and having the tent faced appropriately gave us a semblance of privacy although we had a camper van family next to us. Site has a lot of gravel so it was reasonably muddy but not dried out quick.
There are a lot of raccoons that visit the dumpster area so expect it to be a little messy if your fellow campers aren't shutting the dumpster lids. Shower facilities reminded me of middle school camp… kind of mildewed… and well… rustic. Everything functioned and it wasn't "gross" just old. Water was hot. Toilet stalls (ladies) were small. I weight 130 and at 5 foot 2 it was a tight squeeze for me.
We hiked the WIldflower Loop Trail (1.5 miles) in a drizzle and although wet it was safe. When the rain stopped we hiked Eagle Falls Trail and it was very muddy but the views were worth it.
Would love to go back but if camping in a tent it's a must to get one of the two more private spots, or at the very least
Be aware, that the campsites are exactly the length as indicated. Not an inch more! Some people were able to fit their rigs in diagonally. The park itself is beautiful, the campground good enough to spend the night. Sites are very close together.
Upon arrival there was no one at the office. Checkin is at 2 and we arrived at 4:53 pm. We had to call a number to get ck’d in which was a bit off putting. The one review that was posted said the sites were level. Where we parked which was 9 is not. It’s uphill and was very difficult to level out the rv. Ours like many is self leveling and it just couldn’t make it happen. We had to level it by sight as I guess we now need to purchase a small level for these situations. 🤦♀️ It’s still not level. They have a pressure regulator on the water so showering was like a spit bath and took forever to get the shampoo out of my “short” hair. The sites could be pretty close if they were full and each site has a wooden dividers for the water, electric and septic which creates issues for the steps. Trying to get the back slide from hitting the power box and being able to be away from the wooden divider on the door side was tricky. It was a pull in site which should have been super easy made unnecessarily difficult by design. The highway is right below the campground and could be noisy if outside. The shower room was pretty sad and it’s all white rock.
Check in was nice. Kind staff. Clear directions. Escorted to our site. Trash pickup nightly at 5.
It is clean and well run. But just too cramped for 5 stars. Neighbors on our back side were 8 to 10 feet between rigs.
We didn't use the restroom, showers or the pool but it all looked good.
Lead-in off of the interstate was easy. Access is good. It is nicly secluded yet close to plenty of resources. Mostly pull thru sites.
But if you are looking for elbow room, you'll want to look elsewhere.
The campground is small and the sites are small. Not for bigger campers. Our is 23 feet and barely made it in our site. They are close together as well. It’s such a beautiful setting we didn’t mind. Love the falls and lots of hiking to do as well.
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.
The bathrooms and showers was clean. They have a place to do laundry. Very nice playground, basketball court, swing, and volleyball court. We got to fish right beside our camper. Definitely recommend!
Great info, except Cumberland Falls State Resort Park isn't "15 miles southwest of Corbin", as stated herein. It's actually in Corbin, KY and has a Corbin address.
Nice campground! Electric and water. Site on the incline were tricky with a larger rig. Ours had room but other family rig was tight. The bearproof lockers on each site was a great addition. However, camp maintenance needs to be sure they are free of people's garbage. Family could not use theirs as it stunk badly. Quiet for it being full.
I spent the long Thanksgiving weekend here. Other campgrounds in the area were closed, but this one is open year round. Bathrooms and showers remain open as well. Sites were very clean and spacious and all have spectacular views of the lake.
As far as yurts go, I think the price was reasonable and is a little bit more separated from the rest of the sites which is a plus! Yurt itself was clean, comfortable and super spacious for just 3 people. Bear box available outside.
Bathhouse is very clean and an easy walk to. People can be a little loud. Easy to walk to trails and a nice little gift shop available + helpful rangers!
We camped in site B-11.
Sites, even in the RV loops, are well spread out with mature trees separating them. Sites can be hilly, even the RV paved pads, so be cautious on site selection. That said, the roads and pads were recently re-paved and have nice curb stops at the ends to assist in backing in.
The bath houses are generally clean and updated, with separate shower facilities that are independent from the bathrooms. It’s not especially cold right now but it did seem that they’re at least heated.
We tent camp in an RV site since we have an EV, allowing us to charge. The power post on our site was typical with 120V 20A (5-20) and 30A (TT-30) connections as well as a 240V 50A (14-50). Power supplied was at 248V while pulling 32A.
Our site accommodated our larger 9-person tent (16’x9’) well, with only a slight slope on the back end of the site. This left plenty of space for the supplied table, fire ring, and parking in the paved pad. We are across the street from the bath house.
Note: Site B-10 across the street has a significant slope for the RV pad and the grassy area that could accommodate a tent is also significantly sloped.
None of the sites I’ve seen have water at the site- there is a spigot at the bath house.
The dumpster area is at the end of the B-loop road, and also has bottle and can recycling available.
We could occasionally hear traffic (mostly engine brakes when it happened), but I think that is more an issue in the further back loops. A-loop is furthest from the highway. As a tent camper, the HVAC units of neighboring RV’s were louder than the traffic (not an issue - we know what we’re signing up for in these sites. Just giving a comparison.)
We went here with family - the cabins have all the comforts of home. Lots of hiking nearby, including the chance to walk along the river to see the moon bow (very developed trails/ infrastructure).
Good tent camping sites. Lots of trees; level sites; fire pit; picnic table. Very clean & well supplied restrooms. Great individual private room showers with plenty of good hot water.
Beautiful campground with the rustic feel. We are In a 40ft class A. Our site was spacious and private. I asked the office for a great spacious site and she did not disappoint. The water attraction was closed when we got there, and the owner got on the phone called in staff/life guards to come in so my 2 kids could play on it for an hour. To me that is 5 stars all in its self. When we hooked up 50 amp was not working, ok with us we were fine running off 30. But the guys were right there doing everything they could to get it up and running and they did with in 15 min. Office and staff are great and you can tell they care about the customers and the place! My only recommendation is that the bathroom lights that are censored stay on a little longer. They would shut off in the middle of shower, just a wave of the arm turned them back on quick but they should stay on a bit longer. With that said bathrooms and showers were clean. Showers are very spacious. Beautiful place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Calvin, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Calvin, KY is Cumberland Falls State Resort Park with a 4.3-star rating from 46 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 25 glamping camping locations near Calvin, KY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
