Best Tent Camping near Calvin, KY

You will drive and drive and drive...and drive on the gravel road. However the road is good and the signage will get you there! Follow the little tent signs to Little Lick Horse Camp in the woods of Daniel Boone NF. The Nathan McClure trailhead is in the campground so there will be other traffic coming in. There are a few good size sites, with picnic table, fire ring and not much else. This is primitive, to include no toilet so bring your bucket or whatever you use.....remember Leave No Trace ;) Dark and starry skies, quiet and woodsy....try not to think about any scary wood based movies. Horses, llamas, trail bikes and dogs would be perfect for this campground. The sites are big enough for more then one tent or hammock. There are several other nice/challenging trails nearby and the Rattlesnake Motorcycle route in the area.

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;)

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!

Overall; nice place, bathrooms get gross quickly when campground is at full capacity. Not handicap friendly. Good cell service, 4G. Small beach area, clear water for swimming, but have quite a few steps to walk down to the lake. Playground equipment was taken down, only had a couple of swings. All sites have electric and water, picnic table, two poles to hang garbage or lantern, also fire rings with grates for cooking on Pets allowed on leash. Firewood and ice available.

Attendant on site, not a ranger, maybe a "workamper?" Bathrooms cleaned only once in the midmorning. The commodes have a button to flush which is difficult to push. I think young children couldn't push it, so the toilets got nasty and full. Toilet paper ran out by early evening. There was no commode in the handicap stall in the women's room. Hot showers with regular handle for continual flow (as opposed to some places that only run a couple of minutes before you have to push the button again.

Most sites are shaded and grassy areas. Sites 7, 8, 26, 28, 31 are washed out, not good for putting up a tent. Lake surrounds campground but not visible through the trees. A few very steep trails from some sites down to the lake.

Beach is about 100 yds long. Water was clean and clear. It might be a slight challenge walking back up the steps to the parking lot if you're not in good shape. If you plan on hanging out at the beach area for awhile, I suggest bringing a beach tent, it gets hot. There is a drive way down to the beach for handicap access, but the gate was locked. There is a marina on the other side of the road. I believe you can rent a pontoon there.

While we were there, somebody with a super loud speed boat was racing around, so be aware that if you're wanting peace and quiet, there is boating noise. There was also a group of campers that had speakers set up and played their music Sat night that was annoying. Not super loud, but we just didn't care for their style of music. We tolerated it, but don't know why they weren't asked to turn it down. To me, music shouldn't be heard much past your own site.

It's about 5+/- miles in either direction for a store. There is an ice cream place about 2 miles away that also sells basic prep fried food and breakfast.

Our electric didn't work (site 33) but we were with another couple and plugged into theirs next to us. We usually primitive camp, but because of the Aug heat, it's nice to have a fan at night.

We might camp there again. The main thing is that the bath house needs to be updated and attended to more than once a day. It's better than nothing, but I'd rather go in an outhouse than see an overflowing toilet.

We needed a spot for Labor Day weekend and discovered Barren Fork Horse Camp in Daniel Boone National Forest near Whitley, KY. There are lots of great hikes and natural bridges in the area to check out. We had no problem finding a site. The biggest negative is the amount of trash that was left in the fire rings and the litter strewn throughout the woods. This is a beautiful campground, but the litter was the worst we’ve ever seen. There is potable water available near the vault toilet buildings, but no electricity or dump station. There are no rules on generator use, so beware that your neighbor may run the generator all day and night. The price of the campground was $8 for one night/$12 for two nights. With just a little TLC, this could be a great place to camp.

Cherokee Dam campground is literally one of the most beautiful campgrounds in the area! The grounds are so well-kept, and the lake is just breathtaking. The campground is near town, so you can grab some bbq or hit the local hardware store for anything you need. The campground also had a camp store for essentials. They even delivered firewood to our site.

The people running the campground were just amazing. So nice and helpful. Most of the sites have lake views. We were in site #36, and we were in our camper. Lots of space, no shade at all in this one. Most of the sites had some shade though. Picnic tables and fire rings at all.

I’ve noticed the TVA campgrounds don’t have many showers, so I was glad to have that in our camper, just be aware, you might have to wait for one if you are tent camping. The tent sites were awesome, right on the water, and a short walk from the parking lot. If you have a rooftop tent, you won’t be able to park at your site, so you’ll be sleeping in the parking lot, but you could make it work.

There’s a swimming area, boat launch, and walking trails. This is a great spot to have a great time on the lake!

Booked a 3 night stay over the weekend and had the primitive camping area to ourselves. 5 spots with tent pads, picnic tables, fire pit, hanging poles, and bear box. Then there is a very large, communal fire pit, and an open but covered shelter with picnic tables and an outlet to charge your tech things. Water spigot at top, a little walk, uphill, for water. The camp store people said they are unable to use spigot nearby common shelter because it’s no good. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Glad we brought our large bladder so we weren’t constantly going up and down the hill for water. Camp store with some basics at entrance, and person on golf cart drives around checking on things. Trash dumpster, up the hill just past water spigot. Couldn’t have asked for a more peaceful place, especially for the price, $15/night. Took advantage of some of the hiking trails, which were well maintained and marked. Also, went and checked out the natural tunnel via chairlift. The other two campgrounds looked nice, with big, fancy bathhouses. And the cabins, wow, fancy! Hooray for Virginia State Parks!!