Best Campgrounds near Carlisle, KY

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.

This is the closest RV Park Campground to the Ark Encounter-only 10 miles south.  It is on a beautiful piece of land with wooded acres all around.  It is quiet and peaceful with a true camping vibe.  It has 3 beautiful hiking trails.  It has a small fishing pond with a beautiful fountain that provides a neat camping experience.

James, Lauren and their crew were the best! Everyone was so friendly and helpful. The camping is just so relaxing, right on the river, open space, beautiful land! We can't wait to visit again.

General: Huge state park with over 400 sites. All are pet-friendly and electric. About 20 are FHU. While tent camping is permitted, certain sites are not recommended for it as there would be no place to pitch a tent. One loop is for equestrian camping but when we were there, I only saw one horse trailer, and the rest were occupied by RV campers. 

Site Quality: All camper pads are paved and most appeared level or just very slightly sloped. A picnic table and fire ring complete the site. Some sites have more trees to provide privacy while others are closer together with little separation.

Bath/Shower House: Not all loops have their own bath house and the I loop where we stayed was one of them. We used the one in the H Loop. The bathhouses were clean, and the shower had nice hot water, however, it doesn’t seem like there were sufficient facilities for how large the campground was (H Loop had two showers, two toilets, and three sinks). Hooks or shelves would have been appreciated.

Activities/Amenities: Many activities can be enjoyed here including mini golf (small nine-hole course), soccer, basketball, tennis, volleyball, corn hole, boating, and bicycling. Playgrounds are in several loops (I saw them in C and G). Rentals are available but most are only in season (ended September 30). There is a nature center and several hiking or paved biking/walking trails. There is also a camper beach for boating and swimming.

When we reserved months earlier, we knew that our first night (a Saturday) was 100% full as we got the very last site. What we did not know is that there was a HUGE Halloween celebration complete with 30-40 decorated golf carts parading through the campground. The road was closed until 6:45 pm (we arrived around 7 pm) and cars lined both sides of the approximately two-mile road! If that's your thing, great but it wasn't necessarily ours!

I appreciate that this park encourages so much outdoor activity, but it is not very pedestrian-friendly. I walked the road from one end to the other and there was no shoulder and, in many spots, no place to safely step off into the grass. I’m guessing it is assumed you will either have a car or golf cart to get around. 

One final note: for a park so close to a large city (Cincinnati), I was surprised the cell service was so lacking (on Verizon). We eked out one and occasionally two bars of 4G.

We came in on a Friday late afternoon and there were only a few camping sites available. We found a spot right on the lake.

Our first morning a heron was fishing in the lake less than 100 feet from us. We saw him catch a fish. There were woodpeckers, hawks and several other birds I did not recognize.

The view of the lake from our camp site was amazing. Very picture worthy!

The campsites are pretty close together providing less than optimal privacy. Some of the campers stayed up late but they kept the noise level down.

While there we saw one group hang a deer carcass in a tree. Good times!

Lots of run down RV’s and shanty town in the back of the park. More long term renters than weekend warriors. One dump station, no sewage on the sites. One bathroom, for the whole Park. lots of tents sites (that were busy) makes for poor bathrooms. Not to mention its outhouse style with no climate control. 1/3 men’s bathrooms were out of order and 1/3 urinals were too. 2/3 showers where out of order and the two useable toilets, the door locks were broken. No wifi. Fires are allowed. Fire pits are run down so be mindful. 2/5 bars for ATT services. Sites aren’t labeled or labeled extremely bad. Electrical seems very out dated. Make sure you have protection. Over priced at $60 + tax for the night. Scattered shade. Pull through sites mainly. Picnic tables have seen better days (years more like it). Good space between sites and access to the river for water sports. Little lake for fishing. No pet area and strict leash laws. I wanna give this a 2/5 because they were pleasant. They encouraged me to review on multiple sites but I think that would be bad for them so I’ll stick to my main review site. 1/5, if the price was better like 30-40/night maybe 2/5 but for the price of a motel 6 and only electrical and that is sketchy. Save your money book elsewhere or avoid.

When you check out, Eastfork, you should look at it personally instead of just online. My mistake was I did it online and I ended up with My Family being in the middle of the rich snob class of loop I lol.? We did have a very nice neighbor across from us the last couple days. The bathrooms were clean . Our lot was full of acorns very very dry and very very small lot. They say you’re supposed to camp or park your tent from the electric box over.

Perfect for a quick one night stay while traveling! Reasonable, nice site backed up to a babbling stream. Short walk to bathroom with shower! Short walk w/ my dog on the trails before heading back on the road!

Lot372 sits in a little into the woods. Makes it cool for camping. Real camping without a camper. lol shade some sun but watch out for the yellow jackets!

We enjoyed this site a lot. Neighbors weren’t sitting on top of one another. There was a tree for shade and plenty of space and grass to walk our dogs. Shower house was great!

A very nice state park with an abundance of natural resources surrounding the campground. There are many hiking options, some that explore the various caves around the grounds. The caves themselves are quite the treat.

The staff are all very friendly and there are camping sites for tents or rigs. However, like many state parks that have not been updated, navigating into some of the spots with a large rig can be challenging. On the one hand, this is nice as there are mature trees throughout. On the other hand, they could increase the size / length of the existing campsites. There is a nice playground and a camp store for any items you have forgotten.

The lodge is available down the road (within the state park) for dinner if you are looking to mix up the trip. Not fine dining, but decent food. There is also a pool available at a discounted rate for campers - which our kids enjoyed. Note: there are no full hookup sites, which is not uncommon for KY State Parks.