Best Tent Camping near Carrollton, KY

Looking for the best campgrounds near Carrollton, KY? Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Carrollton campgrounds just for you. Find the best campgrounds near Carrollton, plus reviews and photos from other campers like you.

Best Tent Sites Near Carrollton, Kentucky (8)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Carrollton, KY

3 Photos of 8 Carrollton Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Carrollton, KY

462 Reviews of 8 Carrollton Campgrounds


  • E
    Jul. 15, 2019

    Kincaid Lake State Park Campground

    Hilly, beautiful and secluded

    My family stayed here because we were visiting the Ark Encounter.  I’m not sure if there are closer campgrounds, but we chose to primitive camp here for our visit.  We arrived with just enough time to set up up our tent and head back towards Alexandria for dinner and supplies at Walmart.  There is not much variety and choices very close.  The RV and tent area is very hilly.  Our tent ground sloped but it didn’t bother us very much.  The campsites are very close to each other but there was only two other tent campers and they were both over 4 sites over from us. The tent area has portable toilets.  I chose to drive to the shower house when I needed to use the restroom.  The shower house is typical of most campgrounds, a few cobwebs but generally clean with shower and toilet stalls.  There are two shower houses for the entire campground.  The lake is very pretty, a few camp grounds are right off the shore.  The only thing I didn’t like was that there was no water spigot in the main tent camp area.

  • Matt S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Nov. 13, 2021

    Hartig Park & Wildlife Reserve - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

    Hidden Getaway

    This is an awesome quiet campground tucked away in northern KY along the Ohio River. There are 10-12 dispersed campsites with fire rings and picnic tables. No electric, no water, porti potti at park entrance. Would need to drive if camping at the top of the hill or bring a camp toilet. Great views and semi secluded.

  • T
    Nov. 9, 2023

    Hartig Park & Wildlife Reserve - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

    Great Secluded Spot

    Stayed here two nights. The first night at campsite #10, which didn't really have level ground, so we moved to #8 for night two. Each spot has a picnic table and fire ring. The main road was nice to drive on, but the others were pretty rough. Had spots for hammocks, and the portopotty was well maintained. The spots were all pretty secluded. Great remote location!

  • Melissa W.
    Jun. 22, 2020

    Clifty Falls State Park Campground

    Standard SP Campground

    All sites have a picnic table and fire ring. However, many of the picnic tables are very short which is fine as long as you have a small group or family. The fire rings are very nice and have a good grill grate. Bathrooms/showers were typical: moderately clean with luke cold water. Tent sites were decent (we were pleased with site 117). Some offer a little more privacy than others with brush growth and trees. RV sites offered less privacy but I was pleased with the separation between the tent and RV sections of the campground. The wood they sold was great and they also have ice for sale. The trails were crazy packed the second weekend in June so we didn't do much hiking (however, we've hiked the entire park trail system in the past and really enjoy it). The park is relatively flat so biking is a fun activity. They charge you to enter the park an additional 7-9$ even if you already reserved camping. A huge bonus is Madison, Indiana nearby (4.5 miles away) which has a couple of wineries (and restaurants) and you can also walk along the Ohio River. Overall, I would tent camp here again.

  • Ella L.
    Mar. 23, 2023

    Taylorsville Lake State Park Campground

    Stellar Staff, great amenities, good for kids and big groups!

    The shower/bath house is on a European level of well-equipped. Reasonably clean(a little bit of boot muck on the floors but you should be wearing shower shoes anyway in a public facility) Self flushing toilets, air dryers for your hands.

    Well thought out for handicap accessibility as far as the toilet and shower stalls. Hand sinks could be a bit lower for folks using a chair but they do have a low hand dryer and no threshold in the doorway to get over.

    There are windows that look into the bathroom and although they are up high, pervs and curious kids will find a way. Campground should def. frost them but if you have the stall door shut to the space you're using you can hide your shame. A+ on the restroom space. Seriously impressed.

    Very well heated on a cold morning and although I didn't use the shower there were plenty of places in the shower stall to keep your things up off of anything wet. Single use stall and there were several. Door shuts and there is also a shower curtain to keep moisture off of your things.

    Outlets by the sinks for hair dryer if you bring one.

    Campground has hit or miss tent spots depending on how much space you need. We had a 3 person tent, 2 hammocks and a dog and we reserved spot 8 on the primitive loop and had more than enough room. There was a fire ring(one at every site) and two picnic tables. This spot, as most of them appeared to have enough room for at least 2 very large tents and a dining fly if that's your thing.

    With the brush cover during May site P10, although small, seemed to be the most private. We were at P8 and couldn't see anything at P10 though the brush.

    If you are looking for privacy, although you are still going to see headlights of cars on the loop road and hear pretty much everyone else on the Primitive loop P10 probably has the most privacy as far as brush shielding you. I would say that everything on the outer part of the Primitive loop towards the back is going to be the furthest away from other people but you are still going to hear everyone else. P6, P7, P8, P10 look the best to me as far as just being chill sites with a bit more space away from others.

     All of the sites on the interior of the loop back into each other and those seemed to be more of the "party sites" the night that we stayed. A lot of competing blue tooth speaker music at very loud volumes well after the quite time of 11pm. Loud music started again at 7:58AM. It was Bollywood music, which was different and honestly kind of fun... we were already awake though.

    Our site itself was fairly even although there were a lot of tree roots. No problem finding a grassy place to set up our tent however. We picked up all the trash, aside from a weird sock, left by previous campers so that aspect was a little sad... campers leaving cigarette butts and plastic water bottle caps laying around. Tree cover would be more than adequate at this site during a hot summer day. Water spigot is next to the dumpster by the shower house btw.

    Bundles of wood were fairly small compared to some other campsites and unfortunately wrapped in plastic but the wood was good quality, dry, and didn't burn overly smoky. There is a nylon strap handle that will be stapled through the plastic wrap into one piece of the wood so if you want to burn that piece you'll need to pry the staples out/cut the strap off.

    The woman working the registration check point, we didn't catch her name, was amazing, pleasant, helpful and gave great directions. She drove by a few times in a golf cart checking on things and didn't hassle anyone. If you ask at the check point for a map you will get a packet of papers with rules and a few different slightly blurry print outs, it's a lot of info and we found it helpful exploring a few of the points of interest in the park that you can drive to. Overall it was a fun experience and although it was louder than I expected when people did quiet down it was VERY quiet and we heard owls all night and what sounded like coyote howling in the distance.

    Super good place for families!

  • J
    Sep. 19, 2021

    Kincaid Lake State Park Campground

    VERY much recommend

    My husband and I stayed for 2 weeks in a very large tent back in primitive camping area ... The campground we found to be very well maintained with a very kind and attentive staff who checked on us regularly. The sites were large enough for our liking with each having a picnic table and firepit but no water or electric. Primitive tent camping is back in its own little part of the park near the lake (there are a few lakeside sites if you have a small kayak or raft to use while there) and while we liked the privacy the one set back is this big hill you must climb to get to the bathhouse or anywhere else on the property .. the distance to walk to the bathhouse as well is a good little walk and not anything you want to be doing if you have health issues or limited physically at all .. the bathhouse was always being checked on by staff for cleanliness and stayed pretty fresh our entire stay (they have 2 bathhouses) .. you can't gather or bring your own firewood for whatever reason and the 6$ cost per bundle (as well as the 7$ per bag of ice if u should need it) isn't cheap. Most rv sites are in shade ...nice playground for the kids and just outside the campground is the rest of kincaid lake state park .. the state park area has a beautiful view of lake with Olympic sized pool as well as general store and many different shelter houses and grills to enjoy if you'd like.. they have a nice recreational area offering a big nice basketball court , playground, volleyball court and putt putt golf course .. NICE QUIET PEACEFUL PLACE TO GET AWAY TO FOR SURE. WE WILL DEF BE BACK

  • D
    Oct. 9, 2023

    Hartig Park & Wildlife Reserve - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

    Perfect offgrid campsite

    It's quiet, and each of the 10 campsites are easy to find.  There is no hookup, but each site has a picnic table and fire ring.    Most smaller rigs won't have a problem, and we saw several cars on the narrow and rough gravel road.    We look forward to exploring the miles of trails on this park.

  • Stephen & Theresa B.
    Jun. 30, 2020

    Shale Bluff Campground — Hardy Lake State Recreation Area

    Just a really nice place to camp and enjoy the lake.

    This is a great State Park offering hiking, swimming, boating, skiing, camping, interpretive naturalist program and the only DNR property in the state of Indiana with a raptor rehabilitation program. The reservoir is 741 acres with boating and fishing plus a huge beach area that is open for swimming. There are four boat launches, fishing piers, fish cleaning stations, archery range, basketball courts, shelter houses, playgrounds, raptor display and more. Hiking trails consist of 5 moderate to easy walks all under 2 miles through Indiana hardwoods, lake shoreline and even a 1700’s cemetery. Camping is in one of two areas; Wooster primitive that has a dozen sites close to the lake and Shale electric consisting of 142 gravel pad sites with 30 amp and 8 premium paved 50 amp sites. Sites are a mix of tree covered and open with most be relatively level providing a picnic table and fire pit. Potable water spigots dispersed throughout the campground and several bathhouse facilities and dump station for your convenience. The campground also has an amphitheater overlooking the lake that offers entertainment and naturalist programs. Convenient location just 15 minutes from the I-65 corridor 38.7766° N, 85.7056° W

  • A
    Apr. 26, 2021

    Clifty Falls State Park Campground

    Huge campground within a huge park

    Most RV spots are great in terms of spacing. Fire pit. Electrical plug-in. Firewood at Park Office. Grey/black water dump station. Flushing toilets. Hot showers. Dogs allowed on leash. Boasts many trails from the park. Quiet and respectful neighbors. Take the time to hike the upper end of the park. So worth it.


Guide to Carrollton

Carrollton, Kentucky, offers a variety of tent camping options that cater to outdoor enthusiasts looking for a unique experience in nature.

Explore Local Activities for Tent Campers

  • Enjoy fishing and boating at the Bullock Pen Lake Ramp, a popular spot for local anglers, though it primarily serves as a boat ramp.
  • Take advantage of the scenic trails at Deam Lake State Rec Area, where you can hike and explore the natural beauty of the area.
  • Experience the charm of a regenerative farm at Wildcat Creek Farm, where you can enjoy the company of friendly animals while camping by the riverside.

Unique Attractions Near Carrollton

  • Visit the Tree Line Retreat, where you can learn about unique animal husbandry while enjoying a peaceful camping experience.
  • Discover the rustic charm of Drakes Ridge Rustic Nudist Retreat, offering a unique atmosphere for those seeking a clothing-optional experience in nature.
  • Explore the nearby Mimsey's Mayhem, a private campground that allows pets and features campfires, making it perfect for a cozy getaway.

Tent Camping Features to Enjoy

  • Birdsell Castle provides amenities like drinking water and electric hookups, ensuring a comfortable stay for tent campers.
  • At Boltz Lake Ramp - DFWR, you can find basic facilities like toilets, making it a convenient stop for those looking to enjoy the water.
  • Deam Lake State Rec Area features well-maintained sites with access to showers and trash disposal, enhancing your camping experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Carrollton, KY?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Carrollton, KY is Drakes Ridge Rustic Nudist Retreat with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Carrollton, KY?

TheDyrt.com has all 8 tent camping locations near Carrollton, KY, with real photos and reviews from campers.