Do you love the outdoors and horses? If you're looking for a rustic but comfortable experience, horse camping in Clearfield is the way to go. Equestrian camping is the best way to experience nature. These scenic and easy-to-reach Kentucky campsites are perfect for your horse camping excursion.
Nestled on the shores of Cave Run Lake, this camp is part of the larger Twin Knobs Recreation Area. There are more than 200 sites spread out over 10 loops under a dense forest of mixed conifer and deciduous trees. The recreation area includes two reservable group picnic areas. Group camping is also available.
Summer amphitheater programs and scheduled campground activities provide family fun and entertainment. The campground also has volleyball courts, basketball hoops and horseshoe pits. There is a boat ramp and beach. Popular lake activities include fishing, swimming, motor boating, windsurfing, sailing and water skiing. Scenic foot trails include the 2.5-mile Twin Knobs Shoreline Trail and the 1.5-mile Knob Overlook Trail.
The Daniel Boone National Forest embraces some of the most rugged terrain west of the Appalachian Mountains. The forest lies within the Cumberland Plateau, where steep forested slopes, sandstone cliffs and narrow ravines characterize the land in this region. Cave Run Lake is in the Cumberland District in the northernmost part of the forest. The lake is surrounded by the rolling hills of northeastern Kentucky.
The Morehead Office Visitor Center offers information about the Daniel Boone National Forest in addition to interpretive exhibits. A popular attraction within the Daniel Boone National Forest is the Red River Gorge Geological Area, which features more than 100 natural sandstone arches.
$40 - $43 / night
Hidden deep under the northeast forests of Kentucky, strange formations with names like Giant Turkey, Headache Rock, and The Cathedral mingle with cave corals, underground waterfalls and thousands of endangered bats. This is what awaits visitors to Carter Caves State Resort Park, approximately 90 miles east of Lexington. The park was only established, and the cave environments protected, in 1946. Prior to this, the land—and caves—have a long and storied history. It begins millions of years ago, when North America was in its development stage, with the land rising and falling, cracking and washing away. This began forming the caves as seen today. Fast-forward to the 1800s, and the caves served as a resource during the War of 1812. Today however, this 2000-acre park—both above and below ground—serves as a recreation destination for campers and adventurers. The resort at Carter Caves offers a variety of overnight options, including camping, cottages and a lodge. Campers will find a large campground with 89 RV sites with utilities, 30 primitive tent sites, eight equestrian sites, and two bunkhouses. Most RV sites are back-in, and can accommodate vehicles/trailers up to 60 feet; bunkhouses can accommodate up to six people. The campground features bathhouses with showers, water faucets, picnic shelters, horse stables, and a playground. The park’s cottages are fully equipped with linens, cookware, and most have wood-burning fireplaces; these can accommodate up to eight people. The Lewis Caveland Lodge offers 28 rooms with full amenities, balconies and patios. Dogs are permitted in designated areas, and must remain leashed. Campsite rates are $18–$55/night; cottages and lodge rooms are $75–$240/night. The main attraction at Carter Caves State Resort Park is … the caves! There are six named caves in the park for exploring. Some are open year-round, some are only open during the summer. The park offers guided walking tours in four of the caves. Tours range from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours, and require some stair-climbing and stooping. There are also two caves open for self-exploration. These are undeveloped, and require visitors to provide their own light source. For the adventurous, there are also two cave crawling expeditions. These tours are three hours long, and explore tight, undeveloped passages that require lots of crawling, stooping and duck-walking in muddy conditions. For visitors who would rather stay and play above ground, the park features 26 miles of hiking trails, guided horseback rides, putt-putt golf, rock climbing, and fishing and paddling on Smoky Valley Lake.
Near Red River Gorge and Natural bridge
Set back almost a mile from the main road on its own private drive, Lago Linda Hideaway provides security and privacy for its campers in a gorgeous setting. The 35 Piney Woods and Lazy Oaks campsites (which can be reserved in advance) lie on ridge tops among groves of oak trees, allowing campers to spread out and enjoy as much privacy as they wish. All of these campsites are graveled and have electrical hookups.
Each site has its own city water, picnic table, and fire ring. In addition, a large, grassy meadow provides ample overflow camping for tent and car campers, including a big, covered, cooking pavilion with electricity along with another covered area that provides additional shelter for a number of tents.
Lago Linda Hideaway has a bathhouse with hot showers and flush toilets, as well as Broadband Internet access. Well-behaved children and dogs are welcome to this accommodating environment.
$12 - $86 / night
$24 / night
This recreation area is part of Dewey Lake
A 58-site primitive equestrian campground with latrines is available near Bear Lake in Shawnee State Forest.
The horse camp includes 58 campsites with tie rails, latrines, and water for horses. Shawnee State Forest has over 70 miles of bridle trails, most of which are directly accessible from the camp. Campsites are available on a first- come, first-served basis.
Campingispermittedonlyinareasprovidedanddesignated for such use. Limited road-side camping is permitted during deer and turkey hunting season when camps are registered at the Forest Office.
Experience the serenity of nature and create lasting memories with loved ones by camping at Ben's Happy Trails. Our campground and lodging options offer a stress-free experience and a chance to relax. Don't miss out on this opportunity to unplug and reconnect with nature.
Guide
This campground has some features that are nicer than what is found in many state campgrounds. There are some secluded sites back in the woods, so you don't feel like you are camping in a parking lot in a few places. NOTE that most of these secluded sites (along the back edge of the campground) are up a flight of stairs. You have to carry all your gear up a hill or stairs to set up. You will not be near your car, which can get annoying.
The bathrooms were average, not great but not gross. We were there on their Halloween weekend, with a fun site-decorating contest and trick or treat in the afternoon, which was mildly annoying for us because they closed the roads from 2 to 6 so we could not drive back to our site, and when we finally could, someone was in our parking pot for the next hour.
The lakes are quite tiny. The one at the campground is more like a large pond- fine for paddling around on a paddleboard for practice, but don't think you'll get in any meaningful kayaking or sight-seeing on this pond. The other lake is slightly bigger, but still not big enough for kayaking more than a couple hours at most.
The new campground is on the river on what used to be the golf course- I will write a separate review for that.
The lodge has some amenities (pool, hot tub, cafe, bar), but we ate in the restaurant and it was terrible. I do not recommend. Get some apps at the bar if you have to but keep your expectations low. We had pork nachos and the pork tasted old, everything was cold and it gave me a terrible stomachache.
Ranger
Start off by saying the staff were super great!!!! Stayed in space #1 and all the upper spots are open, wish they had more trees around the spaces. Overall it was still a great experience staying at this location.
Scout
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Traveler
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.
Scout
Roads in campground are rough in places. Electrical boxes are in rough shape at some sites. 30 amp kept tripping the breaker. WiFi does not work. Several sites have full hookup but sewer hookups need to be repaired and water hookups are far away.
ScoutLevel site. Staff cleans the bathhouse every hour.
Traveler
Spent 4 nights, nice quiet camp grounds. Was in spot number 61, closest spot to the bathhouse. Not sure it would be the best spot in midsummer as it was also closest to the dumpster. That said it was recently graded and leveled. The primary issue I had was having a smaller camper with a lower sewer connection and the sewer connection was higher than the bottom of my unit.
ScoutAs a frequent wheelchair and otherwise crutch user, I have enjoyed staying at Lago Linda two years in a row for the Adaptive Climber’s Festival. I was able to stay in one of the smaller structures in Bertie branch. Being near a restroom that has accessible options and having electricity right in the cabin, and sleeping in a bed, made things very comfortable. Being able to save my energy for enjoying nature makes staying here a priority.
The lake area is beautiful and I was able to walk it on crutches.
Having energy to be more active and be able to enjoy time with family and friends without being tired is priceless. Speaking of prices, Lago Linda is also cost-friendly for a disability budget.
Scout
Stayed on the F Loop next to the lake, fire pit, picnic table, level tent site and bathroom showers a short walk. Camp hosts very friendly and helpful. campsite are close together.
ScoutWe went with three small kids. Great facilities, hiking, caving etc. We plan to return because two nights was not nearly enough to do all the things we wanted to. The tent sites are close together so we may not have enjoyed it as much if it were busier but we were lucky enough to get a site with no immediate neighbors. Pictures online made it appear that tree cover was not as good as it actually was.
LegendDecent site by the stream. Plenty of shade and a huge hill behind our site. Bathrooms were clean.
A lot of unsupervised children running around, in the stream and riding bikes. Didn't have any problems with them, but was concerned they weren't supervised.
There was some trash at our site, a lot of broken water balloons, some bottle caps and wrappers.
One night someone stole fishing poles from our neighbor and a bunch of coolers from other sites.
Some sites are really not level!
ScoutWe always make sure this is our #1 spot to go it's our home base campground , love the mature trees in the campground and the trail around the lake . It's beautiful ❤️ down here must visit.
TravelerWe usually camp in a 5th wheel, but this time we stayed in the breezy point cabin. Very nice cabin, awesome view. Modern updated cabin. Hot tub, satellite and wifi, full kitchen. lake has kayaks to use. You must try this place.
ScoutThere’s a quiet time reserved for after 11pm. Apparently no one cares because people were LOUD the first night we were there. The second night was less crowded and much more enjoyable. There’s so much to do at Carter caves that I didn’t mind it too much. Lots to do within walking distance of the campground too.
TravelerI was able to get a spot right away in the field for two nights, and Jessica was very helpful in answering all my questions. Nice and out of the way perfect for primitive camping while passing through KY. They even have some nice comforts for those far from home (like a microwave)!
ScoutThis place is a great place to camp either with your RV or if you are a tent camping they have a restaurant as of right now it's open on the weekends they also have a ShakeOut lunch with TV available they have two sets of bathrooms the owners are great people sometimes people getting stuck out here be honors coming home get you out my car won't start one time they came and helped me out these are great people I store my RV here when I pay the monthly storage and when I come into town like I'm going to stay in my RV and pay like everybody else like their tent camping with no electric it's very quiet here and very enjoyable a lot of hiking trails lots of events.
GuideTent camping sites were set back, in the woods, down a private path (about 75’) and totally secluded.
The park had a clean, nice outdoor movie theater, mini golf, and a lake with rentables.
GuideWe stayed on an inner loop and was happy with our site but after scouting other sites, we would definitely go for an outer loop lakeside site next time. Gravel pads. Bathroom and showers were good. Quiet, peaceful campground with friendly staff. Enjoy all the lake activities!
GuideThe area is very pretty, lots of hiking and plenty of things to do. The campground itself is nice, sites aren’t very level side to side or front to back and the hookups are very far from the site. Be prepared to bring extra electric cord and hose. The spacing is good though on some spots. The ones that back up to the woods are pretty.
ScoutAll sites are small and on top of each other. Low water pressure (20) weird placements for water and electricity. However the things to do at this park are great from hiking to cave tours and more.
GuideGood level spots. Quiet the first week of April. Good picnic table and fire pit. Restrooms are not far from any of the site in the loop. Will update after we use the shower house. I thought that we would be able to walk from our location to the camp store. It is possible but not easy. The camp store and laundry were closed March 31, bought firewood at entry for $8 a bundle.
TravelerThe night we arrived it was pouring rain. After sleeping in the car to stay dry we explored the park. The park really came alive with the rain, which really made the trip. Water was running over the edges of cliffs and boulders throughout the park into the river that flows through the park. The cave tours were cheap and interesting, although the self guided tour was closed due to flooding. We did the Three Bridge Trail which was moderately challenging but worth the unique geology and natural bridge formations.
The tent campground was quiet but the RV campground was pretty full and lively. At site 110 we struggled to find a flattish spot—the sites closest to the road to the horse campground were much better. The bathrooms were randomly closed one night on a Saturday which was a little annoying. There wasn’t any clear communication of restroom hours.
It was hard to find firewood nearby, we ended up seeing a sign of a guy selling firewood and we called him. It was $23 for 35 logs delivered to the site. This ended up being way more than we needed and we left some behind after giving some out for free to other campers, which was a cool experience.
We left for the day on our second to last day and packed up most of the site in the car as we’d be gone a while. When we came back what we left was gone along with our reservation slip at the site entrance. It seems the rangers took it that we left and now I’m out a water jug.
There was some scavenger hunt race going on too and people would come out of the forest and run through our campsite with no regard to us being right there which was a little odd.
Overall I didn’t know what to expect as an out of stater but had a great time through the weather and all.
RangerKOA Review
The campground it’s self is very clean and taken care of. We were there in early March with winter temps. The staff was extremely nice and helpful, bath house and laundry was clean. The water at our site was inoperable and they offered to move us without me even having to ask which was nice. The site could be maintained better ours had lots of tire ruts and fire pit could have been better for the price. Overall it’s a good campground with amenities in great shape. A good little dog park that was extremely clean, putt putt, and more. I would come back again in the off season just cause we like camping with less crowds.
LegendThis isn’t a very big campground. And some of the pad lengths are really really short. You should know that on the campground map they have written the pad lenoon them which is great. There are two shower houses which are really nice with flush toilets and showers. The only thing about the showers is there is no bench inside the stall and not really anywhere to hang your items so you will get wet. Shawnee State Park is very hilly. There is a campground store, very small and closed during the off-season. The comfort stations are also closed in the off-season, but they are spread out throughout the campground. Some sites are really best fit for tents only or you can hammock and at the actual tent sites they have nice tent pads for them. There is a playground, putt putt course, small lake that you can kayak or paddleboard in. They’ve got a great little nature center with lots of trails and again it’s hilly so pick your trails wisely, but very very pretty. We were the only people on our side of the campground.
GuideThe coolest things about this campground are the access to caves and hikes. Tent sites are closer together than photos made it seem. It wasn’t BAD but it also wasn’t my favorite campground I’ve ever been to. Bathrooms were fine. Firewood was expensive but there isn’t another place to buy that’s close, so prepare for that. $25 for 3 bundles. Best sites are 102 or 100. Campground is patrolled often by security/staff (?)
TravelerHidden gem out in the woods. Nice facilities with flush toilets, showers and laundry
ScoutAwesome place
Horse camping in Kentucky offers a unique blend of scenic trails and equestrian-friendly facilities, making it a perfect getaway for horse lovers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Clearfield, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Clearfield, KY is Twin Knobs Recreation Area with a 4.5-star rating from 40 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Clearfield, KY?
TheDyrt.com has all 10 equestrian camping locations near Clearfield, KY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
