The best EQUESTRIAN camping near
Creekmore , KENTUCKY

I was a little underwhelmed compared to what I was expecting from camping at a national park. The positives are the cheap rates and there are bathroom and shower facilities. If you want old fashion tent camping the park does have some backcountry campsites.

The cons are the lack of actual campsites. They are more like parking spaces. Probably to appeal to the people who use campers. The noise of the highway was constant and annoying.

Overall I enjoyed my time staying here. Wish I could have done more backcountry camping but the weather didn't permit it.

Having a blast. We are spending 14 days camping here. Explored the area before the snow hit. Great hiking trails. Nice, large campsites, not too close to your neighbors…but fairly typical. Nice big bathroom ( 2 stalls - 1 handicap). Big handicap accessible open room shower. Had to put towel at bottom of door to stop drafts. Hot water…not that hot…could be warmer. Large bench in shower room and hooks for clothes. Small bench seat in shower as well.

Camping is first-come…first-served…no wood for sale at park…but you can buy from anywhere in Lee County. Paddy's Gas Station about 1 mile from here sells wood for $5 for a good size bundle and other necessities.

Hikes for all levels…easy and strenuous.

Very impressed how quickly and often they came through to scrape the roads once the snow started. We got 6-8 inches on Christmas Eve….and next day park roads were passable…without 4wd. 58 looked great.

All in all this is a great place to camp. Everyone around is so nice and polite. Food City is grocery store in nearby Middlesboro, KY that has awesome cafe for buying hot food meals. Great food! Takes 10-15 minutes to get there. Plenty of fast food options there too.

Very convenient location…well kept park. Try it! You'll like it!

Big South Fork is the perfect place for the outdoor enthusiast. Literally anything you want to do, you can find it here- horseback riding, ATV riding, hiking, biking, rock climbing, kayaking, backpacking, camping, fishing, hunting, swimming… I could go on, but you get the point. I have spent a lot of time here, and it’s at the top of my list for places in the Southeast. The Big South Fork river is some of the best smallmouth fishing around. I love the backcountry camping in BSF, it’s so peaceful, and beautiful. There are several campsites that people have made stone firepits and log/rock seating, it has the feel of the AT without as many people. The Burnt Mill area is awesome, but the hike can be challenging, but it is so worth it. You can find a great backcountry site off of nearly every trail in there. I love to stop by a local staple for a good cheeseburger basket and a milkshake at Flonnies Drive In on the corner of hwy 63 and hwy 27, if you get the chance, treat yourself!

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.

Off Ky Rt 80 in Daniel Boone National Forest, keep following the tent signs , they will get you to Little Lick Campground. This is a primitive little campground out in the middle of nowhere, however there are several awesome trailheads in the area, Nathan McClure TH right in the campground.

Bring your horse, bring your trail bike, bring your dogs. You might want to bring a generator too. Not a lot of sites but they are big and you can easily have several tents or hammocks ( if there’s trees) in each spot.

Quiet and dark and STARS.

Just ran into this spot and was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was especially for the cost. Showers and facilities were great and clean. Tent camping and RVs were separated in different loops which is nice.

The campsite is nice and wooded, sites are spaced nicely. There was a bear box and a fire ring at my site. Plenty of hiking nearby.

The recreation area was a real nice surprise in terms of scenery. The rafting looked great at the right time of year.

I don’t think there was any first come first serve sights, but there were plenty of sites mid October.

There looks like great mountain biking, horseback riding, and some challenging hiking near by.

I’d check out Yahoo Falls which was really nice. I can imagine at high water Angel Falls would be grand, even though there was low water it was a nice and easy hike along the river.

We had a end campsite and loved it. Not many people on our loop. Another one stayed full the entire visit. We hiked to the twin arches and to yahoo falls(recommend both) with children and had a blast. We can’t wait to go back.

We camped two nights last week in Loop A, the tent only, nonelectric section. Being mid-week, there were not many people, meaning it was also nice and quiet. The sites are roomy, with a large tent pad, fire ring, picnic table, lantern hook, and a food storage locker. Yes, this is bear country, but we didn't see any during our visit. The bath houses are as nice as you're likely to find in a national park, with flush toilets, hot showers, and an outside sink for dish washing, etc. There is also a large, wheelchair accessible bathroom with roll-in shower. A water hydrant is available to fill jugs and tanks.

We drove through the other loops to see what they look like, because Loop A isn't open in winter. Should we decide to camp here in winter, Loop B is the only section open. But, that will let us use an electric heater. 

Be aware that some things are not open in 2020 due to Covid-19. The park visitors centers are still closed, the swimming pool wasn't open mid-week, and the check-in building was unstaffed when we arrived. There was a sign at the check-in point telling us to reserve and pay for our site using Recreation.gov. We had cell service there, so no problem. It you don't have service, drive across the road to the Camp Store (which is not always open) to use WiFi there. There is a note on the front door with the password. 

There are so many things to do in Big South Fork and surrounding areas that you really need to just visit the park website and make a list of things to do. Some are easy and roadside, others not so much. For example, to hike the Twin Arches Loop Trail, you'll drive several miles of dirt roads to reach the trailhead and end up hiking about 6 - 6.5 miles. The description says the loop is 4.6 miles, which is true, but you have to add another 1.4 miles for the out-and-back from the parking lot to the start of the loop. The loop trail isn't bad, but the access trail has steep stairs. Anyway, find something you like and enjoy the Cumberland Plateau.

We stayed in tent site 19. I think it is definitely the best site in the campground. Sites 19 and 20 are a couple of the only sites with any privacy. Site 19 is a walk in (down) but the site itself is huge and the tent platform is built out on a rock outcrop. Overall the campground is nice but the other sites are very close together. The rangers/camp hosts came by while we were gone to warn us about bear activity in the campground, you do need to be careful with food. We went to see the moonbow so it was fairly busy while we were there. We also took a hike to Eagles Falls where it seems to be clothing optional swimming…lol It didn’t bother us but just an FYI. We had a very relaxing 3 days at Cumberland Falls, would definitely recommend it.

Paved spots with lots of shade. Bathrooms are clean. Bathhouse has an outside sink and a water bottle fountain to refill your bottles. Lots of hiking in the surrounding area. Each site has a food storage box.