This is one of the better places for peace. The grounds are good as well as the scenery the river access is great. This is a great place for your family!
Site D-11 couldn’t get much better view. The walk down to the lake is short, kind of steep and rocky but easily manageable. The site is decent sized and not far from the bath house through the woods.
We camped here in September and this campsite is one of the nicest and friendliest sites we've camped at. The General Store was wonderful!
The campgrounds are okay at the park . There was not much of water . The park is nice park , the trails are nice here . The staff are friendly and helpful here.
If you weren't aware, the fall is the perfect time to camp. Which means almost every recreation.gov campsite is full to the brim.
We tried this location again (after having a negative experience with their staff) and have some more concrete thoughts.
If you're loading in for tent camping, this cap.has some great views, up in the 70-100s, be sure to check elevation on the map. The pictures don't show you how difficult to access.
Spots 104-118 are up a horrific incline, not suitable for small RVs or trailers. There's also no lights here.
The main bathrooms near the front are pretty nice, but bring flops flops and expect it to be a tad gross on the floor. There was excrement in the large handicapped shower.
There's a fish cleaning station just past the main bathrooms and dumpsters, perfect if you bring your boat too.
The front lake spots are nice, but no shade. Be sure you have a 10x10 canopy or RV awning.
Overall the campground is built around the lake, but incredibly tight, hard to navigate (especially at night) and unless you're a pro, know to look at your spaces/map and calculate your turn radius and which spots you can back into, don't go if you have a truck + trailer over 17' or a large 5th wheel.
While nice scenery, the difficulty to navigate, small roads labeled two way (impassable if another vehicle approaching) make this ok-maintained came a poorly-accesible 3 stars.
The sites are pretty private and mostly wooded. There were acorns everywhere that our littles kept getting ahold of, and most of the trails are much longer than 2 miles, so there wasn't much to do with our two toddlers.
That being said, the hiking that we did do was amazing. This is beautiful country and the campground was nice.
The sites were a bit short and we couldn't park our tow vehicle in front of our 17' camper. So large campers beware. There are limited parking spots near the shower house.
The tent pads were huge, lots of space to play at each site.
We were really hoping to see a black bear but had no luck.
Stayed 3 nights with my granddaughter and we had a wonderful time. Perfect size for our Range Runner mini camper.
BIg South Fork is like a breath of fresh air . It's one of our favorite places . It doesn't which side you arrive on everything is full of beauty .
East Fork Stables is a HUGE equestrian campground that , guess what….you don’t have to have a horse to stay at! They have a whole loop complete with a pavilion cookhouse and annoying triangle bell that’s perfect for campers, tents and hammocks.
The showerhouse is nice and clean. The sites plenty big and mostly shaded.
Of course you can use any of the loops but the rest will have some really big animals hanging out.
There are miles and miles of trails. Waterfalls , overlooks and scenery. A nice gift shop/camp office and cabins.
I stayed here for the Cumberland Plateau Stage Race. The race director actually reserved the whole campground for his event.
One step up from a parking lot style campground. BUT it has some character. There are cabins, a showerhouse and pavilion in addition to the row of campsites.
Jamestown, Tn is right outside Pickett SP, Big South Fork and Daniel Boone NF so this would be a good base camp in town near amenities.
Nice small , historical campground/state park. One of the CCC built areas. Small circle campground with several pull through sites and electric or primitive to choose from. Quiet, at least when we visited. Water to kayak or swim in. A swing bridge across the water to the upper trail. The ladder trailhead is in the upper campground. Very technical, and challenging trail. This would be a good State Park to visit with younger children.
The tent sites were really nice. I love how close you are to the water. It also includes two swim areas which is nice. Bathrooms are good in campground standards! The hiking trail is ok. Canoe the Caney is a few minute drive from the campground which is great if you like canoeing. We really enjoyed it!
Bandy Creek is one of the most beautiful places . There is a wonderful peace there that gives your mind a new refreshing perspective on life.
BEYOND RUDE, INDECENT HUMAN WORKS HERE.
My partner works maintenance/HVAC and had an emergency, requiring us to break camp, leaving at 1am, returning at 6am. We had to 7-point turn, moving the picnic table and lantern stand to simply back out way out. At 8am someone banged on our door beyond hard enough 7-10times.
With only two hours of sleep, I open our door only to find a cantankerous old man be who immediately began to bitch us out (no conversation, no listening nor explanation) or empathy or even basic human respect for parking in another campsite (which we also have a permit for, as we reserved two for friends arriving later. He instructed us to move it, without asking if we had a permit. He returned an hour and a half later and threatened to tow our vehicle, ban us from camp and call the ranger to come ticket us. I could barely interrupt him to assert we were the other party and had a permit for twice as many vehicles, and our vehicle was registered for that spot.
Whether you have only 2 hours of sleep and your door beaten on or not, this old.mans behavior is unacceptable.
Come to find out, he drove round the night before antagonizing guests nearby unloading caping gear from their boats, and was simply downright nasty.
Unacceptable behavior from any human. Our first time here and also our last. As a differentially-enabled person on the autism spectrum, this was horrific. There are no words to justify this man's behavior to us and other guests. Even if kindness and respect aren't this thing, his inability to actually do his job and check permits before harassing campers is unacceptable. We'll never camp at this place again.
The parking decks overlooking the water was really neat! Clean bathrooms/showers. Just spent one night there in our way somewhere else. Made a memory that is still talked about though!
Stopped off during a road trip/move. Had a nice big open site, felt very private. Lots of wooded spaces. I want to say we had a site near a trail that took you to a water overlook. Easy check-in, friendly staff. Arriving late was no issue.
This campground is amazing! Great sites, and lots of things to do for the kids. Lake access too.
Bandy Creek Campground is located in The Big South Fork National River and Recreation area on The Cumberland Plateau. Big South Fork is a great place for outdoor adventure. Some activities include hiking, horseback riding, rick climbing, tubing, kayaking, swimming, fishing, mountain biking, and just about anything else! The area is never overcrowded, even in the middle of summer. There are many scenic views throughout the area, so bring a camera!
Campground review: Bandy Creek Campground is a great place! The sites are all spacious, and wooded for the most part, so you have plenty of space and some privacy. The campground seemed quite large, and was fairly empty for a Weekend in August. Some sites have food storage lockers (not sure if all do) as the area is a bear habitat. We saw some deer and turkeys, so there’s wildlife around for sure!
There is tent loop, and a group camp area, and I believe the campground hosts several retreats.
There’s riding stables at the camp store too. The campground also has a large swimming pool, with lifeguards.
The restrooms were immaculate! Seriously the cleanest campground restrooms I believe I’ve seen. Ours had a filtered water bottle fill up fountain too.
This campground is really nice, and quiet, but also has so much to do, I highly recommend it!
Product Review: As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to try out products sometimes, and today I’m trying out the GCI Freestyle Rocket Pro! https://www.gcioutdoor.com/camping-chairs/freestyle-rocker-pro/
The Freestyle Rocker Pro is one of the best chairs I’ve used! It is actually much lighter than I expected, and is still extremely sturdy. Lightweight gear is a must when camping, or attending events!
It has a carry handle so you don’t need to try to fit it in a case to have a strap like other chairs I’ve used. The Rocker was smooth on natural surface, pea gravel, and concrete. It is very comfortable, quiet, and relaxing.
It folds up super easy with just a pull of the handle. One feature that I especially love is the cup holder and side pocket. It will actually hold a drink without spilling, and you can fit a phone, keys or other small items in the pocket.
This chair is awesome! Two thumbs up!!
ReallyReally nice peaceful place to stay hike camp and also play area next to Creek
About the only good thing was the view. We had a tent site next to the lake. It was close to the pool so was very noisy. The bathroom near the pool is a unisex two stall very revealing so I often walked to the main bathroom up near the restaurant. Used the shower in the hot tun room was nice but very busy. The first night there was a bunch of girls in the pool and screaming at 4:30am which woke us up. The second morning at 7am the neighboring property was being weedeated. Most likely will not be back even though t is close to our home.
My wife and I happened upon this state park when looking for a last minute substitute for another campsite. We were late arrivals, had no problem finding an open site on a Saturday night in the summer. Plenty of open spots with privacy. This campground offers sites with open space for stargazing and/or sites closer to the timber with canopy cover. The campground was less than 20% occupied, so plenty of great spots available. Great for hammock camping, electric hookups or tent. Bathhouses were clean. Bathhouse also included laundry. Campground offers a large amount of cabins, some can accommodate larger groups. You can access the lake from This campground including kayak, canoe, and boat rentals. You can also find a swimming beach area next to the rental boats. There are a plethora of trails to hike including a suspension bridge over the river, and a number of geological landmark sites to hike to. We enjoyed our stay.
Wonderful camping trip with the husband and friends even the pups enjoyed their trip! Had a blast kayaking the river too! Extremely clean and updated bathhouse!
We stayed at this campground to celebrate one of our family birthdays. We were able to book lakefront sites less than a week in advance and still had empty sites on the lake on both sides of us. The bathrooms were clean and showers plenty warm. They have electric as well as tent sites on the water. The fishing is supposed to be awesome although I didn’t have much luck. I would imagine it is much better before the hotter months of the summer. We were able to paddle all over the lake in our Kayaks as well as float/swim in the water without worrying about much wake. They do run motor boats on it but there are so few on it and lake large enough that it doesn’t affect much. They ran an 11 boat fishing tourney on it the Saturday night we stayed there so maybe the fishing is a bit better after dark in the warmer months. I’ve heard the lake held and or holds the state record bluegill but haven’t been able to verify that yet. Regardless this is an awesome private lake with quality fishing and the ability to spend lazy lake days without much boat, car or foot traffic. The owners are awesome and super helpful! The campground store has almost anything you will need including ice, firewood and of course ice cream. They serve burgers, pizza and much more. This place is a bit of a hidden gem in my opinion! Do yourself a favor and book yourself a relaxing lake getaway!
Pickett State Park is a great spot to camp if you like peace and quiet, but don’t want to have to backpack in to a spot. Despite the small campground, it was pretty much empty on the first weekend in August when we stayed. It is near the Big South Fork, and Scott State Forest, so there’s lots of great hiking, horseback riding, river recreation, etc. nearby. From other reviews on The Dyrt, I learned the park is excellent for stargazing, and it is true, you will have amazing views at night, we slept in a tent without a rain fly, just so we could see the stars!
The campground has several sites with electric and some without. We stayed in B1, which did not have electric. All the sites have picnic tables and fire rings, and the ones on the outside of the loops back up to the woods and trails. All the sites are spacious.
The restrooms were clean, but they must be pretty old. There were some areas in need of tile repair, but it was just a cosmetic issue, so it didn’t bother me. The showers were nice, and everything was clean.
The campground also has cabins, and those seemed to have more guests than the campground. They have a set of cabins that were connected, like apartments, and they have some larger, freestanding cabins too. They had a group site as well, but I did not go to it.
The park has a lake with swimming area, and canoe/kayak/paddle board rentals, a swinging bridge, playground, tennis courts, a gigantic picnic area, and several great trails.
This was a very pleasant find, and we will definitely return!
Standing stone is a small campground that sits in a wooded area surrounded by green rolling hills and farmland. Sites on the outer edges of the loop give a good deal of privacy as they back up to the woods. Sites on the inner portion of the loop leave you more exposed to other campers.
There are some small hiking trails accessible right from the campground, but for more extensive hiking, you'll need to bike or drive to the trailheads; these are definitely worthwhile. They meander among the hills, have lots of creek crossings, and were quiet -- pretty much empty! IF you're interested in gravel bike riding, there are LOTS of gravel roads to ride close to the park. In terms of water activities, there's a small pond right inside the park, but for a real paddling or boating experience, Dale Hollow Lake is the place to go and less than ten minutes away by car.
Bottom line: If you're looking for a smaller campground with private, wooded sites, and want some hiking and gravel biking, come here and grab a site that backs up to the woods. If you're looking for direct access to water sports, you'll probably want to head over to Dale Hollow.
Lillydale sits on Dale Hollow Lake, which -- for some delightful reason -- has serious limits on development. This makes for green hillsides, clean water, minimal power boats, and very, very few houses or businesses along the shores.
The campground itself is clean and quiet. Hosts were very kind and helpful. Many of the sites back up to the lake; we were fortunate enough to find one of the lakeside sites, and just dropped our kayaks and paddleboards right into the water.
The lake has dozens of little "fingers" and "tendrils," making for great little coves to paddle, explore, or just find some peace and quiet.
We'll definitely be back!
Nice place for cabin rentals. Campsites are nothing to write home about.
Waterfront on Barren River Lake. Can’t beat it. Clean showers and restrooms