Best Equestrian Camping near Dale Hollow Lake

Cove Creek at Dale Hollow lake in TN is a primitive campsite with lakeside camping. There are water faucets for drinking water and a pit toilet available. Great views of the lake and plenty of sites available

We took a pontoon boat out to Kemper Flats on Dale Hollow lake for a few days relaxing fishing. Primitive site, island with a porta toilet. Camp right on the side of the lake, very quiet and peaceful

I love the way this campground is set up. Sites are in sections in small loops. Very good for families. Kids can ride their bikes around the circle. Playgrounds are everywhere. Very clean. Full hookups. Nice pool and mini golf too! Only downfall here is their isn’t really a place to access gorgeous dale hollow lake without a boat... we could see it with a small drive but there isn’t a beach on the KY side. I also wish they would have mentioned the length to water hookup. We ended up having to go buy a longer water hose bc the hookup was more than 30 foot away. We now keep a 50 foot hose, but didn’t realize at the time there was actually hookups that far away.

Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park is right on the Kentucky/ Tennessee boarder and not a short drive from anywhere. It is out in the farmlands, but worth the drive.

I drove to it from Cumberland Parkway, a very picturesque drive. The GPS took me right to the entrance no issues like there are with some other parks.

Once there the main areas are very well marked. The camp store has a somewhat useful map that will get you there by road.

My disappointment and frustration was the trails marked on the map. I'm not sure if some spurs are new, not used often or being reclaimed but we would start down a trail that had a trailhead sign and then the trail would just disappear into the weeds or a field with no signage.

The trail to Eagle Point was well used and a good walk to an awesome view.

The Campground is set up in what I call wagon train circles (lol) if your going with a large group it's perfect. People parked their toys and cars in the middle and set up in the sites around the hub.

if your not with a group you will probably have an opportunity to met your neighbor. There is not a lot of shade. There is a pool on site and cute little blue cabins to rent. Newer restrooms and a dumpstation. Tge horse ampground was adjacent to the regular campground.

The Marina and Lodge are at the end of the road and there was a golf course on the way in. Pretty much covers all the bases of outdoor entertainment.

sites: horse sites available. wooded area around campground. semi-private sites. amenities: lake. pool. other attractions: lodge/camping cabins. restaurant. I would go back again.

The sites are pretty close together but it does indeed live up to the resort part in the name. You can purchase WiFi access. There’s a pool, cabin, golf course. It’s also a horse camp with several miles of trails.

I have camped at this campground more than any other for a reason. The sites are very well-spaced with a loop exclusively dedicated to tents. There are great mountain biking trails in the area. Campground also caters to horses.

This is a large campground with excellent facilities.   Big South Fork is located in a very remote area of TN and KY.  Miles of Great hiking, biking, horse and motorized trails.  There is plenty to see and all of it is beautiful.   One of my favorite sites is the Twin Arches, worth the hike.

Big campground with some tent-only areas, fairly modern accommodations with some sports fields, pools, etc. Very wooded with dense trees/undergrowth that make the large camp sites private. Very clean also. It fills up so book in advance. Horses are also in this same campground so plan your space if you’d like to avoid the noise and smells (though it was kept quite clean and didn’t smell much).

The Big South Fork is an amazing place to hike in and the Bandy Creek campground is a great place to base yourself out of. You can do miles of trails from here. The campsites are nice and well maintained. There are tent only sites and RV sites. It is a big campground and can be very crowded, which may not suit some. They have a swimming pool, playground and volleyball net also. Firewood can be hard to find. but you can buy some at the horse stables across the street from the campground at all hours on an honor system (bring cash).

Another backside primitive campsite at Mammoth Cave National Forest, Ky.

A lot of people don’t realize the extensive trail system of Mammoth Cave. They come for the Cave and never take the time to enjoy the natural beauty of the area.

Before using this campsite you are supposed to check in at the visitors center. Unfortunately the ferry is closed so it’s a long drive around to the backside.

Turnhole Campsite is a short or long hike from the Maple Springs parking area. Sal Hollow Trail would be the long trail, twisty , turny and moderately challenging. Buffalo Trail is a straight hike in , take a left at the intersection and straight on to the campsite. Difference of about 3 miles-ish.

The trails are used by hikers and horseback riders, are well marked and lotsa fauna to see. No major vistas here, just woods.

The campsite has poles to tie your horses, a fire ring, tent pad and lantern hooks. Pretty easy to find seasoned wood to burn. DARK at night, lots of animal noises ;) not much of a night sky except in the winter months.

The cool thing about this campsite is your sorta on a peninsula of the river. Very private and it’s not on a loop trail so no foot traffic passing by.

Despite this campsite being surrounded by the Green River on 3 sides, water is hard to come by here, and hiking it in may be your best bet. The river is at least 1/2 mile away, through extremely dense brush, and the banks are not easy to access, if accessible at all. We were lucky that a creek just north of the intersection of Buffalo Creek, Sal Hollow, and Turnhole trail had some water to filter from.

This is a nice, secluded spot. You are on the end of a ridge. Clear nights with a bright moon were magical here. It is probably a beautiful spot when there is no foliage, as well. We camped in August.

There is a tent pad, hooks for lanterns or packs, horse hitches, and a fire ring with a grate attached. Hike in is a little over 3 miles, a pleasant hike, but not a whole lot to see in the summer besides a lot of chantrelles.

The Green River Ferry seems to be non-operational a lot. Call the hotline the day of your drive in to see which route you should take: 270-758-2166

We decided to do a day hike on the Sal Hollow Trail. It ended up being pretty exhausting: we believe it is a lot longer than the markers suggest, and a lot of the trail seems pretty unused/not kept up.

Bandy Creek CG Sep 16-18 Site D19

  We have camped at Bandy Creek Campground in Big South Fork National River and Recreation several times, seasons and for several reasons in addition to camping. 
 It is central to several possibilities to include hiking, fishing, biking, kayaking, horseback riding, climbing , etc. and the history of the area is very interesting.
 This trip we came for the Story Telling. A full day of entertainment by several orators to finish with spooky tales in the evening. 
We stayed at D19, our first time in the D loop. Over the years they have upgraded the sites with bear/critter food lockers and there are several bear/critter safe trash collection sites. 
D19 is in a dead end loop so little to no vehicles drive through . The bathhouse is a bit of a walk, the buildings are newer and well maintained. I’ve never gotten the creepy vibe (lol)while using them . There is a trash receptacle right in front of the site. 

Two cons are the main road to the area is right behind this site, though it gives you easy access to the road/visitor center area. And E loop, group camping is in the woods directly across. So it can be a little noisy if occupied. (There were screaming children all afternoon…) WiFi is available at the visitor center otherwise I had a steady one bar while in the campground. There is a swimming pool, volleyball court and playground right by A loop which is primitive camping and there are several trailheads in that area also. So A loop would be a perfect base camp setup if you don’t need power. As I said the visitor center is right across the road and a horse stable behind that . There is a horseback trailhead right across from A loop with a hiking and bike trailhead too.

Pickett CCC Memorial State Park is nearby by Jamestown, Tn and Oneida, Tn is about 30 minutes to the East. Both have fuel, grocery , etc. Charit Creek Lodge is an original homestead that can be hiked to from several start points. They offer a unique experience in the woods, overnight accommodations and meals by reservation. You can visit if your hiking/riding through but I don’t know if they still offer any walk in food/beverage.

Bandy Creek CG Sep 16-18 Site D19

  We have camped at Bandy Creek Campground in Big South Fork National River and Recreation several times, seasons and for several reasons in addition to camping. 
 It is central to several possibilities to include hiking, fishing, biking, kayaking, horseback riding, climbing , etc. and the history of the area is very interesting.
 This trip we came for the Story Telling. A full day of entertainment by several orators to finish with spooky tales in the evening. 
We stayed at D19, our first time in the D loop. Over the years they have upgraded the sites with bear/critter food lockers and there are several bear/critter safe trash collection sites. 
D19 is in a dead end loop so little to no vehicles drive through . The bathhouse is a bit of a walk, the buildings are newer and well maintained. I’ve never gotten the creepy vibe (lol)while using them . There is a trash receptacle right in front of the site. 

Two cons are the main road to the area is right behind this site, though it gives you easy access to the road/visitor center area. And E loop, group camping is in the woods directly across. So it can be a little noisy if occupied. (There were screaming children all afternoon…) WiFi is available at the visitor center otherwise I had a steady one bar while in the campground. There is a swimming pool, volleyball court and playground right by A loop which is primitive camping and there are several trailheads in that area also. So A loop would be a perfect base camp setup if you don’t need power. As I said the visitor center is right across the road and a horse stable behind that . There is a horseback trailhead right across from A loop with a hiking and bike trailhead too.

Pickett CCC Memorial State Park is nearby by Jamestown, Tn and Oneida, Tn is about 30 minutes to the East. Both have fuel, grocery , etc. Charit Creek Lodge is an original homestead that can be hiked to from several start points. They offer a unique experience in the woods, overnight accommodations and meals by reservation. You can visit if your hiking/riding through but I don’t know if they still offer any walk in food/beverage.

Beautiful spot close to the water. Secluded area that can be reached via GPS coordinates ONLY (we learned this after trying to check in at the Dale Hollow campground).

Things to know:

• there was no dumpster for trash -hike in spot with vault toilet
• 45 minutes from Standing Stone State Park

We got there late for a primitive site and all the sudden the mgr and police show up mind u the mgr passed us 3 times instead of stopping as a professional mgr should he calls police and tells me the website does not state primitive lol. It was cluttered loud and tacky.

Taylor’s Ford primitive campsite is down a steep windy track not suitable for big rigs. There are about 4 lakeside sites available all with good lake views

I camped at Eagle Point for a quiet relaxing few days , but due to a group of young lads who camped near me that was not going to be the case. They were loud and annoying and did not care for anybody else's privacy.

The camp site was ok , reached down a very bumpy track not suitable for RV or similar.

There was a porta toilet which was a bonus but lots of trash left behind by other campers.

The site is on the top of a high cliff so no water swimming was possible. Very shady area. There is a boat ramp next to the site which was in constant use day and night.

I only spent 3 nights at Kemper Flats primitive campground for a fishing trip. We reached Kemper by pontoon boat from Willow Grove Marina a short 20 min ride. Nice site primitive cabin toilet no water faucet. Bring it in, take it out.

We stayed for 2 nights at the Plankyard site. We were expecting the site to be more remote - but these sites are right off a large parking area and boat ramp. The sites are not well marked and there was some litter. There were lots of trees and shade, and ample water access. We won't be going back to that site, but will definitely be checking out some more of the primative camping sites in the area. For $3/night you really can't complain!

This is a great campground. The sites are laid out like 8 spokes in a wheel, with plenty of space between sites. The facilities are kept clean. The staff is very helpful, nice and friendly. The golf course there is challenging, but absolutely gorgeous.

It is definitely worth the stay

My only complaint is I didn't have more time to spend. Our site (L4) was shaded all day long, which is important when you tent camp. The grounds are well kept. Plenty of park hosted activities for kiddos and adults. A lot of trails, good clean pool, nice clean bathrooms, excellent staff!