Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Dale Hollow Lake

Down Yonder Campground is right outside Dale Hollow Lake State Resort Park, Ky. A bit of a drive through Kentucky or Tennessee farmland, closest big city is Nashville to the west.

The owner said that they have been open three years and their websites shows pictures of the rental cabin at the front of the property. Currently they have annual sites only , no shade on gravel. They are in the process of creating overnight sites that will be available by Labor Day 2017. No wifi, steep entry from road and no facilities, to me $40 a night sounded a little high.

Consideing how many big rigs and trucks I saw at Dale Hollow it will probably be busy during peak seasons.

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!

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.

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.

Starpoint Marina campground is just a little sliver of space, right on Dale Hollow Lake, next to Starpoint Marina. The lake is absolutely beautiful, one of the few lakes I’ve ever been to without any docks on it, other than marinas. The water is a really pretty shade of turquoise and is very clear. The campground is very small, very little privacy, but you are right in the lake. There’s a small bathhouse, which I did not go in, as we have a camper. I would recommend this campground if you are have a boat, or a rental at the Marina. The Marina store has plenty of essentials, and ice cream! But if you need to run out, civilization is nearby. We stay here when we visit family who have a boat at this marina so it’s an easy choice, but there are a few other campgrounds on this lake that would be worth checking out if you weren’t tied to this one in particular

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.