Best Tent Camping near Denniston, KY

Daniel Boone National Forest surrounding Denniston, Kentucky offers diverse tent camping options, from established campgrounds to primitive backcountry sites. Red River Gorge Campground provides both established and dispersed tent camping with access to natural arches and river views. Paragon Dispersed Camping Area in Clearfield offers free primitive tent-only camping along Cave Run Lake, while The Ole Cornfield features riverside tent sites with more amenities. White Sulphur Horse Camp in Salt Lick accommodates tent campers year-round with basic facilities. These public lands provide varied terrain for tent campers seeking different levels of amenities and seclusion.

Most primitive tent sites require campers to bring all necessary supplies, including water and waste disposal bags. At Red River Gorge, permits must be purchased in nearby towns for dispersed camping, with vault toilets and trash disposal available only at trailhead parking areas. Paragon's tent campsites lack potable water and have only portable pit toilets, requiring visitors to pack out all trash. Sites typically feature natural surfaces with minimal grading, and fire rings are inconsistently available across locations. Cell service remains limited or nonexistent at most tent camping areas. During peak seasons and weekends, early arrival is recommended as walk-in tent sites cannot be reserved at many locations.

Tent campers frequently use these areas as bases for hiking, rock climbing, and water activities. According to reviews, Red River Gorge offers "primitive campsites that vary based on location, with decent spots off most trails." The forest setting provides ample shade for tent camping, with the "best campsites located by water." At Paragon, one camper noted the area is "close to the river, on the less busy side of the forest," though they recommended bringing water treatment supplies. Backcountry tent camping areas deeper in Red River Gorge provide greater seclusion, especially on weekdays when visitor numbers decrease. Wildlife viewing opportunities include herons, woodpeckers, and hawks, particularly at lakeside tent sites.

Best Tent Sites Near Denniston, Kentucky (13)

    1. Red River Gorge Campground

    22 Reviews
    Slade, KY
    11 miles

    $10 / night

    "No fee, but you do need a permit which you can buy at nearby town. Camping is in the forest, so lots of shade. There is no water. Trash disposal and vault toilets at the parking lots at trailheads."

    "primitive and paid campsites both available, depending on your comfort level and preference."

    2. Red River Gorge Adventures

    8 Reviews
    Slade, KY
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (606) 663-1012

    $8 - $20 / night

    "The campsites are fairly primitive, only including a fire ring and a nice picnic table. They do not have any water or electric hookups and no cell service, which is all a plus in my opinion."

    "The spots were all primitive with rock fire rings. One site had a pic nic table. During our two night stay the other sites were all filled with families, so very kid friendly. Not a lot of amenities."

    3. The Ole Cornfield

    9 Reviews
    Salt Lick, KY
    14 miles
    Website

    "They provided a fire ring and a picnic table for us. The bathrooms are kept very clean and offers quality toilet paper and paper towels."

    "Justin our camp host stopped by that evening dropped us off a fire ring and firewood. (Also has picnic tables if you want one)this is included in the price of the campsite."

    4. Paragon Dispersed Camping Area

    7 Reviews
    Daniel Boone National Forest, KY
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (606) 784-6428

    "**The National Forest has hiking, multi-use trails, and boating (there is a ramp nearby). This is dispersed camping, meaning there are no amenities besides a pit toilet and a few fire rings."

    "We rolled up on a Tuesday night in mid-July and found the campground about ¾ full but still plenty of space for our little trailer."

    6. Clay Lick

    Be the first to review!
    Daniel Boone National Forest, KY
    11 miles
    Website

    8. North Fork

    Be the first to review!
    Clearfield, KY
    13 miles
    Website
    +1 (800) 858-1549

    9. Free Spirit Homestead

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    Morehead, KY
    23 miles
    +1 (606) 293-3633

    $15 / night

    10. HomeGrown HideAways

    3 Reviews
    Bighill, KY
    41 miles
    Website
    +1 (859) 986-3478

    $15 - $75 / night

    "Nestled in a narrow valley between high ridges of The Knobs, this campground gives the feel of secluded country living with your own trails and creeks to explore."

    "Instead of sleeping in it, which would have been perfectly comfortable, we actually used it as more of an extra shelter and we pitched out tents in the field in front of the Yome."

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Tent Camping Reviews near Denniston, KY

602 Reviews of 13 Denniston Campgrounds


  • R
    Aug. 13, 2018

    John Swift's Lost Silvermine Historic Campground

    Great family-friendly, primitive car camping

    This campground is easy to access and good for individuals or groups; it's mostly covered with grass though there are areas that are more dirt, closer to the river. It's nestled between the Red River and Highway 715, so you are pretty close to the road and will hear some road noise, but it's a pretty quiet 2-lane highway. There are picnic tables and fire-rings at each campsite, and it is easy to pitch a few tents in close proximity if you are there with a group. The toilets are port-a-potties scattered throughout the campground. You are asked to sign a waiver and agree to the quiet hours (11-6). The campground is gated and the gate is closed and locked at 10 pm (but the campground manager sleeps on-site). The firewood we purchased here was very wet though, and never burned well. This is typical of much of the firewood purchased at the RRG though, unless you buy kiln-dried from the store. Canoe and kayak rentals happen at the site as well. This was perfect for camping with my 10-month old, without needing to hike in from the car. A good balance between a crowded state campground and backcountry camping.

  • Chris M.
    Jul. 17, 2020

    Yatesville Lake State Park Campground

    Great camping on the lake

    Camping: As far as camping goes there’s a little variety. On top of the hill there is camper sites with full hook ups which is actually quite spacious and spaced out from other sites compared to other campgrounds, but some sites are better than others of course. There is also primitive tent camping on top of the hill, but appeared slightly cramped. In my opinion the best sites are the boat in tent camping sites down the hill by the lake. The sites also run along a gravel rode that can be used to hike in. All sites throughout have fine gravel pad, picnic table, a fire ring and access to numerous bathrooms of which have a compost toilet and running water for the sink. Camp staff will deliver ice or firewood to any site if requested. Extras: The main attraction is the lake of course which is quite clean for swimming, boating or fishing, but can be a little busy at times. There are a few hiking trails near by, but I wouldn’t come here for that. There is a golf course and I did notice, but didn’t get to check out, there is a place called The Cove at Yatesville lake that has a beach for swimming with climbable inflatables in the water, kayak rentals and among other things. Conclusion: A great local place to have fun on a lake, but not somewhere I’d travel an extended distance to see.

  • Jeffrey A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 25, 2023

    Koomer Ridge Campground — Daniel Boone National Forest

    Lovely NF Campground

    Koomer Ridge is really an excellent campground!  As of April 2023 all sites were first-come, first-serve (no prior reservations permitted).  We camped one night and thoroughly enjoyed it!  No hook-ups but the site was level for a 21" campervan and had a HUGE tent pad, 2 lantern posts, fire ring and picnic table in a spacious site.  Plenty of trees for hammocks, too!  Sites were more than adequately spaced out around the campground and some were quite private.  Multiple trails leave straight out of the campground and head into the Red River Gorge, a nice feature.  Campground is heavily wooded, too, so plenty of shade should be available during the summer months.

    The shower house is next to Site 14 and was clean though chilly but had hot & cold running water and was modern/updated.  Only ding here was that a couple of the toilets were out of service during our stay - no big deal as the campground was fairly empty and I hope they'll be addressed before summer crowds arrive.

    The campground is on a ridge - so apart from the sites themselves, there is very little flat ground to be had.  Not a drawback, just an observation.  But the hills make for a lovely setting and beautiful sunsets/sunrises filtering through the trees.  Only criticism is the proximity to the Mountain Parkway nearby; had we been tent camping, the traffic noise would have been a nuisance all night.  But in the campervan it wasn't noticeable, fortunately!  Not enough to cost a star, but worth noting if you're using a tent or soft-sided camper.

    Red River Gorge is an extraordinary and beautiful place to explore, and Koomer Ridge is an excellent basecamp from which to do so!

  • Angie A.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 8, 2024

    Turkey Foot Campground

    Excellent find in the woods!

    Found the perfect spot for our trailer and our friends car camping. Clean vault toilets. Each site has fire ring and picnic table. Pack in pack out even though some didn’t get the memo yet park service was there in the morning to clean. Limited to no cell service.

  • Kenny P.
    Jul. 21, 2021

    Turkey Foot Campground

    Turkey foot Campground

    All tent pad sites with fire ring/grill and lantern hook. Vault toilets are available. No garbage pickup so pack it out!! Hiking and fishing are done activities

  • Chris H.
    Oct. 27, 2020

    Twin Knobs Recreation Area

    Hidden Gem

    We've stayed at Twin Knobs twice now in our popup camper. First time was at F26, second was at F24. We love how the outer loop sites have such quick access to the water.

    Both sites are shaded very well and the sites themselves are huge. We could see other campers through the trees but we felt pretty well secluded.

    Each site has several tall poles with hooks for trash bags/food storage. as well each site has a large fire pit with flip-over grill for cooking.

    The firewood bundles are a bit pricey ($7) at the checkin shack, but I'm glad they are available. we purchased at least 7 bundles to have a pretty much constant fire through the day and night.

    The bathrooms are clean and easily accessible. There was a bit of an overflow issue our first day on site but it was resolved in less than an hour by the loop hosts.

    Pop's bbq was a hit both nights we were there. We ordered carryout (covid) and ate at camp on the provided picnic tables. The Dollar General is also adequately stocked.

    All in all a fantastic visit which we will repeat ASAP. it's too bad they close at the end of October. I bet winter camping there would be a treat.

    Cheers,

    Chris

  • M
    Jan. 26, 2022

    Callie’s Lake and Campground

    Impressive

    We were very pleased with this campground. When we first checked in, the smell of the food in the campground store was to die for. We had plans to cook at our campsite, but the specials that night were very tempting. The staff was kind and helpful, and provided us with a map of the property. The bathhouse was a nice touch! There are many campsites of multiple types available, but there are several primitive sites that still feel secluded and surrounded by trees. There are several sites that can be accessed by a sedan, but some of the sites farther back really require something more suited to off-road driving. We were in a Subaru Forester and had no issues, but did actually have to help push a Camry out of a rut. We visited in October 2021 and it seemed like the area we selected was still slightly under construction. The campsite was wonderful, but the picnic table was sitting on a slope and we were having a difficult time preventing our food from falling off. A flatter spot for the picnic table would be our only suggestion to the owner. My friend used a tent and was happy to see a flat spot cut out of the slope our site was situated on. I used a hammock and didn’t have any trouble finding suitable trees. We loved it and will definitely be back!

  • Andrew G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 2, 2019

    S-Tree Campground

    A quiet well maintained stopover, or a woodsy weekend retreat; your pick

    Arrived late and took a minute to find the actual campsites. They aren't right next to the fireplace shelter, rather just around the corner. Had the place completely to myself on a thursday night/friday morning. Biting bugs weren't bad,(late May) but there were still a ton of other varieties. Several toilets on site, but no water. Picnic tables, tent pads, and fire rings at each site. There are only 10 tent sites, and the ones by the shelter are for picnics only. I wouldn't recommend a long RV up there, although there seems to be another 10 or so sites big enough for RVs and trailers. I was really impressed by the overall quality of the campground, but the distance from everything is a big negative.  The northern road in isn't all that bad, but the south road is what I NEEDED to use to get to my various destinations, and it was a rough one. I made it in and out twice in an HHR, but I was bottoming out on gravel and such. Overall, the HHR handled it fine, it just wasn't worth it, so I ended up only staying the one night. If not for distance from everything and the road conditions, it would've scored a 5.

  • Crystal C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 9, 2018

    Fort Boonesborough State Park Campground

    Pricey but interesting

    I was very interested in this area for the living history museum but as a tent camper I had more than a little sticker shock at the $36 price point not to mention the booking fee on Reserve America. That made this one of the most expensive campgrounds I have stayed at including numerous stops in California. 😒

    The sites were well shaded and included the typical set up of fire rings and picnic tables but I did feel a little closer to my neighbor than I would have liked. I can only imagine the feeling to and RV camper would be even more suffocating.

    The campground was noisy and busy as it was a weekend, and while some of that can be expected for the higher price point I would have liked things to have been a bit more accommodating to those times, maybe they should offer a few less sites so there can be a bit more space so if it is busy you don’t feel like you are suffocated by noise.

    With that being said, not all was bad here. The things to do outside of th campground itself were worth some of the inadequacies the camp provided in way of space. The living history museum was one of the best I have seen in the Kentucky or Tennessee area and other amenities such as water access and proximity to hiking was great.

    If I did return it would be during the week and potentially not during summer to avoid the crowd.


Guide to Denniston

Tent camping near Denniston, Kentucky offers a variety of scenic locations and amenities for outdoor enthusiasts looking to immerse themselves in nature.

Some prices for tent camping range from $3 to $30

Tent campers like these nearby activities

  • Explore the stunning rock formations and hiking trails at Red River Gorge Campground, perfect for both novice and experienced hikers.
  • Enjoy kayaking and fishing opportunities at The Ole Cornfield, where the river provides a serene backdrop for outdoor activities.
  • Visit Red River Gorge Adventures for a family-friendly atmosphere with primitive camping right by the river.

Tent campers should check out Red River Gorge

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Denniston, KY?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Denniston, KY is Red River Gorge Campground with a 4.9-star rating from 22 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Denniston, KY?

TheDyrt.com has all 13 tent camping locations near Denniston, KY, with real photos and reviews from campers.