Best Glamping near Dewey Lake

This was a week long trip for our 7th Anniversary. We brought our small a-frame, kayaks, ez-up, kitchen set up and one of our dogs, Butters, with us for this trip. We've never been to this campground before so we tried to do some research on reviews - the good, the bad the ugly. We found that the H loop seemed to be the way to go so we reserved H006. It had a very level pad for our camper - that was a plus and it included electric. There was a tent pad at the top where we would sit in the morning with coffee. When you follow the steps down, there was a very large camping area with the fire ring. We were able to set an RV mat with our ez-up and then set up our cooking kitchen across the way. The picnic table was huge (no gaps!) and provide plenty of seating for more than just the two of us. There were three lantern/food polls available to use, one at the top and two at the bottom. Across the street was extra parking and a path that led down to your own private beach. We didn't have to go to the beach (which was closed for the season) to enjoy the lake. We loved our site and although we had sites on either side - you weren't on top of each other. 

There was a man-made path you could follow down to the lower road and take a short walk to the shower house. The shower house was ok - three toilets (one broken) and three showers (the handicap out of order). The toilets flushed "hard", in other words, be read to step out as you hit the flush button as it tends to splash more than it should. The showers had a door, a small bench for clothes and a very small stall. It was kept clean, but still covered in bugs/cobwebs/etc. There are two shower houses in H loop.

We walked the H loop at least twice a day - almost a mile around. There are not very many electric sites on the loop. Some sites were single and some were double (much larger). We did get to walk/drive through the other loops - they were ok as well, but I would only go back knowing we'd be in H. 

We drove out to do a couple of short hikes. No bears, but lots of nature - tons of mushrooms! We even drove through the Clear Creek campground - not a lot there, drop toilets and the water main was broken. Very low key if that's what you're looking for. We stopped by a small park and saw the old iron furnace, pretty cool and lot's of places to picnic. 

We loved our site, the H loop and the variety of things we got to do while we were there.

This has ranked #1 for campgrounds for our family this season.

Nestled in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, this campground has all the things your family could want to do in nature.

Check in was super easy and the staff was great.

The site was very easy to get to.

We were on site 13 and it was nearly perfectly level from left to right. It had both 30 and 50 amp hookups and water (about 35psi on pressure). Each site has a charcoal grill, a fire pit with a grate for cooking and a large picnic table.

Our site backed up to the creek and a nice little levee for fishing. You could also go up back the park and fish right at the spillway from Buckhorn Lake Dam. Really fun experience.

Hands down the best playground for kids we have seen in a campground.

They had a large bathhouse with super clean bathrooms. Unsure about showers as I use the one in my TT.

There were horseshoe pits in two locations in the campsite. Several locations to dispose of trash. They also provided trash bags upon arrival.

Laundry facilities onsite and firewood you could purchase.

The dump station was clean and easily accessible with a hose for flushing.

Erica and her husband are the hosts and were so friendly and helpful. We were there over Mother’s Day weekend and they provided coffee juice and doughnuts for Mother’s Day.

A ton of kiddos for kids to play with and a great area for their bikes, etc.

We 100% will be back to this campground this season.

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

I lived in the Dewey Lake-JWSP area with family members, until 2002. Currently, I live about 10-15 minutes away from JWSP and visit the park at least once a month, depending on the weather. If you want to mix up your trip besides going camping or doing any recreational activities: Jenny Wiley Theater, mid June-early August, Outdoor Theater, (kinda like Summer Stock); Theme or special dinners at the Lodge, (mostly on weekends), year round; the community/ state park swimming pool is currently being "refurbished" and will be reopening, (hopefully) in Summer 2019. And, speaking of recreation, you can "hit the links" at the Stone Crest Golf Course, nearby.

But, as for other recreational activities: there's bike riding, hiking, boating: recreational, travel, kayaking and fishing types. If you want to do any horseback riding, you have to bring your own horse and gear, but contact the JWSP office first on where you can ride your horse. Better yet, you can take about a 30 minute drive from the Lodge to the German Bridge Campground area up Cow Creek, which is also in the Dewey Lake area, Contact the Dewey Lake US Army Corps of Engineers for more details, (in other words, Google it). Plus, there are picnic shelters in different areas of JWSP, some of them right next to Dewey Lake.

Now, as for camping, you have 3 type choices... #1. reserving a cabin near the Lodge, (and Dewey's, the local "watering hole"), kinda like "glamping", but it's rougher. (BTW, this area and the Lodge are the best places for getting a cell phone signal). #2. RV (Recreational Vehicle) Camping. There is a RV camping site not far from where I used to live, but from my personal experience, call the JWSP office at least 2 weeks in advance before the date you plan to use the site to see if there is going to be anything available on the dates you want, before making your reservation. First come, first served! #3. A. There are tent campsites next to Dewey Lake in various areas around the lake accessible by boat only, which are overseen by the Corps of Engineers, contact them or the JWSP office. Best place in my opinion: Campsite near the Dewey Dam/ Spillway Area. B. Other Outdoor Camping: Contact the Corps of Engineers or the Park Ranger's at JWSP. If you want to see some wildlife also, contact the local KY State Fish & Wildlife office that handles JWSP and Dewey Lake.

But there's some stuff I've learned over the years living and camping in this area, that I think you must know, some of this you might have run into on other camping trips at other parks...

1. DO NOT DRINK THE WATER FROM THIS LAKE... AND DON'T SWIM IN IT EITHER!
2. FISH AT YOUR OWN RISK,,, CATCH & RELEASE! (Personally, I'd go to a pay lake).
3. FCC LICENCE 2-WAY EMERGENCY RADIO (I prefer the Motorola ones, (white & red, also has a NOAA Weather Radio and FM Radio), you can get a brand new one for between $40-$60. The FCC Licence is currently $70, the feds do a background check on you, if you get the licence, it lasts 10 years).
4. BEAR MACE - A BIG CAN OF IT! Not only do you have the Black Bears to deal with, you have the Coyotes too!
5. IF YOU ARE AT A LAKESIDE CAMPING SITE, HAVE A LIFE JACKET ON AT ALL TIMES! You might fall into the water by accident or you may have to jump into the lake at night in case of emergency!

And last, but not least...

6. DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE A MOTORBOAT! NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ON THE BOAT! EVERY PERSON ON BOARD MUST BE WEARING A LIFE JACKET! The Fish & Wildlife officers do surprise checks on the recreational boats to see if the rules are being followed... if they aren't following the rules... you may have to pay a fine and/or do some time!

The website to reserve campsites needs a lot of work but otherwise it was a great weekend of camping. E-12 was close enough to the bathrooms that it wasn’t a bad walk but we didn’t have to smell anything. Water pump was across from the campsite. Plenty of space for four tents. Sturdy pic-nic table. Fire pit with a grill connected. Two poles to with four hooks each to hang lanterns or bags. We tied a line across it and hung our towels and wet clothes. The camp ground sits next to Cave Run Lake. There is a place to launch a boat and a nice beach area for swimming. They have a store next to the beach but we didn’t go in. “Billy” did chase away from the beach after hours though. The check in station sells ice and fire wood. We saw plenty of rabbits, a wild turkey, and a deer got about 20 feet from out camp site.

Twin Knobs Campground

We stayed in the F loop on site F22 primitive camping. It had a short path to the lake, easy access for shore swimming or fishing. Great for kids and adults. Bathhouse was close and had private bathrooms/ showers.

We rented a pontoon boat from Scott's Creek Marina about 5 minutes away and had a great day on the lake. Be sure to stop into the Cave Run Bait Shop and ask them about Jiggin the Bondy.

Clean sites, clean bathrooms, firepits with grill attached, walking trails close to the water, good tree coverage around the sites