Looking for the best campgrounds near Franklin, KY? Franklin is a great camping destination for everyone. There are tons of nearby hikes, adventurous activities, and sights to see. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.
Mammoth Cave Campground puts campers in a prime spot to explore the depths and overland treasures of Mammoth Cave National Park. Mammoth Cave is an underground passageway containing more than 400 miles of naturally sculpted limestone and sandstone. It is the longest recorded cave system in the world. The grand-scale chambers and long, winding passageways were the inspiration behind the park's name. The campground doubles as an entry point to 14 miles of hiking and biking trails. It's also a five minute walk to the visitor center, where cave tours begin.
A must-do activity in the park is exploring Mammoth Cave. Walking tours of the caverns leave from the visitor center daily. There are also miles of bike trails and hiking trails within the park.
The campground is tucked inside Mammoth Cave National Park, which boasts scenic valleys along the Green River. The river is within walking distance of the camp, and the hilly Kentucky countryside expands beyond the valley. Deer and turkeys commonly stroll around the campground, so visitors are likely to see them grazing in the early morning and at dusk.
Nearly 30 miles of the Green and Nolin rivers offer canoeing and boating through the park. Commercial outfitters outside the park rent canoes, kayaks and safety equipment.Most trails north of the Green River are open for horseback riding. Commercial liveries outside the park rent horses and some may provide organized excursions.
For local information, please call (270) 758-2424 or call (270) 758-2180 for general information.
For rules and reservation policies please follow the link below: https://www.recreation.gov/rules-reservation-policies
$25 - $50 / night
This recreation area is part of Old Hickory Lake
Bailey's Point campground is the largest of the Army Corps of Engineers' campgrounds on Barren River Lake. This campground offers several waterfront campsites with scenic views of the lake. Though the campground is one of the largest, you won't know it. There is room to roam, five camping loops with diverse scenery, and private coves for swimming or mooring your boat. You are sure to find a site that's your escape to nature and relaxation. View a virtual tour of Barren River Lake.
Baileys Point has a boat ramp for access to prime fishing, water skiing and boating. Several islands in proximity to the campground are great for a quick picnic getaway by boat. Birding is also a popular activity with a variety of species including kestrels, indigo buntings, bald eagles and at night you can hear the calls of barred owls. Hikers can explore the C.E. Rager Nature Trail and the Robert Foster Hiking Trail. Robert Foster Hiking Trail gives you the opportunity to see the diversity of trees Kentucky has to offer and the C.E. Rager Nature trail is a nice short stroll along the shoreline of the lake. Great for poking around and possibly seeing the resident white squirrel of Baileys Point!
The 10,000-acre lake is hugged by wooded hillsides in south-central Kentucky. With scenic views from almost every campsite, it's sure to make for a memorable camping experience.
Across the lake from Baileys Point is the Barren River Lake State Resort Park, host of the Glasgow Highland Games. Other ramps and marinas close by are Port Oliver, Peninsula, and The Narrows. Not far away are other attractions such as the National Corvette Museum, Kentucky Down Under, Diamond Caverns, and many other day trips within reach. Visitors can explore Mammoth Cave National Park, an hour north of the campground.
Once your reservation has been created, there will be a $10.00 fee to cancel and a $10.00 fee to change your sites or dates. Cancellations made the day before, or up to the day after your arrival date will also be charged the first nights use fee. No-Shows are charged a $20.00 fee plus the first nights use fee. If your reservation is for 1 night, and you have been charged the first nights use fee, there is no $10.00 service fee.
$22 - $50 / night
Come experience the finest in Southern Outdoor Hospitality at Nashville KOA Resort. Whether you are staying at KOA campgrounds in Tennessee for the day or all week, we are here to help you create an unforgettable getaway in exciting Music City, USA. Located less than 3 miles from the Grand Ole Opry, we are the perfect destination for exploring all the wonderful shows, shopping, and dining Nashville is known for. We even offer a concierge for site-seeing tours and tickets to local events.
The campground offers RV sites for every type of RV from Big Rig Friendly Pull Through Sites that boast KOA Patios® to back-in water and electric sites. No RV? No problem. Stay in one of our Deluxe Cabins (complete with linens, towels, kitchen supplies) , reserve a rustic cabin or pitch a tent in our large grassy tent area.
$25 - $30 / night
Cedar Creek Campground on Old Hickory Lake in north-central Tennessee, offers 60 campsites and limitless options for activities like boating, hiking, fishing and relaxing on the swim beach. A picnic shelter located in the day use area may also be reserved on weekdays throughout the summer. The lake is named after the 7th U.S. President, Andrew Jackson, a Tennessee-native who earned the nickname "Old Hickory," because of his tough, aggressive personality.
Sailing, swimming and fishing are popular activities for visitors interested in water sports, while birders and wildlife viewers will delight in the abundance of migratory songbirds, waterfowl and white-tailed deer. Wild turkeys and rabbits also frequent the area.
Old Hickory Lake is a 22,500 acre reservoir, primarily fed by the waters of the Cumberland River. The lake is surrounded by shady wooded areas and grassy flatlands, and offers an impressive 440 miles of scenic shoreline.
Cedar Creek is just beyond the Nashville metropolitan area. Head to the "Music City" to tour the Country Music Hall of Fame or explore former President, Andrew Jackson's early 19th century home, "The Hermitage," a National Historic Landmark. Also located just minutes from the park is the Shutes Branch Mountain Bike Trail.
* Once your reservation has been created, there will be a $10.00 fee to cancel and a $10.00 fee to change your site or dates. * Cancellations made the day before, or up to the day after your arrival date will also be charged the first nights use fee. * No-Shows are charged a $20.00 fee plus the first nights use fee. * If your reservation is for 1 night, and you have been charged the first nights use fee, there is no $10.00 service fee.
$30 - $50 / night
This recreation area is part of Barren River Lake
Scout
Great for quick, hassle free stop while traveling. Just 5 miles south of Western Kentucky Parkway on US highway 431. Also has several seasonal workers from Paradise Power Plant staying here during an outage. School bus picks kids op at the stop sign. Really nice family hosts. Full hookups at each site and new picnic tables. Beautiful country and Dollar General just down the road.
Legend
Tailwater CG - Glasco, KY 1/1/25
(72 yr olds in 27’ trailer.)
Overall Rating: 4 for an overnight stay. Great winter price, but 40 minutes from 65 w trailer.
Price 2024: $8 w interagency pass during winter
Security: Host’s site at entry.
Usage during visit: Only us
Visual Privacy Between Adjacent Sites: No
Site Spacing: Close. Varies.
Pad surface: Gravel
Reservations: Required. Can be made at the cg.
Outside Road Noise: No
Through Traffic in campground: No
Electric Hookup: Yes, however off during winter 24/25.
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: Yes
Potable Water Available: Yes. Only at one location during winter.
Generators: Allowed.
Bathroom: Two. Flush Bath and showers bathhouse is closed during winter. Pit toilets at far end open.
Pull Throughs: One.
Cell Service (Verizon): 1 to 3 bars
Setting: Along River
Recent Weather: Cold nights.
Solar: Yes
Host: Yes, helpful.
Rig Size: Varies between sites.
Sites: Some sites back up to the river. These are the best locations, I think.
Legend
Our GPS brought us right to this KOA resort near the Grand Old Opry. Check-in was fairly quick and we were escorted to pull through site J-2 with FHUs and KOA patio. The utilities are more to the front of the site with two sewer connections. We had decent water pressure. This campground (CG) has a lot of mature trees that would make satellite iffy depending on the site. We got 4 bars on Verizon and used our MiFi versus Starlink for our overnight stay. The KOA WiFi was very good when we tried it. The CG has the upgraded sites, cabins, and amenities to include a shuttle bus stop to make this a true resort. However, there are sections of, as they say around here,“residents that have been here a minute.” For the most part their areas are clean, but when someone starts their old diesel truck up at 3:45 AM for 15 minutes before going to work it takes away from the resort ambiance. There’s also a lot of interstate noise. The playground area across from us went crazy with kids running around and screaming with no adult supervision. The office staff was very nice and helpful. We stopped by the office to let them know that one of our sewer connections was missing a cap. The issue was fixed before we go back to our campsite. The gift shop at the office is well stocked with sundry items and souvenirs. Overall, this KOA was a pleasant experience.
Legend
This KOA was easy to find by following our GPS. We checked in about 45 minutes prior to their 1:00 PM check in time and they didn’t even mention us being early. We decided we didn’t need an escort to our site as it was near the office. We proceeded to deluxe-patio pull-through site H-4 with FHUs. The utilities were nicely placed in the middle of the pad. Water pressure was good at about 50 psi. This site has plenty of shade as does most sites in the campground (CG) due to mature trees, so we did not put out Starlink. We got 4 bars LTE on Verizon and used our MiFi versus Starlink. Site H-4 has a utility box on the yard side, so we had extra space between the adjacent site. They have a decent sized dog park with an agility set up. This KOA has a lot of amenities and lives up to a Holiday KOA rating. The dog park is a nice size. They have a decent laundry room behind the office with 4 washers and 8 dryers. It’s$2.50 to wash and$1.50 to dry. They have 2 fishing ponds. The large one you can keep 2 fish for$20 and the small one is catch and release. There’s some traffic noise from I-65 and surrounding roads. Our main reason to visit the area was to visit the National Corvette Museum. We enjoyed our two night stay.
Scout
Until midnight there was a loud microphone with drunk people trying to sing karaoke where it was heard around campground. Slurring speech and cursing. No respect to others trying to sleep.
Was booked for the weekend but leaving after night 1.
Scout
We cook, kayak, camp, & fish. It has a peaceful family atmosphere, beautiful sunsets*, clean grounds & bathhouse , safe & secure sights, gated at night and patrolled daily by Sherrifs Dept.
Guide
The campsites are surrounded by trees and it’s beautiful. Campsite has good showers too which is a plus. Nearby mammoth caves!
TravelerBest State Park we have stayed at to date..everything was better than expected. Staff very helpful.
Scout
Price ok, friendly staff, facilities ok, live music and shuttle service togo downtown. That’s all we need.
GuideWe stayed two nights. In a perfect world, I would give Two Rivers only four stars because the scenery isn't much. But given where they are located, crammed in with two other RV parks and a Camping World all next to the highway, there isn't any way to make things better.
The people are super friendly and helpful. The sites, though small, are clean and well maintained. The electricity and water both worked as they should. We ended up with a site without sewer so had to use the dump station but that was easy to access and clean.
We will definitely stay at Two Rivers Campground the next time we come to Nashville.
GuideVery quiet, clean, and nice campground. Very close to Mammoth Cave. Shower facilities were very very clean. Nice well spaced sites.
Travelernice staff
restrooms o.k.
over 90 Dollars with 3 Kids 🫣
loud (near the street).
Not our place, but good to explore the city with a cheap Shuttle to downtown.
Legend
We’re staying one night for Mammoth Cave and added a second night thanks to the activities offered. For a family that usually only spends one night that’s a big deal. The kids are super excited to do the lake inflatable course and have already enjoyed the nice playground and bouncing pad. We chose a standard site so I didn’t expect much. For the price it’s great to have all the hookups but it’s not level at all. I parked at an angle, propped up the front and our full slide gives it a wonky tilt so got it pretty good. It could probably use another level of blocks at the front. Just wonky sites. But nice and wide
Guide
We really enjoyed the four days we spent at the Mammoth Caves Campground, right in the national park. I have to correct some information on this listing, though. There are no electric hookups. There is water available at spots throughout the campground, but not at the sites. There is one difficult to use dump station. Also, internet connections are terrible. You need to rely on the WiFi at the visitor center and lodge.
Setting that aside, it’s a beautiful, wooded campground with large and generally level sites. You’re right in the middle of the park, with all it has to offer. Its about a ten-twelve minute walk to the Visitor Center, which is where all the cave tours and many of the hiking trails start. The Visitor Center also has a great exhibit explaining the geology and history of the park and area. It is connected by a pedestrian bridge to the park lodge, which has several restaurants. Both buildings are wonderfully air conditioned, which helped a lot in the August heat.
Also helping with the heat are the caves themselves, which are spectacular and not to be missed. Other activities right in the park are lots of hiking opportunities and canoe and kayak rental.
There are modern and very clean bathrooms throughout the campground. It’s a mystery why they didn’t include showers when they built those bathrooms. Instead there are paid showers in the building housing the camp store. You insert six quarters and get a decent amount of time. For me, this was the only real downside of the campground, one I could put up with given all the other advantages.
Site 35B was a great site and was next to a small field, giving us extra space and privacy.
Guide
I stayed in spot 87 for 4 days. It was a clean camp with all kinds of variety of camping spots. The only reason is not getting 5 stars is bc it's right on the Interstate, and that noise wasn't the most peaceful. There were a ton of things for kids and families to do. There was a pool, playground, pond, etc. There were some really cool wagon tents, teepee's, and actual tree houses.
Guide
This is one of the cleanest campgrounds with excellent water views and you can pull your kayaks or floats into the river from your site..clean river lots of fisherman out ..we are in the C loop C007 and the site is amazing there are many riverside sites but some are primitive so make sure to double check
RangerAfter completing the warranty work at Camping World, we enjoyed this fabulous campground for two months.
The vibe is great, the campground is clean, and the office staff is fabulous. We enjoyed playing putt-putt golf and fishing in the catch-and-release and paid ponds.
Be sure to check out the Flight Museum across the street, the Corvette Museum, and the friendly people in the area.
The only downside is at night due to the road noise from the I-65/I-165 split.
Ranger
In 2023, We stayed at this resort in the summer months. At the end of our travels in 2023, we stayed through the winter as they are open year-round.
The staff was exceptional, and the resort is about 20 minutes from downtown Nashville.
I do not recommend camping on a shore site during winter, as the wind is colder off the lake.
Propane is available on-site, and the laundry room takes CC/Debit and is clean.
Scout
Nice campground with full amenities- staff very pleasant and helpful
Guide
We stayed at Singing Hills for three nights while visiting Mammoth Cave NP. Beth was super helpful via email even before our arrival with advice on tour tickets. My wife has mobility issues and she had good suggestions for us.
Eldon checked us in and gave us recommendations for restaurants which were outstanding. I'm quite sure that our truck is now over-gross :-P
The camping was just fine. Grounds are well tended. Spaces are gravel. Water, sewer, and electric all did what they should.
The next time we are in the area, we will definitely return to Singing Hills.
TravelerWe loved our visit here! We stayed two nights with our dog and felt very safe. Campsites appear close at first but actually felt comfortably private. People walk and bike along the roads and it felt very friendly. Bathrooms are clean and cool. There’s a camp store, Caver’s, with food, souvenirs, showers, and bathroom. Super close to the visiting center for tours.
Traveler
This campground has tried to cram as many people into it at one time as possible. Sites are very close to each other that you could hear your neighbor burp or fart at any time day or night. Otherwise, the campground is clean with good amenities. If you are lucky enough to get a lake side spot, the views are good, but again, you will have neighbors.
Legend
The campground(CG) is easy to get to off I-24. We checked in and proceeded unescorted to site 22 with FHUs. The utilities are centered on the gravel pad and it was nice to have two sewer holes as our rig has two black tanks. We needed to flush each tank well, as we were heading to our home base near St. Louis. The water pressure was good at 50 psi and we got 3 bars 5G. There are a lot of mature trees so satellite may be iffy. We did not put out our Starlink for this one-night stay. Their free WiFi was okay. They accommodate both short stays, transient workers, and permanent parties. Not sure we’d call this place a“resort,” but they do have a small dog park, pool, laundry, dump station, and propane fills. This was our second time overnighting at this park. The first time we were closer to the interstate and this time we were at the front of the CG. It did not matter as this CG has the most interstate noise of any we’ve stayed.
Scout
Senior Pass $12/night. Wide, level campsite on the water. Very nice and well kept. Great Starlink access.
ScoutUgh, I hate to write bad reviews...but this was, to us, such a bad experience, from what I call deceptive pricing, to location within camp, no signage/direction locators, crowding, safety issues, and more. 1) Our"delux" cabin was located/surrounded in a row filled with BIG RVs. 2) There was no signage/location indicators at the dark row corners or roads within park. It is even hard to identify what are actually road at night so finding it at night amongst the HUGH RVs was horrific! 3) There was no sidewalks or places to walk except on the one lane roads...this is unsafe for kids, especially if you have to go out at night. 4) The"Deluxe" cabin is small, but tha bathtub is REALLY small. More of a small kids tub. 5) Air conditioner is across from foot of bed. The grid on the front of ours was broken, so the air came straight at us on bed, made the bed sheets feel moist and uncomfortable to sleep on. 6) Sun shines in from window above tub into room blinding you, we had to stuff a towel over it. 7) Crowding. Spaces are small, so there are BIG RVs boxing you in everywhere. 8) Floor tiles are warped on edges, you can tell animals have went to the bathroom on them. 9) Floor was dirty (room itself was clean and looked good and so was the bed sheets) 10) Pricing, to me, was deceptive, see my receipt. In making the reservation online, I put 2 adults and 2 pets. It came up$182.69 as a total and I paid that. There is a note that other charges for"additional" adults, pets, etc may apply. It says"additional" not that they don't charge you for your pets until you get there. So I had to pay an additional $58...making my total for the night almost $250. Would never stay again!
GuideOnly negative is you must bring your own fireplace and it must be raised off the ground. Parking with our truck and trailer was a little awkward, we were a little too long for the spot we were in and the person next to us had the same issue. The staff was super friendly and everything was well kept. Everything else was pretty much everything you’d expect from an rv park. There’s a $10 round trip shuttle that takes you to downtown Nashville from the campground parking lot which is super convenient!
TravelerBit over priced. It went up each night we stayed. We had a fifth wheel on a standard gravel 30/50 amp site. Full hook up. Advertised internet but there wasn’t any in the section we stayed. There was a little shade in our area. The whole place is alternated by cabins and camping sites. There is grass between every site. Plenty of playgrounds, a pool and pond/beach. Golf cart rentals are $55 per day and people run them all day and night. Golf carts were playing music at midnight. This place does not sleep. And if you bring dogs, you must physically show them the rabies tag, they don’t check their email. Even though you pick a spot on their map they will change you to a different spot unless you pay the $35 extra to “lock in” a specific spot.
Camping near Franklin, Kentucky, offers a mix of beautiful nature and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventure-filled getaway, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near Franklin, KY, offers a variety of experiences for everyone. Whether you're in an RV or tent camping, there's something for you!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Franklin, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, Franklin, KY offers a wide range of camping options, with 111 campgrounds and RV parks near Franklin, KY and 2 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Franklin, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Franklin, KY is Mammoth Cave Campground — Mammoth Cave National Park with a 4.5-star rating from 136 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Franklin, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 2 free dispersed camping spots near Franklin, KY.
What parks are near Franklin, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 19 parks near Franklin, KY that allow camping, notably Bankhead National Forest and Chugach National Forest.
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