Best Tent Camping near Gilbertsville, KY

Recent Tent Reviews in Gilbertsville

744 Reviews of 30 Gilbertsville Campgrounds

• 

  MickandKarla W.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 30, 2024

  Shawnee Forest Campground

  Built on an Old Golf Course

  We’d seen signs for Shawnee Forest Campground (CG) many times as we headed out and back from our St. Louis home base and wanted to check this CG out. We followed our GPS to the clearly marked CG entrance but our GPS showed we still had about a half mile to go. We checked in at the little office and were given the choice of pull through sites with FHUs 12 or 21. We chose site 21. The gravel roads are slightly narrow with some trees but we did not have any issues getting to site 21. The water and electric(50/30/20 AMP) are at the back of the gravel pad. There are two sewer hookups, which was nice. The water pressure was good around 50 psi. Their WiFi was very good. There are mature trees here and there in the CG, so satellite should not be an issue. We got two bars on Verizon. Each of the bath houses have a washer and dryer. Our site was not level and with all the rain we had, there were water puddles at the steps. There are some nice sites in this CG but we were not offered one of the better ones even though there were plenty of sites open in the upper 26- 50 site area. If we come back, we’ll know where to ask for a site. They have a small lake and two ponds for fishing. There's no formal dog area, but there are paved trails around the large CG area, which made it nice to walk our dogs.

• 

  Kim L.

  Ranger

  

  Nov. 27, 2024

  Fern Lake Campground and RV Park

  Pleasant campground on a small lake

  Quiet setting by a pretty lake. Stayed only one night on a road trip. Paducah a nice town, visited the quilt museum. Nice toilets and showers.

• 

  MickandKarla W.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 16, 2024

  Birmingham Point Campground

  Nice Lake Views

  We found this campground using Google Maps looking for different campground (CG) options. As this was the first week of November on a Tuesday, we did not have any trouble getting reservations to include getting site 25 that we’d seen recommended in reviews. When making our reservation, we were told by the owner, Angie, to follow our GPS to the end of the road where you will find the CG. Angie met us and we were escorted to pull through site 25 with water and electric(50/30/20 AMP). This pull through is a large half moon. It was difficult to get straight on the rig but we made it work for an overnighter. We would not recommended trying to anything longer than a 38’ rig into the site due to the turn to get out. We needed levelers on the door side. Once we were set up, we were delighted with this site’s lake view. The water pressure was good at about 50 psi and no issues with the 50 AMP service. We got three bars on Verizon. We could have put out satellite, but did not for this overnight stay. They have a restroom/bath house, but we didn’t use it. This CG is mostly full of seasonals. We noticed that golf carts are the thing here. As we were here during the week, there was very little CG activity. However, we can guess this place is quite festive during the summer months and associated weekends. From what gather from their website and saw, they keep about 10 sites available for short term stays(max 28). Of the 76 sites total, the only pull through was site 25. We had to maneuver to get out of the site with our running over the railroad tie border. We wouldn’t go in there with anything over 38’. The sites here vary a lot on how close they are to each other. The website states the sites are 50 feet long, which is probably correct. We enjoyed the lake view from our site plus we saw deer and eagles in the CG during our overnight stay. The owner Angie, was very nice and accommodating.

• 

  Rodarius S.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 9, 2024

  Dispersed Campsite Shawnee National Forest

  Nice spots on the highway

  Love this spot! It's easily accessible by all rig types. Backs up to the open forest and you pull right back onto the highway.

• 

  Jeff F.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 31, 2024

  Paris Landing State Park Campground

  Close to marina

  Close to the marina it's a hard walk uphill both ways to the bathroom but they are very nice and well kept. Big open areas for children to play overall very good state park campground

• 

  Jonathan H.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 18, 2024

  Dutchman Lake Camp

  Weeke d at the lake

  Great little spot right off the interstate. Lots of nice scenery and decent fishing.

• 

  Abraham

  Guide

  

  Aug. 8, 2024

  Ginger Bay Basic Camping Area

  Nice spot on the water

  A few sites at a boat launch area.

  One large site before the main turnaround point and a couple by the water.

  Not a ton of space.

  4x4 or awd may come in handy leaving the sites (going back up the gravel hill)

• L

  Lisa M.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 7, 2024

  Sugar Bay Campground

  Swimming in the lake and eat lunch on the campsite

  Only stay for several hours,haven't spent the night yet,that will be planned next

• L

  Lisa M.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 7, 2024

  Twin Lakes Campground

  Planning to camp there

  This will be the next campground to go

• 

  Twan M.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 24, 2024

  Oak Point - Lake Glendale

  Stellar Illinois

  This is a little gem of a refuge within the Shawnee NF - about 30min from Marion, down a beautiful country road before nestling among the trees around the lake. The drive is paved/gravel the whole way, so very easily drivable for anyone in anything. Plenty of camp sites, both with electric and non-electric, double and single. Bring bug spray - horseflies and ticks. Beautiful lake, beautiful biking trails, etc. Firepits w/ grates are spacious and nice, fees are online. 1 bar verizon at camp, can get up to 3 bars within the area.

• 

  Kenda A.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 18, 2024

  Taylor Bay Campground

  Beautiful LBL site

  This is lakefront with a vault toilet and no running water. On a Wednesday night everything was quiet and peaceful. It is a self serve campground.

• 

  Melissa C.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 28, 2024

  Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area Piney Campground

  Beautiful Modern Campground with lots of activities

  Piney Campground is part of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. It is wildly popular among locals and travelers alike. Lots to do for kids - bike paths, basketball court, multiple playgrounds, etc. Beautiful views of Kentucky Lake/Tennessee River, nice campground store.

• E

  Eric W.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 16, 2024

  Shawnee Forest Campground

  Great place to camp!

  We stayed 4 days and had a great time. The camp was clean and well maintained. The staff are very friendly and helpful and was more than happy to offer places to visit in the area, places to eat and provide assistance as needed. The trails are paved so we had a nice area to walk (twice around the lake from our site was 3 miles). :) We plan to visit again!

• J

  James W.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 14, 2024

  Aurora Oaks Campground

  Nice, quiet and clean

  We stayed here in our tent. The lady who checked us in was exceptionally nice and the campsites were clean quiet and shady. The restrooms were spick and span. We would certainly stay here again.

• 

  Beth LeVar L.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 11, 2024

  Bumpus Mills

  An Okay Campground

  If you want a small affordable campground this is your place. The shower house could use for some regular cleaning. I’m not sure it was cleaned at all the time we were there. Not much to do in the area but fish unless you really want to explore outside of the campground.

  I learned after our time there our site is the worst with bugs. I thought the bugs were just extra because it had rained a lot but a friend told me to never book that site bc the bugs are always backs there. Our site also gets all the rain drained from the upper site. When we checked in the host did prepare us our site would flood for a few areas since rain was expected.

  The sunsets were fabulous!

• 

  Matthew Z.

  Traveler

  

  May. 30, 2024

  Dutchman Lake Camp

  Road trip break

  Beautiful spot with easy access and not far off the highway

• 

  Denton T.

  Scout

  

  May. 22, 2024

  Union County Fair

  Kentucky Bike Ralley

  I stayed here and camped for a bike rally. I think you can only camp during an event. And cost is different from each event. Nice place

• 

  Jeremy K.

  Guide

  

  May. 19, 2024

  KOA Campground Kentucky Lakes Prizer Point

  Great week in May

  Stayed here for a week and it was great. Plenty to do to keep you busy. Nice pool with retractable roof. Playset for kids. Full service marina with boat rentals. Golf cart rentals as well.

• 

  Brian F.

  Scout

  

  May. 15, 2024

  Shawnee Forest Campground

  Great and clean!

  Great little stop, everything is clean and a fresh shower was refreshing.

• 

  Siegfried M.

  Guide

  

  May. 12, 2024

  Cave-in-Rock State Park

  Awesome Campground

  Was the only one there $ 20 with Electricity, what a Deal Steve is a great Host Also had free Music….. Cicadas

• 

  Dante V.

  Guide

  

  May. 9, 2024

  Oak Point - Lake Glendale

  Solar Eclipse Crossroads

  We camped here during the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse and it was also the overflow site which at that time was the side of the camp entrance road. Fast forward to April 7,8 & 9 2024 We are again on overflow campground where this time was their group camping site which was much better than the side of the road. The overflow site has 4 unisex bathrooms but no showers (showers are at the main campground) there is dining (open) pavilion with a fireplace and a filtered well water system. We had a blast watching the Total Solar Eclipse.

• E

  Emily S.

  Traveler

  

  May. 7, 2024

  Redd Hollow

  Clean, quiet, beautiful

  Stayed 2 nights. Nearly empty, but we’ll kept camp. Best sunsets!!! Lake is beautiful. Many many lakeside spots. Lots of room.

• 

  Jon H.

  Scout

  

  May. 6, 2024

  Oak Point Campground

  Nice national park campground

  Location is everything and this is well in the middle of a great area in Shawnee National Forest. Garden of the gods, Bell Smith springs, Ferne State park, and on and on. You can spend a week here and not see everything.
  There are primitive and electric (with water) sites. There are no sites with sewer hookup. There is a dump station at the entrance.

  Sites are generally level and well kept. Very large rigs (35+) will be challenging, but I've seen them - more towards the front. There are some lake front spots that can be had. Sites are first come and there are no reservations taken. During the week, no problem. Weekends would be iffy.

  Large lake with swimming, fishing, kayaking. Also has a bike trail around it - maybe 2 miles.

  Shower houses are kept clean, but as of this posting, they need some maintenance work.

  All in all, this is a must stop if you want to enjoy what the area has to offer.

• G

  George L.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 24, 2024

  COE Lake Barkley Canal Campground

  Nice campground, disgusting bathroom.

  Primitive campground with electric and water, who knew. Nice sites well kept. Showers were disgusting, drain had accumulated crud. Sinks also gross.

• 

  Katrin M.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 10, 2024

  Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park

  Campground near the dam.

  We camped here with our pups to see the eclipse in Paducah. The area is not really pretty or scenic. You can walk to the dam from the campground but it's nothing super special to see. There is dead fish laying around everywhere and it also smells like it. The campsites are very confusing. There is no map anywhere, except online. Sometimes you can't even read the numbers on the piles. The bathhouse was pretty ok. It was cleaned daily and always stocked. The water pressure was very low. Our camp host was super awesome and nice. There are also no hiking trails close by. The town of Paducah was worth a visit, otherwise we would not camp there again.

• 

  lowrent0321

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 9, 2024

  Cravens Bay - LBL Lake Access

  Quite, Private.

  Very nice campground, better than what I expected. We stayed at site 20 with a 36' travel trailer we had to actually drive all the way to the end of the campground to turn around so we could back into the site.  Cravens Bay is secluded and about a 2 mile drive off the main road running through LBL.

  There is a attendant at the site that you have to check in with first who will let you know what sites are available and pay after you have chosen your site and settled in.  The attendant station did have some snacks for sale as well ice, also in the event that you may need assistance with any problems at you camp site or even with your camper the attendant more than likely has the tools to help you.

  The road leading into the campsite is paved but narrow, the roads at the campsite are well hard packed gravel and very narrow.  Cravens Bay basically breaks down into two areas, the low ground (first sites upon entering) and the high ground (sites further in at the top of the hill), there are some sites scattered in-between these two areas but for the most part the largest campsites areas are the high and low ground sites.  The sites in-between the two high and low ground areas are very private and two are definitely secluded.

  We stay three days and during that time other than the occasional fisherman or the attendant driving by it was definitely very private and quite.  There were some seasonal campers there who were very helpful and friendly (even cut up some timber for us to burn).  

  If you don't mind not having any hook ups and dry/boon docking with your camper Cravens Bay has a lot to offer in terms of privacy, peace, boating, fishing, and swimming.  Defiantly for the nature lovers out there, nothing like seeing a Bald Eagle hunting fish while drinking coffee first thing in the morning.

• 

  Angela C.

  Ranger

  

  Apr. 8, 2024

  Paducah-Kentucky Lake KOA

  Great overnight!

  We called from the road to get an overnight stop - the staff were super nice both on the phone and in person. When we arrived, the lady who checked us in gave me a coupon for the drive-in movie theater that was literally down the road. Normally, when we camp we arrive so late it’s impossible to take advantage of area attractions so we decided to go and can I tell you, it was awesome!!! The theater accommodated our camper and the food (cheese fries especially) at the snack stand was great. As far as the campground, our site was a bit hilly but we had a nice view of the lake and close proximity to the playground. My kids also enjoyed the pool. Solid place to overnight!