Are you planning a tent camping trip to Gilbertsville? We've got you covered. Finding a place to camp in Kentucky with your tent has never been easier. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Gilbertsville campsites are perfect for tent campers.
The campground is located at the edge of the Environment Education Waterfowl Refuge on Taylor Bay of Lake Barkley. Called a "back country" campground, it is primarily used by hunters and anglers and features great waterfowl watching. Boats can be tied up at some of the lakefront sites. The campground has two sections. One section is to the right of campground's entrance and features very shady sites tucked into a heavy stand of mixed hardwood trees stretching up the hillside. The second section is to the left and has more open sites scattered around a loop. These sites are along the shore and have a view of Taylor Bay. Seasonal camp site leases are available for some sites through an annual, open-to-the-public, lottery. Contact LBL for more information. Possible day trips are the North and South Welcome Stations, Golden Pond Visitor Center, the Planetarium, Elk and Bison Prairie, Woodlands Nature Station, and The Homeplace.
$10 / night
You may camp almost anywhere in Land Between the Lakes (LBL). A Basic Camping Permit is required for each person 18 and over when camping in Basic Camping Facilities. A Dispersed Camping Permit is required when camping in non-designated areas of the recreation area. Both permits currently cost $50 for annual permit and $10 for a three-day permit and can be purchased https://www.landbetweenthelakes.us/reservations/ or any LBL facility. Please note that these permits do not apply when camping at Self-Service Campgrounds.
Jackson Falls offers many opportunities for technical climbing and is a beautiful scenic area of the Shawnee National Forest. It is in the general forest area located east of the small town of Ozark, IL. This non-developed area has a small trailhead with a vault toilet. A short trail leads from the trailhead to the top of Jackson Falls. There are high dangerous bluffs in the area, visitors should be cautious and aware of their surroundings. Camping is allowed here at no cost, since this is part of the general forest area and not a developed campground. Access: A narrow gravel road leads to the Jackson Falls Trailhead, but then the road becomes dirt and deadends past the trailhead.
Traveler
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.
Guide
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
Scout
Great little spot right off the interstate. Lots of nice scenery and decent fishing.
Guide
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)
Scout
Only stay for several hours,haven't spent the night yet,that will be planned next
Scout
This will be the next campground to go
Ranger
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.
Guide
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.
Guide
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.
Scout
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!
Traveler
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.
Guide
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!
TravelerBeautiful spot with easy access and not far off the highway
ScoutI 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
Guide
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.
ScoutGreat little stop, everything is clean and a fresh shower was refreshing.
Guide
Was the only one there $ 20 with Electricity, what a Deal Steve is a great Host Also had free Music….. Cicadas
GuideWe 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.
Traveler
Stayed 2 nights. Nearly empty, but we’ll kept camp. Best sunsets!!! Lake is beautiful. Many many lakeside spots. Lots of room.
Scout
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.
Scout
Primitive campground with electric and water, who knew. Nice sites well kept. Showers were disgusting, drain had accumulated crud. Sinks also gross.
Traveler
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.
Ranger
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!
Traveler
This was a fantastic dispersed camping spot! A few cars went by looking for whatever, but the road dead ends at Energy Lake. It was quiet most of the time. Occasionally heard some obnoxious people across the lake where I believe a campground is located. Also heard a sound during the night, possibly coyotes. Otherwise, I felt safe and had a great time here!! The ground was flat and there was a lot of room. We were just passing through and needed somewhere quiet to sleep after two days of driving. There is a lot to do in this area! I hope I got the location right… it wouldn’t let me add the exact coordinates I saved when I was there.
Traveler
I stayed at two difderent spots in March 2024. You might need 4wd; it had rained all day before I got here and there were some rough/sloppy patches in the road. The pit toilt at the entrance is about a 10-12 minute drive away. Both spots had fire pits
Ranger
This is a convenient and pleasant campground, just off exit 3 on I24 in Paducah. The staff was friendly and walked us to our site and showed us the hookups. He gave us a lovely spot in the shade by the little lake. Have not used the showers yet so can't comment on that. We stayed on a Sunday night. The park was about half full. Seems to be a nice quiet family place.
They are across the street from a Mexican restaurant. There is a liquor store next door. Other businesses nearby.
Noise from the nearby traffic may bother some, but we didn't mind it and it was not loud enough to hear inside our RV.
It is a good place for us to stop on our way from MN to visit friends in FL. Also convenient for visiting the National Quilting Museum. We will stop here again.
GuideBeautiful little spots as you come in. Quiet and easy to get too.
Camping near Gilbertsville, Kentucky, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventure-filled getaway, there are several campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near Gilbertsville, Kentucky, has something for everyone, from families to RV enthusiasts. With beautiful campgrounds and plenty of activities, it’s a great spot for your next outdoor adventure!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Gilbertsville, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Gilbertsville, KY is Cravens Bay - LBL Lake Access with a 4.7-star rating from 7 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Gilbertsville, KY?
TheDyrt.com has all 34 tent camping locations near Gilbertsville, KY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
