Best Glamping near Grand Rivers, KY

Canal campground is right on the canal that connects Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake at the north end of Land Between the Lakes. Sitting on the north side of the Canal, just outside of Grand Rivers, KY, where the famous Patti's Settlement boasts a two inch thick pork chop and home cooked everything. Canal campground books fast, and offers a substantial number of activities for all ages. Very well upkept and constantly making improvements, this is a favorites campground for folks from miles around.

Some sites have gorgeous views of Lake Barkley. Immaculate and well maintained. Close to Grand Rivers and the famous Patti's Porch Restaurant, currently being rebuilt after a disastrous fire.

Canal Campground is definitely a busy campsite. Right outside Grand Rivers , Ky and along the canal that connects the two lakes. Reserve WAY ahead if you want one of the premium sites. Of course what you consider premium may not be what I consider premium.....which at this campground they would have us both covered by the variety of site types and locations.

The Campground is large enough that you can get some excercise right on site, jog, walk or bike. OR jump in your water craft from the boat ramp/dock within the campground and maneuver into either lake for site seeing, fishing and other water fun. OR jump in your car and visit one of the many trailheads throughout Land Between The Lakes, visit Patti's in Grand Rivers and explore the surrounding area which has several local attractions.

One of The only things LBL doesn't have is mountains to climb but there are plenty of awesome views.

not the best place if you like tents and nature. it's a well maintained campground with a private beach, a shower house, washing machines, and a playground. there are golf carts everywhere! this isn't a bad thing if your into that but don't go here thinking you'll be spending your trip among nature. canal is run by the Corp of Engineers. It's really more of an RV park with trees and water than a campground. on the bright side you can drive a golf cart to the local town ( Grand Rivers ) which has some neat stuff to see.

Canal Recreation Area is right by Grand Rivers, Ky and Patti's Settlement. That right there is enough said as far as outdoor activities go. Then you have Canal Rec Area that just adds too the vacation.

Book early because the best sites stay full, but really they are all pretty good sites. The different areas cover just about anything you are looking for in a site from big rig pull through sites, tiered tent sites, water and beach access sites and boat ramp sites.

There is a trail within the campground to walk, a day use area, newer showerhouse/laundry facilities and dump stations. The area is large enough to jog, bike and golf cart. If your not interested in the nearby entertainment there is enough to do right on site to keep you occupied for your entire vacation be it a day or a week+

Redd Hollow Campground is off Rt453 in Land Between The Lakes. Depending on which way you are coming from there is access from Dover, Tn (south)and Grand Rivers, Ky (north). Or right in the middle Rt 68 which drops you in near Golden Pond visitors center where you will need to get a Basic Camping pass $30 annually if you want to camp at these primitive areas in LBL.

Bring your bug spray, bug candles, bug everything. Of course if your primitive camping its to be expected.

Well maintained gravel roads to sites, make sure you check in at the visitor center for info. There is a pit toilet in the camping area, picnic tables and fire rings. A dumpster and boat ramp make it very homey and convenient. Several of the sites have direct access to the water and there are some secluded and unique sites. Drive all the way through before you pick your location cause there are some with interesting views and Tree Tent size trees.

Right on Lake Barkley where it joins Kentucky Lake. Over 200,000 acres of lake. We had sites 76 and 77. The roads to the sites have a lot of curves be careful not to clip your trailer on a tree. Our sites were easy to back in, plenty of room for the two tables that were there. The sites are gravel, but you do have water and electric hookups. Very quiet and peaceful place. Bath houses were clean and stocked, campground was clean. There is a beach area and also a playground for the kids. While your here be sure to go to the elk and bison prairie.

Very beautiful campground and park. Very spacious sites, and there was hardly anyone there , so it seemed like we had the campground to ourselves. So peaceful. The shower house was very nice and clean and had flush toilets. However the other restrooms were not so nice (pit toilets with spiders and mosquitoes everywhere). The campground host was really nice. Also note that there is no place to buy ice or firewood nearby. We crossed the ferry and went to Marion Kentucky and found some there. The park and ferry is really cool. There is a lodge that has a nice restaurant and a bar. If you want to buy alcohol the nearest place is Elizabethtown where they have a liquor store. Overall this is a wonderful campground and we will return someday!

Had a great 3 day 2 night stay here. All you need to camp here is a camping permit from Land Between the Lakes which is 30 dollars online. If you have a Kentucky resident sportsmans licence this permit is included in that! Each site has a 2 foot across firepit with a grill plate that is hinged so you can flip it on or off the fire. Some of the sites are about 10 to 15 yards from the water while others are a good ways from it. There is no electricity at any of the sites however there is a central dumpster for trash and a composting toilet as well as a boat ramp. The sites are gravel pads with a fire pit and a concrete picnic table. Easily fit my 3 person tent with a 9 x 12ft tarp as a foot print and two vehicles with still room to walk around easily in the site.

Redd Hollow Campground is one of many dispersed campgrounds in Land Between The Lakes(LBL), Ky. 

30$ annually and you can set up camp almost anywhere in LBL. There are basic campgrounds and you can backpack in to primitive sites.

Redd Hollow has site posts, cement picnic tables fire rings and a pit toilet. There are several sites water level where you can put in to the lake and there are some very picturesque sites that overlook the lake. First come first get. It was a relatively peaceful area sans the generators;)

Things to do: 

There is a North/South trail that runs the length of LBL. There are several access points where you can hike sections of the trail. 

We visited the Elk and Bison Prairie near Golden Pond Visitors Center. A drive through observation area. The visitor center also offers planetarium shows and nature programs. 

Nearby: Off Rt 68/80 , 15 miles away is Cadiz, Ky. An opportunity to be a tourist in small town Kentucky. Farmers Market and antiques, plus a yearly ham festival. Try out “Ferrell’s Snappy Services”, a hamburger restaurant that’s been around since 1929.

Being close to water is always nice, and our family always looks for this when we are traveling away from home to camp. Kentucky Lake is nearby, and we spent most of our day here. We towed our small boat from home because we wanted to be able to enjoy being on the water (and my dad wanted to fish). There is running water and showers available on site, although I just jumped in the lake and shampooed my hair in their :) Very large campground, which was nice. Lots of room between campsites. Always a plus for us. The campground itself was really nice, we were actually very impressed. The campsites were well marked and had a picnic table, fire ring and a hanging rack which was super nice! We hung our wet suits from being in the lake all day. Great hiking nearby too. We would hike in the morning, and play in the water the rest of the day. The attendants/rangers were awesome, and directed us in the right place for hiking. You can see from my pictures attached that we hiked almost everyday. We would definitely stay here again next time we are in the area.

We stayed at site D3 over Memorial Day weekend. I was pretty nervous when we first saw the site, it was literally on a hillside. We have two small kids and were with family (in adjacent D4) so we really hoped for a site with flat space for the kids to play in, but there was absolutely no grassy area. That didn't stop us from having a good time!

The D loop was nice and quiet with very little traffic. We were very close to the lake to drop our kayaks in the water or fish without going far, always a plus!

Bathrooms were very clean for camp restrooms. The showers were in their own rooms, so that was really nice. Great water pressure and it wasn't a push button shower like some campgrounds have!

Since we have kids, we had to check out the play ground. It was pretty disappointing with only a couple swings, a hot metal slide and a climbing bar. The beach was far from impressive with basically gravel as half of the beach. I wasn't expecting Florida beaches in Kentucky, but in Indiana we have nice sandy beaches at lakes so I was disappointed.

The lake was gorgeous and perfect for kayaking though, with lots of nice coves to explore and wildlife to see. I saw a doe with a spotted fawn nursing on my first trip onto the water

All in all, if you want flat spaces, don't go to loop D, loop C was much flatter. We probably won't return, but it was a nice stay, but probably better for those without small kids to entertain.

Paducah is a cute little city in Kentucky that my family and I love to visit whenever we get the chance. The town is really cool, and has that "old" town vibe. The buildings are beautiful. There are actually a few campgrounds in this town, one of them "I-24." This campground has a country feel, and it more so for people who are traveling and making a pit stop to rest. There are a lot of RV's. There are quite a few beautiful rivers close by, and there are also 2 lakes nearby. We spent a whole day at the lake when we stayed. It was busy, but nice to be on the water. We saw people enjoying fishing, water tubing, water skiing and jet skiing. We also saw people on kayaks, which looked like a blast! There is a golf course nearby too, although we didn't enjoy this close amenity. One thing we did enjoy was hiking some of the trails nearby. We went late spring and the wildflowers were out in full effect. The colors of the flowers were gorgeous, and I couldn't help but take hundreds of pictures of these beautiful flowers. One of the hikes brought us to a point where we could see one of the lakes. It was magical. Also-side note, there is the "National Quilt Store" in the town, and of course we had to stop because my mom requested this. It was incredible how much fabric there was. If you are in to this, I would highly recommend stopping! The campground itself was "okay." It was a little run down, but since we were in our RV we didn't really notice it much. It was also pretty busy when we went, so I'm glad we made reservations ahead of time.

Cave in Rock State Park, Il is sorta out in the middle of nowhere. That being said it is an adventure worth the trip. Weekday visits will supply you with more things to do but weekend adventures are just as fun. 

If your coming from the Kentucky side first there is Amish country to visit. Check in Marion for what’s available and where (fill your gas tank up!)

Next there is the ferry ride across. If you’ve done it a lot no big deal, but my kids used to love it every time.

Write your directions down for this whole area, the cell phone coverage is spotty and it will keep frustration down.

Signage will greet you as soon as you exit the ferry and Cave in Rock city has several small businesses you might want to visit. Plus a bunch of painted bikes...

To the right down the road a bit and your in the park.

The RV area is spread throughout a hilly, tree’d area, after being in Army Corp of Engineers last week which uses every foot of area available this campground seems huge and vacant. There were many sites occupied they are spread out across a huge area which is awesome. There is a playground near the showerhouse and a pond back in behind the playground.

The primitive area is up another hill back in the woods, my favorite. Two handicap accessible spots next to the pit toilet let’s everyone have some fun. 

If you want a shower you have to return to the RV area. These basic sites have a grill, fire pit and picnic table. Some are pretty level some not so much ;) Best of all there are several options if you have a Tentstile. 

We took a 2 mile loop hike across to the lodge, along the cliff face and down to the cave. A lot of history here and some nice views. 

This was our second outing with our new to us EVAC Trailer (www.evactrailer.com) I added some metal poles and a tarp and bam! we have an impromptu sitting area. The tool box made a nice meal prep and cooking area. Still looking at other ideas, but it’s a sturdy little trailer that is serving its purpose well!

This portion of the canal Campground, is way back in the campground but right next to the actual Canal that connects the two Lakes. There is a pavilion and a flag pole and a large area for outdoor games and activities, however outhouses are the only nearby toilet. This is a portion of the canal Campground that has traditionally been primitive camping, now however it has morphed into having Water and Electric hookups

i love everything about this campground.

They have a small playground, beach, several bath houses, a group camping “pad”, boat ramp, boat dock and easy roads for cycling.

We loved canal campground! We originally had reserved a spot at another location, after driving for 3 hours to get there we discovered it had litter strewn about and was basically a parking lot full of RV's. This was very disappointing because we are tent campers. We were contemplating just driving back home or getting a hotel but the kids were so bummed. Well anyway we happened to stumble upon Canal Campground and we are so happy we did. We camped in the primitive loop site 10 (all sites have water and electric) and it had views of the lake, it was decent on the privacy (we had 1 site that was a little too close) the part that amazed me was how clean the area and bathrooms were. We only saw 1 small spider in the bathrooms and no webs or anything. They have a dock for boats, a swimming/beach area, a playground, fishing, and golf cart rental. Overall we really enjoyed our stay and we plan on definitely coming back. 4/3/2019

Quiet, peaceful. Slots are large, definitely not confined.