Best Glamping near Irvine, KY

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 big campground is a hidden gem near Red River Gorge. The road getting to the campsite is mostly one lane so is you are in an RV, go slow. The area for RV's is a little tight in the trees and probably won't accommodate an extremely large vehicle. However, there is a huge open field on further into the camp that should be fairly easy to turn around in. The huge field is available for tent campers, but these are primitive sites with no water/electricity. The improved sites with water/electricity are closer to The Pavilion and Shake Out Lounge. The Pavilion is a great place to gather and talk with friends or enjoy the big campfire next to it. The Shake Out Lounge has a tv, free wifi and free books to borrow. There is a bathhouse with toilets and showers. There are 2 locations to obtain firewood on the campground. They also sell ice. There is not a store on site, but a short drive up the road there is a general & grocery store that also sells fresh made sandwiches. There are cabins to rent. The cabins are tucked in the trees and are very cozy. The cabin we stayed in on one of our visits, had a queen bed, kitchen area and bathroom with a shower. Plenty of trees to hang a hammock, as well. Some of the cabins overlook the beautiful lake. The lake is perfect for swimming in and has a dock and life jackets for campers use. The gravel/dirt road getting to the lake is steep, so I recommend walking down to the lake. Fishing is allowed with a permit in the lake. There are hiking trails and dogs are welcome at the campground. Overall, a great campground for individuals, friends and families.

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

First impression was not your typical campground. This is a climbers haven, so expect to see a lot of “down to earth”, modern “hippie” types in their converted/or not vans.

There are limited 30 amp sites and several sites with electric. Lazy Oaks and Piney are in the trees, Cardinal which is good for larger RVs is in the field , no shade. Then there are two wide open fields where you can set up wherever you please and a new area under construction as of Fall 2019. They are also constructing a new showerhouse. I spoke with the office ladies and they are pretty flexible with accommodating campers. The trails on site are being cleared. And there is breakfast for guests on certain mornings and a “shack” and pavilion for all to use. I stayed in the red roof cabin which was small but pretty awesome. Full kitchen, bathroom, gas fireplace heater and loft w/three beds. Then there’s the porch overlooking the little lake. There are several cabins of varying size to rent, one with a HOT TUB! Definitely worth a visit. Natural Bridge State Park is nearby as well as several adventure based businesses.

We decided to go down for a weekend to see how we'd like it. It's situated high up on the Kentucky river bank which is nice but there's little access to the riverbank except from the floating dock and boat ramp. When we arrived there was left overs from the previous flood which made it very muddy. It's definitely dog friendly but with no trails to really walk them on. We found a game trail that took us down to the riverbank at the end of the campground and found a goat hanging in a tree from the previous flooding. Perfect campground for partiers who don't respect quiet hours and those who stay at their camper the whole 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.