Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area

Nickell branch is a Backcountry area in Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in Kentucky. This is a very primitive camping that is first come first serve. It requires a Backcountry or dispersed camping permit which is available at any of the visitor centers.

Hillman Ferry is the northernmost full service campground in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area and is an excellent base camp for exploring the LBL and other recreation opportunities in the area. And are there ever choices! To start, Hillman Ferry sits on Kentucky Lake and has many sites right on the water and it’s own boat ramp for those with boats. Lake Barkley is about 5 miles to the east and offers just as much water recreation - both lakes are massive impoundments and f the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. The campground has sites ranging from primitive to full hookup and offers a camp store, lots of space for kids to play and enjoy the water and is relatively close to town for fuel, Highway access and other activities in the LBL like the bison and elk prairie, nature center, planetarium 1850’s farm and hiking and OHV trails. The LBL is HUGE and we loved our stay and can’t wait to come again to explore more of the region. Hillman Ferry is highly recommended!

Lady running the place was friendly and helpful. Park was very very clean. Bathrooms were very clean and showers had locking stall doors. Play area, pool and dog park. Site pretty level. Quiet

We only stayed one night but staff was very pleasant and sites are reasonable size. There is a nice dog park with disposable bags. Our site overlooks a nice little pond. There is a clean laundry facility and heated restroom and showers. We did not need to use the facilities so I cannot comment on those. Campground is easily accessible from I24. We would definitely stay here again.

As KOAs go, this is one of The nicer ones! There is actually grass, not gravel, around the sites. There are trees and flowers and it is quite pleasant. With KOA you expect water, electric and sewer hookups. Clean shower/bathroom facilities and usually a pool. This place has that. Along with a small store, fishing lake, propane filling station. A dog park would be nice for the pups, but the do have a large grass area for walking them on lead. Internet connection is spotty! The spaces are a little close, but not as bad as some, and we were on an end site, so we had more room.

Prizer Point KOA and Marina is your basic camp away from home with all those modern conveniences.

Water all around (peninsula) so water sports of course. A swimming pool, playground, bouncy/jumpy thing, pedal car area, dog park, the list goes on.

The Rv style sites were very well situated on the water side loop, realize there is not much privacy. The primitive camp area looked a little frolorn and long in the grass, plus it is a walk to entertainment and the water. There is new construction going on, so reservation maybe easier to get. And there you are , Reserve ahead for prime locations, they are booked through August on the weekends.

Nice campground. Clean, pet friendly. A lot of sites! Access to lakes. Saw a lot of wildlife for such a big campground with lots of people traffic.

My family and I have visited this campground once. Although I think there are better places to camp in Kentucky, we definitely enjoyed ourselves. I think it's about WHO you are with and not WHERE you are. My family has a great time anywhere we are. The one downside to this place was that it was pretty close to the road, so I felt like we could hear all the traffic. The campsites are a little small as well, but we didn't mind. Each campsite has a fire ring and a small picnic table. We found it a little hard to nail down our tent as well. It was a little rocky, so we had to remove the rocks under the tent and use a hammer to get the tent to stay. We enjoyed hiking and some "nature walks." There are so many different birds around that it was fun to bird watch- although I have never done this before! The paths are clear and well marked for hiking. The views were great as well, and the weather was perfect when we went. There is a grocery store right down the road that we stopped at before we got there and loaded up on snacks, water, and stuff to make smores. There isn't much shade, just FYI. We brought some umbrellas which helped. We also brought our hammocks, but there wasn't any trees in our campsite to hook them up. We did bring them on our hikes and were able to put them up and eat some lunch. Another downside is that because the spaces are small, the people next to us were a little loud and stayed up pretty late so we didn't get much sleep. We understand that the summer months can be busy, which means campgrounds are packed. Highly recommend reserving your spot ahead of time.

The hosts were delightful and very helpful. They went out of their way to accommodate our needs. However, The sites were uneven, difficult to get in and out of with a large rig. Long term guests next to us were rude and insulting when asked to leash their dog, after it twice attacked our dog. As a result of this negative experience we cannot recommend this park.

The shower house was always clean. Campsites are paved but hardly any are level, so bring leveling materials and most paved drives have a drop-off to the picnic table Electricity and water are shared between sites so be sure to have an extension cord with you. Campground personnel were very friendly and informative. Nearby is the Bison and Elk Park. When a dog was missing, the whole campground got involved in the search and this was very touching and the dog returned.

Pros: Quiet, On the lake

Cons: on site bathrooms and showers were dirty, we’re not very thrilled we had our dogs. Sites are pretty close.

Make sure to ask about what breeds of dogs they allow. Couldn’t stay due to my German Shepherd mix. Really wanted to though. Gave it 4 stars for the set up. Cozy little place next to a creek.

Ranger Review: Renogy Backpack at Sugar Bay dispersed campground(dc), Land Between The Lakes(LBL), Ky

Campground Review: Sugar Bay dc is cement picnic tables and fire rings strategically placed throughout the woods adjacent a boat ramp at the end of forest road(FR)140.

There is a porta-john near the lake level sites and a pit toilet near the hill side sites. You can also set up camp in several mowed areas in the same area as long as you have your annual dispersed permit ($30 a year).

No frills camping at its best to include a few locals who look like they live in them there woods ;)

1st night we were there, after we had been asleep for about an hour the local coyotes announced their presence with a rather loud and nearby chorus of howls. Which was then answered on the far side of our campsite by more coyotes. Needless to say the dogs were quite vocal in their reply. We could hear (between dog barks) the pack moving on the hillside above us. I kept a careful eye on the smaller dogs when we went out to pee during the night. The following nights as the campsite filled with other campers we did not hear the coyotes again.

The LBL North/South trail meanders through the area and can easily be found off the side of FR140 about 1/4 mile up from the dc. The trail crosses the gravel road and currently is detoured from it’s original route. The N/S Trail runs the length of LBL from Kuttawa, Ky area to the South end near Dover, Tn. It would be a good practice trail for through hikers.

Also in the area is the Turkey Bay OHV Area and the Wranglers Campground. An off-road vehicle and horseback riders idea of a fun place to spend the weekend. Both with campgrounds and inclusive trails.

And of course there are the water sports on the lake. Another nice feature in the Sugar Bay dc is the ability to anchor your watercraft right next to your campsite after you put in at the boat ramp.

Golden Pond visitors center offers planetarium programs and there is an Elk and Bison observation area along the Trace which runs the length of LBL.

Cadiz, Ky is about a 15 mile drive down 68/80 if you want a taste of the local cuisine and Kentucky small town flavor. Ferrell’s Famous Burgers and Antiques are a few of the attractions.

Product Review: As a Dyrt Ranger I am given the opportunity to review products while camping. The Renogy Backpack https://www.renogy.com/I received is an innovative take on solar power collection.

The main attraction being the solar panel which is attached via zipper to the front of the pack. HOLD ON though , this solar panel can be zipped completely off, flipped over, and zipped back on. Effectively protecting it and giving you access to another small front pocket.

So that being said….

PROS: 1. It’s a solar panel w/USB port for electronic charging

2. It has plenty of pockets for your electronics

3. The solar panel is detachable and when detached it still has a zipper compartment that can hold your electronics

CONS: 1. The backpack is more Urban jungle then Outdoor enthusiasts designed

2. As with any solar unit direct sunlight is the optimal charging environment....not always conducive for electronics, a power charger makes more sense.

3. That’s all I got right now

This would not be a Backpack I pack up and run into the woods with , that being said I would pack it up and run all over town and college with it and will.

We enjoyed the view of the lake all weekend. Cell service for Verizon and AT&T were good enough to work from the camper and T-Mobile was non-existent. Campground hosts were very nice when we interacted with them. The beach area was a plus for us as our dogs love to swim and it is only open to campers so there was no one around when we were there.

We were looking for a place to park our van with a view where our dog could run and we could spend a few days acclimating to Van life and this was perfect. It was the first time we had used the dyrt and we were very pleased with our spot. You will need a four-wheel drive to traverse the actual campground point. We watched turtles, popping their head up in the lake and really enjoyed ourselves.

What a lovely campground!  Quiet and well shaded, we had a spot close to the water and absolutely loved it.  Everyone was friendly and it was very relaxing.  We walked our dogs around the loop several times throughout the day and loved the peacefulness.

Just a warning though that you are across the way from a VERY large marina and there were several boats anchored near the campground with the accompanying music and revelry going on.  Overall it wasn't too distracting but it was there.

Somehow we got lucky enough to get the nicest spot in the whole place. Nice, quiet campground. Lakeside sites. Great place if you have a boat or kayaks. Clean bathrooms. We stayed five days and would come back. Some sites not as private as others so you may want to be careful choosing if that’s important to you. Beautiful and wooded lake camping. Had three dogs playing in the lake. We have a pop up camper and we were nice and comfortable. Friendly staff. Lots of families here with kids riding bikes and playing in the lake.

Nice, medium size park with plenty of pull through sites that have full hookups. Great service through TMobile and Verizon. Bathhouse was very clean and modern, although it didn't look very wheelchair accessible. There's a well lit communal fireplace, a small playground, a volleyball net, and plenty of dog walking space. As others have said, the only real drawback is the noise from the interstate. I'm a fairly sound sleeper - usually wake up about 8 or 9, but the interstate noise woke me up at 6 both days I stayed. Overall nice place though!