Best Tent Camping near Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
Tent campgrounds in Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL) offer a mix of established and dispersed camping options along Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Forest Service Road 343 provides several dispersed tent sites with lakeside access, while Sugar Bay and Redd Hollow offer more developed tent camping with basic amenities. Both primitive and established campgrounds require permits, with dispersed camping costing $10 per night or $5 with a National Park pass.
Access to tent sites varies significantly throughout the recreation area. Many dispersed camping locations like FS154 require advanced planning as they have no amenities and campers must pack in all supplies including drinking water. Forest Service Road 343 features several rutted gravel roads that may require vehicles with higher clearance, particularly after rain. According to one visitor, "The road is gravel and bumpy so you might not want to take a smaller car on it but just fine for any awd, truck, van, etc." Most established campgrounds provide fire rings and picnic tables, while primitive sites often have makeshift fire rings but lack facilities.
Tent campers at LBL experience remarkable lakeside settings with opportunities for swimming, fishing and hiking. The peninsula sites at FS154 accommodate single large tents with direct water access, particularly during winter months when lake levels are lower. Sites near Redd Hollow offer gravel tent pads that provide relatively level surfaces for pitching tents. A camper noted that Sugar Bay is "an awesome no frills campground with amazing views" where "swimming is allowed in Sugar Bay and in late September the water was warm." Many tent sites throughout the recreation area provide seclusion and privacy, though popular dispersed sites can fill quickly on weekends, especially during summer months. Forest Service rangers regularly check permits at dispersed camping areas, so having proper documentation is essential.
