Are you planning a camping trip to Laurel River Lake with your dog? We've got you covered. Finding pet-friendly campgrounds in Kentucky is easier than ever. Search nearby campgrounds that allow pets or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Holly Bay, located two miles north of the Laurel River Dam, sits on the west side of Laurel River Lake. Visitors enjoy the campground for its proximity to the water and beautifully forested location. Plus, Holly Bay is ideal for activities like power boating, canoeing and fishing. The forest was named after Daniel Boone, a famous frontiersman and explorer who settled in Kentucky in the late 18th century.
Boating and water activities are a big hit. A boat ramp is located a short distance from the campground.Hikers take pleasure in the 4.2-mile Sheltowee Trace Trail that leads from the campground to the dam.
Most campsites are surrounded by a mixture of hardwood trees that provide picture-perfect colors in autumn. Laurel River Lake spans 5,600 acres of deep, clear water and 192 miles of cliff-lined shore. Bountiful hills from the Appalachian foothills create a backdrop for the lake area.
Head to the Cumberland Falls Trail that begins at Cumberland Falls and ends at the mouth of the Laurel River. This trail is a 30-45 minute drive from the campground.
For facility specific information, please call (606) 878-8134.
$38 / night
Blue Heron Campground is a rustic and spacious campground, situated on the Kentucky side of The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area--a vast and scenic expanse of land that offers visitors countless recreational activities.
Numerous trails snake through the Recreation Area, offering mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding for visitors. The main river of the Big South Fork is also a short drive away, offering fishing opportunities.
The Big South Fork is located in north central Tennessee and southeastern Kentucky in some of the most rugged terrain of the Cumberland Plateau. The park encompasses approximately 125,000 acres of both rocky gorges and forested plateaus. Numerous pristine streams unite with the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. Over thousands of years, this ceaselessly moving water has carved the sandstone of the plateau into impressive cliffs, arches and chimneys that are found throughout the park.
Just a few miles from the campground is Blue Heron Mine, also known as Mine 18, a historic abandoned mining town that has been rebuilt as an outdoor museum. Visitors can hear audio presentations from actual people who lived in the community in the 1950s. The Big South Fork Scenic Railway Depot is located about 9 miles away in the town of Stearns, which offers train rides and other educational opportunities for campers. More information can be found online at https://bsfsry.com. Additional attractions include the Daniel Boone National Forest and Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, offering additional recreation opportunities.
$35 / night
In March 2019 a record flood devastated the campground, boat ramp, and trails in this area. Bee Rock Campground will remain closed until recreation facilities are safely restored. View Bee Rock Closure Order. To find other campgrounds nearby, contact the London Ranger District at 606-864-4163, Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Campground facilities at nearby Laurel River Lake open on April 12.Bee Rock Campground, located on London Ranger District, has developed campsites on both sides of the Rockcastle River. The campground is a US Fee Area. The Laurel County side, with 9 sites, is open all year. The Pulaski County side, with 19 sites, is open from mid-April through mid-October. An overlook along Bee Rock Loop Trail provides a scenic view of the rocks and cliffs along Rockcastle River. Bee Rock Boat Rampprovides river access. The campground features Old Sublimity Bridge, a historic structure built by the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) in the late 1930s. The stone used in the abutments was quarried from the adjacent sandstone cliffs. The bridge has been restored for foot travel only. The name Bee Rock comes from a local legend which states that a large number of wild honeybees used to live in this area, using a hollow area under this cliff as their hive. Tired of the wild honeybees invading their hives, local beekeepers dynamited the rock, destroying the hive and causing honey to flow down the cliff into the Rockcastle River. Make this page look nicer by submitting photos of your visit to Bee Rock Campground. Learn more... Bee Rock Campground Map Campfires are permitted in fire rings only. Make sure fires are out before retiring at night or when leaving your campsite. Parking is available at campsites, boat ramp and overflow parking area. Restrooms are accessible vault toilets. Drinking water is available except during winter months. No climbing or rappelling from cliffs, arches or other rock formations at Bee Rock Overlook. Low lying areas are prone to flooding, so be alert for flooding when driving, camping or crossing streams in this area. Swift currents and undertows can make swimming and wading very hazardous. View Bee Rock Campground Guide & Map (pdf) Nearby Trails: Bee Rock Loop Trail #529 Rockcastle Narrows Trail #503 Rockcastle Connector Trail #401A Sheltowee Trace Section 25
$8 - $12 / night
$33 - $37 / night
Bandy Creek is a spacious and modern campground, situated in The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area--a vast and scenic expanse of land that offers visitors countless recreational activities.
Numerous trails snake through the Recreation Area, offering mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding for visitors. A swimming pool, along with on-site volleyball court, playgrounds and ball fields, make Bandy Creek an ideal spot for families. The main river of the Big South Fork is also a short drive away, offering fishing opportunities.
The Big South Fork is located in north central Tennessee and southeastern Kentucky in some of the most rugged terrain of the Cumberland Plateau. The park encompasses approximately 125,000 acres including rocky gorges and forested plateaus. Numerous pristine streams unite with the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. Over thousands of years, ceaselessly moving water has carved the sandstone of the plateau into impressive cliffs, arches and chimneys, which are found throughout the park.
Located just under 20 miles from Bandy Creek is the Blue Heron Mine, also known as Mine 18, a historic abandoned mining town that has been rebuilt as an outdoor museum. Visitors can hear audio presentations from actual people who lived in the community in the 1950s.
$140 / night
$25 - $174 / night
Thank you for considering Clayton Geneva memorial campground for your camping trip. Please read the entire description including our rules and regulations. Also be sure to view the site map. The gravel driveway to the sites is passable with any vehicle. If you choose to use our alternate parking there will be a hike to your site, appropriately 1/8 of a mile. I can’t stress enough that it is primitive camping, there is a restroom available at the top of the hill. We are inviting you to enjoy a peaceful, primitive camping experience on a spacious plot right on the sandy banks of the Cumberland River. We offer a tree canopy covered, serene spot that offers river swimming, fishing, enjoy a camp fire or just plain nothing but peace and quiet. Each site is equipt with a fire ring. The drive way to the primitive sites is a little lane that wraps around a mountain side that leads to the primitive sites. We do our best to keep up with it however due to the nature of weather, gravity and water it’s a constant chore. Your welcome to hike in to the sites, it’s not mandatory that you driver on down. If you feel comfortable by all means slowly drive directly to your site. If your not sure of the lane please hike to your site. Hikers, Horses and riders welcome, located a couple miles from Daniel Boone National Forrest, seemingly endless trails through some of the most beautiful country. Bring your canoe and kayaks. Located 16 miles from Cumberland Falls State Park. Located 11 miles from Sheltowee Trade Adventure Park. Located 11 miles from Kentucky Splash Water Park. Located 11 miles from Wal-Mart, restaurants and Pilot
$20 - $70 / night
Traveler
We loved Bandycreek campground for it{s scenic beauty….we were there in late October. They leaves were brilliant! The campground was pristine as well as the shower house and bathrooms. So many trails to walk…just make sure you know how long they really are and if they truly are a loop before you head out and take water! The campground was quiet, there was a bustle of activity every morning of park staff cleaning the shower house, emptying the bear boxes and doing general maintenance cleaning up downed branches etc. All staff were met were very friendly. The visitors center was close with staff who were very helpful in answering questions about the area. Our only concern about the place was that it is difficult to navigate if you have a large rv. Ours is a 43 foot fifth wheel. We had a lot of difficulty backing into our site with all the little obstacles but with the assistance of a fellow camper we finally got in. Also the drive into the campsite is treacherous if you are coming from Oneida. It is harrowing to say the least and I would not recommend it if you have a large rv. Hairpin turns and switchbacks, low hanging rocks, and narrow road. We came in the back way which consisted of driving on a well maintained gravel road with barely enough room for two vehicles to pass. So be warned and do your research before you drive in…plan your route! I feel like we barely survived! Ha. But it was worth it and we did survive!
Legend
Found this campground on the map near Haneys Appledale Farm in Nancy Kentucky. Nice, new, “shiny” campground. The owner was extremely friendly and we spoke briefly about the place. As listed above there’s no showerhouse, so bring your own if you want to visit. There’s also no shade, they are creating their campground in a very nicely tiered field and working on getting a pond going to fish in. Nice size sites with easy access power , water and sewer. Gravel drive and pads, fire ring and picnic table. There is an AWESOME playground and pavilion set back in the trees! My grand loved the ropes course. We stayed in the back of the campground on a full moon night so I can’t say how dark it is on a no moon night, it was very quiet and we enjoyed our visit.
Guide
This campground is pretty new and not too large, making it a nice quiet getaway. All the sites are concrete with nice gravel between, along with picnic tables and firepits. Because it's isolated in the trees, you can't even hear the main road!
One thing we liked is the great drainage. Even on the rainy days, there were almost no puddles due to good landscaping and slight slope. The water pressure is really strong, be sure to use your pressure regulator!
The bathhouse is nice and clean. There's a playground with slides and such here, too.
We were here during the month of October and the owners and helpers decorated the area with pumpkins and little scarecrows.
The drive up from the main road is 85% paved with nice new asphalt. Just a short section that's gravel. On the nice days, we would walk all the way from the campground down the hill to the main road and back.
There's Wifi available, and it was at least as good as our AT&T cell connection, and we were able to keep our Starlink on pause, saving us a month's cost there.
We will definitely be staying here again. No question.
The only negative I can add is that there's no real "office" to receive packages. We had to replace our rig's AC unit, and the owner allows me to ship it to his house about a mile away. When it arrived I drove over and picked it up. For other stuff, I just got a post office box in town. (They don't do General Delivery at this USPS location.)
Guide
Just ok. Nothing wrong. Showers old and poorly done but clean. Sites roomy enough but packed in. Have propane and trash. Popular park. Lots of coming ad going.
Guide
The sites are nice and wooded. There is plenty of space between sites to give each camp a little privacy. We were a drive up, no reservation camper. They only took cash or check on-site. Camp host was very nice and helpful.
Guide
We stayed here as the kick off to the KAT. The sites are grassy right next to the river. Bathroom is clean, and there is also a small camp store.
Guide
We stayed here on a KAT section 2 trip. Super friendly and helpful staff. They had campsites, covered wagons, and cabins. The had a small camp store and sold firewood
GuideWe stayed there while running the KAT section 2. Great staff. Lots of room for horses. They had campsites, covered wagons and cabin space.
Guide
There are three dispersed camp sites along this road. We stayed at the first and largest of the three. This first site has room for two groups. It also has a small swimming hole with a rope swing.
Guide
One picnic table and fire pit. Dispersed camping. We took our portable firepit and sat by the creek for a beautiful evening.
Guide
Beautiful lake and clean bathhouse. Sites are close together, not really tent friendly
Traveler
Loud Carson road and kids playing basketball til 11:00 pm. They were very loud and vulgar.
Site had lots of room though. We left after the first nite. Lost our next 2 nites fee but worth the loss not having to stay any longer.
Staff somewhat indifferent.
Traveler
Campsites are spacious with gravel campsites and paved rv parking at campsites. Water and electric at each site. Clean bathrooms with showers.
Legend
Spent 2 nights in July at Kentucky Splash Park Campground. Only reason it didn’t get a 5 star is first needs more shade (there are new trees growing ) and the cut through road is busy in the evening from local traffic. Nice size sites with cement or gravel parking. Cement pads with picnic tables and strangely deep fire pits.
The showerhouse is in well maintained shape. Plenty of room and hooks to hang your stuff from. Hot water and large shower heads.
Small playground and pavilion to use.
Easy walk across the parking lot to the water park. Price not included in site cost. If you get a wrist ban you can get back in for the day.
ScoutWe have stayed here many times. Very clean campground.the staff is helpful and friendly. The shower and bathrooms have always been clean . Just wish that they had a fenced in dog park
Ranger
We arrived on a Tuesday and left on Friday. This campground has 10 sites on a hill. It is quiet and away from towns. Some sites are close but not bad. The shower/bath house is fairly new and clean. Being on the hill, to get to the lake is a steep walk. They have a set of steps going down the back side of the hill if you want to leave your boat in the water down there. It’s in a hollow off the main lake. The only drawback would be that the dump site was too tight and unlevel for me to feel comfortable trying to dump.
Ranger
Found the perfect spot for our trailer and our friends car camping. Clean vault toilets. Each site has fire ring and picnic table. Pack in pack out even though some didn’t get the memo yet park service was there in the morning to clean. Limited to no cell service.
GuideCool pet friendly place with hookups, and friendly people. Sites are close to the river.
Legend
Approximately 4 miles off of exit 144, from I~75. Easy to locate, and a well maintained RV campground! Website has all the info on the different types of sites, cabins and ATV’s. Resources for permits, pricing, and other requirements are also listed. The trails are accessible from the CG. FHUs on Back in and Pull-throughs,bathhouses, on site fishing pond, playground, and Ohhh yes….the ATV wash station! General store is on the right from the entrance, which is awesome! They sell firewood and ice, as well as extreme OHV sporting equipment/gear, snacks, souvenirs….to list a few. Rental cabins are available nearby, for larger families or groups. I believe they thought of almost everything! I would love to come camp here in the fall, as I can imagine that the views are spectacular! They provide WiFi, but my T-Mobile reception was good, at 3 bars.
Legend
Primitive isn’t our mode of camping, but we rode our bikes up the road to check out this beautiful campground. Easy to find, marked with a sign. The road to the campground forks to the left, past the State Park entrance sign. There are plenty of picnic tables and trash cans, before the trails. There is also a mutt mitt station. And an info board, with trail & State Park map.The state park offers 5 trails, pavilions, as well as playgrounds and a lake. Since it’s extremely hot, and there were several areas along the trail with ponds, the biting flies and mosquitoes were active! The camping path and sites were well marked, and sites started at #10, next to the parking lot, and family bathhouse. There are fire pits at each site. The sites are semi private, and 1-9-10 are the most popular sites used, according to the Ranger. No one was camping when we were there on a Sunday afternoon. I posted a video of us biking out of the trail campsites, getting #8, on the right, 9 on left, #10 last, then back at the beginning, to the bathhouse and parking lot.
LegendBack-in site, FHUs, concrete pad, some shade. Fire pit and picnic table at each site, ours is located behind our site. There are 2 playgrounds, Disc golf course, volleyball area, a beautiful lake(with rental paddle boats for $14 hr) We Bought fire wood and Disc Golf sets, at the campground store. Clean with coded entry Bathhouse, by one of the playgrounds. There is an 18 hole Disc Golf we will be playing. We Love the views, and are looking forward to trying out the 5 trails this weekend! The lake is beautiful with geese and ducks hanging out! We used our Starlink over 100Mps, and our T-Mobile had fair reception. There are also 2 playgrounds at the SP!
Scout
Eagle Rock Resort & Campground is amazing. If you are looking for a place to ride trails and relax, this is the place. You could seriously come here multiple times a year and still not see all of the different trails. The site manager, Jeff, and his staff was extremely nice and helpful. Always there to please and help make your experience one to remember. I am not the camping type so the condos they have for rent was perfect for my group. Spacious and clean with everything you need. We even had very comfortable king size bunk beds, never seen anything like it before. Cannot say enough great things about this experience. Definitely worth a stay!!!
Traveler
Only 2 of the 6 sites are usable if it has rained within a week of your stay. Would not recommend for large groups unless you enjoy sleeping in mud. Would not recommend unless the weather is pristine.
Traveler
We will absolutely be back! I’ll be honest, as a visibly queer person with rainbow hair I was a bit nervous about the Bible verses and Christian flag due to past experiences, but Patrick and Angelica were welcoming and friendly the entire time!
The RV spot with shade was great! It’s right next to the bathroom but everyone is spread out enough it wasn’t an issue at all.
Strong WiFi, pet friendly, and a beautiful, peaceful spot with very friendly owners!
Ranger
This campground had some good features: hookups and bathhouse were good, location is very pretty, staff clearly take good care of things. Mostly older folks mid week so pretty quiet.
But for some reason there is a path that goes through several campsites. We booked one of these sites without knowing (B12), which meant we had strangers walking through our campsite all the time. Our dogs hated it and so did we! Also sites are close together, most aren’t level, and some are in clear disrepair. They also do a good job cleaning the bathhouses, but they do it from 8-9am which is also when many people are trying to use them.
RangerSites are level and pretty spacious, if not some a little tight together. My only complaint was that the restroom wasn’t marked on the map that I could see so I ended up being very far away from it. So more of an issue with recreation.gov than the campground itself. The restroom was nice and clean.
Scout
Bathrooms were clean. Campsite was clean. Campground very well maintained. So peaceful!! I have cell service with Verizon. I was able to make & receive calls. Internet signal was not the best, but I wasn't there for that anyway!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Laurel River Lake?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Laurel River Lake is Holly Bay with a 4.6-star rating from 16 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Laurel River Lake?
TheDyrt.com has all 87 dog-friendly camping locations near Laurel River Lake, with real photos and reviews from campers.
