Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Lexington, KY

This is a small well maintained campground right on the Kentucky river. It is down in a hollow which makes it secluded and quiet. There is a dock and a boat ramp. The customer service is exceptional. Under new management since November, they are making some very nice upgrades. 30/50 amp full hook ups with a number of pull throughs. The sites next to the river are level and easy to back into. There is a pavilion and a pool. It is about 30 minutes from Lexington and about 8 miles to the closest town. The one lane road coming in might give you the willies but it is worth it. They have 5 WiFi connections making this some of the best campground WiFi I have ever had. This is a lovely spot with nice amenities.

We 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

The sites here are not level. We used our normal 2x green blocks for the Jack, but needed all 10 of our leveling blocks, plus 8 paving stones to get the appropriate height.

Despite advertising, there is no dog park. There are a ton of dogs, so this would’ve been nice.

The river and waterfall makes it feel like a tranquil place. The walking trail by the river is nice, we walked it almost every day.

Live music and food trucks every Saturday are a nice touch!

We had a pretty decent time at Taylorsville Lake. The spots were spacious, and very nice picnic tables. We did a trail which was nice and went down to a boat ramp to see the lake. You can also rent boats there as well. The bathrooms in my opinion needed a major cleaning. They were nice just not very clean. We most likely won’t visit here again but was nice to hit a Kentucky campground. I have found that camping in Kentucky is much cheaper than in Indiana. Definitely worth a checkout.

I'll preface this with the fact that I am a Lexington, KY Native and have always lived close to the Kentucky Horse Park and Kentucky Horse Park Campground, but have never stayed there until this weekend. 

We stayed on Loop A in site #38.

First, site #38 was a great large and fairly level site with 50AMP hookups and Water. There were no sewer hook ups, but the park has 2 dump stations that accommodate 2 RV/Trailers being dumped at one time. The site had a large amount of space between ourselves and our neighbors and we had a lot of extra space behind out paved site that was grassy. A great area for the kids/pets to run around. 

The park has 2 playgrounds (one was closed due to COVID and the sanitizing that would have to be done. The park said they didn't have the staff to sanitize the playground further from the office/store). There is a community pool (it was closed because it isn't memorial day yet and the staff is still trying to determine if it will open this season after being closed all of 2020 due to COVID).

You're able to bring your Golf Cart if you would like but you must get a permit from the campground office/store. They say there is a rule that no one under the age of 16 or anyone without a valid drivers license is allowed to drive the golf carts, but this is clearly not enforced, as my kids were nearly run over (more than once) by young kids speeding around on the gold carts. 

The park is great for bike riding and you can travel just a short distance to get to the Legacy Trail (a 12 mile paved trail great from biking/running that runs from the horse park into downtown Lexington). It rained most of the day on Saturday while we were there but in the evening, we got to get the bikes out and go see the horses as they were grazing in the fields. 

Right next door, you have the World Famous Kentucky Horse Park. Their trail rides are back open (Ages 7 an older $25.00 per person) and they also have their Pony ride for kids 12 and under ($5 a person) opened back up. You can go visit the different barns, go to the museums, etc. 

Just 1 exit north on I75 you have  a Camping World, for all of your camping needs and then 1 exit after that you have a Walmart and Lowes for other things. Many food options as well. 

There is a gas station just down Iron Works pike for all of your fuel and and snack needs. Attached to the gas station is also a liquor store. 

Your smack in the middle of Georgetown and Lexington which both offer several family friendly Craft Beer Breweries/Taprooms, a lot of great local eating options and bars/nightlife options. 

On Holidays now, at the Horse Park Campground, you have to have 5 day minimum stay, which can get a bit pricey. 

All around though, great little campsite with easy access to I65/I64.

Got there late and was greeted by the hosts, they led us back on a 4-wheeler, so we know what to expect on the the dirt lane back to the sites. They're first come, first serve, but all the sites have their own advantages. Some are a little slanted, but not so bad its disruptive for sleep. The stars can get pretty bright at night, despite the pollution from neighboring cities, so it makes for some nice stargazing. Apparently firewood is included, and if you let the hosts know, they're very attentive and will come right out to make sure you've got firewood, or even paddles for the boats that are available to use free of charge. There's a shed that is normally stocked with fishing gear, firewood, life vests, trolling motors and other goodies. (Though it was a little sparse on our visit) I wouldn't say it's entirely RV friendly, but maybe 1-2 sites could handle one. If I recall correctly, pets are allowed, but they must be leashed at all times since there's farmland nearby. Overall we loved our visit, and can't wait to go back since m'lady broke her ankle night one, and hence we spent most of our day in Lexington.  Getting into a boat can be a chore with a broken ankle, but once you manage it, its rewarding. HLF is a great place to go if you just want (some) privacy and to relax a bit.

Small park restrooms and showers. Very clean. Nice pool. Camp store offers basics. Fairly close to shopping groceries etc. staff was friendly 30/50 amp service didn’t count the number of river view sites. But quite a few. Some sites have 20 X 12 elevated decks. Full hook ups. Pet friendly. Was very quiet the week we stayed. Didn’t feel like bringing the camper home so payed for another week and drive back the following week. Cell service. Isn’t the best WiFi was available if I remember. Correctly rates were reasonable

A campsite settled upon the bank of the Kentucky River with a friendly farm cat, goats, horses and cow we delighted in a campfire as the sun set and the stars came out. Our host had guided us into our weekend home and delivered a wagon load of firewood for a night of warmth and comfort. The night sky of stars and quiet stillness brought a calm and peace from our busy week. 

We look forward to another weekend excursion to the farm next year.

Over 250 full hookup sites, great shade, beautiful trees, good size lots, however, some are on a grade making leveling difficult. Electric and primitive sites available. Great for equestrian trailers, convenient location off Interstate and right next to Kentucky Horse Park. Bathhouse, game room, laundry, camp store available. Numerous playgrounds and basketball courts for the kiddos. Swimming pool and for the avid hikers a trail that takes you to downtown Lexington.

Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm and educational center. Unfortunately due to COVID-19 the tours were unavailable when we visited. Regardless, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. The sites were spacious and well maintained. They all come with a picnic table, fire pit and full hook-ups. The bathrooms, showers and laundry room were clean and also well maintained. The staff was friendly and accommodating. A great location, especially if planning to visit Lexington during your stay.

Lots of run down RV’s and shanty town in the back of the park. More long term renters than weekend warriors. One dump station, no sewage on the sites. One bathroom, for the whole Park. lots of tents sites (that were busy) makes for poor bathrooms. Not to mention its outhouse style with no climate control. 1/3 men’s bathrooms were out of order and 1/3 urinals were too. 2/3 showers where out of order and the two useable toilets, the door locks were broken. No wifi. Fires are allowed. Fire pits are run down so be mindful. 2/5 bars for ATT services. Sites aren’t labeled or labeled extremely bad. Electrical seems very out dated. Make sure you have protection. Over priced at $60 + tax for the night. Scattered shade. Pull through sites mainly. Picnic tables have seen better days (years more like it). Good space between sites and access to the river for water sports. Little lake for fishing. No pet area and strict leash laws. I wanna give this a 2/5 because they were pleasant. They encouraged me to review on multiple sites but I think that would be bad for them so I’ll stick to my main review site. 1/5, if the price was better like 30-40/night maybe 2/5 but for the price of a motel 6 and only electrical and that is sketchy. Save your money book elsewhere or avoid.

We have stayed in four sites her during the past couple of month. There are two walk-in sites (10 & 51). Both were pleasant, nearly level, close to amenities, but were under no shade. [Site 10 is presently inhabited by a large family with a sign that says “Camp Host out front. I have not seen them do anything for campers here, and the site is kept in disgraceful cluttered condition.] we next stayed on Lot 13, which backs up to the primitive campground. Quite nice, but beware: this site as well as about half of the other sites at this campground require the use of electrical and water extensions because the connections are on the “wrong” side of the RV, and quite a distance away. For Lot 13, I needed over 50’ of extensions. We then stayed on walk-in lot 51. I was able to “self permit” at the gate…it’s first come first served, no online reservations. Nice, but no shade. Finally, we’re on Lot 47. Eureka! This is my favorite so far. It’s one of the “premium sites” with wooden deck and nicer picnic table for only $2 additional per night. View is phenomenal, and it’s close enough to dumpsters and gatehouse. Notice that I didn’t mention anything about sewer hookups. That’s because there are none. There is a single, very popular dump station near the entrance/exit.
There are several miles of decent trails here, a swimming pool, putt putt golf, a pioneer museum, and a lodge with a good restaurant. The campground is easily accessible and is very kid and pet friendly. Nice sites for tent camping. Facilities are a bit dated, but clean and well maintained. All RV sites are back-in, and some are limited length. (Though some campers have rather cleverly managed to pull through a couple of the sites.) Some are quite unlevel.
Overall good family campground on rich historical site.

Blue Licks State Park isn't big but you will get a good workout!

This Park off Ky68 outside Lexington, Ky was a nice, informative stop over enroute back home.

You get to enjoy the Kentucky countryside as you drive to Blue Licks, once at the park the view is pretty sweet. I actually got a sense of the time period just viewing the landscape at the "top" of the park.

The campground is more toward the top of the hill and each area is located off the park road as you work your way down the hill. The Boatramp, of course, is at the very bottom with a small parking area and trailhead that leads back up to the picnic area and campground.

Smaller campground but well maintained and large sites along the outer edge, closet sites in the middle. The tent area is walk in and shaded.