Tent Camping Near Louisville, KY
Searching for a tent camping spot near Louisville? With The Dyrt, it's easy to find Louisville campgrounds for you and your tent. Search nearby tent campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Searching for a tent camping spot near Louisville? With The Dyrt, it's easy to find Louisville campgrounds for you and your tent. Search nearby tent campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Jefferson Memorial Forest features a campground for tent camping and can accommodate both families and groups. Although the Forest is only minutes from Metro Louisville, camping here seems like a much more remote camping experience. Located within the Horine Reservation, the campground is in the uplands of the Forest and has good separation between individual campsites. Seven family campsites and four group campsites are available. Latrines and water are near to all the sites.
$15 - $30 / night
Listed on Rachael Ray Magazine's "8 of America's Coolest Campgrounds" This listing is for tent, car, or small RV camping- We currently do not rent the tree house since it is my home. I may rent it out in the future and I will have a cabin available later in the year We are on a solar powered, off the grid 60 acre homestead that has 54 acres of wooded land and 6 acres of groomed land. Come explore our land and relax in the"Tree Web", see the 2 story tree house that I live in, have fun on the tire swing, or just sit and enjoy all that nature has to offer. You can explore our interesting topography that has close to 100 foot of elevation changes, our(mostly) dry creek system that starts with 2 springs that drain into 3 sinkholes or walk 3 miles of trails (if you follow each trail from end to end). Camping can be in the Black Walnut Grove, in an open field or a shady grove. We like to interact with people or you can keep to yourself and have a quiet getaway in the woods. We love groups- Host your event here or have a group gathering with all your friends and family. We have spaces large enough to host hundreds of people. \- 3.5 miles to Marengo Cave \- 7 miles to the Blue River(canoes, rafting and swimming) \- 30 minutes to Pataka Lake- 37 miles west of Louisville \- 13 miles north of Interstate 64
$40 - $65 / night
$20 / night
Our farm is located on the property where the ferry brought individuals across the KY River from Versailles, KY. We are a private farm and live here for the pleasure of the land, the quiet from the city, and the outdoor activities. We want to share this with our guests.
Come and enjoy bourbon country on the Kentucky River. We are located next door to the Wild Turkey Distillery, and within miles of a few others. Our 35-acre property offers immediate access to the KY River, and is within 5 minutes of an quaint downtown area, should you decide to go to town for a meal. Plenty of restaurants for your choosing! 7 minutes away is a Walmart should you forget anything. Come and relax in our peaceful surroundings. Horses, mini horses, goats, mini mules, all on site and loving attention. Bring your frisbees, cornhole, and yard games.
$32 - $82 / night
Stop and camp at Birdsell Castle. Camping includes: Sit around the campfire with other enthusiast and enjoy a Castle lifestyle. Axe throwing and archery.
The castle has several shops with a variety of items and is actively looking for additional consignments from artistians world wide. Some wholesale items available for vendors as well. Vacation rental rooms are being constructed and hope to be available this fall
$25 - $75 / night
I’m grateful I got a spot, since there are only 5. I’m also grateful that’s it’s open (since past Nov 15th)- and that they are drive-in sites. It’s buried deep in the forest. Clean bathroom aka pit toilet, was literally just washed and stocked before I arrived. One bar with AT&T, was able to get online when the neighbors left (but not while they were home)- so a booster or better would be advised. Mine is unboosted. The neighbor running the loud generator (the noise in the video) did come over and ask if it was disturbing me, lol- which was nice. Of course I said no :) since I brought a fan that was able to drown out most of the noise. Overall, if I were staying for the 14 allowed days- I’d say it’s worth the trip in. The road in IS paved and well-maintained up until a tiny portion at the end. Grateful for a spot, though.
Obannon Overall, this is a nice state park to camp in. Staff was very friendly. They have ice and wood. My kids enjoyed the nature center, pioneer village, and one of the easy trails.
We stayed in 220. It was nice to be right by the playground and bathrooms (which is what we wanted). Some spots near the back would be nice and secluded like the 180s and 190s and they’re still not too far from the bathrooms and playground. The better playground is in loop A.
I will say, I didn’t see any staff members cleaning up trash, getting campsites ready, or anything the 2 days we were there. Even though we went in November, it was a nice weekend and wasn’t dead, so I was surprised I didn’t see anyone cleaning. Wasn’t the cleanest state campground we’ve been at in Indiana. Certainly wasn’t awful though either.
My biggest gripe was they were hosting a huge cycling group. Like the whole loop A. We were all the way back in C. They held a concert that went on from like 8-11 pm. Being in a pop up, it was so loud and never ending. Made it difficult for my kids to sleep. If they’re going to hold (or allow) events like these, it should be posted on their website. Even with our sound machine, we still couldn’t block it out. I realize quiet hours aren’t until 11, but to me there’s a difference.
There is also hardly any signage and spots are difficult to find. No arrows about which way to go, signs saying which loop you’re in, and spots are only marked on the electrical boxes.
Overall, may stay again and try out the pool since we’re not too far from home, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to stay here.
This is a nice campground. We went on a weekend in July and it was as pretty busy, as to be expected. Because of that, we didn’t visit the beach area, however my in laws did and they said it was nice. They swam and kayaked. Staff is friendly. Facilities are pretty clean, nothing to write home about. Didn’t use the showers. My sons enjoyed the nature center. This is the closest state park to us, so I’m sure we will be back. Be sure to stop in town for ice cream.
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.
Great hosts, quiet camping location, 5 minute drive into town. No, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but we don’t need all that stuff. I’d rather pay a cheaper price than to stay at a place with activities going on all the time and so much noise you can’t enjoy the countryside.
First thing first. Keven was awesome! Hands down best stay at a camp area I've ever had. Hospitality awesome. Animals awesome. Neighbors were quiet as well. Even though we had an accidental mishap. Kevin was super cool. Would definitely recommend. Will be coming back for sure.
The "island" site is a nice little shaded area above the riverside. Off to the right corner of the site is a set of stairs leading down to the river with an area to take some chairs and relax by the water. On a clear night it was super relaxing listening to nature and looking up in the night sky and seeing orions belt and the moon directly above the river. Pretty damn cool especially if you have never seen country sky at night. The animals are a few donkeys, chickens, and a farm cat all are very friendly and won't get into your stuff but occasionally will stop by and say hi. Overall....great experience. If you get a chance to book this spot. Don't think about it just do it. THANKS KEVEN! keep the bottle caps going!!!
We last minute booked this spot as a family getaway and we are so happy we did. It was perfect for our kids and dogs. Kids were none stop walking the dogs, and scootering up and down the road. Everyone was so kind, there was even live music! And can I take a moment to say the restroom/shower was the cleanest I have EVER used. Huge thanks to the staff, you can tell they truly take pride in their work. We had a site next to the creek and it was beautiful! We are already talking about coming back!
Campsites are shady and flat, bathhouse is clean and well maintained. Office staff are friendly and helpful. We had a blast spending the day in the creek! Thanks for an A+ weekend campout!
My family visited Louisville South at the beginning of June for an extended family trip.
Pros- Lots of activities for kids. Nice pool, great playground, bounce pad. Bike rental. Decent (not spectacular) hiking trails. The RV sites with patio were very nice, but could be bigger.
Cons- some (not all) of the staff. One lady in particular was always rude, and didn’t like answering questions. There was a security light for the bounce pad that was on all night long, and thoroughly illuminated the adjacent tent sites. My brother’s family of 6 did not sleep well. This is something that is easily corrected by installing a shade over one edge of the light, but the staff didn’t seem to care.
Spacious sites. Beautiful forest. Quiet, but only 5 minutes small town with gas stations, grocery, etc. Not many amenities. Only pit toilets and water spigots. Firewood was not available during our visit. No reservations. First come first serve, but even on a "busy" Saturday in July less than 1/3 of the sites were full. Two "loops" one in a pine forest below the small lake and one at the lake/up the hill. Multiple playgrounds. Great trails to hike. Cool CCC construction. Highly recommend.
Excellent campground. Clean and quiet. Can get busy but sites are not tight but spread out and plenty of space. Fine gravel sites with well kept grounds, shower house, and attentive host. We want to return and visit more Bourbon Trail Distilleries.
This is a great family campground with excellent amenities, clean sites and grounds, beautiful surroundings, multiple cabins, pavilions, and a welcoming host office. We would love to visit and stay again. Do not let the short rural entry drive deter you. Yes it's hilly and curvy but take it slow and careful I promise it's worth it. Free firewood is just a bonus. Get a shady spot and enjoy the stay.
We went up in June 2024. There are several spots that are in the shade, but some of them are permanent campers. There is a fishing lake and a small river to fish in or wade and swim in. There is a miniature village for the kids along with 20 playgrounds in the campground. Golf carts are available to rent, and I feel are a necessity to get around this large park. There are also large fields to play in. Didn’t use the bath house. The general store has ice and a few souvenirs. There is cell service (AT&T and Verizon) There is also free wood. They have really cool spiral steps that lead up to a walk bridge. They also have a donkey and goats to pet. Altogether a really nice and clean park. Will definitely go again.
Had the typical state park experience. Bathrooms are decent, a little dated but oh well. The weekends in the middle middle of the season are typically busy. Plan your site well, many lack a level spot for tents and have a lot of slope near the pull off.
The bathrooms are dirty, showers are full of hair, the toilets are dirty, staff can be rude, not a lot to do besides walk/drive around, not a very fun park if u was to bring ur kids to it, there’s not much to see. I wouldn’t waste ur take time comming here and instead go to a better park that’s much better
The campground is easy to navigate. The ranger met us on the way in and was super-friendly. Our site was small bit not cramped, and there was a picnic table and fire pit. Plenty of space between each site. Neighbors were quiet and friendly. Will camp here again!
The chorus frog do roar through the night. 100% worth it, make sure to bring bug spray, and travel carefully up the roads. Lots of wildlife, and kind people.
We tent camped and it was not a bad time. Very dead and very quiet, and we met a friendly raccoon.
This was a repeat visit. Just as perfect as the first time. Lake was beautiful and staff are always so helpful. They even have an on-site RV Tech that works for them who helped us fix our hot water heater. Very professional young man. We also enjoyed live music at the pavilion, and PIZZA from their new café, it was fabulous. They even have Boba tea.
Such a quiet place. The resident goats, mules, donkeys and horses are very friendly - just like the hosts!
If you’re looking for a quiet campground in a semi-rural setting, this is the place for you. No frills, full hookups for 50 amp. No laundry on site and only one local laundromat. Super Walmart and Kroger within 5 or so miles. There’s a lake on-site but requires a medium sized hike downhill and through undergrowth. Shade is at a premium as there aren’t many trees.
First time in RV sites, loved it! Great hiking opportunities and cool exploration of historic Rose Island Theme Park. It's definitely a new favorite!
The staff are super helpful. The site we had was for a 38’ RV. Full hookups, dog park, lots of places to walk, even trails. We had a great stay here and will most likely come back next time we’re near Louisville.
We stayed in the off season and it was lovely. Area is clean, outhouses were well maintained. My children loved all the playgrounds around the state park, great trails. Highly recommend.
I have never had a bad stay. I absolutely love camping here. The scenery is beautiful and I love how small the campground is.
This campground  offers, high-speed Wi-Fi that actually works!  the new owners upgraded last year and it’s fabulous !
This campground became a KOA in late fall 2022. Since the new owners took over they have made wonderful improvements. Added a new saltwater pool, deluxe cabins, deluxe camping sites. All sites have 50/30 AMP. Most with lake views or select a site right nearest the lake. They added a New Cafe with pizza, coffees and Boba tea. Super clean park & restrooms
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Louisville, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Louisville, KY is Horine Reservation Camping at Jefferson County Memorial Forest with a 4.2-star rating from 17 reviews.
What is the best site to find tent camping near Louisville, KY?
TheDyrt.com has all 7 tent camping locations near Louisville, KY, with real photos and reviews from campers.