Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Mammoth Cave, KY

This campground is located just a few miles from Mammoth Cave. It is a small campground, but great for families. The owners are nice, friendly people who take great care of their park. The sites are water & electric only, but there is a dump station. There is a stock pond for kids to fish with bamboo poles that the park provides (catch & release only). We really enjoyed our 2 day stay.

Moutardier Campground is a fisherman’s paradise. It is located on Nolin River Lake. Our site was lakeside which was beautiful (Site D6). This campsite offered electric/water hookup, fire pit, picnic table, filet table, bathrooms, and showers. There were boat ramps, a marina nearby to rent boats, and also offered a playground. Pets were welcomed (we have a dog and a hiking cat). We also had cell service (Verizon). 

The view of the lake from the teardrop camper was awesome. We kayaked around the lake which was very enjoyable - saw ducks, and birds such as a grey heron. Also lots of fish jumping. There are power boats allowed in the lake. Many people were fishing from their boats, kayaks, or from the shore. 

There is also a two mile hike that is in the campground called Shady Creek Trail. It looked like it had not been hiked in a while but it went through woods, small stream and had a cool rock formation at one part that you would swear is a haven for snakes. Pets enjoyed it but beware if you do not like spiders. This trail was covered in spiders and webs. No exaggeration that we cleared about a hundred spiders out of our path. 

The campground was very well manicured and clean. Many of the sites were right on the lake. They were close together but did not seem it as they were on different levels and angles. Everyone was quiet and courteous. Bathrooms were very clean and well lit. The showers were “dated” - water stains but clean. Great water pressure and hot water. 

There was no store on the campground but 5 minutes away was a great little restaurant called Sherry’s that we had both lunch and breakfast at. Food was delicious (fried dill pickle chips!) and one could buy bags of ice. 

Overall this was a very relaxing campground. We met some wonderful people who have been coming to the campground for years. It is about 30 minutes from Mammoth Caves which was a great place to explore. Overall we gave the campground a 4 - lakeside and if you love to fish - it’s paradise.

My family of 6 (me, my wife, and four boys 9yrs and under) camped here for a week. We had a great time. We were a little further from Mammoth cave than we wanted to be, but the campground was fun. It is pretty spread out, so biking with the family was a little challenging. And their bike loop was really pretty, but SUPER bumpy and hilly. Pretty hard for the younger ones. The lake was awesome. We swam at the beach, and in eary september, we had the place to ourselves. Campsites were a but small / crammed (we have a pop-up camper). But overall, we really enjoyed it.

Great first camping experience! We got 2 sites and each site was very spacious, with tables and fire pits. It was extremely humid and hot when we went so make sure to bring bug spray! We were about a 5 min drive from Mammoth Cave so it was very convenient. There were clean shower and bathroom facilities but you had to pay to use the shower (back in 2015 at least). I found a faucet right next to the showers and I just bathed there in my bathing suit. Because it was so hot, we wanted to go swimming. The closest body of water we found was a river (definitely was not clean) and it helped cool us down, but we saw a water snake so we all jumped out (yup, we're city folks!). We found a little pond by a residents area so we paid a fishing fee and went fishing. Local small shops were very cool too!

We were very impressed when we stopped on our road trip to visit Mammoth Caves National Park! They even had a nice area for our dog to stay while we were caving!

I visited the Maple Springs Campground in Mammoth Cave National Park for a total of 3 days/2 nights. I chose this site because it was pet friendly. Each site was spacious with room for up to three tents without feeling crowded. The sites were also spaced far enough apart that you never have to interact with your neighbors. Each site has two grated fire pits as well as picnic tables.

The campground offered several facilities such as a communal fire pit and a few privies and water supply stations. Everything was clean and in order while I was there.

Horses are allowed in the campground and you will see a lot of people taking their horses for a few runs around the road through the campsite as a warm up in the early mornings. My dogs did not like the horses at first but they got used to it as the trip went on. Keep this in mind if you plan to bring any four legged friends!

The only downside to the entire trip is that the park is infested with seed ticks and deer ticks. I was pulling ticks off of every inch of me even though I was coated in several layers of hardcore bug spray and my gear had been treated with permethrin. Seriously, the ticks were gnarly.

Overall, this was a great place to stay. I would happily go back if I felt that I had more control over the bug situation. I hope I can learn a little more about tick control and make my way back there soon!

This campground is a walking distance to the visitors center. It's a well established campground and geared towards folks visiting mammoth caves. You will find a clean campground as well clean facilities. The sites are relatively close but plenty of space for familiy party's.

Theres many activities to be had here but obviously mammoth cave is what it's all about. After driving past mammoth caves for years we finally decided to stop camp and explore. It was worth every penny. The cave, although geared to tourist is still rediculous. Apparently one of the biggest cave systems in the word. You will enjoy your time here. It's crazy to think your in Kentucky when you in there...we'll except for the accents.

Cheers!

Our site was huge, with enough space for our RV, truck, dog fence and fire area. The gravel pad was recently maintained. The bathrooms were cleaned regularly. The showers were hot and free! Washer/dryers on-site for $1.5 a load. The hike to the waterfall was muddy and there were downed trees from a recent storm - but the park was working on it.
We loved that hiking in Mammoth Cave National park was only 15 min away!

Mammoth Cave and the surrounding area offer many activities to suit anyone's desires. There are several competitive runs (5K and up) almost every weekend in the surrounding communities, and several are hosted in Mammoth Cave park itself. There is also the opportunity to go "caving", and you can walk through the caverns, and there are numerous hiking trails. Mammoth Cave offers tent, RV, and cabin camping - just be aware the cabins have running water, but no kitchens or air conditioning.

This is THE place to camp if you plan to visit Mammoth Cave NP. Sites are well spread out & most back up to forest. Very close to Mammoth Cave visitor center/trail head. (5 min bike ride). Bathrooms/showers were clean and updated.

We enjoyed Jellystone at Mammoth Caves. It was conveniently located in the middle of Mammoth Cave and numerous other privately owned caves. The facility was very clean and staff very respectful. The events and activities scheduled throughout the day was great at keeping the kids busy. Would have preferred keeping some of the activities open beyond 8pm given the long daylight hours. Overall a great experience.

First the bad news: the sites are not perfectly level. That is it.

Now the good news: Management is a joy to communicate with. Bathrooms & showers are spacious, CLEAN, and they are air conditioned!

There are seasonal campers here for sure, but that wasn't a negative. The campground is quiet and well maintained. Hookups were excellent. The pool was the perfect size for this campground and was never crowded. The dumpster is centrally located and easy to find. On arrival, you get a map and good information. Across the street from Diamond Caverns! Which is more appealing to the eye than Mammoth Cave due to being a wet cave which forms stalactites and stalagmites - which you will see very little of in Mammoth Cave. They have a miniature golf course, but it was so hot in late July we passed.

Clean. Friendly. Affordable. Nice pool. Nice sites. Nice spacing between sites. We loved our stay and decided to stay an extra night. Plenty of open space to walk the dogs! We're not a member, but we would absolutely stay here again! I called the office to get an extra night and they said they didn't have any availability, so I went on the website and booked it;-)

Ferguson is two miles into the back country at Mammoth Cave. The last half mile, trail to campsite only, is a bit thick with a stream crossing. At 1.5 miles you’ll hit a nice spot where two streams come together. That’s your water source so load up before the last half mile. Ferguson is extremely secluded, nice tent landing, fire ring and trees for hammocking. Permits are required for all Mammoth Cave Backcountry sites, they can be obtained at the Visitor’s Center.

stayes here one night and mammoth cave campground. This place was quieter. But we are all here for the caves sooo.

Very quiet, clean, and nice campground. Very close to Mammoth Cave. Shower facilities were very very clean. Nice well spaced sites.

The campsites are surrounded by trees and it’s beautiful. Campsite has good showers too which is a plus. Nearby mammoth caves!