Best Campgrounds near Ashland, KY

Campsite Review for Site 6 – Gateway to Wayne National Forest

Our recent camping trip at this campground was an excellent way to immerse ourselves in the natural beauty of Wayne National Forest. The serene forest setting provided a perfect backdrop for a relaxing outdoor adventure, with the campground offering all the basics needed for a comfortable stay.

We stayed at Site 6 in our travel trailer, enjoying the ease of a pull-through site. Although the water and electric hookups are on the opposite side unless you drive through the loop the wrong way, this setup has an unexpected benefit—it faces directly toward the woods. This orientation allowed us to savor the tranquility of the forest, adding a layer of privacy and a more intimate connection with nature.

While the sites are decently sized, they are closely positioned with minimal separation, which might limit privacy in other areas. However, the majestic surroundings of Wayne National Forest more than make up for this. The proximity to hiking trails, wildlife sightings, and the peaceful ambiance of the trees create an immersive experience that’s hard to beat.

All in all, this campground is a fantastic base for exploring Wayne National Forest. The combination of basic amenities, convenient access, and the enchanting forest environment makes it a great spot for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts alike.

Our stay at this incredible campground was nothing short of magical. With three spacious gravel sites nestled in a quiet, serene setting, it truly felt like our own private escape from the world. We didn’t see another person for four full days — it was such a rare and welcome break from traditional campgrounds.

The wildlife here is abundant and delightful. The natural surroundings are simply breathtaking, making it a perfect spot for nature lovers and those seeking solitude.

The water pressure at the site was excellent — just be sure to bring a water pressure regulator to ensure a comfortable experience. We were pleasantly surprised by the fast campsite internet.

This site would be ideal for a three-family group — plenty of space for everyone to set up comfortably. Site 1 seems to be the biggest.

We just spent a long weekend at Greenbo Lake State Park. It’s a clean campground, but sites are packed in pretty tight. Not my ideal kind of camping. The kids had fun because there were about 100 kids in the campground running around. There was a vacation bible school going on. Our kids were invited to take part in activities. Really nice people all over the campground. They advertise the sites with 30 and 50 amp hookups. What they didn’t say was that you had to share a post. The people beside me already had the 50 amp. I pulled everything to run on propane that I could and plugged into the 30 amp. We just had to watch and not use electrical appliances while the air was on. It was just way too busy and loud to relax for me. I think I’m just way too spoiled by Twin Knobs. There were way too many young kids on electric bikes that were turned loose. We were almost ran over a couple of times. We were standing beside the road once talking to the camp host in his golf cart and one teen flew between us and I had to grab my 87 year old mother to get her out of the way. The host didn’t seem to care. I was just on edge the whole time trying to keep my grandkids and mom from getting ran over. There were also a bunch of golf carts driving around as late as 2 am. I sound like an old fart, but I’m just putting it out there for future campers. We were on site 53 along the creek. There was no AT&T service, but Verizon had service.

Grayson Lake State Park- East Kentucky. So, we had reservations for Carter Caves, but they canceled on me due to redoing the campground. I was fortunate to find a site at Grayson Lake for Wednesday & Thursday night. 

This is a very nice campground at a small state park roughly 10 miles from Carter Caves. Most of it is campground & golf course, with 2 trails.

 Grayson Lake has 71 sites with water& electric. There's a dump station. There's 2 playgrounds. 2 bathhouses. They are on the high side of state park clean. I didn't see any spider webs or bugs.

 The area was meticulously mowed & clean- no trash at the site or fire pit. The staff at check were friendly & helpful. 

We were at site 19 close to the bathhouse. A nice site, but that row had full sun. There were many nice sites, but many had a serious incline. Stay away from site 39 - that has a good view of the wastewater treatment plant!

Grayson Lake is part of a larger area managed by the US Army Corp of Engineers. There's a lot of boating & fishing. We had a good time & if in the area would stay again!

This campground has some of the largest and best spaces camp sites of any full hookup we have visited. There are great walking paths and biking/ scooter options. Our site was closer to the main road than any other but it was still a few hundred yards away. There is river access and it is close to Shawnee State Lodge and Portsmouth, which had great flood wall murals. The site was very clean but could use more trash cans to keep it that way. There is either a shooting range or someone shooting on their own property nearby that did steal some of the peace Saturday midafternoon but it was only for a few hours and wasn’t close enough to be a big deal.