Best Tent Camping near Morganfield, KY

Stopped at this campground on the way to St. Louis. It is remote with several trails to explore. The sites were level and good for tent camping.

Not big by any means but we'll kept and cozy. Primitive with water and restrooms. Worth the stay for thise wanting a small area and tent camp.

Plenty of hiking trails with a lot of information about the area. Pretty close to convenience stores for your needs.

We found this little gem at a last minute camping adventure on the way home from out of town.  It was one of our first tent camping experiences.  Nothing fancy, but the pit toilet and water supply worked just fine for us and our kids.  We found some beautiful hiking and water holes.

Primative camping at its best. This is heavily used in the summer and early fall. Picnic tables and fire rings, vault toilets. Go in the off season and you will have plenty of privacy. Fairly level tent sites , some with nice trees for hammocks. Close to Little Grand Canyon, a really neat natural bridge, and Illinois wineries.

CG offers sites with electric and water and then sites with no hook-ups. The electric/water sites were much better than the “tent” sites. Tent sites were closer together and not very level. The “RV” sites, however, we’re pretty level and well spaced out. We’d recommend sites 20-24 for their lake views. There were two bathroom buildings both with flush toilets and showers. We only used the smaller one. They were pretty clean. CG sold firewood for $4 a bundle or 3 for $10 and 22 lbs ice bags for $5. Staff were friendly. $22/night is a great price though I wish they’d take reservations. We went during Spring Break for a long weekend and CG didn’t fill up, still a bit chilly to camp for some I guess! Roads in the Glendale Recreation area are in need of repair. Trail around the lake was a nice 3mi hike and is easily accessed directly from a number of the sites, including ours. This CG provides a great base to explore the surrounding area’s many natural wonders.

Only stayed here for 1 night. Pit toilets were dirty even for pit toilets. Decent primitive sites, not very level though. Good for tent camping or small camper. Unfortunately some other “campers” showed up late in the evening, played music, yelled and partied until around 3am. It seems to be an ongoing problem at that campground. The only plus is the amazing rock formations, good trail system and great little swimming hole. Great place to spend the day and maybe the night if you can sleep though all the commotion.

Had a great time. This was my first time tent camping since I was a teenager. This campground is super remote and is near a couple trails with waterfalls. Other than that you have to go pretty far to find much else interesting so if you want to explore maybe pick a different one in Shawnee. If you're just looking to relax in nature this one is great! It's pretty basic. We saw a coyote and racoon next to our campsite. The campground was mostly full of campers which was nice. There are no bodies of water nearby so next time I think I'll go to one near a lake

Spectacular, outstanding views, ancient cliff formations I love this place. They have camping, i think just tents though.

The Pennyrile state park campground is in need of a makeover. I didn’t see any sites suitable for a tent. I was car camping and slept in my SUV so no tent but I’m glad I didn’t have to rely on the sites being level. There were roots and rocks on all the sites. It is quite and relaxing. Electric and water was adequate. The shower house only had one working shower in the women’s bathroom. The entire thing could use a good cleaning and maintenance.

This is a beautiful place with so much to see! Amazing rock formations, miles of hiking trials, springs to cool off, jumping cliffs. Great campsite, spacious, woody. Little over 20 campsites, get filled on the weekends. If you enjoy the untouched nature, this is definitely a place to visit. On the down side, you pay $10 per tent per night (if you have 2 tents on one site, have to pay $20 per night). bathrooms are not very clean. And the ticks were so bad!! Maybe it is just that time of the year (tick season). Otherwise absolutely beautiful nature!

We stayed at sight #58. We were on the very corner and even though it was close to the road it was beautiful and not super traffic heavy. There was however a streetlight at the corner and it was extremely bright. We were prepared enough though so we put a dark tarp up on the outside of our tent to block it. I do wish we could have seen a better picture of the site before hand it would have made choosing easier. This wasn’t the best spot for a tent, but we made it work :)

Within hiking distance of the springs and very spacious. Lots of places to set up tents and drive into camp. Water access was easy and out houses clean.

I stayed Thursday-Sunday. Very peaceful and clean. Very well maintained. Even the pit toliets are nicely stocked with toliet paper. Love the tall trees and that it's down the road from Garden of the Gods trails/ observation trail. Great for tents and Hammocks.

This camping spot is just down the road from Southern IL’s Garden Of the Gods. There were 12 camping areas. Plenty of room and trees for tents and hammocks. Also, there is a good amount of shade so if you tent in the right spot you don’t wake up roasting from the sun. The campsites have a lot of room so your neighbors don’t seem like they are on top of your site. The spots include a picnic table, hanging poles for trash or lantern, and a fire pit with movable built-in grill. The area is very wooded so unless the ground is wet you can find lots of firewood. There is a drinking water pump at the entrance of the campsite but it’s pretty chlorinated. There is no shower or running water and the toilets are pit style; but there are toilets. I don’t know if other sites had this but ours had 2 trails leading right out of the woods. Great for close to home hiking.

P.S. Beware of tailless raccoon at site 12 that likes to steal Doritos.

This camp ground is only about 10 min from Garden Of The Gods. It’s down a gravel road a bit but nothing too hard to find. The spaces are wide open and big for multiple tents. There is well water, a bathroom (open septic tank) for pit and picnic table at each site. No heavy traffic on the gravel road so it’s very quiet.

We stayed here on the way to and on the way home from The Kentucky Bourbon Trail. It is a fairly new KOA with so many enjoyable amenities, family fun, food, ice cream, mini golf, full hookups and shady spots if you ask for one. We want to go back and stay at a patio lot with a swing. Staff is friendly and helpful. Nearby services, fuel, farm store, etc.

RVs, tents, hammocks, teardrops, and camper vans are all great here.

Just be warned that there aren't many lots and they fill up fast, especially Friday through Sunday, especially in the autumn as the leaves are changing.

And if it's unseasonably warm in October, don't bother coming out. Dayhikers clutter the parking spots so badly overnighters risk car accidents trying to get in or out. Lots of kids and Karens.

This is an amazing spot for free camping! The tent pads are right by the water, offering stunning lake views. Each site comes equipped with a fire ring, picnic table, and access to toilets—everything you need for a comfortable stay. Despite its remote feel, Walmart is just a 12-minute drive away for any last-minute supplies. We would have loved to stay longer, but incoming storms cut our trip short. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a peaceful and scenic getaway! No electricity or showers!

We showed up on Friday and even by Sunday when all the spots were taken there was plenty of room between sites. Don't venture too far from the tent spots I saw lots of poison ivy. There are plenty of trails in the immediate vicinity but watch out you might see a copperhead, thankfully the I've we saw was minding his own business. Overall, very fun time coming from Ohio!

I really like this little campground. The sites area  bit close together, and popups are probably the only camper that can fit comfortably. This campground is very close to the Observation Trail where you can view Camel Rock. There is no electricity at this campground, and sometimes people bring very loud generators, and there isn't much that can be done about that. But it's usually pretty busy with tent-campers. This is one of the locations on the Forest that fills up more often than other campgrounds, especially on holiday weekends.