Best Tent Camping near Mount Eden, KY
Searching for a tent campsite near Mount Eden? With The Dyrt, it's easy to find Mount Eden campgrounds for you and your tent. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Kentucky camping adventure.
Searching for a tent campsite near Mount Eden? With The Dyrt, it's easy to find Mount Eden campgrounds for you and your tent. You're sure to find the perfect tent campsite for your Kentucky camping adventure.
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
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 - $82 / night
We are a primitive tent camping campground ~ no water or electricity. Family owned. 40$/night. On the Bourbon Trail. Looking for beautiful views with friends and family come stay with us on our farm. Rolling hills, catch and pond, walking creek, friendly dogs. Water hose and portable toilet at barn. Fire pits and tent pads. Generators welcomed. No long term discounts.
$39 - $55 / 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
Tree Line Retreat is the ideal spot for some well deserved R&R! Nestled on a 40 acre working farmstead, the primitive camp sites are natural grass areas under a tree canopy of large oaks, cherries and other species. You are welcome to hike around and explore the 40 acres, plenty of backroads for beautiful biking, nearby lake with public access for fishing, swimming& picnicking. Located between Cincinnati OH and Lexington KY, the retreat is a short 20 minute drive to the Ark Encounter in Williamstown KY, 45 minutes to Lexington KY, 50 minutes to Cincinnati. An abundance of wildlife roam the area from many species of birds, deer, turkeys along with possible visits from our free range barn cats!
Bartlett Farm proudly raises California, New Zealand & mini Rex rabbits, Embden geese, Muscovy ducks, pasture raised chicken and pasture raised eggs. There are some fenced farm dogs to make noise to keep predators away and some barn cats. All tent sites are brush hogged and the access road is as well. Firewood and water by the gallon available for purchase.
$20 / night
Has tent and RV camping. I tent camped this trip and stopped by for one night as I was passing through. Cost was about $16ish. Staff was very friendly and helpful. Tent sites are at the front of the property with the RVs to the back. Tent campsites are not defined - just an open area for all to share with picnic tables and grills scattered around. Kids playground next to it. Couldn't find the potable water for the tent area. The RVs had electric & water hookups. Showers and bathrooms available. Right next to a side road with a bit of traffic the night I stayed.
Something that sets this place apart from others in the area is long term tent camping!! Yes you read that right, LONG TERM TENT CAMPING! For most of those who travel you know they often offer long term services for those in RVs which provides a discount for staying more than a night or two, but at this campground you as a tent camper can find a location that suits your Kentucky home needs on the road for a day, a week or even a month!
But what does that entail exactly?
This site is really nice, with level sites for RVs or tents, padded grass which is well maintained, nice gravel roads around camp and a river frontage with views which will make you just want to stop and take in the scenery.
When I visited I noticed a lot of people staying here near the weekend were visiting to launch their boats and troll the river fishing for what looked like some pretty large fish. It was pretty cool to see some of the people setting up their campground fish fry, and they were even friendly enough to invite me to join, though I don't eat fish so it didn't really work out that way.
The tent sites were shaded and had several different options, you could choose primitive which is only $17 or for a few dollars more you could have electricity. All sites come with a picnic table and fire ring and a pull in to keep you and your things closely together.
There was a playground and volleyball, but I didn't see anyone using these when I was there. A small camp store has a lot of the essentials in case your forgot something or just needed to pick up a snack. There was also firewood available, a big plus!!
This place is a bit older looking in appearance but it is charming and the owner is very cool. I didn't meet a single person there that wasn't just enjoying life.
TIPS:
We have a tent which attaches to our truck— no hook ups. Everywhere we go we get a tent site. This campground would not let us get a tent site because we “sleep in the bed of our truck.” We reluctantly rented a cabin because we needed a place to stay for the night. We told them our set-up & that we’ve never been denied a tent site, but they still refused. WiFi was fickle. Got on then would get bumped off.
First, the good: Lake Shelby was easy to find. The signs were easy to see and tent sites are well marked. The office, RV area and restrooms were easy to find and also well marked. The tent sites were shaded by nice trees and were located right next to the lake. The group tent sites looked nice and had shade and open areas. You can rent a paddle boat or canoe. However, there has to be an adult in the canoe for rental. There are several docks and a boat ramp. You have to pay to launch and there is an honor box for that. The campsite itself, was mostly flat and partially shaded. The fire pit was nice as well. Now, the bad: The lake was brown and had an oily film across the top. It smelled of dead fish and something else that I couldn't identify. I saw people fishing, but I never saw anyone actually catch anything. The tent sites were down a dead end road, however the amount of cars that went past our site made me feel like there was a parade that lasted almost the entire time we were there. The paddle boat lost steering when we were halfway around the lake. The only thing we could do was go in a circle. It took 20 minutes for them to send someone to assist us. There was a trash can next to our site, however, it was nearly full when we arrived and no one ever emptied it. The restrooms are located at the RV parking area, so we had to drive to use them. In my opinion, the restrooms should have been built in between the RV sites and tent sites to make them easier to access by walking. Overall, I didn't hate my time at Lake Shelby, but there was nothing great enough to make me return or recommend it to friends.
The bathrooms were beautiful and air conditioned! They were very clean and smelled like a swimming pool. They were nice and cool after a hot sweaty day and tent camping.
Tent sites: steep hill with rodents living there. Gravel driveway leading to tent sites: a trench sure to rip the exhaust off your car. The RVers and workers: they make it obvious you are beneath them. Pets allowed: you WILL be up all night with the barking chihuaua on the next site. Airplanes flying over head as you are getting ready to sleep. Traverse the lawn to the faraway bathroom to ruin your shoes at 2am. Laundry on-site but the workers will scowl while you use it. Catch all this ire for the grand old price of $50+ per night.
The staff were very friendly and accommodating. I asked for the most remote location to set up my tent. It’s still pretty close (across the gravel road about 100’ from RV/trailer campers). The row of tent sites backed up to a fence line. There are trees along this row so you’re not in full sun all day. I wish the tent sites were along the edge of the lake, but this is safer for small children. I’d camp here again possibly. There is a shower house but I did not use this facility. A Rural King store and other retail businesses are less than 5 miles from the location if you happen to forget something.
The primitive tent camping is located in a grove of beautiful, mature trees. Fire rings & picnic tables are dotted throughout the trees. There is a highway right beside the campsite so you will best cars, but it is not a high traffic area.
I don't see how there could be tent camping here, there's no grass. But I wouldn't be able to verify anyway because there was no attendant in the office at 10 am on a Monday morning. No one answers the phone. Doesn't seem like much of a business.
Loved this campground growing up! We tent camped and our relatives RV camped. However they have cut down most of the trees, the facilities aren’t maintained very well and the campground/park looks more run down than ever. It’s sad but I hope they update and maintain it more in the future.
Fun little place. RV sites and tent sites lakeside. Fishing, ducks. $5 swimming pool nearby. $20/night tents. Showers and restrooms. Nice parks nearby for equestrian, playground, disk golf course. Huge mall nearby in Simpsonville KY. Drivable to Louisville. Stop at Wings n Rings, yum. Highly recommend. Closes for winter Oct 31 to tents.
Enjoying our stay. Owners are updating as we speak and have many more planned. No sewer hookups but have a dump station on site and honey wagon service at trailer for a fee if needed. Tent camping also available. Well off highway so. I road noise to deal with, just lots of squirrels and chipmunks.
Very nice campground the tent sites even have electric and water but my advice is try not to setup tent near the little pond they have, it stinks. Showers are great, if your tall like me, your gonna have to bend a knee to get underneath the shower head. LOL bathroom water pressure could be better. Very affordable!
Staff was very courteous. I was given very clear directions to the site and couldn't miss it. The lake is beautiful. Dog and I took a little canoe ride. My only issue was that the primitive tent sites were so close to the camper sites which likely couldn't be helped.
There was lots to do at this KOA. There was corn hole, ladder ball, pool, walking trails, access to the river, cat fish pond, small dog park, and washers & dryers. You could bring your RV, travel trailer, tent camp, or rent a cabin. I’m sure I’m forgetting something. The spots were close together. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The park was clean and well maintained.
We stopped here for one night on the way through on a week night for Covid Camping. We got in late and our site was hung on the wall - we had reservations. They gave us an easy in and out site that was level. Nice nature trail and fishing pond. Pretty empty when we were here. The patio sites looked nice. We might come back sometime. Tent sites look good too, some have a sandy area to pitch your tent and a shelter with a table.
This is a very nice park. There were lots of activities going on the weekend we were there. Playground was really good. Many of the sites were small. They had about 30 sites that have sewage. The rest of the sites had electric and water. There were tent sites also. The bath house was nice and clean. The staff was super friendly. There is miniature golf and a small store on site. There is a walking trail trough the woods to Ft Boonesboro (a recreation of the original fort). Unfortunately it was a wet rainy weekend when we went, so we didn’t get to tour the fort. We would definitely go back.
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.
We stayed here 2 nights as a shake down trip. Bring cash, no credit cards taken. We didn't have enough with us, but the Manager let us set up and Hubby went back home and got some cash. We live less then 15 mins from the park. It was very quiet. Even the local kids were nice and respectful. We did take a walk around the park and the lake is beautiful. It was hot during our stay, so we didn't go to the fishing area. The bath house is old and could really use an update. The gentleman who cleaned it every morning spent about 10 mins just spraying a mystery liquid around. Smelled like bleach. The site was gravel. There are tent sites on the lake and that would be nice for a family with kids.
We stayed here one night. It's a small campground about 35 mins from Louisville and has about 40ish sites for RVs with electric and water, some with sewage. Our site was fairly small and pretty close to other sites but it was easy enough to get into and fit our 12ft pop up without issue. They have 2 bathrooms(the one by the laundry/store is very nice!), a catch and release pond(small, but there are small bluegill and some bass), a nice playground, clean pool, store on site, and overall we had a great time. There are also several connections for wifi, and cable(we didn't try it). The staff seemed very nice. Our site without sewage was $30 plus tax, they also offer tent sites and small cabins($40-50 with air conditioning) if that's your thing. Our site was nice and shaded. We were disturbed a few times by trains in the middle of the night- otherwise it was pretty peaceful and quiet.
I’m on a month camping trek. This is the third place I’ve stopped in the past week. Beautiful area, tent camping and pull thru available. Camp hosts were knowledgeable, helpful, and kind. Store had everything I needed.
The place is beautiful with river view and valley overlooking sunsets every night. Options of wooded or open concept sites. Picnic tables and fireplaces were in good shape. Thunderstorms came though the night by noon everything was dry and perfect.
Everyone in the store when I arrived was welcoming. Answered all my questions. The have fishing licenses available, along with hunting.
Be aware it is a Marina, this said if fishings your deal everything your looking for in the store. If you’re used to being spoiled in state park camp stores, they have wood and ice and food and coffee. Don’t bank on them have that last minute toothbrush you forgot.
This being said the shower house was immaculate. Been camping since I was six months old. Don’t remember all the shower houses but I’ve never seen one this clean and well maintained.
For sure will be visiting again!
I decided to drive by on a roadtrip to see if I could spend the night before continuing on in the morning. The dates were not populating on the reservation website and no one answered the phone, so I just drove in around 10. There were plenty of people still out and about and the bath house was lit up. I drove around one time trying to scope out an empty tent site where I wouldn't disturb anyone. I looked at both tenting areas and either would have been pleasant. The campground was pretty full with only a few spots left. There was a large church group. Nice flat ground with lush grass. I chose a spot at the end of the lot past the RV Loop and I could see a ton of stars and let the sounds of the night lull me to sleep. Very quiet and it was still that way when I packed up before 6 the next morning. The office didn't open until 9 , so I left some cash in the door. I didn't explore anything other than the bath house and the general layout. Seemed to be very well maintained, clean, quiet, and certainly convenient just minutes off the interstate. I wasn't sure I was going the right way at first as you go through a patch of rough neighborhood before arriving at the property.
The Louisville South KOA is approximately 25 miles south of downtown Louisville in Shepardsville, KY. The location is easy to find off the exit of 65(which also has a Walmart and other stores nearby to resupply).
The campground has both pull through gravel sites, back-in, and tent sites. The sites were close to each other but provided plenty of space for the average sized rig. Many were longer than other KOAs, which enabled the tow vehicle and TT to be parked. Full hook-ups and 30/50 amp services at the sites, some leveling required. The campground store is well stocked and the employees are very friendly.
There is a pool(no hot tub-filled in with stones), play/game area, bounce pillow, and 2 miles of hiking trails around the campground. While the campground was nice, there is a lot of“stuff”(old broken trailers, mowers, etc) laying around the edges and in need of mowing between the sites. These items tend to take away from the overall welcoming feeling of the campground.
This being said, the wifi was strong and it is very convenient to sightseeing around Nashville, especially for the price of$54 per night.
Tent sites have so many trees surrounding them. If you're looking for more privacy anything off of the loop will do just fine. We stayed at FS1 and could only catch glimpses of other campers, although you do hear and see folks on trails frequently. The ground is SUPER SOFT due to all the pine needles that have fallen over the years. We moved our tent around a bit to get it anchored firmly for expected wind at night... some spots were to soft, but it made for good sleeping!
Firewood was ordered in advance when I booked the site, delivered to our spot while we were setting up.
We took our dog and he had a great time(on leash of course!).
Restrooms are porta-style but hand sanitizer was everywhere and everything was VERY CLEAN.
Since the camp sites are behind a locked gate there is no through traffic aside from other campers. Very nice!
Going back this upcoming weekend as well! Camped this past weekend at Group Site 3. You could fit 6 tents here and still have space. Couldn't hear any other campers aside from some jerks at Group Site 1 that decided to start howling and barking around 11pm as well as playing a radio very loudly past 9:30pm. Couldn't hear the radio unless I walked up to the porta-potties though.
Even with all of the planes overhead from folks leaving town after Derby the tree cover dampened the noise wonderfully. Love love love camping at JCMF.
My husband and I camped here in the May to escape Derby in Louisville. It's close enough to the city that it makes for an easy get-away. Even if you're not camping the hiking is pretty incredible and none of the trails are really to strenuous for an experienced hiker compared to other trails in the region.
This isn't the most quite campground you're going to find. There is an RV area and a loop for tent camping, the sites are fairly close together with some only having as little as a few saplings or briars between sites. The loop itself is a bulky gravel road that is VERY NOISY when campers drive on it, or in our case... a child drives their Barbie Power Wheels up and down the road until 10pm in the dark.
That being said.... it's close to the city. It's inexpensive and the firewood bundles are sizable. Our site didn't have a picnic bench, just a fire ring but the ground was mostly grassy and very level. It was a comfortable site and the majority of them looked pretty similar so it's hard to say there's a "best site" for privacy on the loop. Our site was on the road leading up to the loop and those sites seem best since a few don't have campers across from them and they are spaced out slightly more than the sites on the actual loop... although you're further from water.
*This campground does allow you to make reservations
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.
To find the campground, follow your GPS to Horine Reservation at 12304 Holsclaw Hill Rd. If you follow GPS to Jefferson Memorial Forest, you will end up at the zipline & welcome center. Once on Holsclaw Hill Rd, follow the road & signs to the campground until you reach a gate. A 4 digit code is given to you when you make a reservation. The gate gives a nice sense of privacy & security for the campsite. The camp sites are easy to find and well marked with big signs. I was at Group Site 1This site is huge! Just a guess, but I would say around 1.5 acres. About 2/3 of this site is open, grassy field. The other 1/3 is shaded. The shaded area has 3 large picnic tables, water, fire ring & a private latrine. I purchased firewood in advance & it was delivered to our site before we even arrived. The dumpster is conveniently located near this site. The private latrine is a small, open-air structure near the shaded area of the site. There are 2 composting toilets & the toilet paper was fully stocked. The building is partially open the elements, so it was a little dirty (to be expected) but we used our hose and sprayed the floor clean. The toilets are "squatting" toilets. Which mean they are close to the floor (see pic). There are plenty of wooded areas to explore & hiking trails nearby & several great areas for hammocks. The site looks well maintained & had recently been mowed prior to our arrival. There are enough trees & space to give plenty of privacy between sites. This site is perfect for a large group or family wanting to tent camp together. The picnic tables are the large, sturdy kind. The fire ring was huge with an attached grill. There was another fire ring and 2 more picnic tables in the open grassy area, closer to the road. Designated parking is near the road, which is a bit of distance for carrying a lot of gear. However, since the ground was completely dry, we dropped our gear at the shady area and then parked our car at the road. Overall, this is a great space with unexpected beauty!
Tent camping near Mount Eden, Kentucky offers a unique blend of natural beauty and welcoming amenities, perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Mount Eden, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Mount Eden, KY is Horine Reservation Camping at Jefferson County Memorial Forest with a 4.2-star rating from 17 reviews.
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