Best Tent Camping near Salt Lick, KY

Tent Camping Reviews near Salt Lick, KY

663 Reviews of 10 Salt Lick Campgrounds

• R

  Rita H.

  Scout

  Aug. 13, 2018

  John Swift's Lost Silvermine Historic Campground

  Great family-friendly, primitive car camping

  This campground is easy to access and good for individuals or groups; it's mostly covered with grass though there are areas that are more dirt, closer to the river. It's nestled between the Red River and Highway 715, so you are pretty close to the road and will hear some road noise, but it's a pretty quiet 2-lane highway. There are picnic tables and fire-rings at each campsite, and it is easy to pitch a few tents in close proximity if you are there with a group. The toilets are port-a-potties scattered throughout the campground. You are asked to sign a waiver and agree to the quiet hours (11-6). The campground is gated and the gate is closed and locked at 10 pm (but the campground manager sleeps on-site). The firewood we purchased here was very wet though, and never burned well. This is typical of much of the firewood purchased at the RRG though, unless you buy kiln-dried from the store. Canoe and kayak rentals happen at the site as well. This was perfect for camping with my 10-month old, without needing to hike in from the car. A good balance between a crowded state campground and backcountry camping.

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• 

  Jeffrey A.

  Traveler

  Apr. 25, 2023

  Koomer Ridge Campground — Daniel Boone National Forest

  Lovely NF Campground

  Koomer Ridge is really an excellent campground!  As of April 2023 all sites were first-come, first-serve (no prior reservations permitted).  We camped one night and thoroughly enjoyed it!  No hook-ups but the site was level for a 21" campervan and had a HUGE tent pad, 2 lantern posts, fire ring and picnic table in a spacious site.  Plenty of trees for hammocks, too!  Sites were more than adequately spaced out around the campground and some were quite private.  Multiple trails leave straight out of the campground and head into the Red River Gorge, a nice feature.  Campground is heavily wooded, too, so plenty of shade should be available during the summer months.

  The shower house is next to Site 14 and was clean though chilly but had hot & cold running water and was modern/updated.  Only ding here was that a couple of the toilets were out of service during our stay - no big deal as the campground was fairly empty and I hope they'll be addressed before summer crowds arrive.

  The campground is on a ridge - so apart from the sites themselves, there is very little flat ground to be had.  Not a drawback, just an observation.  But the hills make for a lovely setting and beautiful sunsets/sunrises filtering through the trees.  Only criticism is the proximity to the Mountain Parkway nearby; had we been tent camping, the traffic noise would have been a nuisance all night.  But in the campervan it wasn't noticeable, fortunately!  Not enough to cost a star, but worth noting if you're using a tent or soft-sided camper.

  Red River Gorge is an extraordinary and beautiful place to explore, and Koomer Ridge is an excellent basecamp from which to do so!

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• 

  Angie A.

  Ranger

  Jul. 8, 2024

  Turkey Foot Campground

  Excellent find in the woods!

  Found the perfect spot for our trailer and our friends car camping. Clean vault toilets. Each site has fire ring and picnic table. Pack in pack out even though some didn’t get the memo yet park service was there in the morning to clean. Limited to no cell service.

• 

  Kenny P.

  Guide

  Jul. 21, 2021

  Turkey Foot Campground

  Turkey foot Campground

  All tent pad sites with fire ring/grill and lantern hook. Vault toilets are available. No garbage pickup so pack it out!! Hiking and fishing are done activities

• 

  Chris H.

  Traveler

  Oct. 27, 2020

  Twin Knobs Recreation Area

  Hidden Gem

  We've stayed at Twin Knobs twice now in our popup camper. First time was at F26, second was at F24. We love how the outer loop sites have such quick access to the water.

  Both sites are shaded very well and the sites themselves are huge. We could see other campers through the trees but we felt pretty well secluded.

  Each site has several tall poles with hooks for trash bags/food storage. as well each site has a large fire pit with flip-over grill for cooking.

  The firewood bundles are a bit pricey ($7) at the checkin shack, but I'm glad they are available. we purchased at least 7 bundles to have a pretty much constant fire through the day and night.

  The bathrooms are clean and easily accessible. There was a bit of an overflow issue our first day on site but it was resolved in less than an hour by the loop hosts.

  Pop's bbq was a hit both nights we were there. We ordered carryout (covid) and ate at camp on the provided picnic tables. The Dollar General is also adequately stocked.

  All in all a fantastic visit which we will repeat ASAP. it's too bad they close at the end of October. I bet winter camping there would be a treat.

  Cheers,

  Chris

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• M

  Monica

  Scout

  Jan. 26, 2022

  Callie’s Lake and Campground

  Impressive

  We were very pleased with this campground. When we first checked in, the smell of the food in the campground store was to die for. We had plans to cook at our campsite, but the specials that night were very tempting. The staff was kind and helpful, and provided us with a map of the property. The bathhouse was a nice touch! There are many campsites of multiple types available, but there are several primitive sites that still feel secluded and surrounded by trees. There are several sites that can be accessed by a sedan, but some of the sites farther back really require something more suited to off-road driving. We were in a Subaru Forester and had no issues, but did actually have to help push a Camry out of a rut. We visited in October 2021 and it seemed like the area we selected was still slightly under construction. The campsite was wonderful, but the picnic table was sitting on a slope and we were having a difficult time preventing our food from falling off. A flatter spot for the picnic table would be our only suggestion to the owner. My friend used a tent and was happy to see a flat spot cut out of the slope our site was situated on. I used a hammock and didn’t have any trouble finding suitable trees. We loved it and will definitely be back!

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• 

  Steve Z.

  Scout

  Aug. 5, 2021

  Blue Licks Battlefield State Resort Park

  Great place for passers through or staycationers.

  We have stayed in four sites her during the past couple of month. There are two walk-in sites (10 & 51). Both were pleasant, nearly level, close to amenities, but were under no shade. [Site 10 is presently inhabited by a large family with a sign that says “Camp Host out front. I have not seen them do anything for campers here, and the site is kept in disgraceful cluttered condition.] we next stayed on Lot 13, which backs up to the primitive campground. Quite nice, but beware: this site as well as about half of the other sites at this campground require the use of electrical and water extensions because the connections are on the “wrong” side of the RV, and quite a distance away. For Lot 13, I needed over 50’ of extensions. We then stayed on walk-in lot 51. I was able to “self permit” at the gate…it’s first come first served, no online reservations. Nice, but no shade. Finally, we’re on Lot 47. Eureka! This is my favorite so far. It’s one of the “premium sites” with wooden deck and nicer picnic table for only $2 additional per night. View is phenomenal, and it’s close enough to dumpsters and gatehouse. Notice that I didn’t mention anything about sewer hookups. That’s because there are none. There is a single, very popular dump station near the entrance/exit.
  There are several miles of decent trails here, a swimming pool, putt putt golf, a pioneer museum, and a lodge with a good restaurant. The campground is easily accessible and is very kid and pet friendly. Nice sites for tent camping. Facilities are a bit dated, but clean and well maintained. All RV sites are back-in, and some are limited length. (Though some campers have rather cleverly managed to pull through a couple of the sites.) Some are quite unlevel.
  Overall good family campground on rich historical site.

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• 

  Crystal C.

  Legend

  Aug. 9, 2018

  Fort Boonesborough State Park Campground

  Pricey but interesting

  I was very interested in this area for the living history museum but as a tent camper I had more than a little sticker shock at the $36 price point not to mention the booking fee on Reserve America. That made this one of the most expensive campgrounds I have stayed at including numerous stops in California. 😒

  The sites were well shaded and included the typical set up of fire rings and picnic tables but I did feel a little closer to my neighbor than I would have liked. I can only imagine the feeling to and RV camper would be even more suffocating.

  The campground was noisy and busy as it was a weekend, and while some of that can be expected for the higher price point I would have liked things to have been a bit more accommodating to those times, maybe they should offer a few less sites so there can be a bit more space so if it is busy you don’t feel like you are suffocated by noise.

  With that being said, not all was bad here. The things to do outside of th campground itself were worth some of the inadequacies the camp provided in way of space. The living history museum was one of the best I have seen in the Kentucky or Tennessee area and other amenities such as water access and proximity to hiking was great.

  If I did return it would be during the week and potentially not during summer to avoid the crowd.

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• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Mar. 27, 2025

  Red River Adventure

  Ownership was changing; hopefully improvements followed

  We were with a group that had reservations here but when we arrived mid-afternoon, the gate was locked, no one was there, and there was no cell service. A member of the group drove to where there was cell reception and called but no one answered the phone. Eventually, we spoke with the father of the outgoing owner who gave us the gate code and we set up camp. The manager showed up a few hours later but the owner did not arrive until early evening; it was then we learned new owners were taking over the next day! 

  This is a primitive campground which is not a problem for us, but it had a neglected feeling to it (due likely to pending ownership change). Fortunately, the vault toilets had recently been serviced and were not too bad. Toilet paper but no hand sanitizer. Outdoor non-private solar showers that do not guarantee hot water (and it was chilly when we were there, so no one tried to use them). 

  There was no place to put garbage that I saw and there was loose garbage where it should have been collected. 

  Most sites had a fire ring marked by rocks.

  Some sites had gravel pads while others had grass. They were clearly marked but you had to watch out for the drainage ditch when backing into the site. There is no separation between sites, but we were the only ones there so not a problem for us.

  The main draw for this campground is the kayak rentals and transportation to the put-in site. Kayaking was fun, despite obstacles in the river due to recent rains (and parts of the campground were also flooded). The price was reasonable -$10 per person. I am hopeful the new owners made some improvements, although this may raise the price!

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