Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Salt Lick, KY

KOA Review

The campground it’s self is very clean and taken care of. We were there in early March with winter temps. The staff was extremely nice and helpful, bath house and laundry was clean. The water at our site was inoperable and they offered to move us without me even having to ask which was nice. The site could be maintained better ours had lots of tire ruts and fire pit could have been better for the price. Overall it’s a good campground with amenities in great shape. A good little dog park that was extremely clean, putt putt, and more. I would come back again in the off season just cause we like camping with less crowds.

The folks that run this RV park are very nice and obviously have a lot of pride in their place. Valley Breezy is very well kept and clean. Good amenities- electric/sewer/water hookup. Pets allowed (on-leash).

Got there late and was greeted by the hosts, they led us back on a 4-wheeler, so we know what to expect on the the dirt lane back to the sites. They're first come, first serve, but all the sites have their own advantages. Some are a little slanted, but not so bad its disruptive for sleep. The stars can get pretty bright at night, despite the pollution from neighboring cities, so it makes for some nice stargazing. Apparently firewood is included, and if you let the hosts know, they're very attentive and will come right out to make sure you've got firewood, or even paddles for the boats that are available to use free of charge. There's a shed that is normally stocked with fishing gear, firewood, life vests, trolling motors and other goodies. (Though it was a little sparse on our visit) I wouldn't say it's entirely RV friendly, but maybe 1-2 sites could handle one. If I recall correctly, pets are allowed, but they must be leashed at all times since there's farmland nearby. Overall we loved our visit, and can't wait to go back since m'lady broke her ankle night one, and hence we spent most of our day in Lexington.  Getting into a boat can be a chore with a broken ankle, but once you manage it, its rewarding. HLF is a great place to go if you just want (some) privacy and to relax a bit.

I'll preface this with the fact that I am a Lexington, KY Native and have always lived close to the Kentucky Horse Park and Kentucky Horse Park Campground, but have never stayed there until this weekend. 

We stayed on Loop A in site #38.

First, site #38 was a great large and fairly level site with 50AMP hookups and Water. There were no sewer hook ups, but the park has 2 dump stations that accommodate 2 RV/Trailers being dumped at one time. The site had a large amount of space between ourselves and our neighbors and we had a lot of extra space behind out paved site that was grassy. A great area for the kids/pets to run around. 

The park has 2 playgrounds (one was closed due to COVID and the sanitizing that would have to be done. The park said they didn't have the staff to sanitize the playground further from the office/store). There is a community pool (it was closed because it isn't memorial day yet and the staff is still trying to determine if it will open this season after being closed all of 2020 due to COVID).

You're able to bring your Golf Cart if you would like but you must get a permit from the campground office/store. They say there is a rule that no one under the age of 16 or anyone without a valid drivers license is allowed to drive the golf carts, but this is clearly not enforced, as my kids were nearly run over (more than once) by young kids speeding around on the gold carts. 

The park is great for bike riding and you can travel just a short distance to get to the Legacy Trail (a 12 mile paved trail great from biking/running that runs from the horse park into downtown Lexington). It rained most of the day on Saturday while we were there but in the evening, we got to get the bikes out and go see the horses as they were grazing in the fields. 

Right next door, you have the World Famous Kentucky Horse Park. Their trail rides are back open (Ages 7 an older $25.00 per person) and they also have their Pony ride for kids 12 and under ($5 a person) opened back up. You can go visit the different barns, go to the museums, etc. 

Just 1 exit north on I75 you have  a Camping World, for all of your camping needs and then 1 exit after that you have a Walmart and Lowes for other things. Many food options as well. 

There is a gas station just down Iron Works pike for all of your fuel and and snack needs. Attached to the gas station is also a liquor store. 

Your smack in the middle of Georgetown and Lexington which both offer several family friendly Craft Beer Breweries/Taprooms, a lot of great local eating options and bars/nightlife options. 

On Holidays now, at the Horse Park Campground, you have to have 5 day minimum stay, which can get a bit pricey. 

All around though, great little campsite with easy access to I65/I64.

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.

This is a great place. I would rank the Red River Gorge area as the most beautiful place in the Kentucky. Any time I get the chance to head out this way, I do. And I make sure that those chances are not few and far between. This is my favorite place to bring my dogs to get some exercise and time away from work. Be prepared for crowds if you come on the weekend. Stop by in the Fall if you want the added bonus of seeing the leaves turn!

We had a Great time here. We've some spent time now in Kentucky and Red River Gorge area is one of favorites in this state. The campground is good pretty simple. Apparently there are showers which are a huge plus or us but we didnt use them we are staying with friends in a couple days. This camp was super close to some great hiking and a guy working in the park recommended some hikes. The trail heads were close to the campground which was perfect and dog friendly. Probably because the state park is sooooo big. We loved it.

We camped here over the weekend with our dogs. We had campsite 38, one out of 3 that are away from the rest of the sites. The campground is not very big, but very well maintained. The sites are very close together. A big plus was definitely the little creek, perfect for the dogs to play in. The bathhouse was very clean. One of the 2 showers had no bench, which makes it difficult to keep all your stuff dry while you shower. There are 2 trails that you can hike from the campground. Both were dog friendly, the rest of the park is not. Nearby is Miguel's Pizza, which is a pretty place to stop and ear breakfast, lunch, or dinner with outdoor seating
The whole area is absolutely gorgeous. We hiked to Gray's Arch, which is about 15 min from the campground. The skylift to the Natural Bridge is very close by.

Koomer ridge is a great campground if you don't want to hike to camp, it's kid and dog friendly!

The camp site we reserved wasn’t where it wasn’t indicated on the map. It had no fire ring or picnic table and the person in the site next to our site had his tent in our site because his site had a bunch of trees in his and where his tent should have gone the people in the next site had put their tent there... Campsites had no borders so there was no telling where one was compared to the next. The center section the sites were basically all on top of each other. There were ton of kids playing throughout (no problem with the kids) but because there was definition between sites they would come running through our site. We have a dog so we worried about the kids getting tripped by the dogs rope and just coming over to visit the our dog.

Also since the sites were so close to each other, it was great to be able to hear the neighbors get falling down drunk, make x-rated prank phone calls and try to fight each other. Very entertaining

Perfect for a quick one night stay while traveling! Reasonable, nice site backed up to a babbling stream. Short walk to bathroom with shower! Short walk w/ my dog on the trails before heading back on the road!

This is in the heart of the Red River Gorge and super close to Muir Valley. Great climbing campground that is fairly affordable ($8 per person per night). The only thing is they don't allow dogs, except at the annual Rocktoberfest festival.

For a little privacy stay in the back of the campground. Most spots are level, paved (or packed gravel). Shower room was nice and pretty clean.

Whittleton Arch (another natural bridge) is across the street from campground - was a great hike and it allows dogs (Natural Bridge Park does not).