Join the fun near Smithland. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Smithland is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Discover great camping spots near Smithland, reviewed by campers like you.
$20 - $256 / night
"Grand Rivers KY Canal Campground at Barkley Lake COE Site 111 This is a great COE campground located between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, with views of the Barkley Dam."
"Right on Lake Barkley where it joins Kentucky Lake. Over 200,000 acres of lake. We had sites 76 and 77. The roads to the sites have a lot of curves be careful not to clip your trailer on a tree."
"We only stayed one night but staff was very pleasant and sites are reasonable size. There is a nice dog park with disposable bags. Our site overlooks a nice little pond."
"Close to roads so there is lots of road noise. Clean. Very super friendly helpful staff."
$49 / night
"The staff makes you feel like a friend immediately. Laundry is 1.50 per machine and the showers are large and clean."
"There is a small lake to fish in. Nice play ground for the kids. Also has many activities for the kids.
Will be going back, I really enjoyed it. The staff is very welcoming and friendly."
"Over 300 campsites from primitive, electric w/ water and full hook ups in each area along with campstore, modern restrooms and shower houses and so many things to do: swimming, fishing, boating, boat ramps"
"And, after driving through the entire campground the next day, we decided it was the best site in the whole park for our size rig!"
$40 / night
"Burn pit and cooking grill above the pit at every site I visited. Clean Air condition in the bathroom. Showers work great."
"There is no pool or activities for kids but we went out and explored the area
Beautiful walking/bike paths around the property
Hosts were very kind and helpful, we felt very welcomed!"
"Water, electric, nice bath facilities, waterfront, boat ramp, trash, firewood availability, well kept. You name it. I live that it's inside LBL with all of these."
"Each loop has its own restroom/shower house and all are near the lake( some closer then others) canoe rental or bring your own, basketball court and playground as well as swimming area."
"If your coming from the Kentucky side first there is Amish country to visit. Check in Marion for what’s available and where (fill your gas tank up!)
Next there is the ferry ride across."
"It can be a bit of a walk to the bathroom. It does have a restaurant and small store on site. Can spend a large portion of the day hike to the cave and other little trails."
"We stayed as a larger group on a non-electric site. The sites were sort of close together but the trees still helped provide a sense of privacy."
"Next depending on which site you pick it can be a short walk to the lake and direct put in of your water craft. A very cool feature is that several of the sites are double."
$33 - $999 / night
"Extremely friendly staff. Clean campsites with a great view of the lake. Nice pool as well!"
"The site is on the lake with cabins as well. They have full hookups and they were in good condition. We were in and out. Will will be back through for sure to check the place out during the day. "
ScoutGary and his family are very polite and very happy to be helpful. Great prices. Burn pit and cooking grill above the pit at every site I visited. Clean Air condition in the bathroom. Showers work great. I stayed here twice, my family and I had a great time and met some really nice people.
TravelerRelatively new. Has great potential. Located in Vienna, IL near Shawnee National Forest. It has 3 fish & release ponds. Sites were a bit hilly which stands to reason since it was converted from a golf course in 2016. Some sites are pretty long. It accommodated our 35ft. MH with attached car. Some sites are close together with very little shade. The campground had lots of open sites during our stay (3rd week in Aug), but during our stay 2 other short stay campers came in & they parked them right next to us. -Full hook ups available -Hosts were very friendly & provided insight to area. -Bath house - provided air conditioning. Although new & spacious there were only 4 in the entire campground & the toilet & shower were in same space. Upon arrival only 1 was open near us. Subsequently the 2nd was closed due to a water valve malfunction & wasn’t re-opened during our stay. My husband likes level sites & facilities he could use. He said he wouldn’t come back any time soon.
GuidePros:
Secluded campground
Beautiful area
Cons:
You're camping basically in a ravine.
No fire pit
We had site 15 and my in-laws had site 16 over Labor Day weekend 2018.
It took us over an hour to try and level our pop-up camper because the site was so steep. Our neighbors had the same problem. We took the advice of a fellow camper on here and brought an extension cord and we were so glad we did, I think my in-laws ended up needing it.
When we arrived I was disappointed to find that we didn't have a firepit, only an old grill that had a hole in the bottom, rendering it useless. Luckily my in-laws had a firepit so we had our fires over there. We do most of our cooking in cast iron over the fire, so a fire pit is a huge requirement for us. Our site was so steep it was hard for our two young children to walk and play on our site (4yo and 1.5yo) so we spent most of the time at their site anyway. The campsite we were on just wasn't that great for small children, but wouldn't be bad if you were in a tent without small children. Site 16 was great though.
Saturday night, we could hear a drunken group of about 20 with their speakers blasting music across the campground, so loud we couldn't hear each other talking around the campfire. I'm not normally one to complain about music at a campground, but this was overkill and was well into after quiet hours. Every so often you could tell that they were told to turn it down, but it only lasted a few minutes before it was cranked up again. It shut down probably around mid-night, but with two small kids it made for a long night.
The bathrooms were decent, one toilet would shoot water out of the top when you flushed. I didn't use the showers but they looked clean for a campground shower.
The LBL area is what made the trip worth it. We basically used the campground as a base camp to explore the area, which is a beautiful. We saw several deer within the park. The bison and elk prarie is a must see, the kids loved it. We drove to the Golden Pond visitors center and spent several hours at the Homeplace Living history village. Since it was Labor Day weekend they had a lot of events going on. We're now planning another trip back to the LBL area, just not at the same campground.
GuideLots of choice camping spots! Serene and private. Beautiful rolling farmland, just minutes from town. They also offer tiny home rentals, yurt-style glamping tents, RV spots with 30 amp, 50 amp and 110 outlets, and The Art Barn for larger groups, retreats or family reunions.
GuideYOU HAVE TO GO TO THE VISITOR CENTER TO PAY FOR A CAMPING PERMIT AND OHV USE!
For the Turkey Bay OHV area each site is just a picnic table and a fire pit and the sites are not numbered- it’s more a first come first serve. The sites though are close to the entrance and you park right next to the site. This site also is for RVs and tent camping but there is no water or electric access but is within walking distance of the gatehouse. The gatehouse has ice and sodas for sale to each camper.
OHVs for rent at the visitor center (just about 2 miles down the road) and trails marked specifically for them, also a couple hiking trails nearby! Bathrooms and trash onsite!
There is a dump station and potable water about a mile or so up the road near the Hunters Check Station and it’s only about 2 miles out from the Golden Pond planetarium and trails! Great area!
LegendEnergy Lake campground is well planned, the staff are amazing, and with a little planning, the best option for affordable camping that puts you on a small natural preserve lake perfect for kayaking and SUP boarding. Most difficult thing is remembering to fill the fresh water tank (if you are RV'ing) before you set up!! Electricity is on almost every site (there are a couple sites in a few areas that do not have electric & therefor have a reduced rental rate). Each area has "city" water available at hose bibs located in central locations in each area. Some sites have waterfront "views" with trails going down to the lake, others have waterfront walk in availability. You can also drive to the beach (it's got imported sand deposited there every new season!), and there are several areas to launch NONMOTORIZED watercraft. There are restrictions on this lake due to the wildlife refuge and preserve in the back of the lake - no motorized watercraft of any sort. There is camp fire wood, propane and a very small selection of necessities available at the entry gate/check-in. Closest retail store, gas station and alcohol is approximately 10-12 miles from the campground. This campground attracts a lot of tent & car campers as well as small RV's, and there are almost always smaller walk up sites available if the reservation system says there are no available positions. You will want to call before you haul though, because a few of those walk ups are less than 20 feet in length.
AREA B is only cabins... and the cabins are basically one room cabins, with bunks and a queen or full sized bed, with electric and AC. You still have to treck to the bath house for toilet, shower and the hose bib for water. The cabin basically just provides sleeping shelter.
TravelerHad a great 3 day 2 night stay here. All you need to camp here is a camping permit from Land Between the Lakes which is 30 dollars online. If you have a Kentucky resident sportsmans licence this permit is included in that! Each site has a 2 foot across firepit with a grill plate that is hinged so you can flip it on or off the fire. Some of the sites are about 10 to 15 yards from the water while others are a good ways from it. There is no electricity at any of the sites however there is a central dumpster for trash and a composting toilet as well as a boat ramp. The sites are gravel pads with a fire pit and a concrete picnic table. Easily fit my 3 person tent with a 9 x 12ft tarp as a foot print and two vehicles with still room to walk around easily in the site.
TravelerWe stayed as a larger group on a non-electric site. The sites were sort of close together but the trees still helped provide a sense of privacy. There were clean bathrooms with running water a short walk away, didn’t attempt to use the showers. We could easily walk to the trails and we went fishing in the lake. It was mild and quiet the days we went in Mid-May 2020. 🙂 Beautiful scenery.
LegendGrand Rivers KY Canal Campground at Barkley Lake COE Site 111 This is a great COE campground located between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, with views of the Barkley Dam. The canal connects them and you can see boats and occasionally barges passing through. There are over 100 campsites are available, many with water views. We had a spacious site with a river view. Other loops are closer together and no view. Sites offer electric and/or water hookups, tables and fire ring. Other amenities include clean old style bathhouses, a dump station, laundry facilities, a playground, and picnic pavilions. We saw several deer roaming the grounds. There's a great pizza place in town Papa Z.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Smithland, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Smithland, KY is Canal Campground- Lake Barkley COE with a 4.5-star rating from 21 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Smithland, KY?
TheDyrt.com has all 28 glamping camping locations near Smithland, KY, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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