Best Glamping near Wallins Creek, KY

Jake from the Dyrt here!  Glamping on the Clinch River offers a relaxing getaway surrounded by rivers and waterfalls in northern Tennessee.  Check them out and make sure to leave a review on the Dyrt!

This is the first time I have stayed in a yurt, and it was definitely a learning experience. First of all, it is a cross between a tent and a cabin, and it has no electricity, bathroom, or running water. This was not so bad since the campground bath house was only a couple of hundred feet away. However, the temperatures were in the lower 90s outside, and once we walked inside the yurt, it was like walking into an oven. The temperature had to be somewhere around 110 degrees inside. Immediately after opening the door, opening the window and opening the canvas window coverings, we could feel the heat pouring out of the yurt. Fortunately, I had two 100-foot extension cords and a fan in our car. I plugged into the closest campsite and ran the cord to the yurt. There is no way we could have stayed in the yurt without the fan, so if you decide to stay in a yurt at this park during the summer, make sure to take extension cords and at least one fan. One thing that my wife and I found strange was that there were handrails along the three steps to the deck around the yurt, but there were no handrails beside the rougher steps leading to the yurt. Once we got the yurt cooled off to a decent temperature(high 70s), it wasn’t too bad. It had a queen bed and a trundle bed, which our grandson stayed on. A couch, side tables, and a dining table was also inside. The overall appearance inside the yurt was pleasant, and there was a picnic table and rocking chairs on the outside on the deck. There was also a fire pit, another picnic table, and a lantern hanger included with this yurt on the ground outside of the deck area. You will have to take your own linens for the beds—a queen and a single. There are two campgrounds in this state park, and each one is quite different. The Lover’s Leap campground has space for larger RVs and appears to be the newer of the two campgrounds. Although there are playgrounds, a swimming complex, an amphitheater, and much more, some of these venues are closed for the season due to the pandemic. The one thing I was really looking forward to(the chairlift) is only open on weekends. However, we were able to hike a couple of trails and see the natural tunnel. There are also cabins in the campground and they have a variety of sleeping arrangements of up to sixteen people in one cabin. The historical background of the state park is varied and extensive, so there are a lot of things to see within the park and surrounding the park. My wife and I decided we really want to come back and camp here again when we have more time. Overall, the campground has a lot of opportunities for different types of camping, and a lot to do, but if you stay in a yurt, be prepared.

As far as yurts go, I think the price was reasonable and is a little bit more separated from the rest of the sites which is a plus! Yurt itself was clean, comfortable and super spacious for just 3 people. Bear box available outside.

Bathhouse is very clean and an easy walk to. People can be a little loud. Easy to walk to trails and a nice little gift shop available + helpful rangers!

This park has so many things to do and is fun for all ages. They have campgrounds,cabins and Yurts. There are nice hiking trails,chairlift to view the tunnel,picnic areas,swimming pool and so much more. People are friendly and helpful too. They have concerts and lots of outdoor activities during different times of the year. Great place for family fun!

This place is absolutely breathtaking. A must go. Cabins, yurts, RV camping, primitive camping. Excellently maintained. The are so many activities for everyone of all ages. Pool, picnicking, canoeing, hiking, fishing. There's a trail to the tunnel or you can take a chairlift. There's a museum, several gift shops, camp store, visitor centers. The staff is helpful and friendly. Many educational activities. The cabins are very clean and relatively new. But, I haven't run into 1 bad Virginia state park.

Its a steep climb into the campground (CG) area but doable. At the main park entrance keep going straight and veer to the right up the hill to cabins/CGs to get to Lover's Leap and Cove View CG areas. The office was closed so we grabbed a park map and headed to back-in site 10 with 50 AMP and water. Our tags were already on our site post so we did not have to check in. The water pressure was 60+ so I used my pressure reducer. I also had to use Teflon tape to get a good seal on my pressure reducer. I noticed that other campers had similar problems evident by the water spray coming off the spigot. Site 10 is a great site with plenty of distance between adjacent sites and a huge yard area, probably the best site in the two loops (Lover's Leap& Cove View). Site 9 would also be one of the better sites. The adjacent Cove View CG is older and the sites are closer together. The yurts are also there. Cove View does have a few sites that will take larger rigs. I would definitely suggest staying in the Lover's Leap loop regardless of what size of rig you have because the sites are more spacious. We got a few OTA channels, but only one major channel. AT&T and Verizon were 2 bars. The bath house was newer, clean, and there’s a laundry with 2 washers & dryers at a $1.00 a piece. Most of the Lover's Leap sites have a clear shot to the southern sky for satellite. The trails out of and around the campground are worth the hikes. The most aggressive was to Lover's Leap Overlook and then down to the Natural Tunnel via Lover's Leap Trail. I wouldn't recommend Lover's Leap Trail if you are very afraid of heights. It goes along the rim and while it does have a fence to protect you from falling, it can still be quite scary. You can drive down to the Natural Tunnel where there’s a parking lot and chair lift down/up (seasonal) to the Tunnel. The Purchase Ridge Trail also goes out of the CG and is a moderate hike through the valley forest but without the stunning views of the Lover's Leap Trail and Natural Tunnel areas. There are other hiking trails and historical sites in the area. Duffield is about 15 minutes away and has gas stations with diesel, a medium sized grocery store, Dollar General, and a few restaurants. This was a quiet campground and we enjoyed our stay.

Great option for young families. Many activities at the park and it is also close to the birth place of Kentucky Fried Chicken. They have nice sites for larger campers and some for small units that are more shaded.

This is great for a night or two, we have used it as a base camp for property search. For this ise it has been great. The sites are a good size with picnic tables at each site. The only problem right now is construction going on behind it, they are clearing out land to build something and they started work today at 5 in the morning. Also you do get road noise as it is at the intersection of two main Kentucky roads.

Kingdom Come State Park is a little jewel in southeastern Kentucky! There are 6 tent sites (7 if they allow you to reserve the one next to the duck pond), each with a gravel drive, mulch tent pad big enough for two smallish tents, fire ring, and picnic table. The nearby shelter house provides restrooms and trash cans. The local ranger was most helpful in providing firewood (free!) and offering to bring us water to wash up with or for drinking (there is a water fountain across from the CG, but it wasn't turned on and there is running water in the restrooms). The area is known for bear activity, but we saw none. The surrounding mountains provide many short hikes that can be easily strung together to make for a longer trek if desired. We look forward to camping there again!

This was a one night stop on our way to Ohio. The property is nice and the sites are spacious. Didn't really like the placement of the fire ring. Had we used it, we would have been listening to our neighbor's music most of the night. We had a W/E site. Our Verizon cell signal was terrible and the campground wifi was not much better. The sites were gravel but were level. We didn't use the showers but they looked clean. The laundry room had only 1 washer and 1 dryer. The playground is best suited for toddlers. The dump station would have been convenient if we were dumping on the way in, but not placed well for dumping upon departure. They did have a zip line and a gem mining station for an extra cost. It was secluded enough that there wasn't a lot of road noise at night. It seems like it would be a nice enough campground during the summer. For the price paid for the site, it would have been nice to have included some of the extra activities. No cell or wifi service would probably keep us from staying here again as it was impossible to get any work done. Be sure to check out the Birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken. We didn't get to go inside the cafe(COVID), but we did have some photo ops outside.

This has ranked #1 for campgrounds for our family this season.

Nestled in the mountains of eastern Kentucky, this campground has all the things your family could want to do in nature.

Check in was super easy and the staff was great.

The site was very easy to get to.

We were on site 13 and it was nearly perfectly level from left to right. It had both 30 and 50 amp hookups and water (about 35psi on pressure). Each site has a charcoal grill, a fire pit with a grate for cooking and a large picnic table.

Our site backed up to the creek and a nice little levee for fishing. You could also go up back the park and fish right at the spillway from Buckhorn Lake Dam. Really fun experience.

Hands down the best playground for kids we have seen in a campground.

They had a large bathhouse with super clean bathrooms. Unsure about showers as I use the one in my TT.

There were horseshoe pits in two locations in the campsite. Several locations to dispose of trash. They also provided trash bags upon arrival.

Laundry facilities onsite and firewood you could purchase.

The dump station was clean and easily accessible with a hose for flushing.

Erica and her husband are the hosts and were so friendly and helpful. We were there over Mother’s Day weekend and they provided coffee juice and doughnuts for Mother’s Day.

A ton of kiddos for kids to play with and a great area for their bikes, etc.

We 100% will be back to this campground this season.

Well kept clean campground.

This is a gem one of the most beautiful quiet and peaceful place to camp and spend time in the campground is so clean and well maintained and the campground host are just great

Arrived around 5 pm on a Monday to ample options for sites. We wanted a flat, electric-only spot for our truck camper and near (but not too near) a bathhouse. Easy to find this: sites are well-laid out and there are multiple bathhouses, all very well-maintained (crisp paint jobs) and very clean. Sites on the lower perimeter will get road noise but interior sites were very quiet. Hosts were friendly and welcoming. Campground connects to a couple trails, 5 min drive to main park office and “attractions.”

Having a blast. We are spending 14 days camping here. Explored the area before the snow hit. Great hiking trails. Nice, large campsites, not too close to your neighbors...but fairly typical. Nice big bathroom ( 2 stalls - 1 handicap). Big handicap accessible open room shower. Had to put towel at bottom of door to stop drafts. Hot water...not that hot...could be warmer. Large bench in shower room and hooks for clothes. Small bench seat in shower as well.

Camping is first-come...first-served...no wood for sale at park...but you can buy from anywhere in Lee County. Paddy's Gas Station about 1 mile from here sells wood for $5 for a good size bundle and other necessities.

Hikes for all levels...easy and strenuous.

Very impressed how quickly and often they came through to scrape the roads once the snow started. We got 6-8 inches on Christmas Eve....and next day park roads were passable...without 4wd. 58 looked great.

All in all this is a great place to camp. Everyone around is so nice and polite. Food City is grocery store in nearby Middlesboro, KY that has awesome cafe for buying hot food meals. Great food! Takes 10-15 minutes to get there. Plenty of fast food options there too.

Very convenient location...well kept park. Try it! You'll like it!

I was a little underwhelmed compared to what I was expecting from camping at a national park. The positives are the cheap rates and there are bathroom and shower facilities. If you want old fashion tent camping the park does have some backcountry campsites.

The cons are the lack of actual campsites. They are more like parking spaces. Probably to appeal to the people who use campers. The noise of the highway was constant and annoying.

Overall I enjoyed my time staying here. Wish I could have done more backcountry camping but the weather didn't permit it.

Wilderness Road Cumberland Gap : (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good 70 yr olds in 17’ trailer: Overall Rating: 4 Price: $24 w electricity $18 w/o. 1/2 for seniors Usage during visit: low Site Privacy: 2 to 4 depending on location. In some areas, sites are close in 3 directions. Looks to be better privacy in non electric sites. Study campground map for outside sites.
Site Spacing: Some are pretty close. Just look at the campground map and choose one accordingly. Our site was very nice.
Site surface: Gravel for non-electric sites. Ours was tough to level and as per rec.gov website for our site. . Electric sites have black top.
Reservations: Yes Campground Noise 5. Quiet Road Noise: 4, depending on location. Highway noise Electricity. 2 loops have electricity. Water: at dump station and restrooms Sewer: No Dump: Yes Bathroom: 5 Clean Showers: 5. Private rooms Pull Throughs most are backing Cell Service (Verizon): 5. Great Setting: Deciduous forest Weather: 60s to upper 30s Bugs: None Solar: Great. May change as the trees leaf out more. Host: They are active. Location: Near Town of Gap - quaint, make sure to visit. 1919 is the place for lunch or dinner we hear from locals. 10 minutes to good grocery stores in Middlesboro.
Loops: Portions of some sites sort of back up to each other. The sites I took pictures of are some of the better sites for privacy

Short stay, nice site, no hassles. Was able to find a nice site near a comfort station but not near other people. Self registration, lit a fire, set up quickly. Right near a lot of trails. Will definitely return.

Campsites are nice but electric hookups only at certain sites. Its a national campground so its beautiful with nice bathouses but not much activities other than hiking. There are a limited amount of sites that would accommodate a large RV, mostly tent sites. It is first come first serve with no reservations. There is no rv parks close if the campground is full.

Good tent camping sites. Lots of trees; level sites; fire pit; picnic table. Very clean & well supplied restrooms. Great individual private room showers with plenty of good hot water.

We camped in site B-11.

Sites, even in the RV loops, are well spread out with mature trees separating them. Sites can be hilly, even the RV paved pads, so be cautious on site selection. That said, the roads and pads were recently re-paved and have nice curb stops at the ends to assist in backing in.

The bath houses are generally clean and updated, with separate shower facilities that are independent from the bathrooms. It’s not especially cold right now but it did seem that they’re at least heated.

We tent camp in an RV site since we have an EV, allowing us to charge. The power post on our site was typical with 120V 20A (5-20) and 30A (TT-30) connections as well as a 240V 50A (14-50). Power supplied was at 248V while pulling 32A.

Our site accommodated our larger 9-person tent (16’x9’) well, with only a slight slope on the back end of the site. This left plenty of space for the supplied table, fire ring, and parking in the paved pad. We are across the street from the bath house.

Note: Site B-10 across the street has a significant slope for the RV pad and the grassy area that could accommodate a tent is also significantly sloped.

None of the sites I’ve seen have water at the site- there is a spigot at the bath house.

The dumpster area is at the end of the B-loop road, and also has bottle and can recycling available.

We could occasionally hear traffic (mostly engine brakes when it happened), but I think that is more an issue in the further back loops. A-loop is furthest from the highway. As a tent camper, the HVAC units of neighboring RV’s were louder than the traffic (not an issue - we know what we’re signing up for in these sites. Just giving a comparison.)

Bathrooms were clean, people were friendly and quiet. Reasonably sized sites that were first come, first serve, but we had no problem finding a site on a Friday afternoon. Lots of ranger patrols.

Located a few miles away from the Cumberland Gap visitor's center, the camping area abuts the highway (where you can still hear traffic) and after a short drive into the park, you'll come across a plethora of camping sites.

There are RV sites with power and water and for tent campers, you can choose between large spaces with open fields and hilly, shaded spots for a more secluded feel. There are also food lockers on-site to discourage wildlife, and flip-up fire rings that, for once, weren't clogged with ashes and old wood. 

Speaking of fires, you can buy firewood on-site from the camp store (no cards taken). 

There are care stations with toilets and showers in three locations, spaced evenly throughout the 6 rings that make up the park. 

Cell service is decent, with 2-3 bars of LTE.

Loops B&C have electric hooks, no water hooks at any site. Bath houses were super clean. Not a destination spot unless you have a child attending LMU 😁. Jake brakes on the semi’s a bit loud at times, but everything shuts down after 9pm so wasn’t an issue at night. We’ll be back, at least for another 3.5 years.

Very clean, always stocked restrooms. Convenient hiking trails for all levels. Family friendly.

Fun place to take up a big group to hangout together