Best Campgrounds near Wellington, KY

The campground landscape surrounding Wellington, Kentucky features multiple established facilities for RV and tent camping. Louisville South KOA in Shepherdsville provides full hookup sites for RVs, tent camping areas, and cabin accommodations approximately 25 miles from downtown Louisville. Jefferson Memorial Forest offers more primitive camping with sites nestled among hardwood trees for $15 per night. Most campgrounds in the region maintain year-round operations, though Taylorsville Lake State Park operates seasonally from April through mid-December with electric hookups and shower facilities.

Developed campgrounds throughout the area typically provide water and electric hookups with most offering full sewer connections for RVs. Campsite availability varies significantly during peak summer months when facilities like Lake Shelby Campground experience higher occupancy rates. Several state park campgrounds require advance reservations, particularly on weekends and during bourbon festival events in nearby Bardstown. Cell service can be spotty at more remote locations, with visitors noting limited connectivity at some state park facilities. One camper shared that "Kentucky parks be prepared for required extensions to your power and water hoses because with exception of a couple of sites everything is at least 30 to 36 feet away from your hook up."

Family-friendly amenities represent a common feature at campgrounds in the region. Many visitors highlight the proximity to hiking trails, fishing opportunities, and water activities as key attractions. Campers at Elkhorn Campground appreciate the "beautiful spot surrounded by rivers and open green fields," while facilities closer to Louisville provide convenient access to urban attractions and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The camping areas near Bardstown particularly appeal to visitors exploring distilleries. Several reviewers note the spaciousness of sites at Kentucky River Campground, where campsites are "divided off by trees and shrubs" creating more privacy than typically found at more developed facilities. Bathroom and shower facilities receive mixed reviews across the region, with state park facilities occasionally described as needing updates or more thorough cleaning.

Best Camping Sites Near Wellington, Kentucky (69)

    1. Charlestown State Park Campground

    37 Reviews
    Charlestown, IN
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (812) 256-5600

    $23 - $30 / night

    "The spots were decently spaced out, the bathrooms are clean, and there are some hiking trails from the campground."

    "There is always a bathhouse close by and they are usually very clean. Staff is always super nice."

    2. Horine Reservation Camping at Jefferson County Memorial Forest

    18 Reviews
    Fairdale, KY
    11 miles
    Website

    $15 - $30 / night

    "Having lived 62 years in Kentucky, less than twenty minutes from the Jeff. Forest, leaving to explore USA, then returning to my home state allows me a unique point of view."

    "Tent sites have so many trees surrounding them. If you're looking for more privacy anything off of the loop will do just fine."

    3. Louisville South KOA

    22 Reviews
    Shepherdsville, KY
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (502) 543-2041

    "Will absolutely come back again especially with the proximity to the city but having peace and quiet to the south. The walking trail was much longer than expected and really nice."

    "There was corn hole, ladder ball, pool, walking trails, access to the river, cat fish pond, small dog park, and washers & dryers."

    4. Louisville North Campground

    5 Reviews
    Clarksville, IN
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (812) 282-4474

    $40 - $45 / night

    "If you are looking to be close to downtown Louisville, this is the campground for you. The staff was super nice and the location is very convenient for getting downtown."

    5. Add-More Campground

    7 Reviews
    Clarksville, IN
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (812) 283-4321

    "Close to shopping and restaurants. We will stay here again when back in the Louisville area."

    6. Brooks RV Park - full hookup The safest park in Louisville!

    4 Reviews
    Brooks, KY
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (502) 276-6090

    $45 - $50 / night

    "What a nice RV campground near all Louisville and the surrounding areas have to offer visitors. It is nicely landscaped with fairy lights at night. The Manager Annie is awesome."

    "Nice sized sites, reasonable priced comparied to the KOA, all good full hookups, nicely kept, and most importantly it is in a safe country setting surrounded by large trees and on a dead end road."

    7. Deam Lake State Recreation Area Campground

    18 Reviews
    Borden, IN
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (812) 246-5421

    $23 - $64 / night

    "Great sites close to the lake"

    "There are horse trails, a beach, and great water for swimming/kayaking/canoeing. It is pet friendly as well. The bath house in our area was older but fairly clean."

    8. Taylorsville Lake State Park Campground

    29 Reviews
    Mount Eden, KY
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (502) 477-8713

    $20 - $45 / night

    "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."

    "Better if you have a boat ( or rent one at the marina across the lake) good access to the lake, gets busy in the summer. Stores in decent proximity off property. Can get loud at times."

    9. Lake Shelby Campground

    14 Reviews
    Shelbyville, KY
    24 miles
    Website
    +1 (502) 633-5069

    $20 - $30 / night

    "Lots of mud still around the camp sites. A nice parking lot in front of sites to back your rig up. Pads are small in length so be aware of that when it mentions it on the website."

    "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."

    10. Grandma's RV Park

    3 Reviews
    Shepherdsville, KY
    16 miles
    +1 (502) 543-7023

    "it was a very nice place to just pull in off the interstate and stay the nice. had a laundromat so you could to your laundry. the owner was very nice person. they have a dog walk also so you can walk your"

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Recent Reviews near Wellington, KY

515 Reviews of 69 Wellington Campgrounds


  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 26, 2025

    Little Patch of Heaven Campground

    Adequate

    Most are pull through sites, many have a shared water faucet. Clean and conveniente to town. Sandy the manager is a peach.

  • SkywaystoHighways.com Y.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 23, 2025

    Glendale Campground

    Simply serene

    Great overnight stop on our drive from Tennessee to Indiana. The hosts Valette and Greg were absolutely wonderful. The campground was well tended with a playground for the little ones. We don’t have little ones, but I couldn’t resist a ride on the merry-go-round! The facilities were pristine with piping hot showers that had great water pressure. Perfect TMobile signal and ***free WiFi *** which allowed us to get some work done. Conveniently located near 65 without too much traffic noise. Would definitely return here. Pick site 14 for the best view beside the lake.

  • Kyle H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 21, 2025

    Scottsburg/Raintree Lake KOA

    Great Campground

    Quick two night stay for us but although our first time here was short we will certainly be back. Campground is clean and very well maintained. Owners are very involved and run things very thoughtfully.

    They were able to accommodate our 44ft 5th wheel and navigating to the site was simple. Can’t wait to come back and visit.

  • AThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 8, 2025

    Elkhorn Creek RV Park

    Wonderful place to stay with easy access to the Bourbon Trail and Frankfort

    We stayed for several days so that we could visit distilleries on the Bourbon Trail. Frankfort is almost close enough to bicycle to. Lexington is less than an hour away. It was a great base for visiting many interesting places.

    Elkhorn Creek RV Park was fantastic. The sites were clean and everything worked. The staff was super friendly. We stayed in a creekside site so we had a little bit of scenery. It is a pretty urban place, not a state park, so we didn't expect it to be as pretty as it turned out to be.

    The pool was plenty warm. The bathroom was clean. The classic rock singer who came in and sang in the pavilion on Saturday night was fun.

  • Patrick T.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 8, 2025

    Hones Pointe Campground

    Amazing camp site

    Wonderful campsite. They put a lot of time and thought into this property. It’s truly incredible.

  • Amanda W.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 7, 2025

    Elkhorn Campground

    Quiet & friendly

    I stayed here for 2 weeks while visiting family in the area. Very safe & quiet campground with very friendly staff.

  • DThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 6, 2025

    Charlestown State Park Campground

    Charlestown

    Very clean and friendly state park. Quick stop over but would definitely stay again if in the area. Would like to do some of the trails there

  • DThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 6, 2025

    Charlestown State Park Campground

    Charlestown

    Quick stop over. Would definitely return if in the area. Would have like to have had more time to do some of the trails. Very clean, friendly. Be aware of an additional $9 feet at the gate besides the camp fee.

  • Desert B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 5, 2025

    Knobstone Trail

    not accessible

    Maybe Google Maps took me to the wrong place (probably not).  I drove back and forth on the road several times looking for this place  The only thing I found was what I believe was the entrance with a cable across it.  There was no place to park otherwise.


Guide to Wellington

Camping near Wellington, Kentucky spans a range of environments from lake settings to forest hideaways. The region sits in the rolling hills between Louisville and Lexington, with most campsites positioned between 500-900 feet elevation. Summer temperatures often climb into the mid-90s with high humidity, creating conditions where primitive sites without hookups can become particularly uncomfortable in July and August.

What to do

Hiking trails: Charlestown State Park offers rugged trails with significant elevation changes. One camper noted, "We hiked 4 of the trails, 3 of which were pretty rugged and all had elevation changes for a good hiking challenge." Charlestown State Park Campground provides access to the historical Rose Island trail, described as having "lots of cool history to learn."

Fishing opportunities: Lake Shelby Campground provides multiple fishing access points along both the lake and the stream below the dam. According to a visitor, "They have a few RV spots, some nice camping by the lake, overflow camping by the river past the dam, and primitive camping in the back along the lake trail - those are my favorite spots!" Lake Shelby Campground includes several docks and boat rentals.

Bourbon trail exploration: Deam Lake State Recreation Area serves as a convenient base for regional attractions. Many campers use the area as "my FOB for a weekend of hiking in southern Indiana." The campground's proximity to Louisville makes it ideal for day trips to distilleries, with visitors noting its "nice weekend getaway" appeal and access to surrounding attractions.

What campers like

Privacy between sites: Jefferson Memorial Forest campsites are positioned to maximize seclusion despite their proximity to Louisville. A camper explained, "The seclusion here and the closeness to nature is a grand slam! Due to fall, the sites seem much closer than they are due to the thinning foliage." Jefferson Memorial Forest Campground provides "roomy campsites" with "lots of trees for hammocking."

Clean facilities: Taylorsville Lake State Park maintains well-kept bathroom facilities. One visitor reported, "The bath house in our area was older but fairly clean. We felt like there was good spacing between the sites, and we weren't too close to our neighbors." Another noted the "big sites" and that the Taylorsville Lake State Park Campground has "plenty of room for camper and car, big grass area and nice bathhouse."

Waterfront locations: Multiple campgrounds offer waterfront sites, with Deam Lake providing electric motor only water access. Campers appreciate the "beautiful in the Fall" setting and that "the lake looked very nice and is electric motor only." The restriction on motors keeps the waters calm for fishing and paddling activities.

What you should know

Train noise: Louisville North Campground sits near active train tracks with frequent nighttime traffic. A camper warned, "OMG, the trains. All night, every night. I'm a heavy sleeper and it sounded like the trains were going to crash into our RV and we were across the row from them." Add-More Campground has similar challenges, with reviews noting it's "mainly a site for full timers" and "more of a stop on your way to a campground."

Airport flight patterns: Jefferson Memorial Forest sits below Louisville's international airport route. A reviewer explained, "The campsite rests below the route to Louisville's international airport. For an hour or two in the morning and in the afternoon huge jets fly right over the campgrounds. Really throws me outta my mood." Another specifically mentioned "UPS releases about 100 planes from around 3-5am."

Site size limitations: Many RV sites in the region have length restrictions. Lake Shelby specifically notes "sites are 20 feet long, but they allow front ends to stick out." This can create tight quarters, especially at peak times when campgrounds reach capacity.

Tips for camping with families

Playground options: Charlestown State Park offers family activities including a "small playground, not much to write home about," but the "paved trail to see Rose Island is about 1/2 mile long hill that is very steep in parts." Brooks RV Park stands out with its "beautiful, safe, big rig RV Park" setting described as a "fairy land RV Park - with twinkly lights that come on every night."

Swimming access: Lake Shelby Campground provides swimming opportunities and rentals. "They have a playground for the kids, paddleboats and such for rent at a reasonable price, firewood for sale, and the showerhouse is clean," reported one visitor. The campground combines water activities with land-based entertainment options.

Weekend crowd management: Jefferson Memorial Forest experiences significant weekend crowds, particularly at group sites. A camper observed, "The large group sites are peppered throughout the family sites so if you happened to have a loud crowd on your weekend then you'll hear the music and shouting sometimes well into the night despite quiet hours."

Tips from RVers

Hookup positioning: Many RV sites require extension cords and hoses for connections. In Taylorsville Lake, campers should prepare for "full hookups but we got one of the handful of full hookup sites." Louisville South KOA cautions that "sites were close to each other but provided plenty of space for the average sized rig."

Leveling requirements: RV sites throughout the region often require leveling equipment. At Charlestown State Park, "all sites are pretty much the same with good spacing between them," but many visitors note bringing leveling blocks is essential at most area campgrounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

What camping is available near Wellington, KY?

According to TheDyrt.com, Wellington, KY offers a wide range of camping options, with 69 campgrounds and RV parks near Wellington, KY and 2 free dispersed camping spots.

Which is the most popular campground near Wellington, KY?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Wellington, KY is Charlestown State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 37 reviews.

Where can I find free dispersed camping near Wellington, KY?

According to TheDyrt.com, there are 2 free dispersed camping spots near Wellington, KY.