Best Glamping near Whitesburg, KY

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.

I lived in the Dewey Lake-JWSP area with family members, until 2002. Currently, I live about 10-15 minutes away from JWSP and visit the park at least once a month, depending on the weather. If you want to mix up your trip besides going camping or doing any recreational activities: Jenny Wiley Theater, mid June-early August, Outdoor Theater, (kinda like Summer Stock); Theme or special dinners at the Lodge, (mostly on weekends), year round; the community/ state park swimming pool is currently being "refurbished" and will be reopening, (hopefully) in Summer 2019. And, speaking of recreation, you can "hit the links" at the Stone Crest Golf Course, nearby.

But, as for other recreational activities: there's bike riding, hiking, boating: recreational, travel, kayaking and fishing types. If you want to do any horseback riding, you have to bring your own horse and gear, but contact the JWSP office first on where you can ride your horse. Better yet, you can take about a 30 minute drive from the Lodge to the German Bridge Campground area up Cow Creek, which is also in the Dewey Lake area, Contact the Dewey Lake US Army Corps of Engineers for more details, (in other words, Google it). Plus, there are picnic shelters in different areas of JWSP, some of them right next to Dewey Lake.

Now, as for camping, you have 3 type choices... #1. reserving a cabin near the Lodge, (and Dewey's, the local "watering hole"), kinda like "glamping", but it's rougher. (BTW, this area and the Lodge are the best places for getting a cell phone signal). #2. RV (Recreational Vehicle) Camping. There is a RV camping site not far from where I used to live, but from my personal experience, call the JWSP office at least 2 weeks in advance before the date you plan to use the site to see if there is going to be anything available on the dates you want, before making your reservation. First come, first served! #3. A. There are tent campsites next to Dewey Lake in various areas around the lake accessible by boat only, which are overseen by the Corps of Engineers, contact them or the JWSP office. Best place in my opinion: Campsite near the Dewey Dam/ Spillway Area. B. Other Outdoor Camping: Contact the Corps of Engineers or the Park Ranger's at JWSP. If you want to see some wildlife also, contact the local KY State Fish & Wildlife office that handles JWSP and Dewey Lake.

But there's some stuff I've learned over the years living and camping in this area, that I think you must know, some of this you might have run into on other camping trips at other parks...

1. DO NOT DRINK THE WATER FROM THIS LAKE... AND DON'T SWIM IN IT EITHER!
2. FISH AT YOUR OWN RISK,,, CATCH & RELEASE! (Personally, I'd go to a pay lake).
3. FCC LICENCE 2-WAY EMERGENCY RADIO (I prefer the Motorola ones, (white & red, also has a NOAA Weather Radio and FM Radio), you can get a brand new one for between $40-$60. The FCC Licence is currently $70, the feds do a background check on you, if you get the licence, it lasts 10 years).
4. BEAR MACE - A BIG CAN OF IT! Not only do you have the Black Bears to deal with, you have the Coyotes too!
5. IF YOU ARE AT A LAKESIDE CAMPING SITE, HAVE A LIFE JACKET ON AT ALL TIMES! You might fall into the water by accident or you may have to jump into the lake at night in case of emergency!

And last, but not least...

6. DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE A MOTORBOAT! NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ON THE BOAT! EVERY PERSON ON BOARD MUST BE WEARING A LIFE JACKET! The Fish & Wildlife officers do surprise checks on the recreational boats to see if the rules are being followed... if they aren't following the rules... you may have to pay a fine and/or do some time!

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.

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 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.

Great area, no service or wifi

The only downside for me was the campsites were not very private. They are basically in a center median in between the roads. But the trails were really cool with lots to see including an amphitheater inside a big cave! The views from the outlooks are great on multiple sides. And the little camp store is really nice as well. I saw more bears while at this park then any other time. But it was never scary because they were always far away. We were really careful to keep our campsite very clean as to not attract the bears closer.

We only saw one other camper the whole time we were there. And it was peaceful the whole time were there outside of the bears trying to get the bear proof cans open in the distance a couple times.

Great spot in an interesting area, we were here to go to the high point, Black Mountain. Portal 31 is closer, but this is a significantly more natural experience.

6 sites that are tent-centric but doable with a small trailer, there are two additional sites that can be accessed if you ask the ranger to open the gate.

We saw a bear across the valley, so take the warnings seriously and follow the instructions.

No dump station, and the road in from Cumberland is STEEP! We made it una mini van pulling a scamp, so you’ll probably be fine.

This campground in the Kingdom Come State Park has about 6 or 7 sites, and they are primitive with no running water, but good pads, picnic tables, food hangers, shade from trees, and fire rings. There are men's and women's bathrooms, with running water in the sinks, but no water faucets as in other camps, and no showers. I've camped there twice and only saw one other camper. It is very quiet and remote. The views from the outlooks at the top of the road are amazing. There is a lake for swimming, and plenty of trails. Bugs are minimal.

I've been camping at this state park since the early 2000's and am pleased to say not much has changed.The campground has 7 sites each with it's own picnic table, fire ring, and pole for stashing your food away from bears. If you like fishing there is a small lake which is regularly stocked with Trout. Bass, Blue Gill, Sunfish, and a few others. It's just a short walk from the campsites. There are plenty of hiking trails. Our favorite is the Raven Rock trail which leads to a 450 foot  40 degree angle granite rock facing that you can climb to get an amazing view of the surrounding mountains. There is also a natural rock bridge close to the campsites called Log Rock. Of the 7 sites 6 are close together. The 7th is of by itself and about 100 feet from the lake in a more secluded area.  For the adventurers you can drive along a section of The Little Shepard Trail.  A one lane road that runs along the ridge of the mountain. No guard rails! , With 300 foot cliffs to either side . All in all there is plenty to do. Take the time to check it out you won't regret it. Oh, I failed to mention free firewood. Everyday a ranger will come by and keep you stocked with wood. It's included with the price of camping.

Very clean and well maintained. Locating directly in the river makes it a very serene atmosphere. We enjoyed fishing and kayaking during our stay.

Great little park located in the Appalachian mountains of Virginia beside of Leeman Field park in Pennington Gap. Easy sites to get into with full hookups. Clean restroom/bathhouse on site, group picnic area/outdoor fireplace, and horseshoes at the campground. Neighboring Leeman Field park has multiple playgrounds, picnic shelters, swimming pool (Admission to the pool is included in campground fees.), tennis courts, and disc golf course. There is a gorgeous walking and biking trail beginning at Leeman Field that winds along the river leading to a local grocery store and restaurants. Maps are available for ATV trails that can be accessed from campground also.

Spent the night in a tent at Lovers Leap campground. Campground and park are clean, well maintained and up to date. Canoed Clinch River, caved in the park, and took a short guided hike through Stock Creek to backside of tunnel. Highly recommend!

Beautiful campground. So much fun stuff for the kids to do. Great trails for hiking or biking.

Have waited six months into our RV life to start reviews for fair comparisons. Spent 2 nights. Sites were very close together and it was very crowded, but friendly and courteous folks. Hiking very good from the site. Great place for dog walks. Tunnel very cool.

Natural Tunnel is awesome. Not a lot of sites which is great. I’d recommend Lovers Leap as the sites are super spacious and far apart from each other. Some have more shade than others. The bathrooms are super clean and there is even laundry. The ranger programs are fantastic. We recommend the Stockton Creek hike (though it is through water and a bit challenging balance wise). The cable cars are so fun. Ranger Bill was a great storyteller and very informative. Hiking was moderate. Nothing too crazy. It was was a very nice stay.

I camped here back in June 2018. It was one of three sites I camped at that week on my trek to ten VA state parks in the south eastern of the state. This was my favorite of them all. It offered primitive, trailer and tent camping. Since I was by myself I choice the tent. Very clean, helpful and friendly folks. the site was easy to pull through with my truck. I been to some that were not so easy.

Who needs to go all the way out west to see the grand canyon when you can get the jist of it here

We loved the new cabin we rented in this beautiful park. A hiking trail ran behind the cabins, past the campground (also new) to the tunnel. It is a great hike and even better when you use the ski lift going up :) The tunnel is at the base of a massive rock and a train drives through it very slowly each day.

We drove 2 hours to canoe the Clinch River which was great fun and we got to see a lot of the area.

In addition to the main attraction and hiking trails, this park has a TON of activities…..canoeing, kayaking, caving, ranger led programs, night hikes, etc etc.

We spent the first few days exploring the tunnel and visitor‘s center.The tunnel was formed millions of years ago when groundwater that had carbonic acid in it ate away the rock and formed the tunnel. It is huge…about 200 feet wide and 80 feet high. There is some folklore that says that a Cherokee maiden and a Shawnee brave were forbidden to marry and jumped to their deaths from the highest pinnacle…now named Lover’s Leap. There is a still an active railroad thru the tunnel hauling coal. And, there is a creek that flows thru the tunnel. The campground sits atop the tunnel. Very spacious and open sites!

There are two ways to get down to the tunnel…you can ride the chairlift or you can hike. We did both!

Great park! It’s got all you need from camping to trails to swimming to even learning history about the area and the park itself! Great for the family!

The views are spectacular, Camping with electric, water and showers was just a bonus to all the beauty around us and pet friendly. Great people all around and we felt so welcomed.