If you want to explore the beauty of Whitley City, glamping is an excellent option. Glamping near Whitley City is a great way to travel off the beaten path. Find the right glamping site for you with our user-submitted photos, reviews, and tips. Glamping offers quick access to one or more of Whitley City's most popular destinations.
Blue Heron Campground is a rustic and spacious campground, situated on the Kentucky side of The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area--a vast and scenic expanse of land that offers visitors countless recreational activities.
Numerous trails snake through the Recreation Area, offering mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding for visitors. The main river of the Big South Fork is also a short drive away, offering fishing opportunities.
The Big South Fork is located in north central Tennessee and southeastern Kentucky in some of the most rugged terrain of the Cumberland Plateau. The park encompasses approximately 125,000 acres of both rocky gorges and forested plateaus. Numerous pristine streams unite with the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. Over thousands of years, this ceaselessly moving water has carved the sandstone of the plateau into impressive cliffs, arches and chimneys that are found throughout the park.
Just a few miles from the campground is Blue Heron Mine, also known as Mine 18, a historic abandoned mining town that has been rebuilt as an outdoor museum. Visitors can hear audio presentations from actual people who lived in the community in the 1950s. The Big South Fork Scenic Railway Depot is located about 9 miles away in the town of Stearns, which offers train rides and other educational opportunities for campers. More information can be found online at https://bsfsry.com. Additional attractions include the Daniel Boone National Forest and Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, offering additional recreation opportunities.
$30 - $35 / night
The Great Meadows Campground, located on Stearns District of the Daniel Boone National Forest, is developed on both sides of the road. Deer Loop is on the right; Raccoon Loop is on the left. Deer Loop is open year round; but the water is shut off during the winter season. Raccoon Loop is April 1 - November 15. Make this page look nicer by submitting photos of your visit to Great Meadows Campground. Learn more... View Great Meadows Guide and Map Rock Creek, a designated Kentucky Wild River, runs along the Raccoon Loop. Rock Creek is stocked with rainbow trout March - June and September - December.. Campsite availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. Trails nearby: Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail - Section 37 and Section 38; Mark Branch Trail # 635 and Gobblers Arch Trail # 636.
$10 - $15 / night
This recreation area is part of Lake Cumberland
$25 - $174 / night
Waitsboro Campground is at 500 Waitsboro Road and is situated on beautiful Lake Cumberland in southern Kentucky.Click here for the Lake Cumberland virtual tour.
Lake Cumberland is the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi River. Its large surface acreage and over 1,200 miles of shoreline provide a myriad of recreational activities. The lake has an abundance of largemouth, smallmouth, white and Kentucky bass, bluegill, crappie, rockfish and walleye, making it a favorite among anglers. The Black Walnut Nature Trail, located near the lake office, is a self-guided educational trail. The trail is open Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4pm EST.
The campground overlooks the main body of the lake, offering sweeping scenic views. Dense stands of mature hardwoods forest the site, offering scenic views, pleasant shade and wildlife habitat. Because of the temperate climate and relatively long recreation season, the lake provides varied outdoor recreational opportunities for millions of visitors each year.
General Burnside Island State Park is nearby. It was named after Civil War General Ambrose Burnside, who led patrols along the Cumberland River, circling this 400-acre island to keep watch for Confederate soldiers. Visitors come today to enjoy boating, fishing, golfing and picnicking on Kentucky's only island state park. Burnside Marina is 10 minutes away, with boat rentals, a restaurant and general store.
$16 - $42 / night
This recreation area is part of Lake Cumberland
Traveler
The campground has all of the glamping necessities. Water hook-up, electrical, dumping station, clean hot water showers, etc. It's pet friendly and the campground is very clean. The location is excellent for those who love rock climbing (sport and trad), easy and moderate level hiking, white water kayaking, or maybe want to spend a day or two also doing some backcountry camping. There are bears and other curious wildlife so make sure to keep your stuff in the provided bear boxes!
Guide
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.
LegendWe camped here over the weekend with our dogs. The campground is actually not in Tennessee. It's located on the Kentucky side of Big South Fork. The campsites have a picnic table and a firepit. Our campsite was very nice and private with a big grassy area. The bathhouse was nice and clean. There are hiking trails nearby and access to a small mining village. We would definitely camp here again.
Scout
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.
LegendAlum Ford Big South Fork Recreation Area is in my top 10 favorite areas.
I try to participate in the Yamacraw Trail Run every year because it is just AWESOME, and this area is part of their route due to the excellent scenery of the area.
If you like trees, hills, streams, falls, historical markers, old cabins and history , plus not much use of modern technology when you camp then you will thoroughly enjoy Big South Bend! If you are a bring the kitchen sink kinda camper you might wanna find a nearby KOA or other type campground.
The campground has no signal, no electricity, no showers, no host. Just you, a tent pad, picnic table and fire ring. Oh, and there is one pit toilet. Bring 5$ cash for the honor pay station and your hiking shoes and watercraft. There is a Trailhead at the back of the 6 site campground and a boat ramp down the hill.
The sites are well maintained and old , probably CCC built with wood steps leading up or down to your site. There is no direct access to the boatramp but there is a short trail that connects the sites to the boatramp that runs along the cliff face down to the ramp.
The trailhead is part of the Sheltowee Trace Trail and connects to the Yamacraw Bridge. You could easily stage a multi day backpacking trip from Alum Ford to take in the local sights.
Not far up the road is the Yahoo Picnic Area. I think it used to be a campground just by the way it’s set up. Picnic tables on pads and a nice old pavilion for groups with a grill. Past that Yahoo Falls. This is a technical, moderate trail down to the tallest falls in Kentucky. Also a very old area but maintained with newer restroom facilities. The loop trail was approximately 1.5 miles long with a metal staircase on one side and trail on the far side. This is also part of a thru trail. Get you an old fashion paper map before coming cause your fancy electronic gear may or may not work here.
This is one of many areas through the Kentucky/Tennessee Big South Fork if you are able plan for an extended stay to check the whole place out;)
LegendBig South Fork NRRA is definitely one of my favorite places in Tennessee. It stretches into Kentucky’s too. So much to do and see, and the hiking and camping is equal to the Smokies in my opinion, except there’s no crowds, no traffic, not many people! It’s great! There’s a few campgrounds in BSF, like Bandy Creek and Station Camp,and they are excellent spots, but the backcountry is where it’s at n the BSF! I have found so many excellent camp sites along the river and in the forest, and I’ve always been able to find one with plenty of privacy on any given weekend. There’s lots of hiking, 4-wheeling, fishing, swimming, mountain biking, horse riding, kayaking, rock climbing, etc here. The possibilities are endless! The sounds at night are so peaceful and relaxing, and the lightning bugs put on quite a show in the summer! I tried to make a video, I don’t think you can see them, but you can hear the woods at night!
Guide
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.
Legend
The sites are inconsistent between their sizes on the Clifty campground. We had two small tents and one car. If we had any more gear or people it would have been uncomfortable.
I had to be careful when parking as I had to avoid the water supply, 2 trees, a safety pole for the water supply (painted brown), electricity box, and then the drop off on the other side of the road. It did take a few turns to get in and out of the campsite. We did have cell phone service (Verizon) at the campground. My friend that was T-Mobile did not have cell service. There are areas in the park where I did not have a signal such as when we went hiking or exploring. I would pre-download maps for the area on All Trails as that was extremely helpful.
Some of the campsites at Clifty were much larger and were 2 of my site. Each site had a water hook up, standard lantern/trash pole, fire ring, electric box, and was a short walk from the Clifty campground bathroom. If you can hand pick your site or scout it out before hand it is well worth doing that if you have a larger sized family or tent.
I actually preferred Clifty over the main campground (Ridgeline). Ridgeline was down a long winding road. It had way more folks. Ridgeline is better suited for the RV and large tent crowds. Look closely as each site is rated for a different RV length and they had one pull in site. At Ridgeline they even have one campsite (tent) that was rated for 16 campers. Generally, each site was rated for 8 campers. Ridgeline also had some horse campers as I was able to see their horse trailers when going through the campsite. I saw 3 riders on horseback when I was driving to the camp store. The stables are in two spots on the road down to Ridgeline.
Taken from Cumberland Falls State Park webpage "Cumberland Falls State Resort Park is the perfect destination to introduce the family to the thrill of horseback riding. The park offers guided trail rides that are easy enough for the first timer and still adventurous for the more experienced. Riders, age 6 and up will enjoy a 45-minute ride through an eastern Kentucky forest, beautiful in any season. The stables open weekends in May and are daily after Memorial Weekend until Labor Day. Also open on weekends during Sept. and Oct. Rides start on the hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cost is$20.00 per person. Personal horses are not permitted on the trails at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, but there are several opportunities to do so in the surrounding area. There are many miles of trails and several horse camps in the nearby Daniel Boone National Forest and The Big South Fork National River and Recreation area."
Clifty was smaller and quieter. It felt like it had more trees and only tents on this row of campsites. The campsites are close to each other as we talked with our camp site neighbors on the both sides. When I first booked my site I knew of the difference in locations between Ridgeline and Clifty but I couldn't figure out what the difference in settings/vibe would be like and I am so happy that I had picked Clifty.
The perk about the Clifty campsites is that they are close to the pool. You can easily walk to the pool with your family when it opens. The pool is free for campers. I didn't get to check out their bathrooms but my fellow camper did and she said it was good. I also discovered a trail and more down behind the Clifty campground. I only found it as I noticed yellow blazes by the bathroom and followed it back to the trailhead. Close to the bathroom is the dumpster with a home made jamming device to keep the bears out of the dumpster. The Clifty bathroom was not ADA accessible as no wheelchair bathroom stall. Shower wasn't accessible either if you have any mobility challenges.
Moonbow at Cumberland Falls - We arrived early and had a picnic dinner. The moon bow is best when the moon is high over the falls. We were hoping to see it around sun set at 9:30 - 10:00 but we actually had to stay later. Make sure you take advantage of the picnic tables that are near by and the bathrooms. The best site to see the Moonbow is at the Upper Falls which is close to the gift shop/snack bar. You can see the falls from further down at the other observation decks. We hung out there for some time to avoid the crowds at the Upper Falls.
The parking lot will fill up as it gets closer to the time of the Moonbow. I avoided that by doing the picnic dinner and coming before sun set. The Cumberland Falls remain open till midnight as they know folks will want to see the Moonbow this is only seen at certain times of the year due to the moon. It was nice to notice the ranger at the entrance of the park as we were leaving. He was keeping tabs on the crowds at a distance as he wasn't needed at that time.
Hiking - Ask for a map at the lodge as I didn't see them at the campgrounds or even signs explaining what trail 12 vs 2 was in the area. Also, be aware that the Sheltowee trail is in the area this is a 333 mile long trail and you will see the white blaze or turtle blazes.
Even some of the signs such as where the waterfall was for the near by Dog Slaughter Falls Trail said the falls were 1 mile away but it was actually several more miles. I used the All Trails App and kept track of the miles on my Fitbit. We found the Extended trail on All Trails and that matched up to the GPS tracking we did while on the trail. We found 3 different signs for this hike in 3 different locations and each time the mileage was off.
GuideWe spent the last weekend of October at Blue Heron and can't wait to go back! This small campground is easily navigable even with our 40' 5th wheel in tow and provides spacious, private sites. Access is easy with no bad roads nor overhanging trees. There is fantastic hiking nearby and much peace and quiet to be enjoyed!
TravelerSimple and small campground in a beautiful area. The sites are great. Bathhouse is simple but clean. No laundry. Wi-fi is questionable.
Great access to hiking trails and scenic overlooks.
One of the best sites and campgrounds we’ve enjoyed.
ScoutThis was a hidden gem and there was nothing I could be critical of in this place. Clean, spacious sites, great facilities, clean bathrooms, close to world class hiking and remote natural beauty!
TravelerI think lots number 712 and 13 are the best because they are situated right around a beautiful pond with massive lily pads and dragonflies. It is about a 20 minute drive to a local store or a save a lot when we forgot some groceries. The trees are mature so there is plenty of shade and lofty space between each lot. We are on a paved site surrounded by gravel picnic table light post and fire ring also with a food storage bin to keep out the bears! It gets quiet! It gets dark! For $20, it is unbeatable. :-)
GuideCamp sites are well spread out. Most of the sites are well shaded. There are no outside lights after dark. RV pads are paved and each sites has fairly large gravel pad as well as grass areas. We did not have a chance to check out any of the trails but I think access to them was well outside of the actual camping area. No firewood available to purchase. Bring in all supplies. Gave this campground a 5 based on how quiet and secluded it is.
TravelerWe were hear on Labor Day weekend and really enjoyed it. It is quiet and our site was relatively private. Cool stuff to do nearby, hiking, overlooks and old mining community. We stayed at site 13 it is near a small pond and was quiet. Sites 20,21 &22 looked even more secluded. Will be checking one of this out on our next visit.
LegendNice secluded place! Very well kept. Facilities are clean and love that they recycle. Sites ate well spaced apart. Pretty level. Each site has lots of room to entertain or just sit out and enjoy the wilderness. Water, electric, firepit and picnic tables at each site as well. Not too many large site for big rigs, mostly TT in the park. There is a map of the park that has the sizes of each site, check it out. Have fun, we did! Road leaving Stearns is kinda windy and narrow but doable for lg. rigs, just take your time.
GuideNice campground! Electric and water. Site on the incline were tricky with a larger rig. Ours had room but other family rig was tight. The bearproof lockers on each site was a great addition. However, camp maintenance needs to be sure they are free of people's garbage. Family could not use theirs as it stunk badly. Quiet for it being full.
RangerSites are level and pretty spacious, if not some a little tight together. My only complaint was that the restroom wasn’t marked on the map that I could see so I ended up being very far away from it. So more of an issue with recreation.gov than the campground itself. The restroom was nice and clean.
TravelerCampsites are spacious with gravel campsites and paved rv parking at campsites. Water and electric at each site. Clean bathrooms with showers.
TravelerVery nice campground. Some sites have walkways going to the fishing pond. Overall clean restrooms and showers.
LegendYou have to love the roads into the campgrounds at several of these parks. All I can say is tighten your seat belt and hold on. The entire Daniel Boone system has breath taking views and memorable areas. Heron was almost empty when I was there for the inaugural Yamacraw 50K. Even that early in the season though it was well maintained. Clean bath house and nice, well spaced hookups. The trail, oh my! I LOVE this area. If you can do the park from top to bottom you will not be disappointed by the views, waterfalls, rock formations and varied terrain.
LegendQuite secluded, yet a great launching point to hiking and biking trails of all difficulties. This visit was for running the Yamakraw 20K, and resulted in some astonishing views of Big South Fork River! Campsites were very large, with ample room between to allow for privacy, yet everyone is nesseled into an almost level area which makes setting up easy. Plenty of bear resistant containers for trash and food storage. Shower and bath house centrally located, clean and warm. Did not have any interaction with Park personnel, but locals in Sterns were very friendly and helpful. Will visit again!
LegendWe stayed here while spending some time in the Big South Fork and other parts of the Daniel Boone National Forest. This relatively small 45 site campground can accommodate tents, campers and RVs and for only $17/night it's a steal! If camping in an RV, be sure to check out the facilities map because not all sites can fit large RVs. https://www.nps.gov/biso/planyourvisit/upload/Blue-Heron-Campground-Map-and-Regs-2014.pdf
There are restrooms available (no showers) and trash receptacles. We managed to see a black bear, so be sure you secure your food appropriately to minimize human and bear encounters. The campground is only open April through November.
We spent some time exploring the Natural Arch Scenic area as well, a short 30 minute drive from the campground.
LegendBlue Heron Campground near Trail town Stearns, Ky is my go to when I’m exploring this area.
There are SEVERAL excellent camping locations throughout Daniel Boone National Forest, each has its own atmosphere:) Blue Heron Campground is very basic but reminds me of a little oasis on top of the hill surrounded by adventure (LMAO, lame). Anyway, you have some choices, the driveway in has several sites in a row, more vehicle teaffic but plenty of room to set up your toys. The first loop is just past the dump site with the playground in the middle and showerhouse nearby, not a lot of shade. The back loop to the right offers more privacy and less traffic, more shade also.
The main attraction aside from the extensive trail system in the Blue Heron area is the Blue Heron Mining town and the actual Site at the bottom of the hill.
You can ride the old train from Stearns https://bsfsry.com/to the tipple at the bottom. I took a friend for his birthday a few years ago and we got to ride in the actual locomotive section. Cool stuff if that’s your thing.
As far as the trails go they take you to some awesome overlooks, waterfalls and historic sites. Take a hydration and overnight pak in case of wrong turn ;)
GuideAnother wonderful area. Especially love camping and hiking here in the Autumn.
GuideSomething for everyone at this national park. Whitewater rafting, canoeing, and kayaking await in the big South Fork of the Cumberland River. There are miles of hiking and horse trails through the picturesque countryside. Take a steam train ride around the ridge tops, or wet your line in the streams. There is plenty to do here.
The bathhouse is clean and there are hookupsfor RVs and backcountry camping too.
GuideBig South Fork is a good place to stay anywhere in the park . It is truly a beautiful place . It is also great for family.
GuideBIg South Fork is like a breath of fresh air . It's one of our favorite places . It doesn't which side you arrive on everything is full of beauty .
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Whitley City, KY?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Whitley City, KY is Cumberland Falls State Resort Park with a 4.3-star rating from 46 reviews.
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