Zilpo Campground

Quiet, less utilized campground on Cave Run Lake. Campsites have more privacy and are more primitive. There is a bathhouse, but it is not regularly maintained. This campground is perfect for kayaking and fishing. Some of the campsites have private beaches.

Stay 6 nights, very peaceful and quite place, this time of year! Campground empty, no one there. Beautiful sites, large, all fine gravel and paved pull offs, very nice! Bathrooms could use a update, easily Lot’s of bug in May, but huge amount of ticks 🕷️ Campground sets back off main road about 10 miles, so no traffic noise at all. Has boat lunch, beach, camp store, 2 dump stations, 7 loops host at most of them, very nice people. We had great time, will defiantly be back to stay again!

Great spot! Clean bathrooms and showers, large spacious spots and a gorgeous lake. Highly recommend!

Nice primitive cabin with luxury

Stayed at cabin D11. Nicely maintained.  A bit on the small side but good for a place to lay your head. This cabin is directly opposite the restrooms for this loop. Cabin is about 10 x 20. The front room has two chairs a bench and table and the air conditioner. The second room has four single bunk beds.

The grounds around the cabin are nice with gravel area for setting up an outdoor kitchen or tent or lounge chairs.

We’re very familiar with twin knobs. Zilpo is the backwoods cousin. A bit more remote, but we found the campground to be fantastic. It is more densely wooded than twin knobs. The sites are generally just as good, but there is more variety between primitive/hookup/cabins. The beach is not quite as big, but plenty big, and wasn’t crowded over July 4 weekend. The beach store has bare essentials. There doesn’t seem to be ranger programming. Not all the loops have showers in the bathroom buildings.

We camped there last week.  Spots F10, F12, & F13.  F10 said it was 50 amp on line, but it was 30 amp with a breaker that had two 20 amp 110 plugs.  It is a beautiful campground, but the government is letting it get rundown.  The bath house in our loop didn't have a shower.  A hassle trying to load up the kids to go find a shower for my friends.  I used my in camper shower.  The water faucets are getting so old and they leak so it's hard to get a hose on for water.  Around the campsites have grown up with brush and weeds worse than I have ever seen.  We were constantly  picking off tiny ticks, they were everywhere.  All three of us got ants in our campers and 2 of us got mice.  I know, all part of nature, but we don't experience that at Twin Knobs (across the lake).  The bugs were so bad that we couldn't turn any lights on at night.  The paths that lead down to the lake were overgrown.  We ended up just driving down to the beach or ramp.  There are a few projects that US Forestry could spend some money on that would make it a lot nicer over there.  Memories of how nice it was over there 20 years ago make it sad to see it now.  My campsite smelled so bad for the first 2 days that I went searching for the cause.  There was a dead (very rotten) snake that had been covered up with leaves at the edge of my campsite.  I got gloves on and cleaned it up in order to be able to be outside.  The one good thing is that the dump station had good pressure.  Remember the sites are very short, so know how long the site is if you are bringing anything over 30 feet.  No cell service, which could be nice, but we were unaware of a bad storm that hit us.  It is a very quite place though.

A lovely campground that is well-maintained and very peaceful. We opted for a site with electricity and it had a nice level pad for our trailer and truck, a fire ring, a picnic table and post for our lantern. The campground itself is quite large, taking up the whole peninsula, there are not many public areas to access the beach for swimming, but there are a few moderate to easy hiking trails and during our visit other than ice and firewood there was nothing available as the store was closed. We were at our campsite at the beginning of May, and I will say be very careful as I pulled more ticks off of myself and my dog than I ever have in my life, so be sure to triple check.

We love it here! We camp here every year! The bathrooms and showers are clean! The people are friendly!

This was a week long trip for our 7th Anniversary. We brought our small a-frame, kayaks, ez-up, kitchen set up and one of our dogs, Butters, with us for this trip. We've never been to this campground before so we tried to do some research on reviews - the good, the bad the ugly. We found that the H loop seemed to be the way to go so we reserved H006. It had a very level pad for our camper - that was a plus and it included electric. There was a tent pad at the top where we would sit in the morning with coffee. When you follow the steps down, there was a very large camping area with the fire ring. We were able to set an RV mat with our ez-up and then set up our cooking kitchen across the way. The picnic table was huge (no gaps!) and provide plenty of seating for more than just the two of us. There were three lantern/food polls available to use, one at the top and two at the bottom. Across the street was extra parking and a path that led down to your own private beach. We didn't have to go to the beach (which was closed for the season) to enjoy the lake. We loved our site and although we had sites on either side - you weren't on top of each other. 

There was a man-made path you could follow down to the lower road and take a short walk to the shower house. The shower house was ok - three toilets (one broken) and three showers (the handicap out of order). The toilets flushed "hard", in other words, be read to step out as you hit the flush button as it tends to splash more than it should. The showers had a door, a small bench for clothes and a very small stall. It was kept clean, but still covered in bugs/cobwebs/etc. There are two shower houses in H loop.

We walked the H loop at least twice a day - almost a mile around. There are not very many electric sites on the loop. Some sites were single and some were double (much larger). We did get to walk/drive through the other loops - they were ok as well, but I would only go back knowing we'd be in H. 

We drove out to do a couple of short hikes. No bears, but lots of nature - tons of mushrooms! We even drove through the Clear Creek campground - not a lot there, drop toilets and the water main was broken. Very low key if that's what you're looking for. We stopped by a small park and saw the old iron furnace, pretty cool and lot's of places to picnic. 

We loved our site, the H loop and the variety of things we got to do while we were there.

Took my son on a 3 day trip and stayed on site G17. It was on a high place with great drainage (it rained quite a few times). Well kept and the tent pad was gravel. The bath house had good hot water for showers, and for its age, very well kept. We took our jon boat out on the lake and had a blast! The scenery was breathtaking, from the drive up the mountain to the park, all the way down to the lake. Great fall trip to say the least. Very much recommended

Just returned from Zilpo today. Camp was clean and quiet, bathrooms were clean but the ladies shower was broken. Camp site was shaded and well kept. Overall I enjoyed my time here.

Bathroom facilities leave a little to be desired (out of order equipment, bad lighting) but all that can be forgiven in favor of the setting. All sites here are private and wooded--you won't hear much from the folks beside you as they're going to be 50-100 yards away through decently thick woods. Peaceful, quiet, great star gazing. Lake is clean and great for swimming. Each site is covered in level, dense grade gravel (no muddy rainy mornings) and feature a MASSIVE picnic table and heavy cast iron fire pit.

Really, I can't recommend this place enough for people who value separation and space in their camping trips.

This campground has it all:)  I picked this campsite as it is further south in the Daniel Boone National Forest so it isn't near the chaos of the climbing that is found further North.  

"Peak Season Rates as listed on website - https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232370?tab=fees

Cabin Electric$75.00 Standard Electric$30.00 Standard Electric Other$41.00 Standard Nonelectric$22.00 Standard Nonelectric Other$27.00 Standard Nonelectric Double Site$33.00

Limit 6 people and 2 vehicles per single campsite; additional vehicles will be charged$8/night; additional campers will be charged$1/night A$5 nightly fee is charged for electric hookups Each cabin has 2 double bunk beds with out mattresses, Please bring your own sleeping bags or other bedding."

We wanted to check out the cabins as they looked so darling.  We couldn't quite tell if the cabins had AC or heat. 

As for the beach, it was a blast and we spent pretty much the whole day there and every day with the heat. At night the beach is sadly closed but if you go up a little more on the road you will find another "beach" spot that isn't closed so you can look at the stars over the lake. 

It is a pain to get back to town in my opinion so make sure you have what you need.

Deep in the woods after a windy drive through the forest. We stayed in H loop site 34 so this review is only about that loop. Each campsite is nestled into the forest with full shade and ample privacy spacing between sites. Peaceful and quiet. Clean campground and shower houses, great facilities including a dump station. We stayed for one night in October 2020 and really wished we had stayed longer. Beautiful fall colors. We will return.

We originally were going to stay at Twin Knobs Campbrougnd, but after some research, we decided to switch the reservation to Zilpo. Having recently moved to Kentucky from California was so happy to get to camp in another season besides summer. All the spots in the H Loop seemed like they would be great for a visit, but after walking around the whole section, we found H 26. It was a double spot with easy access to the lake and set up a beach fire for the night. The only issue was the bathroom nearest to us was shut down, but it really wasn't that much farther. Amazing seeing the Milky Way one evening.

One of my wife and I favorite spot! Great campground with great views of lake and easy way to the beach.

The site I m at H37 is perfect site for tent camp which is a step below road level give you a necessary privacy you look and shade while you are camping . Only downside picnic table broken . The shower room is ok to do its job but which might need some maintenance. As two of 3 showers were broken .

Fantastic campground. The sites at Zilpo are great. Most sit a decent way off the camping loops. Almost all have a good amount of trees and vegetation between campsites. Picnic tables and fire rings are in great condition. The bathrooms are a little dated (paint is peeling in the showers, out of order stalls, etc.) but staff keeps them clean and the shower water was very hot. Unfortunately, I can not say the same about my campsite. There was a large amount of toilet paper in the woods surrounding the campsite (not the campground's fault but disrespectful past campers). Our particular site had a little trail to access the lake, and many sites offer the same. The campground is pretty isolated so it's a pretty long trip to get groceries or gas. The check-in booth does sell ice and wood which was nice so you don't have to drive 20 minutes out and back to get the basics. There is one main trail within the campground (Zilpo) which offers great views but isn't very long. The campground has a nice beach and a separate boat launch. Campers are able to store their boats at their sites because the drives are long enough and sit so far back from the road. We brought our kayaks and enjoyed spending time on the water this way. Seeing a bald eagle while kayaking was a highlight. Overall, it's a well run and great campground. Since it is quite isolated, there is not a ton to do (especially if you don't own a boat) but part of the attraction to camping is getting away to relax anyway. We would definitely recommend Zilpo and will return.

Great spot right on the water

It’s peaceful and the area we were in was not too close to each other. They have spots for tents, campers and they also have cabins. It’s surrounded by a huge lake with fishing and a boat ramp. You do have to make sure you have all your supplies, the closest store is 30 to 40 minutes away.

This is the third time camping at Zilpo this summer. This time I went with my sister and two young nephews. I went back to campsite E-12 since I knew the bath house was close and the water spicket was across the road. Didn’t include pics of the campsite because you can see them in another review. Great spot for children, the E-Loop wasn’t too loud or disturb them from sleeping. As always we saw wild turkey, deer, and a baby alligator snapping turtle. I included a pic of the overlook from the Zilpo Campground Trail.

This time we camped at H-36. This spot was a double and had plenty of space for 5 tents. It was set in a beautifully shaded area. The water pump was right next to the site. The bath house was a very short walk away. There was a path from the site that lead right down to Cave Run Lake and we were able to swim, kayak fish (although we didn’t catch anything), and hang out on the shore without really leaving the campsite. There aren’t any campsites directly to the right or left, the only neighbor is across the road. The campsite had a fire pit with a grill that can be lowered or raised to cook on. It had three lateen poles and two picnic tables.

The website to reserve campsites needs a lot of work but otherwise it was a great weekend of camping. E-12 was close enough to the bathrooms that it wasn’t a bad walk but we didn’t have to smell anything. Water pump was across from the campsite. Plenty of space for four tents. Sturdy pic-nic table. Fire pit with a grill connected. Two poles to with four hooks each to hang lanterns or bags. We tied a line across it and hung our towels and wet clothes. The camp ground sits next to Cave Run Lake. There is a place to launch a boat and a nice beach area for swimming. They have a store next to the beach but we didn’t go in. “Billy” did chase away from the beach after hours though. The check in station sells ice and fire wood. We saw plenty of rabbits, a wild turkey, and a deer got about 20 feet from out camp site.

Are you looking for a real camping experience? Sure you are or you wouldn't be reading this. Zilpo Campground is nestled in the Daniel Boone National forest, so there's plenty of wildlife. Also the fishing is amazing . You can literally walk straight from your campsite to the Lake and bank fish.

Nice campsite in general, but a few tips I would like to make:

-C10 had NO shade, we put up lots of tarps. Most other sites had shade thanks to trees. This site also did not have any kind of "view" of the lake despite being very close to water.

-Water spigot by us did not work. Bathrooms in the C loop were closed the first day we were there... So getting water was not easy that first day!

• Ticks were bad (not the campsites fault at all - just sayin', bring the deet!)

• Beaches are closed. Beach/boat ramp area had a nice sunset view though. We found a small path that led to a rocky area by the lake and swam there.

-Trigger warning: you will see LOTS of confederate flags driving to this campsite.

We were a large group (16 people) and reserved grounds at Zilpo for a 4 day trip. We wanted to ensure we were close, so we chose H loop sites 35, 37, and 38. 35 and 38 are right next to each other, so it was easy to walk between the two, and 37 was rather secluded and used primarily as overfill sleeping grounds.

Overall, the campsite was great. We went during the end of August and it was really quiet. The lake was a muddy and murky, but that's typical for a man-made lake. The showers had no warm water, but we'll take a cold shower over no shower.

Electric hookups worked perfectly. Two people brought electric vehicles and were able to plug into the TT-30 outlet and reported no issues the entire trip.

There was cell coverage for all the major cell phone providers, which was a negative in our opinion. But that's totally your preference and I don't take that into my star rating.

Full disclosure 1st time here and last minute (night before) booking. The whole campground is nice depending on how you're camping. Some site are better than others in general, but some are better fitted for campers and other for tents. I'm not talking about electric/water hookup vs primitive, just layout. We booked Thursday night on a last minute cancellation for Friday-Sunday. A site with electric in the H loop. It was clean and the sites are nicely spaced so you're not right on top of another. Problem is it was all booked up online so we expected a busy campground and over 1/2 the sites booked were empty all weekend. Not that that was a bad thing. It just that better site were available. I think this is a problem with the online booking system that can be fixed. They have a mix of sites and small cabins. We will probably book one of those on a return trip. Despite what the maps show there are no sites that are "waterfront". The sites next to the water have steep drop offs so no back door fishing. It's easy to get to the water just not right at the sites. The swimming beach was a disappointment. The water was nice but the beach itself left a ton to be desired. It's lined with gravel that's not real bare foot friendly. In the heat of the summer when we were there the gravel was extremely hot and hard to walk on. Once I. The water was fine, but if you plan to lay out and tan bring something padded to lay on. Also. The goose poop.. Man was there a ton of goose poop on the beach. I mean all over the place. There is another sand beach that's a boat up to beach by the boat dock that's also accessible by shore but depending on the water level may not be that great. It was sand not gravel and didn't have much "beach. More like field next to water. It was much better. Still goose poop but not as much. The lake water was close to clear and clean. The staff was nice. There are a moderate amount of shower house bathrooms but some site may have a decent walk. There is one store in the campground by the beach but didn't have much in it. Boat traffic for the time didn't seem bad. Overall it was a good trip, and we will probably be back.

One of the best campgrounds in Ky. Plenty of room, quiet, lots to do!

We stayed on the H loop and I'd highly recommend that.  We were in site 27 or 29, can't remember but both on the lake. We had access to the lake from our campsite and our own little private beach!  Sites are spread out so lots of privacy.  No electric at our site but wasn't a huge deal and worth the trade off to have such a private site on the water.  Bathhouse was nice and as clean as can be expected.   The drive to the park is gorgeous.   You are pretty far from any stores or anything like that so make sure to stock up.  Rented a pontoon boat one day and there is a little boat dock near the H loop so I got the boat and was able to pick up the rest of the family at the dock and then drop them off before returning the boat.  The fireflies at night were amazing.  Will return to this campground someday.