Best Equestrian Camping near Bumpus Mills, TN

Pennyrile Forest State Park was a pleasant surprise, especially compared to the many state parks I visited in my earlier years in North Carolina. However, when you reserve your site make sure you ask about the specific site’s terrain. Site 48, where I was, was sloped with no grass and had just been repaired. There were a lot of grassy sites, and they were much better. When I talked to the campground host, he was very pleasant and explained that you do not have to have a horse to camp in the equestrian sites. Those sites are level pull-through sites. There is a camp store, although it is small and limited, but they do sell firewood. Not only does this state park have a putt putt course, but it also has an 18-hole golf course complete with pro shop. The thing I enjoyed best about his state park is the waterfront. There is a large sandy beach and a place to rent canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats. Also at the beach are picnic tables, grills, a playground, and concessions. From the beach area, you can hike the lake trail, but it is moderate. There is a good view of the lake from the trail, and if you walk to the left before crossing the wooden bridge, you can see a very small waterfall. Even though you have to drive a little from the campground to get to it, there is a swimming pool and a lodge. Other activities include tennis courts and basketball. Staying at the campground, other than the sloping site, was a pleasant experience. It was not crowded and the bathrooms have hot showers, but I would suggest paying the extra$15.00 to get one of the equestrian sites.

Fun experience staying with all the horses! I didn’t really know it was a thing to bring horses to camp and ride them on the trails! Loved it. Spots are pretty close together but fine for big rigs. Drawbacks: Sites 49-51 are mislabeled online. Booked a pullthru spot on 49 but it wasn’t. Campground was pretty full and we weren’t offered a lot to correct that the website was wrong. I could pay more for a different site... ended up taking “49” back in with ample space. Horses neigh, lots of barking dogs and some rowdy late night campers. If you are looking for a quiet getaway reconsider. We enjoyed being in it all and near the horses.

Pennyrile Forest State Park off Ky69 outside Dawson Springs, Ky. A newer trail Pennyrile Nature Trail is 13.5 mile long hiking trail, from Dawson Springs to the park. There is also a site for the Pennyrile Trail which is a 75 mile driving loop connecting several Kentucky parks.

The park is multi-leveled with the views and some cool rock formations. The beach has some confusing parking signs, but we figured it off. It was busy and had some loud visitors with loud vehicles and loud vehicles. Not surprising considering the neighborhood it is located in.

The campground has some interesting sites all along the roadway. The campground and horse campground are connected. Several of the sites can be challenging due to not being level or being shallow, but they are workable.

I'm not sure if biking would be great due to the hills but it would be challenging. Hiking and backpacking definitely and of course swimming and horseback riding( on your own horse)

First of all, the drive to Dawson Springs is GORGEOUS. Rolling hills, farmland, trees, really gets you in the mood! Upon arrival, the camp store worker was very friendly, gave us a campground map and hiking map and answered all of our questions. We stayed in the regular campground but they also have a campground for people with horses/horse trailers, as the park has horse trails to go on as well! We didn’t swim in the lake, but it did look beautiful and looked to be a nice place to swim and kayak and paddle boat (which they have for rental as well). The hiking trails are gorgeous and vary in length and intensity. The spot that we were at had plenty of room to spread out and relax. One side had the picnic table and fire pit, and the other side was a grassy area with trees where we hung our hammock. It was stunning! We will definitely be back!

Great place to visit. Is beautiful with a lot of walking trails 10 things to do. In summer for swimming and rental boats paddle boats and some battery powered boats.I was there for a fall photography contest it was a little too soon and theirwas very little color. You can camp in tents or campers you can ride horses or enjoy the lake and many miles of walking trails. They also have hotel rooms and cabins if you care to spend multiple nights the beautiful Park and I highly recommend it to anybody that enjoys outdoor Beauty.This year 2019 makes the fifth year tha I've gone to Pennyroyal for the fall photography contest I've also been there a few springs for the spring photography contest. These photos are not the best cuz I took them from the restaurant through a window screen so you can kind of see it in the in the images I'll try to upload better ones later.

Campground Review: Montgomery Bell State Park The Four Mile Campground is nestled in a hollow offering shade and creekage on one side plus several of the trailheads start nearby and you are close to the lakes.

Our sites were on the edge of the woods and near the restroom. Large sites, room for multiple tents and people. The only Con I had was we were on the entry road so a little busy with vehicles and foot traffic. There was a trailhead right next to our sites.

Awesome hike, rolling trail with just enough challenge. Very cool natural spring right by one of the primitive campsite. Also historical area to discover. Will be back soon!

On other visits we have explored several of the connector trails. They offer more challenging single track. There is also an extensive mountain bike trail system.

Product Review: As a Dyrt Ranger I get to review outdoor products. I had the opportunity to review the Saris SuperClamp EX bike rack. Which was good because I usually stuff my bike in the back of my truck.

The Saris was super easy to assemble and attach to the back of my truck. The tools needed came with the rack. Once on my truck I could easily fold it down out of the way or tilt it out for rear hatch access.

Loading and securing the bikes was a simple process. There are two “J” shaped arms that tilt out of the way for loading/unloading that tilt in to stabilize the bikes. Cables which are part of the assembly pull out , are run through the frame and then locked in the frame with key included.

We were at the park for a Triathlon and I was able to load my bike and my friends on the Saris and yaks on the top of my truck. This left plenty of room in my truck for my other gear and dogs.

The only Con I saw was that with my friends Jeep the rear door swings out so even with the tilt feature the assembly still had to be removed for access to the rear of the vehicle. Even with that though it was one easy step to remove the Saris EasyClamp EX . She then used the cable lock to secure the Saris to a tree.