Best Tent Camping near Dresden, TN

Quiet, near shopping, family oriented, Pet friendly, boat launch, shore fishing, store, pull through sites, friendly helpful staff, tent sites, great place to camp.

The tent sites were well kept. They are gravel pads with a grill and fire ring. They are right on the water with easy access to put in a kayak. And close to a boat ramp if bringing a boat. It’s shaded. The bath house is a bit of a walk and they have restrooms only, no showers.

We tent camped in the Cub Lake loop, campsite 2, site 2. The restrooms was incredibly out of date. Loop 1 looked like all the sites were on an incline falling down a hill. Loop 2, our site was flat but some others in this loop were on an incline. All sites, restrooms and the park overall looked dilapidated and like it needs some TLC. There were water pumps though. Would not stay here again.

On the way back from Pickett State Park, to Texas, we decided to stay at the Wrangler site again. This time, I picked a new pad (56) and again, it was dark, quiet and beautiful. This park is huge, with TONS of site choices available. The tent sites seemed full, but we prefer less people. The updated photo below. We had to book through recreation.gov app, which was easy enough, but misleading on what sites are booked and not booked. Would absolutely return to this beautiful State Park.

I recently had the pleasure of staying at Parkers Crossroads RV Park and Campground, and I must say that it exceeded all my expectations. The location is conveniently situated halfway between Nashville and Memphis at I-40 on Exit 108, making it easily accessible. The sites are spacious and situated on 18 acres of picturesque rolling Tennessee Farmland, making it an ideal place to unwind and enjoy nature. The amenities offered are exceptional, with all the necessary hookups available for both RV and tent camping. I particularly loved the market, which offered a wide variety of supplies to make my stay comfortable. The staff used to be pleasant and accommodating, making my trip all the greater enjoyable. If you are planning a day out to the area, I pretty endorse you visit this gorgeous campground. You may not be disappointed!

YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE VISITOR CENTER TO PAY FOR A CAMPING PERMIT AND OHV USE!

For the Turkey Bay OHV area each site is just a picnic table and a fire pit and the sites are not numbered- it’s more a first come first serve. The sites though are close to the entrance and you park right next to the site. This site also is for RVs and tent camping but there is no water or electric access but is within walking distance of the gatehouse. The gatehouse has ice and sodas for sale to each camper.

OHVs for rent at the visitor center (just about 2 miles down the road) and trails marked specifically for them, also a couple hiking trails nearby! Bathrooms and trash onsite!

There is a dump station and potable water about a mile or so up the road near the Hunters Check Station and it’s only about 2 miles out from the Golden Pond planetarium and trails! Great area!

My family and I took a little trip over fall break to tent camp. We stayed in the Cub Lake area in campground 2, which is their primitive campground. There were a few other campers already there in the campground, but we still felt very secluded which was nice. The campground itself is absolutely beautiful and there is plenty to do. Very family friendly as they have a few nice playgrounds for our little ones.

My one complaint, which turned out to be a pretty big hurdle, revolves around firewood. The check in time for campsites is 4 PM and we were there around that time. On the website when you book it mentions not bringing in any firewood from outside the park, which is understandable, but that wood is available inside. The camp store was closed the entire time we were there (We stayed Tuesday and Wednesday), and our campsite host was not available in the times listed either. We knocked on their RV door and called and left a message and never heard back, which left us trying to scramble and salvage dead drop wood for our fires.

One great thing about here is the beautiful lake nearby! My family and I spent our entire day here and had an absolute blast. The lake front views are incredible. You have the option to camp right next to the lake and have the best view ever. They also have spots for RVs for electrical hookups. The sites are amazing because they are orettt big. We fit my dads big truck and all our tents in the campsite we had. There is a small beach area, bike trail which was a lot of fun, an archery range, theater, and great hiking trails. The campfire theater was amazing! You honestly can’t beat that. Some other things we enjoyed were:

• boat ramp
• cabins available- although we didn’t stay here
• fishing
• area to play basketball, and big grass areas for other activities.
• Everything was in walking distance

I would definitely call and make reservations beforehand. It wasn’t very busy. The cost is pretty cheap too. For a basic, tent campsite it was $12. More expensive if you use the electrical hookup areas. When we went it was pretty Smokey. There were some fires nearby and the smoke just settled in. That was the only downside of our trip.

We camp here a lot and have tried several spots in the South campground.  The ones near the lake have views but don't have water access.  There is also a pavilion near the lake.  

Sites 22, 24, 25, 70 backup to the forest and have lots of room to set up tents, however they are the first to flood and stay wet longer.  

The map is pretty good about and shows pictures of the sites.  At the time of this review the bathrooms between sites 64 & 66 were closed.  The bathrooms and showers near site 23 are bigger and more accessible.  The bathrooms and showers near site 4 do have a ramp but it is uneven, the space inside is much smaller and would be difficult to navigate with a wheelchair.

Site 43 has trees on both sides of the pad and, based on comments from another camper, can be difficult to back in a larger camper.

Sites in the mid and upper 40's are also good for tent camping.  The cypress trees in the area send roots up and the ground can be lumpy because of them.  The campground has lots of gopher holes all over.  The mosquitoes are bad and you should take some strong bug spray. 

The campgrounds does have drainage issues when it rains and if your forecast predicts rain, you might want to put your tent up on the pad.

They opened a small gift shop this year.  The sell worms, and they now rent canoes and kayaks.  There is a boat launch near the entrance, but you can't launch anything too wide.

This campground is due for a makeover and I heard that it is in the works.  

If you love bird watching or photography this place is a dream; osprey, eagles, herons, egrets, and so many others are everywhere.  Pelican's stop here on their migration and I recommend the pontoon tour in October during the festival if you want to see them on the water.

Great easy drive from middle Tennessee with tons of great amenities and staff.

Some of the sites were messy with garbage and debris of inconsiderate campers or possibly people just pulling through. Some of the fire pits and concrete tables were broken. Vault toilet was fine, and was serviced while we were there. Several of the lots weren’t level. You can hear cars and vehicles on the highway and crossing the bridge throughout the day and night. It bothered my light sleeping husband. The campsites are gravel but there were a lot of very sharp, large rocks. We had a footprint under our tent, plus foam yoga mats to line the tent floor and it was still extremely uncomfortable to stand or kneel on the tent floor. Fortunately, we had cots for the kids and an air mattress. We walked the bridge at sunrise which was a beautiful view. It was $25 for one night, and we paid less for a better full service campground.

Piney Campground is part of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. It is wildly popular among locals and travelers alike. Lots to do for kids - bike paths, basketball court, multiple playgrounds, etc. Beautiful views of Kentucky Lake/Tennessee River, nice campground store.

We stayed in Cub Creek Lake Campground #1, spot 12, on June 19, 2019. We sleep in two big tents and had originally reserved a spot in campground #2 which from descriptions was more aimed at tent campers. But after pulling into loop #2, we were able to switch our reservations to Loop #1 since #2 looked nearly abandoned with sloped sites and poor pad space. Our new campsite was great and had lots of room for our two big tents and and plenty of parking for our van. Nearby campers (mostly RVs) were spaced far enough away and the camp host was friendly and helpful.

Because of the season, it was hot and humid at night and we had a huge series of thunderstorms come through. The site drained well as well as the entire campground and next morning walking around the well-maintained trails and foot bridges over the lake was pleasant and dry. It looks like a big facility with a lodge and some cabins available on the other side of the lake. Would definitely recommend this site and this loop. Only reason I take a star off is because of the poor state of loop 2 and the lack of a dish washing station, but overall this is a great camp area!

We stayed here in our tent. The lady who checked us in was exceptionally nice and the campsites were clean quiet and shady. The restrooms were spick and span. We would certainly stay here again.

We usually use Pin Oak CG at Natchez Trace State Park when we are traveling through Tennessee.  Many nice sites, and a few that aren't as nice.  But well worth stopping and enjoying the lake and peacefulness.  Our first time there was in 2014 and that is when I took the photos.

Stayed here on a trip from NC to Oklahoma and it was perfect. We stayed at site 22 in our roof top tent. The site is right off the water and close to the bathrooms/ showers. Didn’t get to explore a lot but we will be staying again!

Reelfoot is just a few hours from our Tennessee home and a great weekend spot. The campground is next to a waterfront restaurant with boat/fishing and a nice deck. There are several restaurants and stores close to the campground.

The camp store is small but has essential items and the folks were nice. They delivered wood to our site.

4.5 Rounded up. Restrooms and showers were clean. It was very active during one of the last weekends of the season. While quiet hours were observed, there was a lot of music, celebrating a Tennessee win with a golf cart parade and victorious choral singing of Rocky Top right up until 11pm. Beautiful lake views, good camp store and great amenities.

We spent 3 days here with a back in lake front site. The mosquitos would eat you alive, even with repellant. The lake is a famous Tennessee landmark, known for the beech trees in and surrounding the lake. Make sure you go to the visitor center with the raptors and boardwalk. Kayaking the lake is a really awesome activity. The campground is a little rundown, but still nice.

Found mixed reviews for this park but we loved it! Our site was wooded with power and water. Short walk to water access and many tents and small campers. There was another campground with mostly big rigs and more open fields- some with amazing water access. A third campground had no water access and was in really poor shape. Would definitely go back!