Looking to go glamping near Huntsville and enjoy a rustic retreat into nature? Glamping near Huntsville is especially popular among campers who enjoy beds and electricity. The Dyrt's camping photos, reviews, and tips are an easy way to find the right Tennessee glamping spot for you.
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.
$35 / night
$8 - $100 / 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
$18 - $300 / night
$25 - $174 / night
Kendall Campground is located at 80 Kendall Road, south of Jamestown, Kentucky, just below Wolf Creek Dam, which forms beautiful Lake Cumberland. 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. Kendall Campground offers visitors convenient access to a cold water trout stream, making it a popular fishing destination. The stream is well-stocked with rainbow, brook and brown trout. Whispering Pines Trail, located within the campground, is a non-strenuous trail approximately half a mile long.
The campground overlooks the river, 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.
Wolf Creek Dam National Fish Hatchery is within walking distance of the campground. It is open year-round and offers free tours to the public and an excellent Environmental Education Center. Click here for more information. Lake Cumberland State Park is just 6.5 miles from the campground. This beautiful park offers fishing, hiking, horseback riding, mini golf, disc golf and boat rentals. Birders enjoy the park for its exceptional viewing prospects of raptors, songbirds and waterfowl. Grider Hill Marina and Resort is 25 minutes away, with boat rentals, a restaurant and general store. Jamestown Marina & Resort is 25 minutes away, with boat rentals, a restaurant and general store. State Dock Marina is 8 miles away, with boat rentals, snack bar and general store.
$60 / night
Scout
Spent the last 2 weeks of the season here and enjoyed our stay. We had daily deer visitors at our site and went trout fishing too. The walking trails around the brooke and campground were easy enough even for someone with limited mobility. I would ask COE to correct the women's handicap shower. The hand held shower head is missing even though there is a connection port for it. Shower house is not heated and it is extremely uncomfortable....Be prepared to keep pressing a button every 55 seconds to get water. In addition, there is no way to control water temperature for your shower. In my opinion, this is something that needs to be addressed. The washing machine was out of order.... And the ole sayin"treat things as you would your own" comes to mind and it would be our hope that people would see the benefit in keeping things nice for all to use. The camp host made rounds on the golf cart every few hrs....which is appreciated:) UPDATE: Now both washers have been removed from the annex campground....and we have a week left. Kinda of a crappy thing to do to people....with no warning.
Ranger
This place is a great place for camping had nice paved trails clean campground. The bathroom was clean. The shower was hot. Lots of friendly campers.
Traveler
Campsites are spacious with gravel campsites and paved rv parking at campsites. Water and electric at each site. Clean bathrooms with showers.
Scout
I prefer playing cricket for physical exercise rather than virtual games like Nulls Brawl. It's a great way to stay active and enjoy the outdoors, especially in beautiful locations like The Crosseyed Cricket Campground in Tennessee.
Traveler
We stayed on the island (walk in spot) and it was quiet and had beautiful views right on the water. There are also toilets and water available on the island if needed.
ScoutNulls Brawl likely offers a way to share game progress or resources with others. You could generate links or codes to give them access, allowing you to play or team up with friends more easily. https://nullsbrawlapk.de/
Legend
Easy to find, well marked. It’s has many (12) trails and many falls. Would definitely recommend shopping before camping, it’s several miles, and mountains, to get to stores. There are several lodging options…cottages, The Lodge, (which is beautiful) tent and RV camping. There are 2 small campgrounds ~ 1) Ridgeline which accommodates RVs up to 26”, water and 10/30/50 amp hook ups. Sites have a fire ring and picnic table. WiFi is available, and there is a dump station. A small playground, office/campstore, and a bathhouse and laundry next to it. 3 sites are walk-in. Big rigs would have to stay elsewhere. 2) Clifty Campground is tent camping only 7 sites offer electric and water. WiFi is also offered. There is a bathhouse and a playground, and these CG’s are pet friendly. (Falls Creek is a few miles up the road…they have pull through and back ins. For bigger Rvs. They also have tents, wagons, cabin rentals, and primitive sites) We had no T-Mobile service, or satellite service in our vehicle. The trails and Cumberland falls were awesome. The horse rides looked amazing, and the Pool was big, with a diving board, and a small fee for campers to use it.
Guide
I seek off the beaten path places, and this campground is a gem. Located in a quiet forest near the small mountain town of Monterey, Belle Ridge is a wonderful destination stop when touring the Upper Cumberland regions of Tennessee. Within ten minutes of Monterey, this mountain town has two wonderful coffee places, an amazing Amish bakery, nice specialty stores in the historic downtown, good restaurants and a wonderful museum. There was a lot to do at the campground, but also many interesting sights within a 30-minute drive.
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.
RangerThis campground has some exceptional features, but it also has some kinks to work out.
First, one advantage/disadvantage is it is located right off 40. If you are placed in one of the sites in the front it’s going to be very noisy. We were in the middle of the campground and it was occasionally loud, but not terrible. Being able to pop off 40 to sleep for the night and get right back on the next morning with gas two minutes away was great for us.
I wasn’t pleased with my check-in because I waited nearly 20 minutes to be helped as a group in front of me arrived with 1,000 questions and booked their campground in person. When it was my turn, I was given four seconds of attention. When my friend checked in there was three people at the desk and she had a good experience. Online registration was easy and we just had to drop off keys in a drop-box before leaving.
Then, the next morning we wanted to buy the bag of gems for the mining and the office wasn’t even open (12PM) before check-out (11AM). My husband felt it was the best camp store we had encountered on this trip, but how does that even help if it’s not open in the morning? My kids were so disappointed.
We were all disappointed because we had looked forward to the themed activity (tie-dye), but it was cancelled with no explanation given and there weren’t any other activities/programs even though it is presented like they have theme weekends.
I thought the layout of the campground and sites was kind of haphazard looking. The sites were gravel and there was plenty of grass and trees. The tables and fire pits all looked oldish. Hook-ups and WIFI were good.
The cabins were spaced really nicely. There was only one bathhouse, which looked absolutely great and was super clean. If you were camped at the front it would be a long walk. My friend stayed in the “primitive” cabin and she said the mattress was fantastic and she appreciated the Keurig. It was close to the bathroom and the loft space would easily accommodate a couple of kids.
What really shined about this campground was the woodsy landscape - the sandy playground (though it was older and the volleyball net was down), the fishing lake, and the really cool swimming lake, which was surrounded by rock, were all appreciated by our group and my friend said she was definitely coming back in the summer so her kids could swim. The hike to the waterfall was really lovely. We were hoping to see the cave, but the office was closed so we couldn’t inquire about its location (it wasn’t on the map).
All in all, we had a nice time and it was definitely more of a camping experience than many of the parking lot like camps we’ve stayed at. It seemed like a lot of guests were there specifically to dirt bike or off-road. I think it would be a nice campground to enjoy in the summer, but do wonder how much of an expansion is coming (their map indicates one is happening soon) and how that would impact the amenities.
Two other things worth noting - I appreciate that the campground prices don’t seem like they skyrocket in the summer. We looked at some summer dates and the prices were pretty similar to the price we paid for April. I also was impressed with the two people who were working - they seemed like they were all over cleaning and fixing things.
Scout
This is one of the best experiences I've had. My boyfriend and I decided to take a trip and wanted to have a peaceful getaway. I highly recommend this getaway as it was such an enriching experience. From the mountains to the bonfires to warm and welcoming company. Anthony and Barbara were so welcoming and offered us everything we needed and then some.
ScoutI was overly impressed with this camp site! We have a large 8 person tent and need water & electricity so we rent out RV spots instead of the typical tent spots. We were at spot 116, which was on a hill but wasn’t bad enough to bother us sleeping in the tent. We slept in gravel as well since if we went on the grass we’d be on the side of a hill. We had our two dogs with us as well which our spot allowed us plenty of privacy. Bathrooms and showers were amazing for a campsite, picture gym bathrooms and that’s what it is like. Hot shower was amazing in the morning. Everyone was so friendly and had haunted houses set up for the trick or treaters. They also had a bunch of activities, parks, and a restaurant inside the camp site. Will DEFINITELY be back!
ScoutThe tent sites are park and walk. The furthest tent site is about a 1/4 mile from where you park. Just an FYI.
TravelerAfter spending a week or so at a commercial campground, it is such a Blessing to be back at a COE campground again! Nestled in the trees near the Cumberland Lake, and dam, this is a beautiful place to relax. We are in spot #71, adjacent to a small field where I saw 7 deer grazing, multiple squirrels near our spot, and beautiful cardinals feeding nearby. This campground provides electric and water at most sites, has two dump stations, level sites with gravel. and the Wolf Creek Fish Hatchery is adjacent to the campground. A great place to visit!
GuideGreat place. Dogs loved it also
Traveler
Visited in 2020 and the property was extremely rough. Came back in 2021 after hearing about new ownership...TONS of upgrades have been completed in a short amount of time. Group Chalet & Motel upgraded and remodeled. New bathhouse, docks, new marina store/gas pumps/restaurant with an extensive list of craft beers on tap and hand-dipped ice cream. Great food as well. Cornhole boards on the dock outside of the restaurant area, trivia nights on Thursdays. Campground is being upgraded in stages but is clean and family-friendly. The marina also has a number of rental pontoons available. We have come back every summer and had a great experience.
Scout
This is a scam do NOT book with them. Tried to go on a Cumberland River Boat Cruise. Directions given were in accurate, no address was given to use GPS. Google Link given inaccurate Directions. Called several times and even talked to the manager asking for help none was given. River Boat was Gone When we Finally Found the Boat Ramp. Drove to the Office to request a voucher or refund. Would NOT give either one. People were not helpful at all DO NOT waste your money. We lost$120 to them due to the businesses own fault. They did NOT offer options for people with disabilities, We even asked for a 1/2 of a refund and they would NOT even do that as they said we made lunch for you. How much can a sandwich and chips cost. If they were kind people and did what Jesus would do they would have gladly refunded even 1/2 of the money paid Do NOT support a company that doesn’t support people with disabilities nor are they Christian at all. What happened to having manners. If they would refund our money we would delete this entire post.
Ranger
We had a great time there. Some sites can be small so do your research. It was nice and quiet in the area we were in. The bathhouse was nice and clean and all the workers were very friendly.
Guide
Stayed for the weekend on our way to camp in Gatlinburg. Very nice campground! The lawn was cut and well kept and the staff was very friendly and courteous! Camp store had lots of cool stuff and awesome hand scooped ice cream… Pizza and wings are also available. You can text an order in and have it charged to your site and delivered. Wi-Fi and cell service were great! We’ll be making this a regular stop in both directions! A+++
GuideA Beautiful campsite, a ton of activies for the grandkids, lots of amenities, & I could go on and on. The staff were super to deal with. We had a gravel back in site, it did have a little slope front to back but was zero issue getting level. We had a great view of one of the ponds, and nice lawn on each side and behind us. There was a nice modern picnic table and a heavy duty fire ring, both of which we put to good use. This is the first time Ive ever been to a Koa, this one certainly set the bar pretty high. Loved our visit here, we were here for 3 nights.
Ps, they had a great store that served 8 flavors of hard ice cream!!
LegendWe stayed for 6 nights on 2 sites, right next to the bath house. Laundry was free and on the back of the bath house (2 washers, 2 dryers). Bath house was clean. Showers were on a timer (60 seconds at a time, two levels/ pressures, one temperature, you get what you get and don’t pitch a fit). Lots of ticks but that was expected. Sites are good sized.
GuideOther reviewers will do this place more justice than I can. It’s already been said. I’ll just say that a 45 minute horse ride for $25 is an absolute steal. Seeing the falls is free. There is a small on-site store and a playground for the kids.
Traveler
Quiet, easy back in, water and electric hook up. TMobile cell service was very spotty. Short walk to Lake with view of lake from campsite.
Traveler
The campsites are off to thereselfs and make for great camping with privacy. The drive there is a little long and no cell service for the most part but isn't that what camping is about anyway.
GuideI had the only tent site. It was adequate but many stares up and down. No water no electricity. Bathrooms were clean, campground was clean and quite. There is a snack shack outside the gate and they have bait. Good fishing lake and river.
TravelerReview from the perspective of a motorcycle traveler tent camping. Tent sites are along a stream on Racoon side. Got surprised by a bear while gathering firewood nearby. Clean and well maintained although it was a sleepless night because of a group of drunk locals.
Traveler
Site 22 was perfect, and the host was very nice and helpful.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Huntsville, TN is Frozen Head State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 31 reviews.
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