The best DRIVE IN camping near
Jellico , TENNESSEE

It’s a small but nice well maintained campground. Some of the sites are a little close together but we got one close to the showers but yet far enough away from people. At night it got very quiet and was very peaceful. The best thing is that we were able to see more stars than ever before. They even have a astronomy field for your viewing pleasure. I kinda wish I had taken more photos of the place but we just wanted to enjoy the outdoors with no electronics. Also there isn’t any service inside the campgrounds but the front office does have WiFi if you need it!

Full of permanent residents.

You will drive and drive and drive…and drive on the gravel road. However the road is good and the signage will get you there! Follow the little tent signs to Little Lick Horse Camp in the woods of Daniel Boone NF. The Nathan McClure trailhead is in the campground so there will be other traffic coming in. There are a few good size sites, with picnic table, fire ring and not much else. This is primitive, to include no toilet so bring your bucket or whatever you use…..remember Leave No Trace ;) Dark and starry skies, quiet and woodsy….try not to think about any scary wood based movies. Horses, llamas, trail bikes and dogs would be perfect for this campground. The sites are big enough for more then one tent or hammock. There are several other nice/challenging trails nearby and the Rattlesnake Motorcycle route in the area.

Off Ky Rt 80 in Daniel Boone National Forest, keep following the tent signs , they will get you to Little Lick Campground. This is a primitive little campground out in the middle of nowhere, however there are several awesome trailheads in the area, Nathan McClure TH right in the campground.

Bring your horse, bring your trail bike, bring your dogs. You might want to bring a generator too. Not a lot of sites but they are big and you can easily have several tents or hammocks ( if there’s trees) in each spot.

Quiet and dark and STARS.

I visited Pulaski County Park several years ago and it was okay. They have made several improvements since then and it is a lot better. The campground is spread across the hills and “bays” of the park. Not crowded right now and the water is WAY down. There is the hilltop “parking lot” pull throughs , the largest part of the campground spread across the knoll , to include water front sites and primitive sites across the road in the trees, also some water front sites. The trails are varied and pretty cool. They twist and turn and cross creeks and hill tops. I won’t say their easy to navigate but it’s doable if you pay attention to the names and direction your going. They are all mountain bike oriented and a few are challenging. The layout of the park is also confusing at times. I’ve been there several times and just recently found another parking area and trailhead. I’m surprised they don’t have a tree top trail or zip line, might be in future plans. The disc golf will take you on quite a hike and to another parking lot and trailhead totally outside the park. And of course there is the water sports/ recreation. I wouldn’t travel from across the country to visit this park, however it is a nice local place to spend a family week/end or just relax.

I’ve stayed at this site a couple times now and I love the location. The site is a short and easy hike (under 2 miles) from the parking lot via the Lake Trail to the Dark Hollow Trail. The site is tucked off the trail and has access to a stream that is directly across from the site entrance. I’ve also finished the trip by hiking the loop back out by continuing on Dark Hollow to Big Valley Trail, to Ghost House Trail and back to Lake Trail (5.3 miles total). These sections of the trails are easy to moderate.

I LOVE Pickett CCC!! There is so much to do at this park. At the lake there’s kayak and canoeing where you actually paddle under a natural bridge. There’s a swimming area , geese and fishing. The rock formations are awesome. Then there’s the trails. A suspension bridge, another natural bridge and a cave area. These are easy to moderate trails but can be a little hazardous so watch your step. The campground….well, not my favorite. No shade, very close sites AND on a hill. It was crowded and a little noisy. No privacy, small and busy. There are some nice cabins and some older cabins. Sorta old meets new, cause some of these cabins may have been built by the CCC. There’s a museum on site too. Worth a visit!

So this campground is in a decent location not far from town (Knoxville) and right off lake inlet and A26 is right off lake. Only regarding my location its been quiet and people keep to themselves other than being neighborly. May get a bit more noisy on weekend as people roll in with kids and pets. Laundry is adequate and fairly priced and bonus takes credit cards for payment (no looking for change). Its a bit run down but for 38/night for full hookup and weekly rate knocks off a night its not bad. There are some long termers here that bring the aesthetic down with very old campers and trash and older equipment and cars around but around my area its clean, so I only see it on my way out the loop. The advertised wifi doesn't reach the campsites though so don't depend on it and when I connected at laundry to test it was like a 1/1Mbps speed. Cell Data signal isn't great here either. I have a dual LTE router that I was only getting ATT 3G signal with normal antennas but once I connected the exterior antenna I had been waiting to install I got 4 bars ATT LTE (105 dbM) so I can pull a ratty 30Mbps down and 15Mbps up. I also have a Visible sim but its kinda limits at 5Mbps on good signal but it has 5 bars Version LTE, so actual verizion customers may get better signal.

Blue Heron Campground in Big South Fork National Park is part of Daniel Boone National Forest, one of my favorite places to explore. Blue Heron CG is on the road to the VERY COOL mining village which is now privately owned and the historical mining operation at the bottom of the hill. Blue Heron CG is small which makes it that much better. The sites are level and pretty well spaced out. The showerhouse is not new but the whole place is very well maintained. There is an overlook and trail access nearby or you can drive down to the Historic mining operation with tipple and boat ramp as well as trailheads. Stearns, Ky is nearby and the historic railway that traverses the same area to the bottom of the hill through the village. So much to do in this area!

Corbin n/Laurel Lake KOA

First! Do not trust your navigation. Once you get off the interstate look for the KOA signs. Your navigation will take you in a completely different direction for some reason.

This was my second time staying at the Corbin/Laurel lake KOA. The best thing about it as far as I can see is it is centrally located to several state parks. It is also on the edge of Corbin south area plenty of amenities nearby. The interstate is also very nearby which adds some pros and cons; pro easy access for traveling; con constant white noise.

This is an older KOA. Very well-maintained they are in the process of adding more spaces towards the back. When they are allowed to open it they have a swimming pool there is also a small campground kitchen near the office.

This is one of the first KOA‘s I’ve been to that has good Wi-Fi. I could actually live stream. I have not been able to do that in any other KOA this trip.