Several state parks and private campgrounds circle Old Hickory Lake, giving campers different options around this central Tennessee waterspot. Cedars of Lebanon State Park sits 17 miles from the lake with sites near hiking trails and a swimming pool for hot days. Bledsoe Creek State Park is closer, about 12 miles away, with camping spots right on the water for fishing and boating. The Nashville KOA Resort, 9 miles from the lake, has full RV hookups plus a swimming pool and play areas. Cedar Creek in Mount Juliet has good shade trees over its sites, with standard picnic tables and fire rings at each spot. Seven Points, another Mount Juliet camping area, puts you close to the water for swimming and boating. Grand Ole RV Resort & Market in Goodlettsville works well for campers who want to visit Nashville, with basic facilities and helpful staff. Poole Knobs in La Vergne stays quieter than other areas and includes a boat ramp for getting onto the lake. Elm Hill RV Resort near J. Percy Priest Lake has a marina and waterfront camping. The roads to all these campgrounds stay in good shape year-round. You'll find spots for both tents and RVs throughout the Old Hickory Lake area.
"Nashville north koa was a nice campground with a proximity to Nashville but away from the bustle. We stayed for a week and enjoyed ourselves."
"The proximity to the Opry and surrounding sites is fantastic. Top that off with front desk, event and maintenance staff that were all super nice and you’ve got a great combo."
$30 - $50 / night
"On Old Hickory Lake. Accomodates both tents and RV’s. Most sites have a lovely view of the lake if not directly along the shore. Swimming beach, playground, and marina both within walking distance."
"We came from Idaho to Tennessee in May for two weeks and this was our first campsite. We fell in love with peaceful walks along the river, watching the ducks and birds along with a few turtles 🐢."
"There is a flat trail next to the lake that my two year old loves to run up and down, playgrounds, and a story trail."
"Easy hiking trails with little to moderate inclines and terrain. Around 5-7 miles of trails, plenty of camping sites. I always see wildlife when i visit this park."
$25 - $30 / night
"The campground at Cedars of Lebanon State Park deserves 5 stars for their proximity to Nashville, the large paved pads for campers, the peaceful woods, and their overall cleanliness."
"We hiked some of the 2 mile running trail and then veered off to explore the CCC original looking covered bench which overlooks a currently dry stream bed."
$32 - $50 / night
"Paved roads, showers, playground, Big lake side sites wth shade. lots of space between the campsites. fire rings, picnic tables."
"The campsite was surrounded by trees and it was a quick walk to the lake. The bathroom and shower facilities were clean and had warm water."
"The Grand Ole RV Resort is a nice park to stay in near all the fun and sightseeing of Nashville, Tennessee. The campground is very tidy and well-kept."
"There’s a train that passes by on the nearby track a couple of times a day, but it was never super early or late and didn’t bother us at all."
"Highway noise is really bad but there’s not anything they can do about that. Close by restaurants and Camping World for any needed supplies."
"But given where they are located, crammed in with two other RV parks and a Camping World all next to the highway, there isn't any way to make things better."
$30 - $35 / night
"Corp of Engineers campground with a view of Old Hickory Lake. Some waterfront sites. Adjacent boat ramp. Fishing platform. Well kept. Convenient to amenities in Hendersonville and Gallatin."
"The entire Old Hickory Lake has a lot of nice areas to enjoy your leisure pursuits. A little too organized for my taste. Off Nashville Pike, in the suburbs, near the city but fells like the country."
"Sitting in a lake, the campground is a peninsula surrounded by water. Great views, super clean and very nice amenities. Saturday night they had a band and a Halloween celebration. Very safe."
"Nice lake. Nice pool. Good sites. Lake is close to all sites. Very helpful store at the front with items you need."
"Campground is near the road but is still quite. This would be a good place for easy access to the lake and Nashville. Multiple places to eat within 5 miles. Great pass through"
"Plenty of dog walking area, even a fenced area for the dogs to run. Friendly staff."
TravelerArrived late, but had no problem finding a nice flat spot in the grass. Very quiet. Two clean porta potties as well as trash cans and picnic tables, everything well maintained. Perfect spot with the dog. Only drawback was minimal service with Verizon. Bonus is the super cute town of Granville (world’s largest decanter collection and town is decorated as Little Mayberry). Would definitely stay again.
ScoutGreat folks to work with hand an amazing time will be back again and again must check it out for yalls own selves!
TravelerThe people who said this is just a parking lot probably never found the actual campsite, I almost missed it too! Cell service cut out far down the road, but since there were no turns we just kept going until we found the boat ramp (gravel lot, clear No Camping signs). We thought this was a bust, turned around to leave, and then we spotted the gravel path into the site. It's easy to miss on the way in. It's a small camping area between the boat ramp and the equestrian trail head, with two foot paths. One path leads to more sites closer to the water (still close enough to easily carry supplies) and the other leads to the equestrian section and a portapotty. Dyrt's location pin is for the boat ramp not the campsite, see my map for a more accurate location. It was quiet and relatively clean, with some horseback riders passing through during the day.
ScoutStaff was wonderful at helping with all needs...booking tours too. Can shuttle a bus to downtown Nashville. Nice pool. Live music every night at the campground. Clean restrooms, laundry and the entire park.
GuideDefeated Creek Campground Defeated, TN site L14. I’m not sure how we’ve gotten so lucky this year, but we’ve had 2 amazing sites back to back. Defeated Creek is another beautiful campground. We had another waterfront site, facing west, so the sunsets were amazing. Not a long walk to the bathhouse, volleyball area, or playground. It also has a beach and tons of room to go fishing. Lots of wildlife, we even spotted a couple of cows in the park lol. Chelle was able to launch her kayak just about 10 yards from our camper. The camp host are a very sweet older couple and the place is very well kept. It can be hard to get reservations here, so get a jump on that 6 month booking window. That said, if you can’t get in here, try Salt Lick Creek Campground in Gainesboro. The spaces are further apart and it’s very well kept also. Although we just drove through, I think it would also be a great place to stay.
ScoutGreat place to stay when passing through.
ScoutStayed on a Thursday night at a pitch a tent spot. Beautiful farm but unfortunately the tent spots are right next to a very noisy 4 lane highway.
TravelerStaff pleasant, site easy enough to get into, no shade for “short stays”, overall nice, quaint park for overnight parking on the way to another destination. I was disappointed- NO shower house for RVers, only for cabin guest.
GuideThis was a very nice resort camping spot. I loved the not tub with the jets. I tent camped on the mulch and electric/ water site. I just wanted to see what the mulch was like. The big chest , checkers and jumping pillow was pretty cool. And if you want wood you can charge your card on file and they'll bring your wood to your site.... since they don't just have it in the office. It's also very close to town so you can get a Uber or even have food delivered if you actually don't want to cook. Feels very much like glamping.
Old Hickory Lake campsites offer different experiences depending on location around this 22,500-acre reservoir. The lake stretches 97 miles along the Cumberland River in central Tennessee, with campsites positioned at various elevations between 445 and 450 feet. Spring camping brings mild temperatures averaging 60-75°F with higher rainfall, while summer campers can expect humidity and temperatures regularly exceeding 90°F.
Swimming at designated beaches: Seven Points Campground has a swimming area with a clean shoreline for families. "This place is gorgeous. The lake view and night skies are amazing. The water is warm, which isn't something I'm used to being from further north," notes Sean M. about Seven Points.
Hiking cedar forest trails: The unique limestone glades at Cedars of Lebanon State Park provide distinctive hiking terrain. "Cedars of Lebanon is a great State Park in middle TN for camping and for day hikes. It has a great pool, and the natural area where it's located features tons of endemic species to the area," says Phoebe A. about Cedars of Lebanon State Park Campground.
Fish from lakefront sites: Multiple campgrounds offer direct water access for fishing without launching a boat. "Most sites have a lovely view of the lake if not directly along the shore. Swimming beach, playground, and marina both within walking distance," explains Kathy G. about Cedar Creek.
Level concrete pads: Elm Hill RV Resort (previously Safe Harbor) offers stable, well-maintained sites. "The sites are level and have nice firepits. We just travelled cross country for 3 months and this is one of the nicest campgrounds we have stayed at," shares Chris H. about Elm Hill RV Resort.
Live entertainment options: Several campgrounds feature regular music performances. "They have live music every night was nice. Backing my trailer is not my strong suite but they guided me through it like it was nothing," says Ed S. about Grand Ole RV Resort & Market.
Proximity to Nashville attractions: Campers appreciate the ability to explore the city while staying at lakeside campgrounds. "Very busy campground, showers and bathrooms were very clean and nice. Nice shuttle service to downtown Nashville ($10 round trip) offered from two separate shuttle companies," notes Aaron L. about Two Rivers Campground.
Train noise concerns: Some campgrounds have railroad tracks nearby that can disrupt sleep. "Only downfall are the trains that operate 24/7 directly adjacent to the grounds. Trains rolling by at 3 am is not how I like to spend my night," warns Jeff P. about Grand Ole RV Resort.
Site spacing varies significantly: Some areas offer privacy while others pack campers close together. "The campground was dirty and not well kept. It seemed like people had been basically living out of the campground," states Jessica L. about Bledsoe Creek State Park Campground.
Seasonal operations: Check opening dates before booking as some lakeside campgrounds close during winter. "We actually had a really good stay here, but I will say that the water park was closed and it wasn't peak season," reports Darrell F. about Nashville Shores Lakeside Resort.
Look for pest-protected sites: Insects and wildlife can be problematic during warmer months. "Our dogs picked up ticks every day, and we had a few as well. Watch out for lyme and other tick born illnesses," cautions Kyle S. from Bledsoe Creek State Park.
Consider Halloween weekend events: Special seasonal activities make camping more entertaining for children. "Their halloween weekend is a great time of fun for the kids!" recommends Justin L. about Cedars of Lebanon State Park.
Waterpark combination options: Campgrounds with water recreation features provide additional entertainment. "The water park is amazing. The boys had a blast running under water buckets dumping over them and going down slides, floating down the lazy river or getting knocked down in the wave pool," describes Christy C. about Nashville Shores Lakeside Resort.
Check site dimensions carefully: Some Old Hickory Lake campsites have exact measurements with limited overflow space. "Be very cautious of the site lengths. Some are extremely short and I'd say the measurements are nearly exact. Since our site backed up to a drop off, there was a small fence so no way to 'hang over' the pad a little for extra room," advises Beth H. about Elm Hill RV Resort.
Road navigation challenges: Internal campground roads can be tight for larger rigs. "The only thing that was not ideal were how tight the roads were between campsites but it may have felt that way because we are new to hauling a camper," notes Ashley U. about Cedars of Lebanon State Park.
Amenities for extended stays: Some campgrounds offer laundry facilities and cable TV connections. "We had a nice level pull through site near the front. The grounds were clean and staff was friendly," reports Jil S. about Nashville East-Lebanon KOA.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to camp at Old Hickory Lake in Tennessee?
Camping costs at Old Hickory Lake typically range from $20-45 per night depending on the campground and amenities. At The Narrows, you'll find mid-range pricing with some premium charged for shoreline sites where you can park your boat. Four Corners RV Resort offers higher-end pricing for their concrete pad sites, with deluxe options available both on the lake and inside the loops. For budget-conscious campers, Corps of Engineers campgrounds like Cages Bend often offer the best value. National Park passes provide significant discounts for seniors at most federally managed sites around the lake. Reservations are recommended, especially for weekend stays during peak season.
Are fire pits allowed at Old Hickory Lake camping areas?
Yes, fire pits are generally allowed at Old Hickory Lake camping areas, but with important regulations. Most campsites at Bledsoe Creek State Park Campground and RJourney Clarksville RV Resort come equipped with designated fire rings or grills for safe campfire use. Corps of Engineers campgrounds around Old Hickory Lake maintain similar policies. Always keep fires contained within established fire rings, never leave them unattended, and fully extinguish before sleeping or departing. During dry conditions or burn bans, fire restrictions may be implemented. Check with the specific campground office upon arrival as regulations can change seasonally. Gathering firewood on-site is typically prohibited, so plan to purchase wood locally.
What campgrounds are available at Old Hickory Lake?
Old Hickory Lake offers several excellent campgrounds with lake access. Cages Bend is a Corps of Engineers campground with waterfront sites, a boat ramp, and fishing platform. Cedar Creek (TN) accommodates both tents and RVs with many sites offering lake views or shoreline access. Additional options include Seven Points near Hermitage and Bledsoe Creek State Park Campground, though experiences at the latter vary. Most campgrounds around Old Hickory Lake provide amenities such as restrooms, picnic areas, and recreation opportunities while being conveniently located near towns like Hendersonville and Gallatin.
Keep Exploring
