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Hidden deep under the northeast forests of Kentucky, strange formations with names like Giant Turkey, Headache Rock, and The Cathedral mingle with cave corals, underground waterfalls and thousands of endangered bats. This is what awaits visitors to Carter Caves State Resort Park, approximately 90 miles east of Lexington. The park was only established, and the cave environments protected, in 1946. Prior to this, the land—and caves—have a long and storied history. It begins millions of years ago, when North America was in its development stage, with the land rising and falling, cracking and washing away. This began forming the caves as seen today. Fast-forward to the 1800s, and the caves served as a resource during the War of 1812. Today however, this 2000-acre park—both above and below ground—serves as a recreation destination for campers and adventurers. The resort at Carter Caves offers a variety of overnight options, including camping, cottages and a lodge. Campers will find a large campground with 89 RV sites with utilities, 30 primitive tent sites, eight equestrian sites, and two bunkhouses. Most RV sites are back-in, and can accommodate vehicles/trailers up to 60 feet; bunkhouses can accommodate up to six people. The campground features bathhouses with showers, water faucets, picnic shelters, horse stables, and a playground. The park’s cottages are fully equipped with linens, cookware, and most have wood-burning fireplaces; these can accommodate up to eight people. The Lewis Caveland Lodge offers 28 rooms with full amenities, balconies and patios. Dogs are permitted in designated areas, and must remain leashed. Campsite rates are $18–$55/night; cottages and lodge rooms are $75–$240/night. The main attraction at Carter Caves State Resort Park is … the caves! There are six named caves in the park for exploring. Some are open year-round, some are only open during the summer. The park offers guided walking tours in four of the caves. Tours range from 45 minutes to 2.5 hours, and require some stair-climbing and stooping. There are also two caves open for self-exploration. These are undeveloped, and require visitors to provide their own light source. For the adventurous, there are also two cave crawling expeditions. These tours are three hours long, and explore tight, undeveloped passages that require lots of crawling, stooping and duck-walking in muddy conditions. For visitors who would rather stay and play above ground, the park features 26 miles of hiking trails, guided horseback rides, putt-putt golf, rock climbing, and fishing and paddling on Smoky Valley Lake.
Iron Ridge is one of two campgrounds in the Vesuvius Recreation Area in southeastern Ohio's Wayne National Forest. Iron Ridge offers a great location for outdoor recreation, with activities like boating, swimming and fishing on Lake Vesuvius. Horseback riding and hiking are also available in the rolling hills surrounding the campground.
Boating, fishing and swimming on Lake Vesuvius are the area's most popular activities. Anglers may catch bass, catfish, crappie or bluegill. More than 40 miles of trails exist in the area, with trailheads beginning at or near the campground. A 1/2-mile hiking trail connects the campground to Lake Vesuvius. Lake Shore Trail offers an 8-mile loop around the lake and shorter trails lead to Rock House Cave, a grand, tunnel-like sandstone cave that was once used by Native Americans for shelter.
Iron Ridge Campground is located on a wooded ridge above 143-acre Lake Vesuvius. A scenic forest of mature eastern hardwoods covers the area.
The closest town is Ironton, Ohio, less than 10 miles from the campground.
$20 - $50 / night
Oak Hill Campground is one of two camping areas within Lake Vesuvius Recreation Area. It has recently renovated and upgraded with modern conveniences like electric hookups and flush toilets. Lake Vesuvius is very close, providing access to ample recreational opportunities.
Boating, fishing and swimming on Lake Vesuvius are the most popular activities. Anglers may catch bass, catfish, crappie and bluegill. More than 40 miles of trails exist in the area, with trailheads beginning at or near the campground. A spur within the campground connects to the Rock House Trail, which leads to a cave Native Americans used as a hide-out many years ago.
The campground is situated on the west side of the 143-acre lake. A mixed hardwood-pine forest with many mature oak trees covers the area.
The closest town is Ironton, Ohio, less than 10 miles from the campground.
$20 / night
$24 / night
$20 / night
Guide
This campground has some features that are nicer than what is found in many state campgrounds. There are some secluded sites back in the woods, so you don't feel like you are camping in a parking lot in a few places. NOTE that most of these secluded sites (along the back edge of the campground) are up a flight of stairs. You have to carry all your gear up a hill or stairs to set up. You will not be near your car, which can get annoying.
The bathrooms were average, not great but not gross. We were there on their Halloween weekend, with a fun site-decorating contest and trick or treat in the afternoon, which was mildly annoying for us because they closed the roads from 2 to 6 so we could not drive back to our site, and when we finally could, someone was in our parking pot for the next hour.
The lakes are quite tiny. The one at the campground is more like a large pond- fine for paddling around on a paddleboard for practice, but don't think you'll get in any meaningful kayaking or sight-seeing on this pond. The other lake is slightly bigger, but still not big enough for kayaking more than a couple hours at most.
The new campground is on the river on what used to be the golf course- I will write a separate review for that.
The lodge has some amenities (pool, hot tub, cafe, bar), but we ate in the restaurant and it was terrible. I do not recommend. Get some apps at the bar if you have to but keep your expectations low. We had pork nachos and the pork tasted old, everything was cold and it gave me a terrible stomachache.
Ranger
Start off by saying the staff were super great!!!! Stayed in space #1 and all the upper spots are open, wish they had more trees around the spaces. Overall it was still a great experience staying at this location.
Traveler
A very nice state park with an abundance of natural resources surrounding the campground. There are many hiking options, some that explore the various caves around the grounds. The caves themselves are quite the treat.
The staff are all very friendly and there are camping sites for tents or rigs. However, like many state parks that have not been updated, navigating into some of the spots with a large rig can be challenging. On the one hand, this is nice as there are mature trees throughout. On the other hand, they could increase the size / length of the existing campsites. There is a nice playground and a camp store for any items you have forgotten.
The lodge is available down the road (within the state park) for dinner if you are looking to mix up the trip. Not fine dining, but decent food. There is also a pool available at a discounted rate for campers - which our kids enjoyed. Note: there are no full hookup sites, which is not uncommon for KY State Parks.
ScoutLevel site. Staff cleans the bathhouse every hour.
Traveler
This is a very cozy park tucked in between US60 and I64. We are in site 14 and its not quite level, but they were generous with gravel so the drainage is good! No parking in puddles!The staff is great, friendly, upbeat. The gentleman who led us to the site helped us get positioned, and squared up.The site has a patio, bench, picnic table, fire pit, and a huge gas grill. There is more privacy than usual at KOA, pine trees between sites.Well be back! You do have to watch for the entrance, there is a big KOA sign but its not aligned with the actual turn, so be careful.
ScoutThis is a very nice KOA camp. I arrived after dark so I didn’t get a good look at the place but the entrance is well marked. The family restrooms are very nice and comfortable. The sites have great electric and water, I’ll try the sewer before I leave. It’s damp and muddy but it’s December so that’s expected. I took off a star for the street noise. The campground is right next to a major highway. There is car and truck noise all day long and all night too. Maybe it would be better in the summer when there are leaves on the trees. At least that would block the view.
Scout
I would give it a zero if possible. The cabin we stayed in was absolutely filthy-dirt and dead bugs on the floor, coffee pot was nasty, extremely small counter was dirty, no access to running water(no even a sink in the bathhouse) and I could go on but I think you get the point. The bathhouse looked like a shed and was also dirty. Were told there were groups going out every weekend, all day long and also night riding. Trails are not marked so you really can't go out on your own. We paid for 3 nights, but only stayed for 2. And of course, we were never offered a refund or partial refund. Like Share
ScoutWe went with three small kids. Great facilities, hiking, caving etc. We plan to return because two nights was not nearly enough to do all the things we wanted to. The tent sites are close together so we may not have enjoyed it as much if it were busier but we were lucky enough to get a site with no immediate neighbors. Pictures online made it appear that tree cover was not as good as it actually was.
ScoutGreat secluded campsite with privacy and lots of space
ScoutThere’s a quiet time reserved for after 11pm. Apparently no one cares because people were LOUD the first night we were there. The second night was less crowded and much more enjoyable. There’s so much to do at Carter caves that I didn’t mind it too much. Lots to do within walking distance of the campground too.
GuideTent camping sites were set back, in the woods, down a private path (about 75’) and totally secluded.
The park had a clean, nice outdoor movie theater, mini golf, and a lake with rentables.
GuideThe area is very pretty, lots of hiking and plenty of things to do. The campground itself is nice, sites aren’t very level side to side or front to back and the hookups are very far from the site. Be prepared to bring extra electric cord and hose. The spacing is good though on some spots. The ones that back up to the woods are pretty.
ScoutAll sites are small and on top of each other. Low water pressure (20) weird placements for water and electricity. However the things to do at this park are great from hiking to cave tours and more.
LegendBeautiful sites and park. Easy in and out.
TravelerStaff was exceptionally friendly and helpful. Only stayed here one night on our transit to Kentucky. Facilities and sites were exceptionally clean. Yes, it’s close to the interstate so you can hear traffic but for a short stay this campground can’t be beat. Be careful of the turn onto the property….it’s a sharp right hand turn with a dip….take it slow!!!
LegendOk for overnight stop.
Pros: 50 amp hook-up Water Sewer
Cons: Gravel pad Sites close together
TravelerThe night we arrived it was pouring rain. After sleeping in the car to stay dry we explored the park. The park really came alive with the rain, which really made the trip. Water was running over the edges of cliffs and boulders throughout the park into the river that flows through the park. The cave tours were cheap and interesting, although the self guided tour was closed due to flooding. We did the Three Bridge Trail which was moderately challenging but worth the unique geology and natural bridge formations.
The tent campground was quiet but the RV campground was pretty full and lively. At site 110 we struggled to find a flattish spot—the sites closest to the road to the horse campground were much better. The bathrooms were randomly closed one night on a Saturday which was a little annoying. There wasn’t any clear communication of restroom hours.
It was hard to find firewood nearby, we ended up seeing a sign of a guy selling firewood and we called him. It was $23 for 35 logs delivered to the site. This ended up being way more than we needed and we left some behind after giving some out for free to other campers, which was a cool experience.
We left for the day on our second to last day and packed up most of the site in the car as we’d be gone a while. When we came back what we left was gone along with our reservation slip at the site entrance. It seems the rangers took it that we left and now I’m out a water jug.
There was some scavenger hunt race going on too and people would come out of the forest and run through our campsite with no regard to us being right there which was a little odd.
Overall I didn’t know what to expect as an out of stater but had a great time through the weather and all.
RangerKOA Review
The campground it’s self is very clean and taken care of. We were there in early March with winter temps. The staff was extremely nice and helpful, bath house and laundry was clean. The water at our site was inoperable and they offered to move us without me even having to ask which was nice. The site could be maintained better ours had lots of tire ruts and fire pit could have been better for the price. Overall it’s a good campground with amenities in great shape. A good little dog park that was extremely clean, putt putt, and more. I would come back again in the off season just cause we like camping with less crowds.
LegendThis isn’t a very big campground. And some of the pad lengths are really really short. You should know that on the campground map they have written the pad lenoon them which is great. There are two shower houses which are really nice with flush toilets and showers. The only thing about the showers is there is no bench inside the stall and not really anywhere to hang your items so you will get wet. Shawnee State Park is very hilly. There is a campground store, very small and closed during the off-season. The comfort stations are also closed in the off-season, but they are spread out throughout the campground. Some sites are really best fit for tents only or you can hammock and at the actual tent sites they have nice tent pads for them. There is a playground, putt putt course, small lake that you can kayak or paddleboard in. They’ve got a great little nature center with lots of trails and again it’s hilly so pick your trails wisely, but very very pretty. We were the only people on our side of the campground.
GuideThis is a very nice KOA camp. I arrived after dark so I didn’t get a good look at the place but the entrance is well marked. The family restrooms are very nice and comfortable. The sites have great electric and water, I’ll try the sewer before I leave. It’s damp and muddy but it’s December so that’s expected. I took off a star for the street noise. The campground is right next to a major highway. There is car and truck noise all day long and all night too. Maybe it would be better in the summer when there are leaves on the trees. At least that would block the view.
GuideThe coolest things about this campground are the access to caves and hikes. Tent sites are closer together than photos made it seem. It wasn’t BAD but it also wasn’t my favorite campground I’ve ever been to. Bathrooms were fine. Firewood was expensive but there isn’t another place to buy that’s close, so prepare for that. $25 for 3 bundles. Best sites are 102 or 100. Campground is patrolled often by security/staff (?)
Guide
This campground above Lake Vesuvius was nice. Not a lot of privacy, but sites are comfortably spaced out. Great hiking and Lake Vesuvius is small but beautiful. Also, there’s a hidden gem of a cave/overhang along one of the hiking trails.
GuideStayed here again, apparently this KOA has new owners. Not sure about it now, didn't seem as nice as before, atmosphere felt 'stuffy'. Sites were still OK. Gravel and level where we stayed. Grand daughter loved that we were beside the pool and playground. Mini golf was run down, but had a fresh coat of paint.
TravelerFull hookups at a reasonable price. 10% senior discount. Beautiful location. My only complaint is the bath house. The shower floor was slippery and dirty. Painted black for some reason. Drains were clogged. Happy that we had full hookups.
GuideNice, quiet campground. Not a ton of privacy, but much better than an RV park. More shade and privacy here than the nearby Oak Hill campground on the other side of the lake. Tons of hiking trails around the lake. We will definitely be back!
ScoutBeautiful place to camp. Some sites are more difficult for parking a camper than others. We stayed at site 6 which wasn’t too difficult to park but the water pressure was extremely high
LegendWe were stopping here on our way to another KOA. At the check in area I noticed that the park looked nice. When we arrived at our site (we were escorted), the escort left and my wife noticed trash in the fire pit. I called the office, told them there was a lot of garbage at our site including a lot of cigarette butts. A young man came and cleaned up the trash in and around the fire pit and he said he was sorry about it not being clean. There were also piles of wet dog food. There is a terrible sewer smell that continues to float over to our site. There were many complaints of this on the KOA site. The highway is close and very noisy. (See video) Not worth the money to stay here. It might be worth $10 for an overnight stop, we didn’t even hook up electric or water. Ran fans, lights and water pump off of solar. Not at all what I expect from a KOA.
Frequently Asked Questions
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