Wanna get outdoors? Here’s 5 Eastern Kentucky camping sites from glamping to primitive

Need a quick, quiet getaway outdoors? Someplace to reset? Then maybe it’s time for a camping trip.

With all the distractions going on today, let us not forget the benefit of taking a break. Luckily in Eastern Kentucky there’s an abundance of off-the-grid, and on-the-grid campgrounds ranging from primitive to plush that are perfect for a midsummer reset, if you know where to look.

From hideaways in hollers to getaways in the gorge, lakeside leisure and more, here’s a list and guide of five camping spots in the Central Bluegrass region worth venturing to in the coming months.

Hidden Ridge Camping

Founded by John and Ginger Smithwick (of the Raven House) in 2017, Hidden Ridge Camping, 122 Cedar Lane Farm in Monticello, sits on 53 acres near Lake Cumberland and Conley Bottom Resort. The property includes 23 permanent RV sites along with primitive tent camping and “glamping” experiences.

Hidden Ridge’s various glamping rentals are named after songs special to the Smithwicks including two 12x14-foot safari tents. There’s also a 4,000-square-foot lodge with four bedrooms and room for 16 people. Glamping options range from $85-135 per night while the lodge is $500 per night.

On-site amenities include a newly opened bath house with upgraded bathrooms and hot showers, a private pond stocked with a variety of fish, disc golf baskets and a community shelter and stage for live music converted from an old barn. The site will host a handful of concerts this summer as well, including Laid Back Country Picker (Aug. 7) and Jeremy Pinnell (Sept. 4). According to Ginger Smithwick, Hidden Ridge is partnering with West Sixth and Somerset’s Jarfly Brewing to sell beer on site following Wayne County’s 2020 vote to approve the sale of alcohol countywide.

HomeGrown HideAways

HomeGrown HideAways, 500 Floyd Branch Rd. in Berea, launched in April 2009 by Jessa and Nathan Turner. For several years the 100-acre property primarily offered tent camping and hosted festivals like the Moonshiner’s Ball and Playthink before expanding into the AirBnB market in 2016.

Among it’s many rentable abodes include a 12x15-foot covered deck for tent camping, three vintage campers, a glassed-in porch with two futon bunks and two full-size futons and a 24-foot tipi with a firepit with room for up to 10 people.

However, Jessa Turner says that HomeGrown HideAways’ most sought after rentals are “Abi’s Arboreal Abode & Hammock Haven” (a 15-foot yurt nestled 10-feet off the ground in a grove of oak trees with space for four), “Yome Away From Home” (a one-room yurt equipped with a woodstove and solar-powered generator), “Treetop Flyer” (a one-room treehouse with a loft, wrap-around porch, lower deck and space for eight) and “Wabi Sabi Studio” (a private, 700-square-foot cabin with one bedroom and bath).

Both AirBnB, primitive and RV camping are available to book year-round. Prices range from $16-250 per night.

While each site varies in its amenities, there’s also a seasonal bath house with flushing toilets and solar-heated showers on-site along with a covered pavilion with a stage for concerts, hiking trails, disc golf baskets and more. Construction just wrapped up on a new solar-powered community space where guests can cook meals, participate in workshops, host meetings, do laundry and more.

Jenny Wiley State Resort Park

Opened in 1954, the nearly 3,000 acre Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, 75 Theatre Ct. in Prestonsburg, has over 100 seasonal tent and RV sites for rent from April 1 to Oct. 31. Tent and RV camping rates are $23-$28 per night. Cabins and resort lodge rooms are also available from $100-155 per night, with prices varying by the season and availability.

Camping amenities include utility hookups, two bath houses, a grocery store and dump station. The park also has a marina with 153 open slips, four launching ramps and pontoon boat rentals. Hiking and mountain biking trails are available from the campgrounds. The area is also home to the Sugarcamp Mountain Trails, Dewey Lake, Stonecrest Golf Course, Jenny Wiley Amphitheatre, Mountain Arts Center, Middle Creek National Battlefield, East Kentucky Science Center & Planetarium and more.

“Not many small towns boast one of the world’s most advanced planetariums, a top-rated state park, national battlefield, premiere performance venues, and music legends, yet here we are,” said Samantha Johnson, executive director of Prestonsburg Tourism. “From indoor and outdoor entertainment to heritage exhibits and scenic mountain tours, Prestonsburg is a small town with big adventures.”

The Prestonsburg region is also home to the German Bridge Campground, 7533 Kentucky Route 194, which has 30 RV and tent camping sites available from May-October for $25 per night. The property has access to both electric and water, a dump station, his and her restrooms/showers, picnic shelters, and a 20-stall horse barn with horse and hiking trails accessible from the campgrounds.

Lake Cumberland State Resort Park

First opened in 1951, Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, 5465 State Park Rd. in Jamestown, offers 129 tent and RV camping sites with utility hook-ups to go with it’s 30 cottages and 76-room Lure Lodge. Campsites are available for $18-37 per night while cottages and the lodge range from $100-180 per night, with prices varying by the season and availability.

There’s plenty of activities to participate in on the nearly 52,000 acre property including an 18-hole mini golf course, fishing, hiking, geocaching and a marina with 100 open slips, fishing boat rentals, and more. The park is also less than 10 miles away from the Wolf Creek National Fish Hatchery and 18 miles from the Creelsboro Natural Arch, a historic archway to the Cumberland River with an Indian burial ground on the top better known as “The Rockhouse.”

For campers, three service buildings with showers and restrooms are also on-site. For lodge tenants the Rowena Landing Restaurant overlooking Lake Cumberland offers both a buffet and traditional menu featuring seafood, roast beef and Kentucky specialties like the Hot Brown.

Shasta Valley

New to the Eastern Kentucky and Red River Gorge camping scene is Shasta Valley, 395 Meyers Fork Rd. in Frenchburg. Owned by Samantha Roe and Garrett French, the 20-acre property officially opened on Memorial Day weekend with primitive tent, van and RV camping for $40 per night and a lodge that can sleep up to 10 people for $196 per night. Reservations can be made on HipCamp.com.

Still in its early phases, construction is already underway at Shasta Valley on three glamping trailers along with outhouses, an outdoor kitchen and electric access by next summer. The couple also anticipates hosting dinner parties and live music in the future.

Located on the north side of the Red River Gorge, Shasta Valley features a creek, hilltop fields and its own private gorge. It’s also not far from Cave Run Lake, one of the region’s most popular attractions.

Matt Wickstrom is a freelancer covering food, music and more. You can follow him on Instagram at @WickstromWrites .