Backcountry/Self-Service Camping
Click HERE for information on campfire safety!
Proposed Backcountry, Day-Use, & Lake Access changes comment period is over. Information on these areas will be posted later in 2011.
Shoreline Comforts. Got a boat? Need to camp? Spend the night at one of our Backcountry Camping Areas!
Land Between The Lakes has seven Self-Service Campgrounds and 15 Designated Backcountry Camping Areas, offering year-round lakeside camping. Although these areas offer fewer amenities than developed campgrounds, they offer more peace, solitude, and a more primitive camping experience at LBL.
Self-Service Campgrounds offer basic amenities including campsites, picnic tables, grills, fire rings, chemical toilets, drinking water, trash pickup, lake access, and boat ramps. Lake access is also available at any Designated Backcountry Camping Area. Click here for locations of Backcountry Camping Areas, Self-Service Campgrounds, Day-Use Areas, and other attractions.
Rushing Creek Campground, on Kentucky Lake, offers additional amenities: 40 basic campsites which can accommodate a tent or RV, restrooms, showers (seasonally), picnic tables, a multi-purpose play court, and playground equipment. A boat ramp is available at Jones Creek. Cravens Bay, on Lake Barkley, also offers chemical toilets and two boat ramps.
For those who prefer a more secluded camping experience, dispersed backcountry camping is available off of most trails and legal roads throughout LBL and along the lakeshore. These primitive areas do not offer amenities, and are even more secluded than our Designated Backcountry Camping Areas. Primitive camping is available almost anywhere in LBL. Click here for information on backcountry camping restrictions.
A nightly per-unit fee is required for Self-Service Campgrounds. A Backcountry Camping Permit is required to camp most places in LBL, except for fee areas (such as developed campgrounds). See our Hours & Fees page for more information. Be sure to get a copy of the Rules & Regulations when you purchase your Backcountry Camping Permit.
Click here for more information about locations and amenities for LBL's campgrounds, facilities, and attractions.
For more information about seasonal camping, contact us at 270-924-2000, or .