Our most recent outdoor camping trip took us to the Hillman Ferry campground down in the Land Between The Lakes region of Kentucky.  Hillman Ferry is a huge campground, with 380 sites!  But even though they have so many, they are still good sized sites – you won’t feel like your neighbors are on top of you! And, I really didn’t see many bad sites in the entire campground.  Most all of them are shaded and flat – what I look for in a great site!

C21 - Our campsite - see the water rising?

C21 - Our campsite - see the water rising?

We chose lot C21.  The water in the lake had been rising steadily all week and the campsite next to us ended up under water, but the campground monitors it closely and had closed the site before we even arrived.  Fortunately our site was on a little higher ground, but even so, after we left they were going to close the site until the waters receded.

There is plenty to do at Hillman Ferry.  In addition to the great fishing, (they have a fish cleaning station on the premises – and hubby caught enough fish for two or three dinners!) they have a sand beach, a basketball court, (which occupied many hours of DS’s time) a volleyball court, and an archery range.


Like to hike or bike ride?  Hillman Ferry is great for doing both since they offer both paved trails and footpaths.  And, if you can’t bring along your bike, you can rent them at the Outpost Supply center located at the front of the campground.

There are multiple restroom facilities around the campground and the shower houses were some of the nicest I’ve found – they were individual concrete rooms and were extremely clean! Section” T” was the one exception I found. It still had the old shower houses I remembered from my teens which have no roof (if you like looking at the sky while showering this might just be up your alley) and just a shower curtain to partition you off.  However, this section is a full service section with pull-thru sites, electric, water, and sewer, so I guess they figure you have your own shower.

This wasn't our site - we're not quite this fancy! Look! It's complete with two canopies and a stainless steel cooler!

This wasn't our site - we're not quite this fancy! Look! It's complete with two canopies and a stainless steel cooler!

I had to take a load of DS’s dirty laundry with me since we waited to the last minute to pack, so I can tell you from experience that they have washers and dryers and that they work great.

We never left the campground, but if you are going to be there for a few days, there is an Elk & Bison Prarie, a Woodlands Nature Station, and a Planetarium within a short drive.

I do recommend you do most of your food shopping at home.  Since I didn’t, my options were to shop at the small IGA in Grand Rivers, or to drive 30 minutes to a Wal-Mart.  I opted for the drive this time because I needed a few items (co-axel cable) that the IGA didn’t carry.

For our spot, which was waterfront with electric and water and just 150 feet from the shower house, we paid $23.00 a night.  Not bad considering I just spoke with someone who camped in another state and the rate was $46/night!

To book a site at Hillman Ferry, Energy Lake or Wranglers campgrounds, visit www.usedirect.com/CampLBL.  To learn more about the Land Between The Lakes Recreation Area, visit www.LBL.org.

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  1. Campground Review: Whittleton & Middle Fork At Natural Bridge State Resort Park, KY