The park itself is a beautiful place yet I do not recommend tent camping here. There are supposed to be rules regarding quiet hours after 10 pm and they are not inforced. I find it odd that the only concern of the park is which direction you park your vehicle and your " in trouble" for pulling onto the parking pad instead of backing onto the pad. There are no rules for extremely loud music being played until the sun rises and campers having 6 vehicles parked along side the road and being very loud. If you want to tent camp and get any sleep during the dark hours DO NOT camp at Zilpo. I am usually the camper that has a loud group but I promise the other campers have me beat! The camp host is not available to enforce anything.
We've stayed at Zilpo two times this summer. The first time was in F loop and this time in H Loop. H is the favorite so far because it has the best views. We love it here and are sure to come back every year.
Wonderful primitive camp ground. Large and private sites. Many with direct access to the water. Nice beach, bath houses were clean, and all around very nice. It is pretty remote, so bring anything you need!
Huge camp sites. Two picnic tables on most sites. Asphalt drive for site and then compacted pea gravel railroad tie areas for the rest of the campsite. They also provide metal posts with hooks to hang laundry line, lanterns or garbage. Extremely level sites. Lots of wild animals, racoons, bears and wild turkeys. Found a raccoon under our truck. Secure all food and supplies safely inside car or RV. You can not leave anything out at all. We came in May; only one other person camping.
Bathrooms are institutional. Paint on floor peeling. Gross lint covering shower drain. However, the shower water was hot! Lights in the bathroom do not turn on during the day. There is no way to turn them on either. Thank God for the skylights!
Cave Run Lake is amazing! We kayaked today. It's huge! We saw lots of fishing but no catching. Fisherman all said how peaceful it is. Totally agree!
No laundry service. Had to drive an hour to Morehead, KY to find a laundromat, which was superfast, efficient with many machines to be done quickly!
Super quiet campground. Very remote. Bring all the food, drinks and items you will need with you. None of the stores are open at the campground and it looks like they will not be opening any time soon. It's an hour to get any supplies. Thankfully, they answer the phone when you call the number on the map. Danny our camp host was super friendly and helpful. Told us of the impending tornado and to seek shelter in the shower stall. Thankfully, it was just a rain storm.
Surprisingly, cell service is available. Up here in the mountains we did not expect to have any connection. There is a cell tower on the way out to H loop! Hallelujah!
Well kept sites with great views of the lake. Definitely off the beaten path and peaceful. The shower houses on the other hand are full of spiders and other creatures which I normally don’t mind but they were literally everywhere so we didn’t use them. Trails were pretty overgrown. The camp host friendly and knowledgeable of the area. Pets are not permitted on the beach or in buildings. The store at the beach area was not open nor did it look set up to future business. Do not use styrofoam coolers as we witnessed a raccoon destroying one at of our neighboring sites. Overall, I would still return and recommend.
Beautiful quiet campground. Good space between sites. Somewhat dog friendly. Clean bathrooms Reasonably priced and decent cell service. Firewood and ice available on site. EDM fan check out Djzhoods on YouTube
A wonderful Forrest / lake getaway while assuring social distance. The Managers at Zilpo, Tammy and Duane (sp?) are exceptional. All this drew us back for the second time in two weeks. And we'll definitely be back.
This campground in the Daniel Boone Forrest in Kentucky is wonderful. The campground is exceptionally well maintained by a husband and wife team. Our campsite was easy to access. Surrounded by tall shady trees and a 2 minute walk through the Forrest to the lake. We stayed 3 nights. The only problem was of our own making ... We should have booked for a week. We'll be back soon.
It's the best out of every loop there. The hostess always coming around multiple times to check on you and making sure you have everything. It was super clean when we got there too. There's a few sites on this Loop that has access to the water connected to your campsite.
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