This state park has so much to offer! The trails are well maintained and easily accessible, the lodge is beautiful with a delicious restaurant inside, and there are even cave tours! Some caves only run seasonally, but I took two tours on a Sunday, and it felt like a good amount at a time. Tickets for tours are purchased at the Welcome Center, day of. There's a self explore cave, too, but you need two adults minimum in your party and each with a flashlight. The arches and natural bridges in this park were amazing sites, scattered along the park. I took on the challenge of hitting each arch / bridge, and it was doable in under 5 miles if you move between accesses. read more

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I started visiting Carter Caves State Park when I was young. Fast forward to 2024. I planned a visit with my nieces and their kids when I was in town. None of my great nieces and nephews had been inside a cave. We arrived at roughly 11:15 AM. I purchased tickets at the Welcome Center for everyone to tour Saltpetre (AKA Saltpeter) Cave at 11:30 AM. It was $54 for three adults and four children. We followed our tour guide across the street, up a hill, then down the stairs and into the earth we went. This cave was used in the War of 1812 to make gunpowder. We got a history lesson from our tour guide who was so patient with the kids. This cave was the driest of all the caves at the park, so no stalactites hanging from the ceiling. But bonus was, no water on our shoes. If you want to see bats, this is not the cave. The cave used to have thousands of bats. The park conservationists are working to increase bat living in this cave. After the tour, we had to turn up our feet, one at a time, so the tour guide could spray the bottom of our shoes with soap and water. He told us this was done to prevent carrying germs/bacteria out of the cave that could harm the bat population at the park. The tour lasted roughly 45 minutes. It was worth the time and money! The kids had a blast. Only one was scared when the lights were turned off momentarily so we could experience total darkness and silence. My nephew Cooper lasted about 3 minutes, then, in his little whimpering voice, he asked if the lights could be turned back on. I can't say enough great things about our cave guide. We left the Welcome Center and headed to the public pool. The pool was free for those camping and staying in cabins. We went on a Monday, so everyone was $3. Pretty good deal! The pool was clean. Only light snacks available, icecream, chips and soda. I highly recommend you add Carter Caves to your summer fun list! read more

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Today we went to Carter Caves State Park in Olive Hill, Kentucky. We toured the X-Cave it cost us $52 for 4 adults and 2 kids...not bad for 45 minute tour. This was the first cave/cavern trip for the kids underground and they thoroughly enjoyed it. They were well behaved and asked many questions. Our tour guide Ranger Chris was very informative. The park has over 160 Caves. No fee to enter the park itself, many Caves you can explore for free but sign for a free permit at gift shop. Definitely going back again!! We want to tour Cascade Cave next time!!! read more

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They did move us to a cabin with a fireplace after a day or two. Cave tours are nice, lodge restaurant meh at best. The area is beautiful, and the staff is friendly. read more

Of all the places I have been, Carter Caves remains to be the one of the most beautiful. Nature's beauty trumps all of man made things.

We recently perchance a camper & this was our 1st destination. We stayed 3 nights at the campground. There is plenty of trails & caves to explore on a 3 day stay. State Park resort has a restaurant if you need it. Place is very pretty and we enjoyed ourselves. read more

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The lodge room we had is updated, hardwood floors, very clean & comfortable! I am so happy they reserve No Pet rooms for people with pet allergies. The last Ky lodge we stay at in Slade KY the carpet was filthy & smelled so bad like animal so we cut our stay short. Very pleased here!!! Highly recommend! read more

Lovely state park with great cabin, lodge and camping. Swimming pool, and fun cave exploring experiences. Nearby town is 40 min in morehead. We stayed in a cabin and it was well appointed and clean. Lovely back deck for enjoying a morning coffee staff texted every to ask us how our stay was going. We had one Ac issues and it was fixed within 5 minutes with great response. Plenty of activity and relaxing activities for everyone. read more

Carter Caves State Resort Park - Cascade cave tour - Parks Near Me - Wolf, Kentucky

It is a lovely National park. The front desk of the lodge is very professional. The rooms are clean. The WiFi worked well as well as the cable. Here are some things that would help. The arrows on the signs coming into Carter Caves need painting rather badly. Could they afford an alarm clock? Most importantly you need a safety bar in the shower. The scenery is beautiful. Just really fix those signs, please. read more

Completed a guided tour in the summer. The tour group consisted of 5-6 people (and about 1-2 kids). Exploring the cave was interesting. The tour guide was very informative about the history of the cave, how it was used, and the transition to being a tourist attraction. The parking lot was full so it was difficult to find parking during peak time. We were able to see bats during the tour, which was pretty exciting. There were lots of opportunities to take pics. The price was reasonable read more

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I went camping with my son and his cub scout troop. We toured the caves and hiked and camped overnight. It was great fun and nice family friendly camping. Highly recommend. read more

This review is for the campground.... Although it rained all three days and nights that we were there, we still were able to get out and explore some of the 26 miles of wooded nature trails that this beautiful piece of Kentucky has to offer. It's a bit over an hour from Lexington. Thirty minutes or so of the trek is after you exit off of the interstate. The winding road that leads to it isn't all that bad. I read reviews online that hinted that it was easy to get lost when you depend on a GPS, I didn't find that to be case at all. There were obvious signs that guide you directly into the park and then the campground. We booked online on Reserve America sort of last minute and were a bit surprised that one of the last remaining sites was one of the most secluded. It's an extra $7 to book Reserve America, but if you're going out of your way to get here or going during peak season, don't risk just driving up and depending that a site is available. When we first pulled in, there were a bunch of taken spots that were a bit cramped and close together. We later discovered that those clustered sites had sewer hook ups, the ones near the more mature tree lines didn't have sewer hookups, but they did have water and electric hookups. Our site was 28 and if I had to pick a site in the entire campground, that or 29 would be the one. Site 29 had two trees that was perfect for the hammock, but the pad seemed a bit short. The primitive sites were in a different area than the RV sites. The bathrooms were average for a state park campground. There's a hidden handicapped shower stall that was roomier and less used than the others, I went during non peak times and used it... shhhh, don't tell. Hot water and decent water pressure, I'm happy. The lodge with the restaurant is close but the road leading from the campground to the lodge, isn't really walker friendly. I do recommend at least checking out the restaurant at least once. The lunch buffet is a five star, especially for the price and considering it saves you from having to cook... I recommend it https://www.yelp.com/biz/tierneys-cavern-olive-hill read more

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My family has been going to the Carter Caves as long as I can remember and they have stories to indicate that they were going even before then. Any reunion has to take place here. KFC and a shaded picnic area. Head over to the gift shop to rock in the rocking chairs, use their restrooms and run a muck in the gift shop. The gift shop is super fun! They have ice cream, ring pops, rock candy and old fashioned candy too. They also carry Ruth Hunt candy in case you don't plan on driving to get any at the factory. They have cork guns, walking sticks and of course bat themed merchandise. The gift shop is where you go to get your cave tour tickets. If you are considering a cave tour, bring a jacket. It gets pretty cold in there. It's a nice break from the summer heat. The kids like having flashlights for "exploring". You can hike the trails and look at the outside of the caves and surrounding area at no cost. The park is a bat preservation area and you might end up seeing some. They are cute little buggers and they are just sleeping away. Don't let them scare you. Kids and adults both enjoy visiting here. The tour guides do a great job keeping everyone together and do not rush you through. Before you buy the tickets they tell you how much step climbing is involved. In case you have someone is who is not up to the challenge. Highly recommended even if you aren't having a family reunion. read more

Carter Caves State Resort Park - Parks Near Me - Wolf, Kentucky

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Hubby and I visited Carter Caves State Park last weekend. We stayed at the resort and visited several aspects of the park. It was a rainy weekend so some of our plans were postponed. However, we enjoyed the lodge, the lodge restaurant, a trail, and one of the self guided cave tours. I would gladly return again soon, but hopefully when the weather is a but better. read more

A beautiful State Park just 1-1/2hours from Lexington! It was my first time visiting and I went with a group of 45 to the primitive camp sites. I wasn't aware of how much this park has to offer: Camping, RV'ing, Bunk houses, cabins, a Lodge with restaurant, Caves Tours, Hiking, Equestrian facility, playground, putt-putt and covered picnic areas. The welcome center has fun souvenirs for kids and rocking chairs for the adults to relax in. Our group had a great weekend and I can't wait to go again with my family! read more

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My husband and I love visiting state parks, and this is definitely one of the best! The trails are breathtaking and well marked. The Hens hollow self-guided cave tour was different and just scary enough to make it a thrill of a lifetime! The visitor center was a fountain of knowledge with very friendly and patient employees. I wish I could give it 10 stars! read more

Worst Kentucky campground we have visited. The trash dumpsters were full our entire visit (Sunday through Wednesday). Nobody on site to manage the property except on Monday. Never saw one DNR circle the park. Unruly campers who stayed up till the wee hours of the morning screaming and dogs running loose. We ended our trip 2 days early because it just was unpleasant. On a positive note the the park itself was nice and the cave tour was worth the $10 fee. read more

Carter Caves State Resort Park - Parks Near Me - Wolf, Kentucky

Very cool park, close off the highway is you're passing through the area. Guided tours of 2 different cave areas are offered, or you can explore some caves on your own with a permit- although those are currently closed to protect bats from a disease that's killing a lot of bats. Cascade Cave tour takes about an hour, the tour narrative is super thorough, but the cave is very neat. Wide open, and setup to be workable for almost anyone, there are some stairs, but not too many, and handrails are provided. Enjoy! Nice hiking trails as well, some long ones, but some nice shorts ones too. Great for families or leg stretching, and the Box Canyon Trail is 3/4 mile and passes through a little canyon space, and goes past a natural bridge. read more

One of my absolute favorite places in the entire world. My family and extended family have been going to The Caves every year for decades and I've gone almost every year for the past 25 years. The trails and caves have a somewhat mystical and adventursome quality to them, especially if you're a kid exploring the park. Cave tours range from easy to super grueling (you need scuba gear in some parts of the year to get through H2O cave). There is a full golf course, mini-golf, pools, canoe and boat rentals, horseback riding, miles of hiking trails, live music and shows, campgrounds (both 'modern' and 'rustic') and more. I can't wait to head down there again later this month! read more

Carter Caves State Resort Park - The Welcome Center - Parks Near Me - Wolf, Kentucky

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I am from Columbus, Ohio but we have been coming down to Carter Caves every spring for about 10 or 12 years. We stay in the lodge most of the time but occasionally we stay in a cabin. I do not know what it is like to stay in the lodge during the summer (or for that matter the winter either), but it is generally about half full in the spring, which feels about right. The dining room has a quaint, old-fashion feel to it, like a flashback to the 70s, a PLEASANT flashback to the 70s. The meat-and-potatoes food is actually pretty good. The lodge rooms are not the greatest, nor is the bed itself, but these things could be a lot worse too. The rooms' balconies look over the forest. Sitting out on the balcony on a warm spring evening is very relaxing. The trails make for some pleasant hiking and the cave tours are enjoyable, and if you know nothing of caves, educational too. The golf course is nothing to shout about, but I still play it once or twice a visit, so it isn't that bad. And green fees are pretty darn reasonable. If the lodge rooms were even slightly better, I would give Carter Caves 5 stars. As it is, I will give the park 4. I'd give it 4 1/2 if I could. read more

Great place to go spend the weekend and hike the caves. The lodge is very nice and rooms need some updating but it's sort of Art Deco. The caves are cool in the summer so feels great read more

I really enjoyed my stay here at the park. Beings that it was my first time staying here - much less my first real trip to Kentucky, it was quite a nice, relaxing spot. A true scenic spot along the main route of interstate 64, this area boasts tons of hiking trails, caves to explore as well as spots for a picnic with family or small games. On my trip out, we ventured to the mini-golf area, played horseshoes near our cabin, and even spotted a few deer during our short hike. A lot of nature to take in and all of it is truly beautiful and serene. Coming from VA, we have a ton of beautiful spots but this place will surely have me returning again. With so much to see and do, one trip is never enough. read more

Carter Caves State Resort Park - Lodge - Parks Near Me - Wolf, Kentucky

We stayed in the lodge for 3 nights. The room was basic - comfortable king size bed, dresser, table and 2 chairs. We had plenty of room to set up a pack-n-play for our daughter. They were changing out the old TVs for new flat screens, but didn't do our room while we were staying there. The bathroom was old, but mostly clean - only a few moldy areas on the grout. I found it odd that the flooring was all laminate or tile - no carpet at all. I guess it's easier to clean that way, but I felt like the floor was really dirty because there was no place to wipe your shoes (and even when we took them off at the door, you still had to walk by that area to come out of the shower.) Also, while the view was pretty from the balcony, I felt like ours was tilted away from the building and a little unsafe. Never-mind the years of peeling paint chips on the floor of the balcony. We did play the nine hole golf course - which was pretty fun despite our lack of golf experience. We also took one of the hiking tours lead by a park employee, which was good and worth doing. We enjoyed our tour of cascade cave (baby-wearing friendly, DH wore DD on the front in our Tula). The pool was cold, but clean. We ate at the restaurant twice, both for lunch. While the customer service was definitely lacking - the food was not that bad. The second day they had the salad bar open, which was a good addition to our meals. read more

This was one of the nicest KY State Park campgrounds that we have visited. The restrooms were clean and the campground was well maintained. Our campsite was very level and large enough for our camper. The only drawback and keeps this from a 5 star campground is the campsites are pretty close together. read more

We were first time campers at Carter Caves and we loved it. With 40 years of tent camping experience we have seen many places and we put this one in the like column hands down. Being new to trailer camping, we were in the electric loop in a site that backed up to the woods. It was awesome, giving us privacy with the road in front of us and lots of empty space to each side. After all, getting away is part of the camping experience versus being right on top of the other campers. We we very happy that the website supplied lots of good information about the site since the water and electric hookups were nearly 50 feet from the camper. It allowed me to buy an electric extension and extra clean water hose before we headed out from home. The park is pretty deep into the terrain so you are not near anything in terms of big box stores, etc. Be sure to bring what you need. We loved the drive in with its hairpin turns and the steep incline of the roadway. It gives you that feeling of being in the middle of nowhere which is a goal on a weekend excursion. Some of the roadway has trees that hang over the road giving the feel of going through a tunnel and with a stream to the side the ambiance is very cool, nature abounds. The restrooms/ bathhouse in the campground were very clean and the heater on the cold mornings was a nice plus. There was a food truck there if you needed a snack or even a meal I guess. They had burgers, dogs, sausages, funnel cakes, that sort of thing. Unless you carried in your own wood there was not much wood to be had in the camping area itself. The wood bundles that are sold at the registration area are meager offerings and are expensive at over $6 each. That was pitiful, but outside the entrance of the park you would have had to pass a sign for firewood and up that gravel road you will find a very nice lady who will sell you 40 nicely split and 'clean' dry pieces of wood for $15 and she will throw in a hand split bundle of kindling wood, too. Check her out if you need wood. Being new trailer campers we have found that camping in October is at a premium but we have been blessed with two beautiful weekends of camping thus far. We'll have reservations far in advance for October 2020. One negative, not that there has to be a negative, but there is only one dump station. We were lucky on timing but the line got very long and made egress difficult for campers who did not need a dump station. If you are headed for another camping place I guess you could dump on the way in but if not you are just stuck until it is your turn and that could be a while. Back to positives, the park is easy to get to, straight south/ east (from Northern Ky)on the AA highway, route 9., through Grayson, KY. Check it out, you won't be disappointed. We'll be going back as soon as possible. read more

We loved it here. Gorgeous hiking trails, nice roomy camping sites and very friendly staff. The swinging bridge bhike was my fav but every hike is loaded with beautiful views read more

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This place is an absolute gem! Most think 'Mammouth Cave' when they get the urge to explore caving yet Carter Caves is closer to us NKY residents, & it is just as impressive! The tour guides are phenomenal! The 3hr tours through the caves are so fun!! And, if you stay at the park you have access to so many amenities including horseback riding, pools, lakes, a great restaurant, etc.! Take the family here :). Sabrina Flege-Paff read more

This. Place. Is. Gorgeous. We were passing through Kentucky and this was the only hotel I could find that had a room left. $100+ for the room, but wow. Very clean, updated, and I have a huge deck with an amazing view. Not to mention they have a restaurant, gem finding, horseback riding, hiking, kayaking, zip lining, cave tours, a park etc. So pleased my money went here and not some nasty motel off the highway. Highly recommend! read more

We have been camping here for 8 years and always enjoyed it so much however the past 2 years was water issues, this year the worst. Low pressure to no water at all. Their Excuse was filling the pool. To paying guests that is no excuse. The pool should be in a different water system. We pay for full hook ups. I bet the lodge was not without water. Sadly we won't be back until the situation is resolved. read more

Great campground for camping! Plenty of things to do with family!

This is not a good motel. There were pee stains on the floor, the towels were dirty, the bedspread was filthy, and there was mold on the shower curtain. I realize that Kentucky state parks are under funded but this is no excuse. For $90.00 a night, you can get a motel without any of these problems. read more

I went camping with my horses. I rented two sites... One for our camper in the main camping part and one for my horse trailer in the horse campground. Also, we rented stalls for our horses instead of using picket lines. HORSECAMP: pros - sites are large and clean. Picket lines are set up and maintained nicely. Sites have water and electric. There is a good dump pile available and they left shoves for our use. And the best... The bathrooms are AMAZING!! The rental fee was fair at $35 Cons- it isn't well monitored and people from the other campground were using the bathrooms. It was a very busy 4th of July weekend. And it was rainy. With such a fantastic set up, they would have done well to install a washer dryer when they built it. STABLES: Pros: the stalls to rent are approx 9x8. They were safe (no nails and what not sticking out of the wood) and there was access to water. The footing was simple dirt and reasonably level. The stable hands who run a trail riding business out of the stables were friendly. The area appears to be fairly well monitored as we were questioned by the police one night while we were caring for the horses. Cons: at $15/day I expected the stalls to be clean when we arrived. We had to clean them out of debris and petrified horse poop. There were no bucket hangers for water and food buckets, much less the buckets themselves. The majority of the area was gravel, so the 3 days of rain was bearable. But, we did end up with a flood in front of the doors of the stables. The stables are fully enclosed with wood except for a small window. (They are accessed from the outside). There are no lights on the outside, though there is some light from the inside of the barn (which remains lot day and night) and were able to drive our vehicle close enough to the stable to leave the car lights on for light. Reservations were not made. I called MANY times to make official reservations. I couldn't get people to talk to on the phone that cold answer questions about the facilities and the trails and never got a confirmation number. Driving 4 hours with the horses and being unfamiliar with the facilities, the "don't worry. There will be a stall for you" approach did not make me comfortable. But! There WERE stalls for us when we got there. The trails are hilly and full of rock. I was unable to use them as they were too hard on my horses' feet. This is no fault of the park, except I tried to get this info and couldn't get anyone to talk to. CAMPGROUND: Pros- the pad were nice and fairly level. They have a laundry area and planned activities. The surrounding area is beautiful. The cave tours are great. The sites had water hookups which is not typical. Plenty of hot water in the bathrooms. The fire pits had grates for cooking which I ALWAYS appreciate. Cons - the electric sites were shared between two sites, so at least one camper will need a LONG extension for the 30 amp service. There is no 20 amp hookup, but they sell 30-20 converters. The bathrooms. Ugh. It was a busy weekend and they kept up with the toilet paper. That's the best I can say. There were only 5 showers (one handicap) for the entire electric site area (there were another couple for the tent campers and another one at the horse campground) And there were only 4 toilets. TWO of which were out of order. As was the ONLY handicap shower. And as it was raining and very busy, it was filthy. We tried to cancel/change a reservation weeks and weeks before our visit. We were supposed to receive a refund. We never have. There is nothing that makes a camping trip worse for me than crappy bathroom situations. Fortunately, being a horse camper, I had access to nice facilities and was hardly effected. I feel sorry for others who didn't have access to anything other better than the broken down bathrooms. It is mostly this that gives them a "2 star". Had they nice showers and bathrooms, I would have given them a 4 star rating. read more

The park was very crowded and campers are extremely close to each other. Pretty park with lots of nature to look at. Caves and trails are beautiful. When we first got there we asked a young girl on a golf cart where our site #39 was and she said down there somewhere. I drove around in our tow vehicle until found so my husband could bring motorhome. While we were leaving in car to explore an elderly man was lying in the road where he fell. We stopped with a few other people. He took a pretty hard fall and was bleeding and bruised. My husband went to let the girl know since earlier when she was riding around we spoke with her and she mentioned she worked EMS as well. She did not believe my husband at first until he said fine we will handle it. She finally got up and went to check on him. We did have dinner in restaurant at lodge. The meal was good not great but good. Just need better staff. read more

sure, it's beautiful and all, but everyone forgot to mention that their restaurant is actually really delicious. or maybe i was just starving... read more

This could be a lovely campground. We tent camp and were very pleased with our site. The problem is the bathrooms that are available for the tent campers. It looked as if someone had taken a hatchet to the stall doors. I did not use the shower because it was filthy. The sinks too. If I had gone to the RV site restroom it might have been better. A beautiful park but this tent-bathroom situation really makes it less than pleasing. read more