Welcome to Zilpo campgrounds it's the 2026 season and it closes around October. Now we are in the Daniel Boone national forest. It's a beautiful place. Lots of area to relax and enjoy nature. This campground and surrounding area are in the heart of no man's land . Cell phone use is spotty. In fact in some places no service for most of the time. We are unplugging. Make sure and bring a paper map. Have an image somewhere saved of the camp site. Save your directions to your photos too. For easy reference later. No cell service again. The beauty of this place is "off grid," for us. It's enjoyable and quiet. The individuals leave nature as they found her. Bring what you need and relax remember. read more

Zilpo Campground - Camp Vibes . - Campgrounds Near Me - Salt Lick, Kentucky

Just returned back from a lovely one-night camping trip at Zilpo Campground on this unseasonably chilly May weekend. There were other campers around us in the H loop, but a lot of empty sites as well. I'm sure as it warms up, it gets much busier. To reach Zilpo Campground, you drive pretty deep into the woods. It's a gorgeous, windy drive where you start to see Cave Run Lake through the trees. The campground itself is massive. There is a lot of signage to reach your camp site. H Loop was well-maintained. We had a site that easily fit two tents and our cars. There was a fire pit and a large picnic table. We had a trail down to the water. There were plenty of dumpsters around to dispose of trash. The bathhouse was clean - water was just pretty chilly! We hiked a trail closer to the D sites and checked out the beach area. On a warmer weekend, that beach area would've been calling our names. read more

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Do not go by the reviews from two years ago this was a not the Cave Run Lake campground we all knew and loved. we have stayed at this campground lots of times before. We never had problems with biting insects before but this time when we were there for two nights I got eat up by mosquitoes and other biting bugs apparently they don't spray for these insect. We saw the camp host or manager whatever she is called one time on Wednesday when we was clearing our camp site. The campground on Ziplo had no Ice only one bathroom that worked no showers you had to go to site H for a shower. The Manager accused us of not having any reservations even though we made our reservations on line which I am sure she could have checke. There was no one at the ranger shack to give us res tags for our truck. That has never happened before. I am having to go to the dr over the bites I got from the two nights and two days being at the lake. Never again will I be back to Cave Run as long as VESTA Companty owns it! Mielang Gamble read more

Zilpo Campground - This is one arm both of my arms and both legs look like this - Campgrounds Near Me - Salt Lick, Kentucky

I camped here for Memorial Day weekend with some family and can easily say that I'll be back. I have camped previously around Cave Run Lake but never within this particular campground. This is a great place to get away from it all. It is 10 miles away from the entrance to Daniel Boone National Forest so you really are out in the middle of nowhere. We were in the H loop and had a camper as well as a tent. The tent space was a bit away from where the camper was set up and it was almost as though I had my own little campsite. The campsite was within walking distance to two bathhouses and we also had a trail that led to the lake. This was nice when the parents wanted to do a bit of fishing. We went to the beach one day and swam. There is no lifeguard on duty so be sure to keep an eye on your little ones. There were several groups of kids swimming and no adult supervision, which was a bit worrisome. There is a small camp store by the beach but be prepared for sticker shock. Things that you can get for $1 elsewhere are going to cost $5 easily. The ice was priced fairly at $2 for a 7lb bag and $5 for a 22lb bag. The store is open from 10-6 most days. There are a lot of trails and loops to walk. And plenty of lake views. There was a ranger talk on Saturday night while we were there. Apparently, rangers used to host these and now it's whoever seems to be available. The couple tried but seemed really unprepared. The kids completely took over the subject and the couple seemed to essentially give up after about 10 minutes. It was super awkward to watch. Overall, this was a great place to just get away and relax. It's about a 2.5 hour drive from Louisville but completely worth it. read more

Zilpo Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Salt Lick, Kentucky

This place is gorgeous!! The campground is kept very clean and well maintained. Our dogs had a blast! We enjoyed sitting very still by the campfire and watch the wildlife do their own thing! Some sites had better views of the lake than others, but it is an easy walk to get some of the most beautiful views! One great thing is the camp sites are not on top of each other. We plan to come back again!! read more

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If you're looking for an authentic off the grid campground, either rustic or structured, Zilpo is what you're looking for. Starting off with the only negative comment= the incredibly long drive from the entrance of Daniel Boone to the campground. This is a good 20-30 minute drive, making it extremely unpleasant if you happen to forget something and need a bigger retail type store. However! There is a small store near the campground with things like ice, wood, chips, drinks, bait, swim diapers, candy. The selection is extremely limited but available. Wood for a bundle is $7, YIKES! Large bag of ice is $5. We did our research and stayed in loop H. We loved campsite 19 with access to the lake. Not easy access, but access nonetheless. 19 is considered a double for 6 people and 4 cars max. We enjoyed our two night stay so much, we ended up staying an extra night and moving to site H22 with even better lake access. This is bear country but it's not likely that you'll meet a bear. However, the campground does a good job of educating you on where to keep food, etc.. there's a camp host in each loop, A-H. The lake is absolutely beautiful but some boats do stay out until 2-3am, making it unpleasant if you're trying to sleep. What do you expect camping on a lake, though?! We plan on going back in the future!!! read more

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If you're looking for a place to literally get away from the city, this is your place. It's 10 miles into the Daniel Boone National Forest and even further from the interstate. There is a store on site, with a few basic necessities. We were there the weekend prior to Labor Day weekday, and the store was pretty much depleted and things were close to the expiration. Moral to the story, is come prepared. Two people recommended this place to us when we first got our camper... specifically the H loop. During the summer, every time that we looked into staying here, they were booked up. Finally we scored Friday-Sunday. I wasn't as impressed as my husband was. We drove around the G loop and it seemed similar to the H loop... I'm not sure what the H loop hype is about. The site driveway was very narrow, but paved. The surrounding area of the sites were gravel though. The fire pit was tall, which was good for my fur babies. The water spicket was across the street and shared amongst two sites. That was the first time that we'd been to a site without water and didn't know that before we got there. Luckily, the shower house was pretty close. One strange shower house observation was that there were two shower houses pretty close together. Why they weren't spread out, I haven't a clue. While I'm on the shower house rant... there were three showers in the women's room. One barely dripped, the other was freezing and the best one was a bit more than a mist. You could see Cave Run Lake from a few of the sites, but none appeared to be lake accessible. The store is near the dock and beach area. That area was gorgeous, but I just wasn't impressed with the actual camp sites or the location of the camp ground. There was a family music event on Saturday, at the bleacher area... other than the lake and the occasional event, there's not much to do. Bring your own entertainment. Oh, and leave the alcohol at home, it's not permitted. read more

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LOVE going to Zilpo and tent camping with my dogs. The private beach is perfect for them and close enough to carry a cooler. Watchout for the ticks. They are absolutely everywhere out there this year. Other then the ticks the campgorund was perfect . read more

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We stayed at site 130. The sites adjacent to ours were empty. This made for quiet evenings (no complaints there). We used two tents and a 10x10 canopy to connect. There was still ample room left over. We arrived after hours on a Friday and stayed through Sunday afternoon (0708/16-07/10/16). Because of our late arrival, we were not able to purchase firewood. We used a camp stove to cook instead so no-harm-no-foul. I reserved the site on recreation.gov (site description was pretty dead-on and included a picture of the site) and using a facility map, chose our site. I had hoped it was a lake view, but it was not - still loved our site anyway. The picnic table had a rotted board - threw a table cloth over it and went about our business. The site had two hook-poles that you could run a rope between which was convenient for hanging things to dry or for camp pots/pans. There is plenty of wildlife in this section - wild turkey chicks and deer were plentiful. Used two different shower houses in the campground. Both were very adequate. You had to push a button every 90 seconds to keep the water running. The water was not a powerful stream but it got the job done. There was hot water with no issue but the setup does not allow you the option of adjusting the water temp. It was a bit of a drive - civilization drops away and you can enjoy a drive through the forest to get there. Make sure to pack adequate supplies. The camp store is barebones (most of them are) with sodas, ice, wood, floaties and the random camp-need. We love camping so it is a no-brainer for someone who prepares for a camping trip to bring what you need and not rely on a campground store. The staff and cleaning crew were all very friendly and easy to chat with. There is a swimming beach - it is pebbles, not sand. Make sure to bring your flip flops. If you arrive before noon it is pretty empty. Others start arriving after noon but even then it is not very crowded. You can ask for a trail guide. There are a few in the area. There is a hike to an old fire tower a few miles from the entrance to the park. Overall impression: if you want an out of the way place to stay in clean/rustic sites - this is your place. If you are looking for a resort with all the bells and whistles, it is not. We enjoyed ourselves and hope to come back again next year when we make our camping rounds. We scouted out other sites that we would like more and will use that as a reference when making future reservations. read more

Zilpo campground is great! It was our first big trip in our new pop-up trailer. We wanted something within 4 hours of home with electric, dog friendly and swimming. We stayed in H loop site 7. There is a trail access to a great shoreline spot to swim right across the street. The campsite directly across had a trail connected but its non-electric. The water in Cave Run Lake was clear and clean. So refreshing. Some of the other sites we saw in H had trails to semi-private little "beaches" H-26 which is a double site and H-29 both are non-electric but if thats what you want or bring a generator. Most of the sites are well shaded and not stacked on the neighboring site. You can still see the next campers and picnic/fire area. But we went during the week and didnt have direct neighbors. We had very positive interactions with anyone we saw. The staff were all lovely. All facilitues were very clean and the shower was hot. In busy times that could be different? We went for a hike on the trail near the main beach road and walked thru beautiful forest for about an hour. Decided to turn around to go swimming again. But it seemed like you could keep going for awhile if wanted. Lots of switchback trail to the highest point with an amazing lakeview. The beach itself is great but we like to enjoy "things" without a crowd sometimes. And definitely want to swim with our dog. Absolutely will go back and will be booking as soon as the new year comes. read more

I've been coming here for my entire life, and my father has been coming here for most than his. It's a wonderful campground! Every host we talked to was incredibly nice and helpful. We had a noise problem from our neighbors, and they took care of it immediately and respectfully for everyone. The bathrooms (we stayed in D loop this time) were functional and satisfactory. The showers in A loop were incredible! The water pressure and temperature were great. Of course the lake is beautiful (and super clear right now!) and the beach, although rocky, was great! We already have another trip planned and booked here in one of their cabins, which are air conditioned and look to be in wonderful shape! Overall the campground is pretty rustic and authentic, with electric and non-electric sites! It's about 15 miles out of Salt Lick, KY and ~9 miles into the Daniel Boone National Forest, so it's great to get away from the city and relax in the woods! You're bound to see tons of wildlife everywhere (we had three deer mosy by our campsite while we were sitting by the fire!). Over all, I would absolutely recommend anyone who wants a true camping experience to check this place out! read more