A forested campground near fishing, and hiking. Most campsites have no hookups, and RV fit varies by site.
Recreation centers on Cave Run Lake and the surrounding forest: the campground's sandy beach is popular for swimming and sunning, a concrete ramp supports boating and water-skiing, and anglers fish for muskie, large and smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish. 25-mile Zilpo Mountain Loop Trail from the campground and link into a wider trail network, while the nearby Tater Knob fire tower (open to the public) provides extended views of the lake and ridgelines.
Length limits vary by campsite.
Limited electric sites.
Availability on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 163 sites.
| Site | Fr 13 | Sa 14 | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| G004 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H030 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G014 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G017 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G028 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H028 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G029 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G023 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H015 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G024 standard nonelectric |
Hookups (individual campsites): 31 electric, 132 no-hookup individual sites.
8697 ZIlpo Road
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Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.
Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (322 reviews, ★ 4.0). Not written or edited by us.
“Water problems. Campground open but many areas closed off.”
| – |
| – |
| $31 |
| G009 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H033 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H017 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H024 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G027 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G006 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H020 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G026 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G020 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H016 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G005 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G010 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G025 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G022 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G007 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G008 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H037 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H032 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H025 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G021 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H018 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H023 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H014 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H012 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H013 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| H009 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| D005 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| D006 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G035 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
| G034 standard nonelectric | – | – | $31 |
✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights59 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights7 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights5 sites open for every nightAn idea to start from, built from this campground's listing and real tours nearby. Times, openings and prices change, so check each before you go.
Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 65 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.
Travel trailer · 29 ft · sleeps 9 · 73 mi from campground
$99/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available
View rental
Travel trailer · 32 ft · sleeps 8 · 117 mi from campground
$120/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rental
Travel trailer · 34 ft · sleeps 9 · 138 mi from campground
$125/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rentalPaid experiences on Viator. Distances are from this campground when the tour lists its own start point.
Lexington area · 3.5 hr · from $45/person
Lexington area · 3 hr · from $59/person
Lexington area · 3 hr · from $105/person
Lexington area · 3 hr · from $125/person
Share of site-nights open, booked and closed on Recreation.gov for the next months, checked Nov 7. Months further out may not be released for booking yet.
| Month | Open | Booked | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Dec 2026 | 0% | 0% | 0% |
For May weekends, book about 64 days ahead. Three in four May Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 22 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.
| Arrival month | Fri/Sat arrivals: half booked at least | A quarter at least | Other days: half booked at least | A quarter at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 31 days ahead | 56 days ahead | 24 days ahead | 65 days ahead |
| April | 18 days ahead | 50 days ahead | 14 days ahead | 48 days ahead |
| May | 22 days ahead | 64 days ahead | 24 days ahead | 89 days ahead |
| June | 14 days ahead | 48 days ahead | 24 days ahead | 91 days ahead |
| July | 12 days ahead | 42 days ahead | 24 days ahead | 92 days ahead |
| August | 10 days ahead | 38 days ahead | 20 days ahead | 73 days ahead |
| September | 12 days ahead | 47 days ahead | 14 days ahead | 49 days ahead |
| October | 14 days ahead | 43 days ahead | 16 days ahead | 49 days ahead |
Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.
Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (17,774 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.
163 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7. Rates are the listed nightly rates.
Tent, van or small RV, no power
132 sites · $31, $46/night
Loops: G LOOP (29), H LOOP (29), C LOOP (19), B LOOP (15), E LOOP (14), A LOOP (12), F LOOP (11), D LOOP (3)
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
Tent or RV, with power
19 sites · $44, $59/night
Loops: F LOOP (6), H LOOP (6), G LOOP (4), D LOOP (3)
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
12 sites · $105/night
Loops: D LOOP (6), H LOOP (3), F LOOP (1), A LOOP (1), G LOOP (1)
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
Lexington area · 3 hr · from $125/person
Lexington area · 1 hr · from $16/person
Lexington area · 1 hr · from $20/person
Lexington area · 1 hr–3 hr · from $25/person
Lexington area · 3 hr · from $125/person
