Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area › Daniel Boone National Forest › Stearns Ranger District › Kentucky › McCreary County › Blue Heron Campground

Blue Heron Campground, Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, KY - Latest Reviews, Photos & Campground Map

Blue Heron Campground is part of Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area in Kentucky (1 hr 39 min northwest of Knoxville, TN) with an elevation of 1,280 feet. There are a total of 45 campsites. The campground is normally open from the beginning of April to the end of November. Sites can accommodate RVs and trailers between 28 and 61 feet. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. All sites have electric and water hookups. Fees range from $20.00 to $32.00. Some amenities include shower, drinking water, dump station, playground, restroom, trash dumpster, flush toilets. Activities include biking, fishing, hiking trails.
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Picnic table sits on gravel tent pad under the shade of a nearby tree.Picnic table sits on gravel tent pad with bathhouse in background
$30

Blue Heron

194 reviews
Total sites: 45
Available Today: 26 FF*
Available this Weekend: 25 + 26 FF*
Booking Window: 6 months

1,280 ft
58°F
42°F

weak
Tents allowedRV's allowedTrailers allowedElectric HookupsWater hookupsRV Dump StationAccessible sitesRestroomFlush toiletsHot showersTrash ContainerHiking trailsBiking trailsFishing
*First-come/First-served (FF) sites have no availability guarantee.
Fr
52°
41°
Sa
53°
39°
Su
54°
40°
Mo
62°
40°
Tu
59°
45°
We
63°
41°
Th
61°
47°

Campground Capacity (Next 30 Days)

Campsite Reviews (194)

4.5 out of 5

5 star
64%
4 star
23%
3 star
6%
2 star
2%
1 star
2%
@NancyC3864592 · Camped on Oct 20, 2025 at Campsite #41
We enjoyed our stay here. Site had a downward slope at the entrance but with a smaller camper you can level out at the end near the hookups. It had water and power and a dump station. Campground was near the Blue Heron mine community area and near the 6 1/2 mile Blue Heron Loop Trail. It was clean and quiet in October. There wasn't a camp host and I never saw any staff, maybe due to the federal shutdown, but everything was clean and maintained.
@THOMASF4323684 · Camped on Oct 16, 2025 at Campsite #1
Close to Blue Heron Mining Camp. A lot of history to see and learn about. Quiet campground.
@RussellC284341 · Camped on Oct 16, 2025 at Campsite #15
Nice small campground. I love that the dish washing sink for tent campers is well maintained. The bear boxes to store coolers and food stuff is a big convenience.
@PamP4615940 · Camped on Oct 15, 2025 at Campsite #11
Lovely campground, peaceful and clean. No host on site, but it was fine.
@AndyA0C9A674FF · Camped on Oct 14, 2025 at Campsite #8
Great little campground. Clean bath house with great showers. 30amp sites are short, but the lengths are listed in the reservation system. Pay attention to lengths. 50 amp sites are a little longer.Great access to several trails near by and the mining town was a good visit.
@JackS8867688 · Camped on Oct 11, 2025 at Campsite #3
Paved RV sites in a variety of lengths; most are back in, but a few are pull-thru. The electric and water connections we observed were in good condition. Two negatives: The roads in the campground have extremely nasty speed bumps; There is only one road in and it is narrow with steep grades, very sharp curves, and extreme drop-offs.
@WillaimD5B6757 · Camped on Oct 9, 2025 at Campsite #39
The kids love it!! They can ride their bikes and play.
@JulieB4444318 · Camped on Oct 4, 2025 at Campsite #10
The campgrounds were nice. We just picked the wrong time to stay there. We thought there wouldn't be many people there and we got stuck next to some campers with very loud kids until 11pm and the people never stopped talking. We were also hoping to at least see a black bear and we didnt
@TeresaA0365296 · Camped on Oct 4, 2025 at Campsite #13
Campground is small and sites have a lot of shade. We would definitely stay here again.
@michaelk687828 · Camped on Oct 1, 2025 at Campsite #41
Campgrounds were good size with gravel lots. Shower house was celn.
@DeborahVEEC8C9 · Camped on Sep 13, 2025 at Campsite #23
It was very nice. The campground was clean. The bathrooms were nice and clean. It was peaceful and quiet. I would recommend it
@JamieS2917031 · Camped on Sep 12, 2025 at Campsite #30
The campground was sooooo loud until late at night and then again super early in the morning. Kids screaming on bikes and riding around at 630 in the morning. Bright lights from many of the campers flooded the campground most of the night and made stargazing basically impossible. I wouldnt go back.
@GeraldC7081311 · Camped on Sep 7, 2025 at Campsite #11
A really nice camp ground. So secluded you don't hear any traffic, you can hear the wildlife. Facilities are very clean.
@JamesC5011896 · Camped on Sep 5, 2025 at Campsite #31
Love this campground, well maintained, clean, excellent sites and peaceful.
@MichaelC616917 · Camped on Aug 27, 2025 at Campsite #18
Well maintained campground. Saw NPS personnel daily. Other campers were nice and courteous. Several places to hike and you must visit the Dairy Bar in town for the best ice cream and fudge cake!
@DonnieO4F5DF6C · Camped on Aug 19, 2025 at Campsite #20
Great stay! Amazing hiking!
@RonaldJ0CF0402 · Camped on Aug 12, 2025 at Campsite #43
Nice sized campground but sites are uneven and thus challenging for big rigs to be level
@SarahJ1100865 · Camped on Aug 8, 2025 at Campsite #9
Easy to book and site was as described. Campground was quiet and clean. Only downside was no campground host and thought there would be a larger wifi reach.
@NancyE54212837 · Camped on Aug 5, 2025 at Campsite #13
Very clean and quiet campground.
@KristinS310851 · Camped on Aug 4, 2025 at Campsite #41
The site was fantastic and the canpground clean. My only complaint would be that it would have been nice to have sewer hook ups. But overall a great campground and located in the vicinity of some great hiking.
@BruceH7382571 · Camped on Jul 30, 2025 at Campsite #20
The campground was clean and very quiet. The coal mine and its history was very interesting and the river refreshed. Good for fishing and tubing/kayaking or soaking.
@BradleyL566964 · Camped on Jul 19, 2025 at Campsite #2
We stayed in site number 2 which felt a little odd because it is before the entrance to the campground. However, it was very spacious. The restroom was extremely hot during our stay in July and was essentially unusable. Other than that it was a great stay and we enjoyed visiting Blue Heron Mine.
@DawnF4840885 · Camped on Jul 17, 2025 at Campsite #22
Blue heron is one of our favorite campgrounds. We have been coming here for over 30 years. Park is well maintained. It has bathroom facilities along with showers. Campsites are large sites. They are semi private. Most have trees between for privacy.
@JessicaW627491 · Camped on Jul 13, 2025 at Campsite #28
Quiet and relaxing
@JasonS8132232 · Camped on Jul 6, 2025 at Campsite #35
Nice sites. Hiking trails close by. Good times!

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