Holly Bay Campground in Kentucky on map - US

Holly Bay has appealing walk-in tent sites on attractive Laurel River Lake.

When the U.S. Forest Service revamps a campground, it is heartening to see them install walk-in tent sites, as they have here at Holly Bay, instead of turning everything into a more RV-compatible area. As the Baby Boom generation ages, I sometimes fear the pastime of tent camping will be lost in the graying of America. Holly Bay offers not only reassurances to the contrary but also some of the best tent campsites in this book. These are set on one of Kentucky's cleanest, clearest lakes, where recreation opportunities are all around you.

Holly Bay has eight campsite loops, but you only need to be concerned with three of them. The campground as a whole is neat, clean, and well kept, making even the RV sites appealing. Drive past the campground entrance station, which is a nice safety measure, and turn right to reach B Loop. An alluring foot trail leads from the tent-camper parking area to walk-in campsites. Descend into thick woods on the hillside above Holly Bay Campsite i is closest to the road. Sites 2 and 3 offer respites beneath a forest of pine, hemlock, oak, and other hardwoods. The other three tent sites in B, heavily shaded, offer obscured views of Holly Bay. The hillside sites have been leveled to make getting around easy. C Loop is adjacent to B Loop. Its five walk-in sites offer a mixture of sun and shade. Site 3 is a double site. Site 4 is closest to the water and offers bay views. A comfort station with flush toilets is located near the B and C parking areas, as is a water spigot. If you stay in B or C Loops, you must walk a bit to reach a bathhouse with a shower.

G Loop has eight walk-in tent sites and some other sites with water and electricity; a bathhouse with a shower is also located here. Take the foot trail into the woods, and come to shady sites that offer maximum privacy, even by the high walk-in-tent standards set here. Three sites are set on their own side trail toward the lake. Two of the remaining five sites are doubles. All are very appealing and offer plenty of room for the most discriminating tent camper. Note that the tent sites fill on weekends during the heart of summer. The only reservable sites at Holly Bay are the D and H Loops, which are not part of the walk-in area. I recommend coming early on Friday or during the week if possible—the setting at Laurel River Lake is as appealing as the sites themselves. The campground hosts are here to answer your questions and also sell ice and wood to campers.