Yatesville Lake State Park Campground in Kentucky on map
Yatesville Lake State Park Campground
Stay at one of Kentucky's nicest state park campgrounds.
Anewer campground can be good in many ways. Obviously, the facilities will be in good shape and not worn down by troops of campers over decades of use. Such newness lends a sense of being among the first to "discover" a new place. But the best aspect of the new campground at Yatesville Lake State Park is its good design. The architects who drew up this campground had obviously visited a few others and also listened to campers of all stripes. They came up with a camping area that suits the wants and needs of state park visitors, from RV campers to boat campers and tent campers. The emerald-green waters
and tan-stone bluffs of scenic Yatesville Lake were already here.
When you visualize the campground, imagine everything in tip-top shape. Pass the camper registration booth and stay right. Come to a well-manicured loop with 12 sites that have water and electricity. Well-separated and about the right size, these sites are mostly grassy, but planted trees are providing shade. The last three sites are all handicap accessible. This loop is almost nice enough to make me camp with the RVs here. Pass the immaculate bathhouse with laundry facilities, and enter the main section of well-dispersed sites. Most have planted pines and hardwood trees shading them, with a few old maple trees thrown in. Soon come to the walk-in primitive-campsite parking area on the right. Follow a little gravel path to the first walk-in site, which is close. The next three sites are farther back in a mixture of shade and sun, heavy on the shade. Any of these four sites would make a tent camper proud; the design puts like-minded campers together. A hiker path continues down steeply beyond here to the boat-in sites on Yatesville Lake. Even though these sites are officially labeled boat-in, park personnel allow walk-in campers to use them. Soon run into a gravel service road by the lake. Walk to the left, and below you, cut into the hillside, are four superlative sites, from which the lake is visible; these are widely separated and as private as you can ask for. Site Bi is one of the best sites in the state, as it looks down the length of the lake. To the right on the service road are four sites overlooking a cove and the lake. Keep on and come to seven more great sites. The farthest one is a good half-mile from the walk-in parking area but is very much worth it. If you have a boat or canoe, these sites would be very easy to access from a boat launch just around the corner. The main campground has 10 more sites with water and electricity of which any RV owner would approve.
A fellow camper I visited with claimed Yatesville to be one of the best bass-fishing lakes in the eastern end of the state. The state of Kentucky claims Yatesville has the best bluegill fishing in the entire state. Largemouth bass, crap-pie, and catfish also ply the clear waters. Islands, bluffs, and scenic rock formations make even a Ashless day a worthwhile outing. The park itself is split into two relatively small sections. The section with the campground, Pleasant Ridge, has five interconnected trails that wander along the lake and between the campground and the water. You will be using some of these if you walk to the boat-in sites.
The marina area is a good 10 miles distant; get directions here from park personnel at the campground. This area has six interconnected trails, one of which swings around the shoreline to the base of Yatesville Dam. A fishing pier and fishing lagoon make angling easy. A modern marina rents johnboats and pontoons. But with the great setting at the Pleasant Ridge area of the park, you may never make it over there.
Getting There
From Exit 191 on I-64 near Ashland, head south on US 23 for 23 miles to KY 32 near Louisa. Turn right on KY 32 and follow it for 4.7 miles to KY 3215. Turn right on KY 3215 and follow it for 2 miles to the campground.
GPS COORDINATES N38° 5.811' W82° 41.170'
Key Information about Yatesville Lake State Park Campground
ADDRESS: P.O. Box 767, Louisa, KY 41230
OPERATED BY: Kentucky State Parks
CONTACT: 606-673-1492, parks . ky . gov ; reservations: 877-444-6777, reserveamerica . com
OPEN: April-October
SITES: 4 walk-in tent sites, 16 boat-in/ walk-in lake sites, 27 water-and-electric sites
SITE AMENITIES: Picnic table, fire ring, lantern post, tent pad
ASSIGNMENT: First come, first served and by reservation
REGISTRATION: At campground entrance station
FACILITIES: Hot showers, flush toilets, vault toilets, water spigots, laundry, pay phone
PARKING: At campsites and walk-in primitive-site parking areas
FEE: $12-$16 tent sites, $21 -$25 electric sites, $12-$16 boat-in sites
ELEVATION: 590 feet
RESTRICTIONS in Yatesville Lake State Park Campground
¦ Pets: On 6-foot leash only
¦ Fires: In fire rings only
¦ Alcohol: Prohibited
¦ Vehicles: None
¦ Other: 14-day stay limit
