Land Between the Lakes (LBL)
Time of Trip: September 2025
Length of Stay: 3 Nights
Activity Highlights: Birdwatching, Stargazing, Elk & Bison Prairie, Watersports
Campground Reservation: Hillman Ferry Campground, Area B-2, Site 17
Tucked into a long isthmus between two large lakes at the KY/TN state borders, the Land Between the Lakes (LBL) National Recreation Area is a place of phenomenal natural beauty. A former logging and iron ore mining area, it was established as a national recreation area in 1963 after construction began on two dams along the Tennessee River and the Cumberland River– the completion of these dams eventually formed the Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Over the years, the trees have returned. Nature rebounded and large populations of deer, turkey, and wild boar call the space home. Millions of birds stop here on their annual migrations. Now, the destination is extremely popular for watersports, hunting, hiking, and camping. Very little human activity occurs outside of these hobbies, and there is only one central, two-lane road that leads through the recreational area.
For two years before my visit, I had heard wonderful things about Land Between the Lakes from coworkers and friends in Nashville. I had told myself that I would go and visit one day, but I never made that jump until I got into solo camping. I wanted a place where I could take my dog Rosie to go camping with me, and I’d been very interested in seeing the bird migrations as they flew south for the winter. Researching the best time to watch these migrations, I ended up booking a campsite at Hillman’s Ferry for a few days at the end of September, hoping to miss the summer crowds and the hottest weather. There were a few campgrounds within LBL, but Hillman’s Ferry was the only one that had tent sites available for the days I wanted to go when I began planning my trip.
Campground Review
First off, the staff at Hillman’s Ferry are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. However, this campground appeals more to young families and RV campers than it does solo or tent campers– or at least, than it appealed to me. It is a large campground at 368 sites featuring walk-in tent sites, drive-in tent sites, trailer & RV sites, and cabins. Some sites were also able to be rented out seasonally– so, long term visitors staying the entire season and living out of their RVs.
Hillman Ferry offers many amenities, one of them being golf cart rentals. Seeing golf carts fly down the roads throughout the campground upon arrival made it a little hard to relax for me, since I like to camp for peace and quiet. My individual group of sites was in a relatively quiet area further away from the RV and trailer sections, and some of the campsites throughout the campground are waterfront along one of the lakes. According to the booking website for Hillman Ferry, my campsite was supposed to be waterfront. While that was technically true, I learned upon arrival that the lake water levels are lowered after Labor Day weekend, so I had more mud than water for a view. There was also a marshy smell, though that didn’t bother me since I grew up going to beaches in South Carolina for family summer vacations (IYKYK). Nonetheless, I didn’t ask to change my site. It took a few hours, but I did adjust and became more comfortable with the site I reserved. Overall, the primitive sites I saw were large with gravel tent pads, though some are closer together than others. While the parts of camp that cater to RVs were rather bare, there were mature trees in the tent camping areas. My site was clean, and was especially large with no close neighbor on one side. The site was within walking distance to extra parking as well as the shower house, bathroom, dumpster, and a tap for potable water.
I stayed three nights at Hillmans Ferry. One of the things I loved was the birds I could see without leaving my site– I had a family of red-headed woodpeckers living in the trees above my site, and I would often see large waterfowl at the water’s edge behind my campsite. However, I had difficulty with noisy neighbors, and not the ones in my part of the campground; my site was overlooking an inlet of the lake, where the other side of the inlet was RVs and seasonal campers. These campers had loud music playing late into the night each night, and the music would drift across the water, making it hard to sleep.
The bathrooms at Hillmans Ferry were clean, though hand soap is not provided. As for the showers… in my section they were not sorted by gender, but they were individually locked rooms with space to set down your toiletries and hang your towel. This made it very easy to take a shower, since I could bring Rosie into the bathroom with me. Unfortunately, there were only four shower rooms for two loops of the campground to share, so you would need to take a very quick shower to avoid others waiting. I would also bring shower shoes, since the campground is right on a lake with multiple beaches available for recreational use…a good bit of mud and sand could pile up quickly if left unattended.
Despite the large number of people within the campground, wildlife was always present. Coyotes would call from somewhere across the lake each night, and I’d see turkey every day. However, this abundance of wildlife was especially clear on the last night of my stay, when I was the only person in my section of the campground. I was cooking dinner with my dog when a small herd of deer came walking nearby, seeming not to care that I was there. After they came within thirty feet of me, I had to start shouting at them and clapping my hands to get them to leave– and they were even slow with that, almost like they were begging from me. Right after sundown an hour later, I was tending my campfire when I heard rustling near my tent. I pointed a flashlight in that direction and spotted a skunk walking a few feet behind my tent on its way to the lake. Luckily for me, my dog Rosie was already in the tent and didn’t know it was there. I watched quietly as it slowly walked away, then put out my fire and jumped into my tent at 8pm. All that to say, make sure food & trash stay away from your tent, and be ready for any animals you may encounter on your trip!
Amenities: picnic area, playground, golf cart rentals, amphitheater, basketball courts, camp store, beach, fishing dock, fish cleaning stations, boat ramp, hot showers (free for campers or $5 usage fee for visitors), potable water, dump station, electric & water hookups, fire pits, lantern posts, hiking trails
Campground Drawbacks: Large and loud, no hand soap in the bathrooms
For more information on the campground and to book a campsite, follow this link: https://www.landbetweenthelakes.us/visit/hillman-ferry-campground/
Near the Camp
Every single attraction for Land Between the Lakes is something outdoorsy– if you don’t like being outside, you probably won’t care much for a visit. It was rather hot & muggy during my visit, so I spent most of my time hiking in the mornings/evenings or reading at my campsite. However, my favorite thing I did on this trip was visit the drive-through Bison and Elk Prairie, located about 20 miles south of Hillman Ferry Campground. This was a ticketed experience, but the fee was cheap. I drove through the prairie just before sunset on my first night at LBL, had my dog in my car’s shotgun seat. This attraction allows you to drive slowly along a gravel and paved path, roughly three miles long, for however long you want while you spot the American buffalo and elk that live within the fenced boundaries. If there are no animals nearby, you are also welcome to park and walk around a little bit. I’d never seen a buffalo before this experience, and it was quite a thrill– while feeding them was not permitted, the animals would get quite close to your vehicle. Rosie was more interested in the smell of them rather than the animals themselves, but it was clear she also had a wonderful time. And because of the time of year I was visiting, the elk were in rut season– you could hear them bugle calling throughout the enclosed prairie.
There are hundreds of miles of hiking trails available to visitors at LBL. Unfortunately, many I tried to visit were not well maintained and snakes became a worry. One trail that was in great condition and had a beautiful view was the Hematite Lake trail, which was an easy 2-mile trail that wrapped around a small lake covered with large lily pads. The entrance road leading to and from the trail also had an interesting building remnant and a history marker with information about the area’s past as an iron ore mining region.
If you need a break from the woods, you can drive to Grand Rivers for the “Patti’s 1800s Settlement” attraction; it is a restaurant, store, moonshine distillery, mini golf course, and much more! I wasn’t quite sure why it was there, since there weren’t any other tourist attractions like that nearby, but it was a great place for lunch. I recommend getting the fried catfish and their flowerpot bread. That being said, it is certainly a “tourist trap” so be prepared to spend the extra money on overpriced items.
Need to Know: There is NO cell service at LBL due to a storm that destroyed most cell towers in the area within the last couple years– be prepared to drive 20+ miles to access cell service or wifi unless you have a Starlink satellite. There are also MANY bugs so come prepared with extra bugspray, tweezers, and clothing designed to keep ticks off of you.
Summary
I will admit, LBL is absolutely beautiful. There is a bunch of horseback riding, hiking, fishing, and hunting to be had, and there are beaches and boat ramps spread throughout the area that make swimming and watersports easy. That being said, no one ever mentioned how bad the bugs are here! Within a short time of arriving at my campsite, it became very apparent why birds stop here on their seasonal migrations. There are large mayflies buzzing around regularly, and despite regular application of bug spray and wearing long clothes, I came home with a tick bite and covered in mosquito bites- it’s as if they bit me through my clothing! I did not spend nearly as much time in the woods as I wanted to– I spent more time at my campsite than anything else, although the bugs were almost as bad there. If you visit, I recommend visiting in the winter when most insects are dormant, unless you have a large boat that you plan to use all day on one of the lakes. The campground was also too large & loud for my preferences, so I would plan a trip to LBL at least three months ahead of your visit so that you can get a site at a smaller campground, unless you wish to backcountry camp or are comfortable with large campgrounds.
For more information on the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area, check out this link: https://www.landbetweenthelakes.us/about-lbl/welcome/
Paw-Friendly Rating: 5/5
As long as your dog likes camping, they’ll be happy here! There is plenty of outdoor walking space available for their bathroom walks, and the human bathroom setups allow you to sneak them into the shower buildings during shower time or leave them in your vehicle or tent when you need to disappear for a quick minute. The biggest threat to your furry friend is ticks– they’re everywhere, so make sure you’re regularly checking your pet for bites and make sure they’re up to date on their flea/tick medication. Note that they aren’t allowed at the campground beach, though there are other locations around LBL where you can take them swimming.
Women Friendly Rating: 5/5
This camp is so popular that being left alone is rather difficult. The bath houses have motion-activated lights for nighttime use, and there wasn’t any crime. I never got weird vibes from neighbors or camp staff, and as long as you’re prepared for curious wildlife and bugs, you’ll be fine. I felt safe enough that I would return.
