Cummins Ferry Resort Campground and Marina

Let me first say, that Gale (please excuse me if the spelling is wrong) and Dan are probably the best folks I’ve ever met in my life. They are the hardest working, most honest folks you could ever hope to encounter in your life and if you have the privilege of knowing them, you will know you have a friend for life. We have known them for a good number of years, we have camped here many times and this year we put our camper here for the entire season. The only complaint I have ever had is with the wifi, but it has been resolved, the campground is pristine, clean, quiet, beautiful and secluded. Can’t think of anything else to ask for.
Okay, this review from Alana, I’m so sorry you had such a bad experience here. I’m sure you were frustrated with the situation. It sounds as if you were weary and was just ready to turn in for the evening and looking for any place you could park for the night as long as you could plug in. I’ve been there and done that too, so I know where you are coming from. But here’s what I have learned over the years. Unless you can plan in advance, there are no certainties with camping. You can always pull into a parking lot at most wal-mart’s and spend the night, but unless you bring your own generator, you are unplugged for the night. But to pull into a private campground, unannounced in the middle of the night and expect to be accommodated is pretty naïve on your part. Yes, you are right that some, few, campgrounds allow late night check in and you settle up in the morning, but this campground is gated and I personally pay for that security so I don’t have to worry about leaving my camper unattended, I PAY for this service. I’m so sorry you did not get to realize the friendly service of this establishment, under any other circumstances you would have been elated. May I suggest that you either carry a generator or plan better in the future. There is always the option of checking into the local Motel 6 when you simply can’t make an advanced plan.
Happy trails to you!

En route from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to our home in Chicago, I had been driving long enough that I needed to pull over and get some sleep. I tried one campground, but they had gates across their entrance and did not answer their late check in call box. On the way back out to the main road, I passed a police officer and asked if he had a recommendation for a local campground. He said he really likes Cummins Ferry Campground. I got the address off of Google and drove over to discover the same setup. Gated entrance, no way to check in for late arriving travelers. By this point I was exhausted to the point of tears. I was traveling with 2 children and there were no other campgrounds in the area, at least none that showed up via Siri or Google. At first I considered parking in a lot and opening the windows for air, but it was a very hot and muggy night and I couldn’t fall asleep. I tried the campground again, hoping I had missed something about how to register as a late night arrival. In all my years of camping, I’ve never come across this situation. When I drove through again, I noticed they had grassy camp spots with electric posts outside the gate. Thank heaven!!! I plugged in, put the kids in their beds, and went to sleep. 3 hours later the woman who owns the place banged on my door and said I had parked in a non-​RV spot. I woke up out of a deep sleep, terrified. I apologized, explained the situation, said I absolutely intended to pay and asked how much it was. She said $ 35, so I handed her my credit card. She said, «You’ll have to come with me.» I told her I was in my nightgown and have my two children with me. She said she’d wait for me to get dressed. Mind you, this is all happening with 3 hours of sleep.
After she had my credit card, she said, «You’re going to have to pack up and leave right now.» AFTER she intended to charge me for full hookups and a full stay. I asked her why. She said we had driven on her grass. (There isn’t another option even for tent campers.) I said I was very sorry, but had limited options, that I would be happy to pay for a full site. As I looked up and down at empty spots, she bluntly said, «We’re FULL.» She said she was going to charge us for the full night and we’d have to leave without what I had paid for.
At that point I tried again to explain that my intentions were honest and that I just wanted to do an after hours checkin as is very common with most campgrounds. –You arrive late, hookup, then register in the morning. She then relented and said she’d jumped the gun, nodding at our vintage Avion (similar to an Airstream) and said she’d gotten a lot of bad types in the area we camped in. In short, she thought our nearly mint vintage camper looked like trouble next to the $ 100k new RVs.
I was told I could stay until 11. So I slept for 3 hours, was woken up and dragged out of bed with a great deal of hostility for half an hour, then was allowed to sleep for 3 more hours, most of which I spent jumping at every sound and worrying that I wasn’t getting enough sleep to drive safely. This does not a restful sleep make. Sure enough, at 10:45 she was banging on my door again to remind me to leave at 11.
In short, if you’re headed here expecting welcoming hospitality, avoid like the plague. If you’re on a road trip and needing an overnight stay, avoid like the plague. If you’re traveling in a vintage camper (no matter how nice or cute), avoid like the plague.
I’m now at another campground about 2 hours north, paying to rest yet again so that I can drive safely. Such a hassle.

This was our destination for a Bourbon Trip that we were taking last year. We called the campground several weeks in advance, and told them we would be arriving around 130am, and wanted to know if we could still get in. Although the gates were closed at the time, they were kind enough to let us rest near the entrance until they got in the following morning. Once we got into our spot (in the 70s) we found them to be extra large, with plenty of space for our 45′ Coach Bus and 26′ trailer to stay attached behind the coach. The management there is SO NICE and would go out of their way to help you. It is right on the Kentucky river, and has a calming sound of water flowing if you listen very carefully. We walked around the river, and enjoyed the water coming from around the rocks on the bank. Very nice place and seems to have lots of activities during the summer months. We would return here.

We have traveled ALL over the US (Alaska and Hawaii included) and this is without doubt the best camp/​RV site we have ever been, beautiful sites and he view takes your breath away… it is AWESOME!