America’s Camping Report Card
Kentucky
#41 of 43 for camping
Better than 5% of graded states · overall grade B — campers like it.
Graded on 12,682 written reviews from Kentucky - no star ratings, just what people wrote.
The breakdown
Letter grades reflect how campers actually felt about each topic - A means they loved it, not that it beat other states.
What campers praised
- beautiful campground191
- beautiful place84
- lake view77
- beautiful lake71
- lake views66
What campers warned about
- low water level3
- no shade3
- water level low3
- water level very low3
- beach washed out2
- Praised by
- 37.4%
- Warned by
- 1.5%
- Rank
- Better than 7% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.359 (±0.009, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- friendly staff209
- friendly people68
- very friendly staff62
- friendly and helpful staff55
- friendly and helpful hosts43
What campers warned about
- rude staff4
- rude attendant3
- rude camp hosts3
- rude park ranger3
- abrupt check-in response2
- Praised by
- 31.9%
- Warned by
- 4.5%
- Rank
- Better than 83% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.274 (±0.009, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- spacious sites95
- nice sites36
- large sites32
- spacious site32
- nice campsite27
What campers warned about
- sites too close together18
- sites close together14
- sites very close together12
- sites not level9
- small sites7
- Praised by
- 35.9%
- Warned by
- 12.1%
- Rank
- Better than 10% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.238 (±0.011, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- very clean257
- clean177
- well maintained164
- clean bathrooms113
- clean campground95
What campers warned about
- dirty bathrooms16
- grass needed cutting8
- grass needed mowing7
- grass not mowed7
- bathrooms filthy6
- Praised by
- 33.1%
- Warned by
- 11.2%
- Rank
- Better than 19% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.219 (±0.011, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- fishing27
- hiking trails16
- lake access14
- good fishing12
- playground11
What campers warned about
- beach closed8
- no hiking trails4
- not much to do3
- beach closed by storm damage2
- beach closed due to low water2
- Praised by
- 22.0%
- Warned by
- 2.5%
- Rank
- Better than 7% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.195 (±0.008, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- quiet215
- quiet campground104
- very quiet94
- quiet atmosphere77
- quiet and peaceful62
What campers warned about
- sites close together17
- sites too close together9
- sites very close together8
- crowded on weekends5
- close to neighbors4
- Praised by
- 14.3%
- Warned by
- 7.7%
- Rank
- Better than 33% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.066 (±0.008, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- bathrooms and showers33
- restrooms and showers27
- bathrooms26
- clean bathrooms22
- water and electric hookups20
What campers warned about
- bathrooms and showers11
- showers10
- coin-operated showers9
- bathroom closed8
- bathrooms closed7
- Praised by
- 20.4%
- Warned by
- 16.2%
- Rank
- Better than 2% of graded states
- Confidence
- Moderate confidence
Net sentiment +0.041 (±0.010, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- family friendly40
- friendly people28
- friendly campers27
- family atmosphere8
- family friendly atmosphere8
What campers warned about
- alienated visitors with pets1
- better for older retired guests1
- can’t host local friends; embarrassed to invite people1
- children exposed to vulgar behavior1
- children not respecting property1
- Praised by
- 4.4%
- Warned by
- 0.4%
- Rank
- Better than 95% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.040 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- great price16
- free camping11
- reasonably priced11
- reasonable price7
- free5
What campers warned about
- extra charge for showers3
- partial refund only3
- prices raised3
- $5 family entry fee2
- $5 visitor fee2
- Praised by
- 3.2%
- Warned by
- 2.9%
- Rank
- Better than 24% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment +0.003 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- easy access15
- close to visitor center14
- convenient location10
- easy to get to10
- close to home9
What campers warned about
- no cell service8
- hard to find3
- 20-minute drive to main area2
- campground roads need paving/updating2
- close to road2
- Praised by
- 6.8%
- Warned by
- 7.9%
- Rank
- Better than 7% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.011 (±0.007, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- felt safe11
- safe8
- safe for kids4
- feel safe3
- felt very safe3
What campers warned about
- cars driving too fast3
- bear spotted by tent2
- children in traffic2
- constant police presence2
- kids at risk from traffic2
- Praised by
- 1.7%
- Warned by
- 2.9%
- Rank
- Better than 31% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.012 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- easy check-in12
- booked another weekend3
- already booking more visits2
- booked again for september2
- easy check-in and check-out2
What campers warned about
- hard to get a site8
- fills up fast4
- hard to get a spot4
- hard to get a reservation3
- desk couldn't help with reservation2
- Praised by
- 1.7%
- Warned by
- 3.7%
- Rank
- Better than 43% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.019 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- pet friendly13
- dog friendly5
- quiet hours respected3
- 3 pm checkout2
- 3:00pm checkout time2
What campers warned about
- quiet hours not enforced10
- rules not enforced7
- quiet time not enforced6
- early checkout time4
- quiet hours ignored4
- Praised by
- 0.9%
- Warned by
- 4.2%
- Rank
- Better than 41% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.033 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
What campers praised
- no mosquitoes3
- bug free, no mosquito bites2
- few bugs2
- lots of wildlife2
- acorns falling from oak trees1
What campers warned about
- poison ivy in woods5
- ticks5
- ticks everywhere5
- bugs everywhere4
- lots of ticks4
- Praised by
- 0.5%
- Warned by
- 4.0%
- Rank
- Better than 88% of graded states
- Confidence
- High confidence
Net sentiment -0.036 (±0.004, 95% CI) from 12,682 written reviews, 77% from federal campgrounds. Graded vs. every other graded state.
We read every written review of a campground in Kentucky and used AI to label what each camper praised or complained about, across 14 topics. A topic’s score is the share who praised it minus the share who complained, and the letter is absolute: A means campers loved it, F means they were frustrated — on a fixed scale, not a curve. So a topic isn’t marked down just because another state scored higher. Switch to Raw numbers to see the share who praised vs. warned behind every grade.
The rank (Kentucky vs. other states) is shown separately, because most states are genuinely good overall — the ranking is what tells them apart. The overall grade is the average of the topic grades, weighted by how often campers raise each one.
Only states with at least 2,000 reviews are graded, and every topic carries a 95% confidence interval from its sample size.
Topic weights
- Scenery15%
- Campsites15%
- Cleanliness13%
- Facilities12%
- Staff & hosts10%
- Things to do9%
- Crowds & noise8%
- Getting there6%
- Bugs & weather3%
- Booking2%
- Value2%
- Rules & policies2%
- Safety2%
- Welcoming1%
Methodology v3-absolute-grade-plus-rank | 43 states graded | updated June 2026.