dog creek recreation area

We stayed at Dog Creek while visiting Mammoth Caves in July 2014. The campground is beautifully clean, with well spaced and defined sites, and a very nice bathhouse. My favorite part was having the water of the lake all around you while there. It was absolutely gorgeous from stunning sunsets to a peaceful place to sit in the morning with a cup of tea. My kids swam for 2 hours in the lake one afternoon and said that the water was warm. Our only negative was that the "campground host" was a bit grumpy when we tried to ask him a question during his "not working hours", and it took us two days to actually check ourselves in (we had paid for our reservation online). That was not a big deal though because there were many friendly people to give directions, etc when we needed them.This campground is only about 20 min from the National Park when the ferry is running. While we were there, however, the water levels were low and that ferry was closed. To get to Mammoth caves we had to drive about 50 min around, as there are no direct routes. It was a nice drive through rural Kentucky countryside and a bit of an adventure in itself.We enjoyed the whole area very much and would definitely stay here again.

This campground is about 10 mies from the national park if the ferry is running, and about 40 if it is not. We visited during a time when the water was low, and there was no ferry service. I have to say though, the drive between the park and this campground was beautiful and full of great things worth seeing in the area. We bought a watermelon from a road side stand, drove through horse farms, and just enjoyed this corner of rural America very much. The campground itself is spotless and feels new with great bathrooms and a fabulous swimming area in the lake. My kids swam there for hours. There are no frills to this camping area, but it is jaw dropping gorgeous when you watch the sun set over the lake just across from where you are camping.We hope to return to Dog Creek soon!