Tailwater

Location

1055 Tailwater Road
Open in Google Maps ↗

Policies

Check-in

5:00 PM

Check-out

4:30 PM

Max stay

14 nights

Pets

Allowed (per listing)

Campfires

Allowed (per listing)

About

Tailwater Campground sits along the Barren River just below the dam, in a lower-lying stretch of river that feels calmer and quieter than the campgrounds up on the lake rim. The site offers 50 campsites in total 49 that accommodate both RVs and tents and one tent-only site spread along the riverbank where high cliffs and wooded hills rise on the opposite shore. Many sites have water hookups and electric service that are turned on seasonally from May through September; during the non-peak season the campground operates more simply, with primitive camping available and a central dump station, potable water, and pit toilets serving visitors. Facilities within the campground include an amphitheater, a playground, a beach-volleyball court, horseshoe pits and an open field for informal sports, while the stilling-basin recreation area just outside the campground adds picnic sites, a reservable pavilion, a playground and a basketball court. The campground also hosts the long-running Barren River Lake Scout Celebration every August, and a permanent wildlife blind and regular bald-eagle sightings at the stilling basin give the place a steady appeal for birders and quiet wildlife watchers. Recreational options are concentrated and varied: the river below the dam is a noted spot for catfish and hybrid striped bass, with downstream stretches producing several bass species and a range of sunfishes, and the lake shoreline is less than a mile away for boating, swimming and broader water-sports access. Hikers can take the Steen Bergen Nature Trail in search of great horned owls, woodpeckers, migrating songbirds and small mammals, while belted kingfishers, green herons and the occasional river otter are common riverside sights. If you want more services or day-use amenities, Port Oliver sits across the dam and Quarry Road Recreation Area offers fishing piers, a beach with flush toilets and reservable picnic pavilions; Peninsula Marina is under five miles away. For longer excursions, Barren River Lake State Resort Park (home to the Glasgow Highland Games), the National Corvette Museum, Kentucky Down Under, Diamond Caverns and Mammoth Cave National Park (about an hour north) are all within easy driving range. To reach Tailwater, head south from Glasgow and cross the dam on the road that connects to the southern end of the reservoir; the campground entrance sits at the south end of the dam and is roughly 19 miles from Bowling Green. Check the Army Corps of Engineers or recreation.gov for up-to-date rules, fees and reservation options before you go.