NPS · Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area · Whitley City, KY

Alum Ford Campground

Alum Ford Campground is located in the Kentucky portion of Big South Fork seven miles west of Whitley City, Kentucky at the end of Highway 700. The campground consists of six campsites each with picnic table and fire ring.

Reservable · Recreation.gov 6 sitesPets okFires okTents only

More like this: reservable in Kentucky · tent only in Kentucky · pets allowed in Kentucky

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗

Photos courtesy of NPS · Recreation.gov

1fire
active

Ste-Wildlife Openings Rx (prescribed burn) · 10 mi away · 8 acres

Interagency incident data as of 2026-10-16

Incident details ↓

Site mix

Standard, no hookups

Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

6 sites. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

Site	Entry	Fits, ft	Surface	Shade	Water / sewer	Waterfront	People / vehicles	Fires	Accessible	Rating
Campsite 1	Back-in		Gravel	Partial	No / –	Riverfront	6 / –	Yes		Standard
Campsite 2	Back-in	21	Gravel	Partial	No / –	Riverfront	6 / –	Yes		Standard
Campsite 3	Back-in	20	Gravel	Partial	No / –	Riverfront	6 / –	Yes		Standard
Campsite 4	Back-in	23	Gravel	Partial	No / –	Riverfront	6 / –	Yes		Standard
Campsite 5	Back-in	22	Gravel	Partial	No / –	Riverfront	6 / –	Yes	Yes	Standard
Campsite 6	Back-in	45	Gravel	Partial	No / –	Riverfront	6 / –	Yes		Standard

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 12:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Amenities & rules

Equipment	Tents
Pets	Allowed
Campfires	Allowed, subject to restrictions
Accessibility	Site Campsite 5 is listed accessible

Alum Ford Campground has six sites with tent pads, picnic tables, fire rings with grills, bear-proof garbage cans, and food storage lockers. A vault toilet facility is also available.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Stearns 2S, 7 miles from the campground at 1,220 feet, station USC00157677 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 56 inches a year.

Getting there

Nearest town	Whitley City, Kentucky
Coordinates	36.7652° N, 84.5472° W · Directions ↗

Fire nearby

Prescribed
Ste-Wildlife Openings Rx
10 mi from the campground · 8 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Call the managing office before you drive.

Supplies & services

Outdoor gear	Sheltowee Trace Outfitters ↗	16.7 mi
Dump station	Dump station ↗	20.2 mi
RV sales & service	Weekend RV Center ↗	53.9 mi

Locations © OpenStreetMap contributors. Call ahead; hours change seasonally.

Explore

Video

Alum Ford Campground & Yahoo Falls

Worth a stop

The Big South Fork Scenic Railway Depot is located about 9 miles away in the town of Stearns, which offers train rides and other educational opportunities for campers. Just a few miles from Stearns is Blue Heron Mine, also known as Mine 18, a historic abandoned mining town that has been rebuilt as an outdoor museum. Visitors can hear audio presentations from actual people who lived in the community in the 1950s. Additional attractions include the Daniel Boone National Forest and Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, offering additional recreation opportunities.

9.1 mi
Keno Shooting Range ↗OHV / range

Trails nearby

Forest Service trail data →

1.9 mi
Alum
1.8 mi trail
1.9 mi
Yahoo Arch
1.4 mi trail
2 mi
Markers Arch
0.4 mi trail
2.1 mi
Yellow Cliff
2.1 mi trail
2.8 mi
Straight Creek OHV Trail A
0.8 mi trail
3 mi
Lick Creek
3.2 mi trail

Trail and trailhead records are the Forest Service's. Distances are straight-line to the nearer trail end. Trail conditions are not tracked here.

Public land it sits in

On Wilderness Atlas →

Beaver Creek Wilderness begins about 9.6 miles away, and it is the closest of these.

9.6 mi
Beaver Creek Wilderness ↗
Wilderness · Forest Service · 4,816 acres

Each unit is published as a centre point and an acreage rather than a boundary, so this section stands it in for a circle of the same area. Whether a campground is inside, and how far it is from one it is outside, are both approximate.

Other campgrounds nearby

FS · KY

Barren Fork Horse Camp

Partly reservable4.4 mi

NPS · KY

Blue Heron Campground

Reservable6.2 mi

NPS · KY

Bear Creek Campground - Ky

On the National Register nearby

On Register Atlas →

Stearns Administrative and Commercial DistrictHistoric district · Stearns · 6 mi
Wartburg Presbyterian ChurchBuilding · Wartburg · 11.4 mi

Natural features

This small campground sits above the Alum Ford Boat Ramp which provides access to the Big South Fork River.

Recreation

The campground is located adjacent to the Alum Ford Boat Launch, providing access for motorized and non-motorized watercraft to this remote section of the Big South Fork River where it becomes Lake Cumberland. The Sheltowee Trace National Recreational Trail also passes through the campground. The Sheltowee Trace is a 260-mile back country trail through Daniel Boone National Forest, Big South Fork NRRA, and Natural Bridge, Cumberland Falls, & Pickett State Parks in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Guidebooks for Kentucky

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Best tent camping, Kentucky
Johnny Molloy, 2015
Find at Bookshop.org
Hiking Kentucky
Falcon Guides and Carrie Stambaugh, 2023
Find at Bookshop.org
Hiking Kentucky's Red River Gorge
Sean Patrick Hill, 2019
Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Alum Ford Campground?

Sites at Alum Ford Campground are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Alum Ford Campground?

Check-in 12:00 PM, checkout 12:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Alum Ford Campground have?

6 sites, including 6 standard sites without power.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I bring an RV to Alum Ford Campground?

Alum Ford Campground is listed for tents only.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Alum Ford Campground?

Yes, pets are allowed at Alum Ford Campground. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Alum Ford Campground?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions. As of 2026-10-16, there is 1 active fire within 50 miles, so check current restrictions before you light one.

Source: Fire nearby

Are there accessible sites at Alum Ford Campground?

Site Campsite 5 is listed accessible on Recreation.gov. What that covers (a paved pad, an accessible table, a nearby accessible restroom) is on each site's booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Alum Ford Campground?

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Alum Ford Campground?

Whitley City, Kentucky. The Big South Fork Scenic Railway Depot is located about 9 miles away in the town of Stearns, which offers train rides and other educational opportunities for campers.

Source: Getting there

What if Alum Ford Campground is full?

The nearest public campgrounds are Barren Fork Horse Camp (4.4 mi, partly first-come), Blue Heron Campground (6.2 mi), and Bear Creek Campground - Ky (8.7 mi).

Source: Campgrounds nearby

Which national park is Alum Ford Campground in?

Alum Ford Campground is a Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area campground. Entrance fees, alerts, and hours are on Park Atlas.

Source: Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area