Wilderness Road Campground

Forty one of the 160 sites have electricity. All sites are on a first come, first served basis. All of the electric sites are paved and fairly level. There is some privacy between the sites and most have shade. On a Monday night in mid August there were maybe a dozen campers in the park. The bathroom and showers were clean.

There are some hiking trails that start from the campground.

During the week it is self registration. I was glad that I had the exact amount in my wallet. The price I paid reflects my Senior Pass discount.

I spent the night here on the way home from a longer trip. I plan on returning and spending more time to explore this historic area.

Stayed 13 days in April 2018. Had days when it snowed and days when it was 80 out and rode my motorcycle. Sites have only electric but there is a dump station and water. Sites are level enough and blacktop, in the woods. Showers are hot and clean. Three miles to Middlesboro thru tunnel in mountain and Middlesboro has every fast food place, restaurants and a Walmart.

We were here to visit Cumberland Gap and the park is perfectly situated for that, though there is not much else in the area. All sites are first come-first serve, and we lucked into what we think is one of the best in the park: site C2. Loops B and C have electric while all other loops are primitive camping. Electric sites are paved, but because the whole campground is built on a slope some sites are very unlevel in every direction. Bring all your blocks! We thought the sites along the outside of the main campground loop offered the best angle of approach for parking and the most level sites. Interior sites were more of a mixed bag. All the electric sites had decent separation and foliage between sites. The primitive sites are very mixed -- some are way too tiny for anything but a car/van, and some are also weirdly exposed to the loop roads. An RV would have to be very picking in selecting a primitive site that would work; during our visit all the RVs were in the electric loops. The bathhouse that we used was spotless, the showers were huge (enough room for an entire park bench!) and the water was hot with good pressure.

There is potable water available throughout the campground and a dump station near the store. Plastic and aluminum recycling is also available throughout the campground, which we appreciates. The park was self-check in when we arrived on a Monday; the store is only open weekends. There is definitely some road noise from US58, which runs along the west/south site of the campground, but it was much more noticeable during the day than at night. Several good hikes leave from the campground (Lewis Hollow Trail and Gibson Gap Trail) while others can be accessed just on the other side of the tunnel from the visitor center area.

Speeds on AT&T: Download 23.05 Mbps Upload 9.25 Mbps

We only stayed one night in late June 2018 and were impressed with the care taken of this campground. Our site was private with lots of woods between us and our neighbors and very quiet through the night. The trash areas and bathhouses appeared to be very well-maintained as well.

UPDATE 11/17/18 - we returned here for another night while passing through and found the campground to be in just as nice of shape in the late fall as it was in summer. Oddly, this time the T-Mobile signal was far better throughout the park isn't the same phones (was 1bar voice only and now 4 bars LTE)!

Campground is first come, first serve, and sites are spaced comfortably apart. It is well maintained and clean. There are ample dumpster sites to dispose of trash. Bathroom/showers are easily accessible from camping sites and are well marked. Camp Hosts and Park Rangers are frequently visible, and are most helpful. There are plenty of hiking trails, and Ranger led activities. Coffee houses, grocery stores, etc. are a very short drive from site. Can hear highway traffic from campground.

Other reviewers here have laid out the details of what makes this campground so great.

A national park campground with paved spaces this far apart and electric on two of the loops of this large, woodsy campground is top shelf. This campground, with hiking trails and programming at the amphitheater, deserves a solid five stars.

No water at the site, but plenty of federal parks have no services of any kind at the site.

This is a special, beautiful, peaceful place, and the surrounding area is great. Make reservations for the gap cave tour and visit the Wilderness Road State Park, particularly when reenactors are at the fort there. Both are under ten minutes away. Lots of shopping and local restaurants are also close. Price reflects senior discount. Love this place!

This was our first time staying in the park. There are no reservations and the sites are first come first serve. The bath houses were extremely clean and well kept. The electric sites all have paved pads, a fire pit, and a picnic table. The park rangers patrol the campground on and off, and it is secluded. All of the sites are tucked back into the trees making it feel like you have the place to yourself. Surrounded by trees, they also allow you to take the firewood cut around the campground so we did not have to buy any firewood during our stay. It has a very quiet and relaxed atmosphere. Very close to 58, but you do not hear the traffic. Pets are allowed without breed restrictions. Dump station and water available when you enter the campground. Overall it was a great stay

First come first served - get your envelope at entrance. Dump station, water, and dumpster to the right after passing registration bldg. Loop A is non electric sites which is where I stayed. Majority of the sites in the campground aren’t level and are small. Wooded space between most sites for privacy. Bathhouses are located center of two rows. Very clean and the two separate shower stalls are very large with hooks and a 2 seater bench. Handicap accessible with a fold up/down seat. Several hiking trails inside and outside of campground. Rangers do patrol throughout the day. Extremely quiet and not many people making campfires. A plus for me since the smoke makes me nauseous. Site quality is a 3 based on the size and grade of the lot.

We stayed at the Wilderness Road Campground while visiting the Cumberland Gap. Upon entering the FCFS campground, the dump station with potable water is immediately to the right of the Ranger station. The interior roads are asphalt and well maintained. Loops B & C are electric only, Loops A, D, & E are primitive. Most sites are not level and will require blocks but they are shaded. There is a decent amount of privacy and each site has a picnic table and fire pit. There were a lot of sites with low hanging branches that would tear up a nice paint job, thus a deduction on the stars. Regular price for an electric site is $20 or $10 with the Natl Parks pass.

A wonderful campground. It was not very crowded the weekend we visited. Spaces are spread out and private. Bathrooms clean. Close proximity to Cumberland Gap hiking. Only complaint was the occasional noise from a nearby state highway.