0
Pull-thru
USFSDaniel Boone National Forest · Kentucky
Holly Bay
Overview Holly Bay, located two miles north of the Laurel River Dam, sits on the west side of Laurel River Lake.
Sites13865 reservable
Elev.1,171ft
Comf.Mar-Dec10 months
Max rig90 ft
Electric7272×50-amp
From Lexington1h56real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 1,171 ft, Holly Bay has a 10-month comfortable window (Mar-Dec). Winter nights average around 31°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 138 sites total: 65 reservable and 73 first-come, first-served. Of the sites, 72 with 50-amp, and the longest takes a 90-ft rig. Within about 4 miles: 3 named hiking routes, 1 peak, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Sep
Mar-Dec
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
72%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 9
Last spring frost; first fall frost Nov 4.
69°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Lexington
91 mi
1h56
02
Louisville
167 mi
3h18
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 7.3 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 138 SITES
Color byShow only
137 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
72
50-amp
0
Accessible
11
Prime
138
Sites
★ The standout
Site F11
F · prime location · shaded.
To neighbor
72 ft
Location
Prime
Max rig
25 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Named hiking routes
3
Trail segments
62
Peaks
1
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
7.3 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.