2
Pull-thru
USACEBarren River Lake · Kentucky
Tailwater
Overview The Tailwater Campground offers 48-sites located along the Barren River, just below the dam.
Sites4948 reservable
Elev.499ft
Comf.Mar-Dec10 months
Max rig115 ft2 pull-thru
Electric4848×50-amp
From Louisville2h13real 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 499 ft, Tailwater has a 10-month comfortable window (Mar-Dec). Winter nights average around 32°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 49 sites total: 48 reservable and 1 first-come, first-served. Of the sites, 2 pull-through, 48 with 50-amp, and the longest takes a 115-ft rig. Within about 4 miles: 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.
59%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Mar 24
Last spring frost; first fall frost Nov 15.
71°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Louisville
107 mi
2h13
02
Lexington
146 mi
2h57
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 4.5 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 49 SITES
Color byShow only
49 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
48
50-amp
2
Accessible
0
Prime
49
Sites
★ The standout
Site 05
TAIL · pull-through · shaded.
To neighbor
119 ft
Max rig
115 ft
Type
Pull-thru
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
2
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
4.5 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.