Alum Ford Campground

Alum Ford Campground is located in the Kentucky portion of Big South Fork, seven miles west of Whitley City at the end of Highway 700. This small campground sits above the Alum Ford Boat Ramp, which provides access to the Big South Fork River. The 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. The adjacent boat launch provides 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; it is a 260-mile back country trail through Daniel Boone National Forest, Big South Fork NRRA, and Natural Bridge, Cumberland Falls and Pickett State Parks in Kentucky and Tennessee. The Big South Fork Scenic Railway Depot is about 9 miles away in the town of Stearns, offering 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 rebuilt as an outdoor museum, where 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.