My last visit to Carter Caves was in the early spring of 2019. I remember loving the park and hikes, especially the Three Bridges Trail, even if the campsite was less-than-ideal. It has been on my “Must Return” list since then, so I was pleased to find availability for Independence Day weekend. Blue HATES fireworks and my 2022 experiment in staying home for the Fourth was an epic failure. Poor Blue would barely leave the house for a week because of all of the backyard pyrotechnics. I hoped that Carter Caves was sufficiently removed from neighboring communities to give my puppy a relatively peaceful weekend.

Campground

For all intents and purposes there are three campgrounds at Carter Caves: equestrian, primitive tenting, and RV. As both of my visits here have been with the trailer, my comments are reflective of the RV campground.

Reviews of the campground are very mixed and it is easy to see why. I think the key to this place is the site you get. I am in site 37 this time and have considerable space and shade. Other sites here either sit on top of a neighbor or the entrance road. Or both. Further compounding the crowding is the fact that this seems to be a “local” campground; many of my camping neighbors seem to have visitors and some sites have four or five visiting vehicles. Parking tags do not seem to be enforced at all.

The road to and within the campground is very narrow and flanking trees have been preserved. This is lovely when seeking shade on a hot summer day, but can be nerve-wracking when trying to back in a trailer. I will admit that getting set up here was a major failure.

First, I struggled to get the right angle on the site. Admittedly, I initially pulled up too far and got myself in trouble with a tree across from the site. A kind person helped spot, but I didn’t like how I was set up and decided to circle the campground and try again. Attempt two was immediately no better. Ugh. I knew I was in a bad spot right away.

I circled for a third attempt and backed in easily. I don’t know why it works so well, but one of my greatest tips is to scrap a bad attempt and just start over. The third time was truly a charm and my camping neighbors greeted me with applause and shouts of “girl power!” Maybe my failed tries were an act to build tension? Let’s say it was that and not miscalculations on my part.

But my problems weren’t over yet. I struggled to release the trailer latch in a way I haven’t in years. I raised and lowered the trailer. I rocked the truck back and forth. I raised and lowered the trailer again. I tried adding height to the trailer jack wondering if I needed to lift it higher. I tried prying it with a screwdriver. I used all the tricks I have learned in the past six years. Nothing was working. Eventually, I moved the jack into the position that felt most correct. I was just guessing. I moved the truck again. I banged on the hitch. Finally the latch let go with a groan. It had been a full 30 minutes of working on the issue. It was hot and humid. I was miserable. I have no idea why there was such a struggle, but I pray to all the camping gods that it won’t happen again.

Problem number three occurred when I was hooking up. As nice as many of the Kentucky State Park campgrounds are, they are terrible for providing shared hookups at every-other site. I have a 100 foot water hose, so I am normally okay in most sites for water. I was nervous about electric. In all the years I have been traveling, I have never needed a 30-amp extension cord. I knew there was a good chance my cord wouldn’t reach, but I have previously been able to dog-bone into a 20-amp and run my AC off that as long as I kept the fridge and water heater on propane.

So I didn’t panic when my cord wouldn’t reach. I was sick when I realized the site only had 30 or 50 amp outlets. Carter Caves is in a fairly remote location. A quick search told me the nearest Walmarts were equidistant and both 45 minutes away. I had briefly considered picking up a cord on my way in, but balked at the $70 price tag since the equivalent was $50 on Amazon.

Compounding the problem was the heat. What could I do with Blue? The trailer was way too hot without air conditioning. I didn’t love the idea of running into Walmart while she was in the truck. My only option would be to use the remote start on the truck to keep the AC running. It wasn’t ideal, but it beat the alternatives.

On my way out, I decided to check the camp store. Hook ups here were terrible. Maybe I wasn’t the only one who was poorly prepared? I was relieved to find a wall of cords and hoses in the store. I grabbed what I needed and an ice-cold Ale-8 (a local soft drink) as a treat. I barely balked when my total was $107. I was overpaying for the cord, but chalked it up to a tax for poorly-prepared. I should have bought the Camco cord when I didn’t need it, but I was happy to pay double in order to start just enjoying the weekend.

I had one of the larger sites in the campground. It was a great place to relax for the long weekend. The expanse of trees before me made the perfect view as I sipped my margarita. And I think the work I expended earlier in the day made it extra refreshing.

Hiking

I planned to use this trip for relaxing rather than hiking, but I couldn’t resist doing a couple short hikes. I revisited the Three Bridges Trail on Sunday, but it was a little too hot for Blue. Poor dog, struggled on the last mile of trail and couldn’t wait to return to air conditioning. We did enjoy the lushness of the ravines. This is a great trek with lots to explore. On the Sunday of a long weekend we only encountered a handful of people. This is another one of those trails that I find extremely underrated.

On another morning we explored the very brief trail from behind the visitor center to the Natural Bridge. While only a half mile, the giant tunnel and cool stream made it an excellent area to explore. This would be a great trail for families with little ones. Blue enjoyed the chance to wade.

There are still several things in this region I have yet to do. I intended to kayak and do a cave tour, but had a good book with me. The pull of lazy days at the campsite was just too strong. I guess I will just have to return another time!