This rebuilt southern Kentucky campground is open again after 3-year closure
A campground nestled in the lush Daniel Boone National Forest has reopened to the public for the first time in three years, emerging from a hiatus completely rebuilt with brand new features at each campsite.
“We know that Bee Rock Campground has been the site of so many fond memories for our visitors and so we wanted to ensure that we weren’t just making a ‘quick fix’ to this beloved campground,” said London District Ranger Jason Nedlo in a news release Friday. “We took the time to make sure we were rebuilding Bee Rock ‘right’ to give visitors a quality experience well into the future.”
After closing in 2019 due to severe flooding, a news release said the campground has been completely rebuilt and updated with new tent pads and fire rings at all campsites.
According to the release, workers combined some of those sites to create more double sites, while others have been reconfigured for easier parking.
Additionally, most of the of the stairs on the Laurel County side have been repaired or replaced, the release said.
The historic Sublimity Bridge, built in 1942 by the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps to connect the Laurel and Pulaski County sides of the campground, has also been fully restored, according to the release.
Bee Rock Campground, a U.S. Forest Service site, partially reopened in late 2021 after initial work was done to repair damage from severe flooding, the release said. It offers 25 campsites along the Rockcastle River.
The project was powered by the hard work of Daniel Boone National Forest staff, scores of volunteer and service crew members and funding from visitor-supported recreation fees and the Great American Outdoors Act, the release said Friday.
“Fully reconstructing this campground was no small order,” Nedlo said in the release. “We hosted a number of volunteer and service crews, from organizations like American Conservation Experience and Southeast Conservation Crew, who joined forces with our district staff to complete these repairs. In addition to the revenue from visitor-supported recreation fees, we were also fortunate to receive substantial financial support for this project from the Great American Outdoors Act.”
Of the $285 million from the Great American Outdoors Act to fund USFS projects, Daniel Boone National Forest has been granted more than $13 million. It will go to efforts including the London office reconstruction, Cave Run Lake road resurfacing, culvert replacement along the Turkey Foot Campground access road and other deferred maintenance projects, the park release said.