Agency-listedUSFSFee
Smith Bay Campground
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · KY · 36.90971, -88.14871
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Smith Bay Campground
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 380 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Smith Bay CampgroundNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from Smith Bay Campground · Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area · KY
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater3 mi
- ShShower6 mi
- OOutfitter6 mi
- @Mail8 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- LLaundry9 mi
- RxPharmacy11 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- HHardware12 mi
- +Urgent care12 mi
- MMechanic17 mi
- DDump30 mi
- AAir-up37 mi
- PPropane48 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 9 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — Smith Bay Campground
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
380 ft
State
KY
Coordinates
36.90971, -88.14871
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Smith Bay Campground · Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area · KY (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townGrand Rivers · ~8.0 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~2.7 mi
- FuelFuel · ~9.2 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~29.9 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~9.2 mi
- PharmacyDraffenville Pharmacy · ~10.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~11.5 mi
- HardwareBenton Hardware · ~11.5 mi
EV charging — from Smith Bay Campground · Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area · KY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.3 mi straight-line N — Kuttawa, KY - US62 - Tesla Supercharger (at a gas station) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 19 within 50 · 141 within 100 · 247 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS22.4 mi — Parker Ford, Murray
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO29.1 mi — LINWOOD CHEVY CPE250, Mayfield
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.0 mi — GTB GTB 2, Grand Rivers, KY · ChargePoint Network · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 353801 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Smith Bay Campground · Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area · KY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletSmith Bay Campground · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletS.M. Boating Ramp · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletBirmingham Ferry Campground · ~1.3 mi NW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletB.F. Boating Ramp · ~1.4 mi NW · USFS
Open Smith Bay Campground elsewhere
Other camps near Smith Bay Campground
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Birmangham Ferry Backcountry Area & Boat Ramp at Land Between The Lakes~1.4 mi
- Pisgah Point Backcountry Camping~2.2 mi · fee
- Hillman Ferry Campground~3.0 mi · fee
- Sugar Bay Campground~4.0 mi · fee
The unit that manages Smith Bay Campground
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Smith Bay Campground are set by Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Smith Bay Campground
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about Smith Bay Campground
A land record can put you within a few meters of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Smith Bay Campground
What “dispersed” means here →Fire rules & restrictions →Camping with a dog →Reading your camp page →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →