American Adventurer
Agency-listedKDFWRFree

West Kentucky WMA

Drive-up · public land · KY · 37.13211, -88.81142
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The land manager lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.

FREE primitive camping, but ONLY in this WMA's DESIGNATED camping area -- KDFWR's own page says: "Primitive camping is allowed on the WMA, but ONLY at the designated camping site." In Kentucky you do NOT need a hunting or fishing license just to camp or hike a Wildlife Management Area, and ordinary KDFWR WMAs charge no access or camping fee (only Otter Creek and Peabody WMA require an entry permit, and this is neither). It is unlawful to camp anywhere on a WMA except in a designated area (301 KAR 3:010), so camping outside the marked site is not allowed. Expect primitive conditions -- generally no electric, no hookups, little or no water; pack water in and everything out. Near Paducah in Future City -- about 7 miles from I-24 exit 4, north on KY-996 then west on KY-358. Primitive only: no electric, water, or restrooms provided. (About 546 acres were removed from the WMA effective June 30, 2025, per KDFWR.) Kentucky WMA rules and camping availability change and can be closed by posting -- confirm the current rules, the designated campsite location, and any stay limit with KDFWR (1-800-858-1549) before you go, and read the signs at the entrance. HEADS UP: this is working wildlife-management land -- during Kentucky's fall/winter hunting seasons wear blaze orange or pick a different night. The pin is KDFWR's published coordinate for the WMA (a general access reference point), NOT the exact campsite -- find the designated camping area on the WMA map before you commit to it after dark.

USGS topo — contours & terrain
USGS topographic map of West Kentucky WMA
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Aerial image of West Kentucky WMA
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Weather outlook — at West Kentucky WMA
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 365 ft.
Fire & smoke — around West Kentucky WMANIFC · 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 West Kentucky WMA · public land · KY

15 MI30 MI60 MIYOUR CAMPN ↑Water · 14 miWDump · 38 miDHarbison's County Market · Propane · 37 miPMarathon · Fuel · 5 miFBig John · Grocery · 5 miGWalgreens · Pharmacy · 5 miRxMenards · Hardware · 7 miHValvoline · Mechanic · 7 miMSpeedwash America LLC · Laundry · 11 miLShower · 21 miShAir-up · 33 miAGLOW Med Spa & Wellness · Urgent care · 8 mi+Sierra · Outfitter · 8 miOMetropolis Post Office · Mail · 5 mi@Acees BP Metropolis · EV fast charger · 7 miEV
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
  • @Mail5 mi
  • RxPharmacy5 mi
  • FFuel5 mi
  • GGrocery5 mi
  • EVEV fast charger7 mi
  • HHardware7 mi
  • MMechanic7 mi
  • +Urgent care8 mi
  • OOutfitter8 mi
  • LLaundry11 mi
  • WWater14 mi
  • ShShower21 mi
  • AAir-up33 mi
  • PPropane37 mi
  • DDump38 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 5 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 — West Kentucky WMA

Access
Drive-up
Land
public land
Elevation
365 ft
State
KY
Coordinates
37.13211, -88.81142
Cost
Free

Nearby & resupply — around West Kentucky WMA · public land · KY (OpenStreetMap)

  • Water featureWater · nearby
  • Nearest townRossington · ~1.3 mi
  • Drinking waternone within 10 mi
  • FuelMarathon · ~5.2 mi
  • Propane / LPGFerrellgas · ~9.4 mi
  • GroceriesBig John · ~5.3 mi
  • PharmacyWalgreens · ~4.8 mi
  • Hospital / clinicMassac Memorial Hospital · ~4.6 mi
  • HardwareCairo Public Utility Hardware Store · ~21.6 mi

EV charging — from West Kentucky WMA · public land · KY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

Nearby restrooms — around West Kentucky WMA · public land · KY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

Open West Kentucky WMA elsewhere

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Other camps near West Kentucky WMA

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

How we know this — West Kentucky WMA

Source
public land records
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
Kentucky Dept. of Fish & Wildlife Resources public-land page, app.fw.ky.gov/public_lands_search/detail.aspx?Kdfwr_id=137 (read 2026-07-22); page states on-WMA camping is allowed in a designated area ("Primitive camping is allowed on the WMA, but ONLY at the designated camping site.") and is silent on any fee. Free/no-license basis: KDFWR FAQ (fw.ky.gov/More/Pages/FAQ.aspx) -- no license needed to camp/hike a WMA, only Otter Creek & Peabody require an entry permit; and 301 KAR 3:010 (unlawful to camp except in a designated area, no fee imposed). Coordinate = KDFWR's own published lat/lon for the WMA (37.1332, -88.8139), cross-checked via Nominatim reverse-geocode to fall in McCracken County. It is the WMA's general reference point, NOT the campsite -> confidence='med' on pin precision (free-status is high). ~4,495 acres. Scanned KDFWR ids 1-260 (59 valid WMA pages) this fire; Dewey Lake (26) and Carr Creek (131) EXCLUDED -- their pages say camping is in Corps-maintained (paid USACE) campgrounds only; Higginson-Henry (132) HELD -- own page silent on camping. [2026-08-16 fire 740 COORDINATE CORRECTION] The lat/lon on this row was previously KDFWR's WMA *entrance* GPS (37.1332,-88.8139), which is the area office on KY 358, not the campsite. Moved ~300 m to the single point KDFWR labels Type='Campground' on this WMA in its own map layer. Coordinates are KDFWR's own, from the agency WMA_Map_Points layer, https://services5.arcgis.com/RMHPuOW5MJ6iyTV6/arcgis/rest/services/WMA_Map_Points/FeatureServer/0 (Type='Campground', read 2026-08-16). | auto:agency-trust 2026-08-18: state agency GIS record with a source URL and coordinates, confidence not low. Fee value is the agency's own, not field-checked. Not field-verified -- confirm access, road conditions and fire rules before you go.
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 West Kentucky WMA

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.

Before you go — West Kentucky WMA

Finding water out here →Dumping grey & black →Fire rules & restrictions →Reading the aerial →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 →