Agency-listedUSFSFee
Zilpo Recreation Area
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · KY · 38.07092, -83.48425
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 Zilpo Recreation Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 756 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Zilpo Recreation AreaNIFC · 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 Zilpo Recreation Area · Daniel Boone National Forest · KY
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater3 mi
- FFuel5 mi
- GGrocery5 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- MMechanic8 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- OOutfitter22 mi
- DDump23 mi
- LLaundry23 mi
- ShShower23 mi
- +Urgent care25 mi
- AAir-up43 mi
- PPropane49 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, 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 — Zilpo Recreation Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
756 ft
State
KY
Coordinates
38.07092, -83.48425
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Zilpo Recreation Area · Daniel Boone National Forest · KY (OpenStreetMap)
- Drinking waterWater · ~2.6 mi
- FuelFuel · ~5.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~22.6 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~5.3 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~16.1 mi
- Hospital / clinicCasa San Pio · ~25.2 mi
- HardwareLowe's · ~8.4 mi
EV charging — from Zilpo Recreation Area · Daniel Boone National Forest · KY — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.9 mi straight-line NW — Down Home Diner, Morehead, KY · FCN · CCS, NACS (Tesla) · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 9 within 50 · 92 within 100 · 355 within 150
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO58.2 mi — Walmart 571 (Georgetown, KY), Georgetown
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)7.7 mi — FHI BOODRY, Morehead, 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 457517 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Zilpo Recreation Area · Daniel Boone National Forest · KY — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomZilpo Day-Use Area · at this camp · USFS
- Flush restroomZilpo Recreation Area · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletClaylick Boat-In Campground · ~1.1 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletClaylick Boat Ramp · ~1.3 mi SE · USFS
Open Zilpo Recreation Area elsewhere
Other camps near Zilpo Recreation Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Claylick Boat-In Campground~1.1 mi · fee
- Twin Knobs Recreation Area~1.9 mi · fee
- Boat Gunnel Group Campground~2.2 mi · fee
- White Sulphur Horse Camp~5.1 mi · fee
The unit that manages Zilpo Recreation Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Zilpo Recreation Area are set by Daniel Boone National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Zilpo Recreation Area
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 Zilpo Recreation Area
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 — Zilpo Recreation Area
What “dispersed” means here →Fire rules & restrictions →Reading your camp page →Dispersed camping tips →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 →