Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort: My Review

Our Stay at Cumberland Falls

In the way back machine of 2020 we “geared up” for our first RV adventure by visiting Cumberland Falls and staying in a tiny house. Our tiny house was way smaller than our RV, but a great chance to “rough it”.

This trip was strategically planned to align with a Fall 2020 Moonbow. We enjoyed hiking in Cumberland Falls State Park. And we knew a return trip to explore this beautiful area was a “someday” type trip.

As Labor Day 2023 approached, we had not been RV camping since our Epic Summer 2023 trip out west. We did camp at Glacier National Park. Well sort of…we stayed at Under Canvas. In. A. TENT! A luxury tent, but a tent no less!

Labor Day camping is usually super busy so we try to avoid it, but with the kids’ school schedules, I wanted to get away from the city for a while. Lucky for us, the Sheltowee Trace Adventure Center had plenty of openings even on late notice! So, we booked a site before we had time to say no.

Where to Camp Near Cumberland Falls

Sheltowee Trace Adventure Center is located about 5 miles from Cumberland Falls State Park Visitor Center. The visitor center is situated along the Cumberland River and a short walk from both the parking lot and Cumberland Falls.

The Sheltowee Trace Adventure Center is the closest big rig-friendly camping near Cumberland Falls.

Sheltowee Trace Adventure Center

Location! Campers seeking an in-the-park feel, but with the amenities of a private campground will truly enjoy the Sheltowee Trace Adventure Center. A short 5-mile drive is all that separates campers from the Niagara of the South, Cumberland Falls.

Sheltowee is even closer to one of our favorite hiking trails; Dog Slaughter Falls. Don’t let the name fool you. This hike gives hikers a spectacular trail through the woods with an awesome waterfall at the end as the payoff!

Camping in Cumberland Falls State Park

Cumberland Falls State Park has a campground that can work for smaller rigs (under 30 feet) and tent campers. This campground puts campers in the heart of the state park. Campers are a few steps from the lodge (via a maintained trail). From the lodge, hikers can traverse down the hill towards the Cumberland River and the falls.

Although we did not stay at the State Park, we have made that hike a few times and it’s a fairly easy walk through the woods. If you’re planning to hike down to see the Moonbow, make sure you have a good headlamp to light the trail!

Other Camping Options Near Cumberland Falls

Within about 15 miles of Cumberland Falls, there are several campgrounds including:

The Enclave RV Park
Laurel Lake Camping Resort
Grove Campground
Cumberland River Campground
Summer Shoals Retreat

Arrival at Sheltowee Trace

Cumberland Falls is located about 180 miles from Louisville. Towing an RV that journey takes about 3 hours. Recognizing Labor Day traffic would be heavy we decided to leave about 1 PM. Often, this planned leaving doesn’t line up with reality. But, today it did!

We arrived about 4 PM local time. To our surprise, we were a first arriver at the campground. This rarely happens. Usually, the party is in full swing when we arrive.

Arriving early gave us plenty of space to get our set-up situated without being rushed by other campers!

How was Check-In?

We parked in the staging lanes and Sara went inside to work some magic. Check-in seemed smooth and our site was ready. Which made sense because we were one of the few campers there!

Campground Navigation with our RV in Tow

The interior roads are gravel-lined and well-marked. From the staging lanes, we drove to our site. Interior roads were reasonably wide. Like one and a half vehicles wide or so. All roads were one-way, so this was not a problem.

Our site, 206, was a pull-through with full hookups (water, electricity, sewer, no cable). Site 206 is an end cap site. Which gave us plenty of open green space on the driver’s side of the camper. We had a nice patio area with the world’s longest picnic table.

Overall the site was wide and plenty long enough for our 40-foot fifth-wheel camper and truck to comfortably park on the site.

All utilities worked as they should.

We found two downsides with the site…One, when leaving Site 206 we had to make a sharp left turn to access the exit road. A “U-turn” is the closest I can describe it. And it’s uphill. So, plan accordingly when you’re leaving. Second, no afternoon shade. We had awesome Northern Sky views for Starlink. So, we had that going for us!

Observations about Other Sites

The pull-through sites were easy to navigate. The back-in sites (101 to 105) looked very tricky. Mostly because the interior road was a little narrow AND most of these sites had trees really close to the pivot of your turn. Our neighbor in site 103 made it in but that site looked really tough.

The dump station was in a funky spot. Usually, the dump station is on the way out of the campground. Here campers had to circle around to hit the dump station. Not a big deal, but something that struck me as a little unusual in the layout.

What Campground Amenities Does Sheltowee Trace Offer

In addition to RV sites, Sheltowee has a number of sleeping accommodations:

Cozy Cabins: the tiny house we stay in on our first visit
Couples Cabins: larger cabins meant for bigger parties
Drive to Tent Primitive Camping
Primitive Tent Platforms
Back in Primitive RV Sites: These looked like they could accommodate a long camper. They are fully shaded so solar is not an option back here. Nevertheless, these were private and similar to state park camping!
Backwoods Primitive Camping: Flat space in the woods with a picnic table and fire ring. Parking was close by; think car camping!

Bathhouses

Sheltowee offers several bathhouses. The bathhouse closest to our campsite provided service to the primitive campsites as well as laundry. It was well used. But, the staff kept it clean. The bath and shower houses on the other side of the campground were a short walk and we used the shower house one evening. This was special because it was closer to “open air”. The showers were private, but outside air was circulating through the shower house. On a warm day, this felt good.

Fun Amenities

Sheltowee offers some really cool activities and amenities.

Hiking Trails

The campground has a couple of hiking trails on the property. I ran the Wagon Trail and part of the Falls Creek Trail one morning. The Wagon Trail is picked up near the Couple Cabins. Along the Falls Creek Trail is a beautiful outcrop of rocks which would have a nice waterfall during the rainy season. It was dry on Labor Day!

Zip Lines

There are three zip lines available. All have a fee associated. The fee felt steep to us, so we passed on these. Maybe $5 dollars a ride would have enticed us to take a ride?

Playground, Snack Bar & Grill, and Picnic Pavilion

The playground was well-kept and had rubber mulch to keep kids safe!

The White Dog Snack Bar and Grill seemed like a good option for hungry guests. Especially those visiting for the day while taking a rafting trip. We did not visit so we can’t give our two cents on the food! Sorry!

The pavilion offered a number of tables and a nice roof shelter.

River Rafting and Guide Services

Sheltowee Trace is your HQ for all rafting and guide adventures. We enjoyed the Rainbow Mist Tour!

Need More Adventure (Try White Water Rafting)

Sheltowee Trace leads white water rafting trips down the Cumberland River. All trips stay well clear of the Falls, so no risk of going over! Tip options include:

Upper Upper Cumberland (trip length options 1/4 day to 3/4 day)
Upper Cumberland (trip length options 1/2 day to multi-day)

Adventure seekers can choose to ride in a raft, inflatable duckie, or tube. On our Rainbow Mist trip, we talked to the guide about the rapids. He assured us the rapids rank out as Class III to Class IV. That was encouraging because this is Kentucky and we’re not known for rapids.

We are looking forward to visiting again and checking out these trips!

Site Seeing Cruises

Site seeing cruises are available and some include lunch while on the boat. Sheltowee offers cruises on their 65-foot riverboat that cruises down the Cumberland River offering visitors a breathtaking view of the river from the water!

Guided Hikes

If you want to explore the woods but want the comfort of a guide, Sheltowee Trace Adventures offers 3 hour guided tours of several nearby arches and waterfalls. Sites to be visited include:

Schoolhouse Arch
Phalanx Arch
Whippoorwill Arch
Whippersnapper Arch (sounds fun!)
Bark Camp Cascades
Amos Falls

If you are more adventurous, check out the AllTrails app and go explore on your own.

Overall Review

We enjoyed our stay at Sheltowee Trace Adventure Resort and would come back because the location is a great jumping-off point for exploring Cumberland Falls State Park, Daniel Boone National Forest, and the Big South Fork National Recreation Area.

Rating Sheltowee Trace Campground – 3 Campers out of 5 Campers

Rating Sheltowee Trace Campsite (Site 206) – 3 Campfires out of 5 Campfires

Other Resources

Visitors to the Cumberland Falls area should consider the following areas of interest: