By Sarah Hughes
Image by Sarah Hughes. Trees at Piney Campground. All rights reserved.
Camping season is upon us. Here are some local campsites to consider near Clarksville, TN.
Details focus on sites with tent camping. They are in order of distance from City Hall in downtown Clarksville.
Image by Sarah Hughes. Trees in a lake at Piney Campground. All rights reserved.
Site comparison 1
Harpeth River Bridge Campground (TN)
Address: 2914 Hwy 49W
Ashland City, TN 37015*
*Use coordinates to get directions
Latitude 36° 19′ 6.3480″ N
Longitude 87° 13′ 30.0792″ W
Phone: 615-792-4195
Website: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/251574
Cost: $22
Type: Tent or RV
Activities: “The temperate climate here allows for a lengthy recreation season, including boating, canoeing, and fishing. There is a large playground for the children and horseshoe pits for the adults. A large pavilion will be great for big family get-togethers.”
Amenities: Water Hookup, Accessibility, Picnic Table, BBQ, Fire Pit, Lantern Pole, Full Hookup, Electricity Hookup, Grills/Fire Ring, etc.
Reservation only
Distance from Clarksville: 38 min
Notes: 30 min drive to Nashville, if arriving late it’s highly recommended to call the campground to notify the Park Attendant.
Site comparison 2
Dixieland Campground
Address: 1620 Pembroke-Fairview Road
Pembroke, KY 42266
Phone: 270-498-3833, 270-305-3953
Website: http://dixielandcampground.com/
Cost: $20 tent, $50 RV hookup
Type: Tent or RV
Activities: “enjoy the outdoors”
“Nestled in the woods of Pembroke Kentucky, we are a family owned and operated farm, campsite and RV Park. Come and enjoy the outdoors and get away from your fast paced life.”
Amenities: Laundry
Reservation only with application process
Distance from Clarksville: 39 min
Notes: “We are a family owned and operated campsite and farm nestled in the woods of Pembroke Kentucky.” “Dogs must be pre-approved”
Site comparison 3
LBL Whispering Pines Campground & Cabins
Address: 2168 Donelson Pkwy, Dover, TN 37058
Phone: (931) 232-4570
Website: https://www.facebook.com/WhisperingPinesDoverTN
Cost: $50/ night for a small cabin
Type: Cabin and RV
Activities: Tanning, squirrel watching, “family fun”, “slowing down”, wildlife, nature
Reservations accepted
Distance from Clarksville: 42 min
Notes: Cabins have bedding provided, excellent concierge recommendations, funny facebook page, not lakefront
Image by Sarah Hughes. Geese at Piney Campground. All rights reserved.
Site comparison 4
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, Piney Campground (Virginia Loop pictured)
Address: 621 Fort Henry Rd, Dover, TN 37058
Phone: 931-232-5331
Website: https://www.landbetweenthelakes.us/seendo/camping/piney-campground/
Cost: $16/ night plus a $6 reservation fee
Type: Tent, RV or Cabin
Activities: “swimming beach area, archery range, ball field, bike trails, a campfire theater, hiking trails, two boat ramps, and a fishing pier”
Amenities: “The newly renovated Piney Outpost provides campers a place to purchase food and drinks, ice, firewood, tick repellent, limited camping supplies, and other perishable goods. Soft drink machines are located behind the gatehouse and some shower buildings. Washers and dryers are available at Areas B, C, and D shower buildings.”
Walk in and Reservations accepted
Distance from Clarksville: 54 min
Notes: “Piney Campground is now open year-round and offers 384 well-defined lakefront and wooded sites with 283 electrical hookups, 44 sites with electric, water, and sewer, and 57 primitive sites. Most sites are capable of handling large motorhomes and campers. Campers have access to modern facilities, including a swimming beach area, archery range, ball field, bike trails, a campfire theater, hiking trails, two boat ramps, and a fishing pier. Piney also has 19 primitive cabins available for nightly rental. In addition, the summer season offers weekend recreation programs for all ages. Since 1973, in mid-September Piney holds its popular Camper’s Fair with a variety of activities including a campers’ flea market and dealer showcase of new RVs, fifth wheels, and motorhomes. It is open to the public during the weekend.”
Site comparison 5
Paris Landing/ Kentucky Lane KOA Holiday
Address: 6290 East Antioch Road
Buchanan, TN 38222
Phone: 731-642-6895
Website: https://koa.com/campgrounds/paris-landing/
Cost: Tent $30.99/night for Sat. Aug 28, 2021
Type:Tent, RV, cabins
Activities: Pool and pool lift, Cable tv, mini golf, bike rentals, WiFi, playground gym, climate-controlled bathhouse, giant connect four game, Lego wall,Disc golf, kids arts and crafts table, ping pong
Amenities: Snack bar, firewood, laundry, wheelchair accessible, store
Reservations accepted
Distance from Clarksville: 56 min
Notes: KOA, Open March 1 to November 30
Image by Sarah Hughes. Trees and lake at Piney Campground. All rights reserved.
The pastime of camping is a good way to get to know the landscape and reconnect to nature. Camping is something to do and provides its own entertainment such as hiking, swimming and barbecuing. It’s a great activity for friends and family. Philosophically, it can be used to reconnect to the simple life and find inner peace. It can help revive circadian rhythms by putting you out under the stars and sunrises, according to intuition and a study done in Feb. 2017 and published in Current Biology.
“These studies suggest that our internal clock responds strongly and quite rapidly to the natural light-dark cycle,” said lead author and CU Boulder integrative physiology professor Kenneth Wright. “Living in our modern environments can significantly delay our circadian timing, and late circadian timing is associated with many health consequences. But as little as a weekend camping trip can reset it.”
“Weekend exposure to natural light was sufficient to achieve 69 percent of the shift in circadian timing we previously reported after a week’s exposure to natural light,” Wright said.
Image by Sarah Hughes. Trees at Piney Campground. All rights reserved.
Most people go camping when the weather is nice. It’s important to pack gear to shelter and protect from weather, as bad weather can be fatal. Many campgrounds are only open seasonally, with open months listed online or by phone. In general, camping season tends to be Apr. or May to Sept. or Oct. Many campers wait for weather patterns to solidify.
“If you’re planning a camping trip, a good rule is to wait until May for the weather to work itself out” says Bottles and Banter’s section on Family RVing and Travel (see more at https://www.bottlesandbanter.com/2021/02/13/when-does-camping-season-start-best-month-camping/).
Image by Sarah Hughes. Rained out tent at Piney Campground. All rights reserved.
Since quarantine has limited travel and entertainment options this year, understandably camping in the USA has increased as an activity. A study by Kampgrounds of America predicts camping interest will remain high in 2021.
According to PR Newswire’s article on the study, Fresh Data Indicates Camping Interest To Remain High In 2021, “More than 60% of these first-time campers plan to camp the same or more in the coming year; across all campers, families are the group most likely to spend more nights camping in 2021.”
“Camping had been steadily growing in popularity prior to the pandemic, but experienced aggressive growth across the U.S. last year,” said PR Newswire, “The 2021 North American Camping Report, which surveyed U.S. and Canadian campers’ sentiments and behaviors on the outdoor recreation in January 2021, shows that more than 86 million U.S. households consider themselves campers and 48 million of those households took at least one camping trip in 2020 – up more than 6 million over 2019.” (see more at https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fresh-data-indicates-camping-interest-to-remain-high-in-2021-301273611.html).
Be aware of fees and facilities offered at your campsite of choice. Some locations are illegal to camp in or have specific regulations. Most require reservations, and some permits for specific activities. Some have websites or a phone number for reservations. Be sure to get the proper equipment. Leave no trace.