General Burnside Island State Park Campground

I recently stayed at General Burnside State Park on the last weekend of their season. This park is a typical older state campground, but there's an important aspect not frequently mentioned in other reviews: the campground's proximity to train tracks. Trains pass by every few hours, sounding their horns, which can be a significant noise factor to consider.

The sites are relatively close together, and the sites are not level. Each site was well-equipped with a fire ring, a sturdy metal picnic table, and a lantern pole.

The bathhouses, while not new, were adequately maintained and notably well-heated. A standout feature is a section of modernized sites offering full hookups (20/30/50 amp electric, water, and sewer).

For those reliant on cellular service, the area had strong AT&T coverage with 3 bars, allowing us to stream TV without any issues.

General Burnside State Park offers a traditional camping experience with the added benefit of modernized facilities. It's ideal for those who appreciate the rustic charm of an older campground but would be less suited for those looking for a quiet, isolated retreat due to the nearby train activity.

Very tight campground. Only visit if you like close neighbors, are good at backing RV, have leveling material, and don't like privacy. Many sunny sites. Bath house/rest room was ok. Only TV stations were PBS. Could not locate fishing spot from shoreline. Really no views of lake. Nice looking golf course. Campground was very packed on weekends with crowded roads. Staff were very friendly and grounds were well maintained. Cricket cell service worked. Left a day early.

We were in site 82, which Reserve America shows as an ADA site. The ground slopes away sharply from the pad, so I would not recommend this to anyone with a disability. The sites in many areas are very close together. Old campground that needs some upgrading. No picnic table at the site, and water was 50’ away on the wrong side shared with the next site. Positives were 50 amp service, good cell signal, and a nice golf course in the park.

This campground is where you stay if you can’t get in at Cumberland Falls State Park. It’s a decent base for local attractions and it is easily accessible. There is a golf course but aside from that the park is nothing to enjoy. Level sites are few and far between. Sites are decent size but the pads are pretty narrow. Most sites seem to be close to utilities. Did not use the bath houses but there was laundry available. While the park itself is ok, we would never stay here again due to a strange local vibe. There was a yard sale in the actual campground when we stayed. Not the park, the campground. Locals had reserved sites to sell their stuff. Friday and Saturday morning the campground was being “shopped” by local residents just cruising through the grounds. It did not seem to be a Kentucky State Park sanctioned event which made it even weirder. There is a ranger in a police car that patrols regularly. I don’t know if that means the area is safe or unsafe, just an observation. Also, there must be a racetrack close because the noise was unbearable Saturday night. Not the fault of the park but dragsters racing until after midnight close by and it was LOUD! Maybe on a different weekend my opinion would be different but overall a pretty negative experience.