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Corbin/ Laurel Lake KOA
- 171 East City Dam Road
- Corbin, KY 40701
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Get Directions
Directions
From I-75 Exit 29, go W 1/4 mi, turn L on City Dam Road, just past the Shell gas station. Go 1/4 mi to the park entrance.
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Reserve800-562-8132
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Info606-528-1534
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2011 President's Award
KOA President's Award
Awarded to KOAs that meet exceptional quality standards and are recognized by their guests for outstanding service.
2011 KOA Founder's Award
KOA Founder's Award
KOA's highest service award, presented to KOA owners that achieve world class service scores from their camping guests.
This is the closest KOA to the Cumberland Falls State Park, known as the Niagara of the South, where you can see the famous "Moonbow."
Setting up camp at the Corbin KOA is hassle-free, thanks to big-rig friendly pull thru sites. This is the closest KOA to the Cumberland Falls State Park, known as the Niagara of the South, where you can see the famous "Moonbow." Also visit Big South Fork Scenic Railway in Sterns, the Natural Arch, Yahoo Falls, Colonel Harland Sanders (KFC) Cafe and Museum, Daniel Boone Country and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, where Daniel Boone cut his way west in 1769. Enjoy nearby whitewater rafting, horseback riding, hiking, and canoeing. At camp, relax and enjoy the great pet play area, lovely trees or walk the trail to Laurel River Lake. Wi-Fi lets you surf the net from your site. Convenience abounds with many restaurants, shops and flea markets in the area.
Meet Your Hosts
Jerry Cooney has been on a campground for much of his life. He worked with his parents, who owned and operated a campground and marina for 17 years, so owning his own campground with his wife Kendra, is a natural career.
The Cooneys recently purchased the Corbin, KY award-winning campground. "We thought it would be a great way to bring up a family - having a family business," says Jerry. "We want to help create the best family vacation memories for our guests. Ask anyone and they remember their first camping adventures!"
Kendra is a registered nurse who specializes in labor and delivery and continues to work part-time in the OB department of a local hospital. "I have realized that I am involved in most families' two major events in their lives: the birth of a child, as an OB nurse; and when they create their first or best camping memories, as a campground owner - and that feels great! What two great careers I have!" says Kendra.
"Our goal is to have our kampers tell their family and friends to join them the next time they visit us, and feel like they can't wait to come back," says Kendra.
The Cooneys are excited about their plans for the future of the Corbin KOA, which include integrating canoe and paddleboat rentals on Laurel Lake into the camping experience and adding more campsites.
When they are not taking care of their kamping guests, their own children, or, in Kendra's case, her patients, they enjoy the outdoors. Jerry enjoys riding his motorcycle through the winding roads; Kendra loves boating and water sports on the lake or the beach.
"When our kamping guests - especially the kids - say that they've had the best time they've ever had and they can't wait to come back, it makes it all worthwhile!" says Kendra.
Campground Amenities
- Bark Park for your 4 legged pals
- Cornhole (no charge)
- Hay wagon rides for the kids (no charge)
- Horseshoes (no charge)
- Nintendo Wii Sports/Guitar Hero III/ Mario Kart (no charge)
- Pavilion (no charge for use for registered campers)
Campground Activities
BBQ Dinners @ the Pavilion
On Summer Holiday weekends, a complimentary invitation to our campers for one SMOKIN' good BBQ Dinner @ our new Pavilion!
Summer Pool Activities
On Hot Summer weekends, read our bulletin board while checking in or our facebook page for funfilled pool fun! One example is our annual "GREASED PIG"
Children's Art & Crafts
During the weekends, read our bulletin board outside the office for the scheduled action packed kid's activities for all ages!
Hay Rides
During weekends, whether it be summer or fall, we have hayrides (Some spooooky & haunted) but always a blast!
Outside Movies
Families-- Enjoy watching current movies on those summer nights lying on our warm Kentucky bluegrass! Just grab a lawn chair or blanket & join us!
Whitewater rafting & canoeing
For more information, see the following website: http://www.ky-rafting.com
Float trips
Jet ski rentals & water skiing
Available at Pier 1 Rentals located on Hwy 192. They can be reached at 606-864-5196.
Boating and boat rentals
We are situated in a wooded hilltop setting above Laurel Lake. The lake is 20 miles long, has 250 miles of shoreline, and is 350 feet deep. It is a beautiful lake that is surrounded by national forest and in some areas, steep picturesque bluffs. The lake has been left in its natural state, therefore no commercial development is allowed around the lake except for two marinas. There are several boat launching facilities around the lake. One of them is located about two miles away. Some of our campsites are large enough to accommodate a boat (available upon special request) or we have a boat parking area.
Motorcycle touring
The area has many miles of scenic highways and back roads to excite your senses and challenge your riding skills. The roads wind and twist through the mountains and national forest. You can spend hours or days riding the highways and back roads of Southeast Kentucky. Depending on your interest and time available you may choose from an assortment of rides, attractions and tours. An eleven page Vacation Guide with touring information and directions is provided upon check in.
Daniel Boone Motocross Park
Enjoy Saturday night Motocross Racing, and Sunday Motocross Racing at Daniel Boone Motocross Park. Also, on non-race days you can use some of their practice tracks.
Four-wheeling
About 45 minutes south of our campground at the Tenn. I-75 exit 141 will take you to the renowned Royal Blue 4 Wheeling OHV area which has many miles of off road trails. Whether you like four wheelers, dirt bikes, or rail buggies there are trails for your riding enjoyment or to test your riding skills. Some of our campsites are large enough to accommodate off road vehicles, we also offer an off road vehicle parking area. Please call for availability.
Horseback riding
Two close-by rental stables for your riding enjoyment. Ask for details.
Antiquing
Flea Markets
http://www.londonflealand.com/
The above link will give you a sample of the great flea markets in and around the Corbin KOA area. Within the Corbin city limits there is also a huge flea market open on weekends.
Local Attractions
Setting and Amenities
Our campground is situated in a wooded hilltop setting where everyone camps under a canopy of mature trees. At the base of the hill is Laurel Lake, a 20 mile long lake that is one of the top fishing lakes in Kentucky. We offer camping for motor homes, travel trailers, tent campers, tents, primitive camping and kamping kabins. The kabins are rustic and constructed of real logs with sleeping for four. At each campsite is a fire ring, grill and picnic table. You may bring your own food and cook out on the grill or go out to eat at any of the inexpensive restaurants. Many of our campers like to walk down to the lake and catch their dinner for a cook out on the grill. Come spend your vacation with us and enjoy the unspoiled rugged beauty of southeast Kentucky.
Cumberland Falls
Known as the Niagara of the South, this is the largest, most impressive waterfall east of the Rockies except for the Niagara itself. This is one of only two places in the world where you can see a moonbow (a rainbow created by the moon instead of the sun) on a regular basis.
Laurel River Lake
This is one of the most beautiful lakes in the state with forested hills and steep picturesque bluffs. This 20 mile long, 350’ deep lake, with 250 miles of shoreline, is known for its excellent Large Mouth Bass, Walleye and Trout fishing. It is also a great place for water skiing, jet skiing and other types of water sports.
Big South Fork Scenic Railway
Ride the rails to the Blue Heron Outdoor Historical Museum of coal mining and logging in the rugged, isolated and beautiful Big South Fork River basin. The railroad and exhibits bring to life the joys and sorrows of the people who carved out a living in this remote area. For more information, see http://www.bsfsry.com.
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Your trip to this ruggedly beautiful park will take you back in time to the history of each America. For nearly 150 years the forbidding Alleghenies kept early colonists from Kentucky. In 1769 Daniel Boone made his way to Kentucky through the Cumberland Gap. Within the park is Pinnacle Overlook which features a panoramic view of three states. Nearby is Fort McCook, built by Confederate troops during the Civil War to guard this passage through the mountains. Before touring the Park you should stop at the Visitors Center to see Daniel Boone’s story of carving the Wilderness Road through the forest, as told by exhibits and a slide presentation. If hiking is more to your liking, there are more than 50 miles of hiking trails in the Park, some of which are self-guided nature trails. Underneath the Park is scenic Cudjo’s Caverns, a maze of wandering passages, huge stalactites and wondrous stalagmites. Used by both the Confederate and Union forces during the Civil War, this popular cavern is the source of many local legends and traditions. For more information, visit their website at http://www.nps.gov/cuga/
Abraham Lincoln Museum
Adjacent to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is the Abraham Lincoln Museum. The museum is located on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University, and houses one of the finest Lincoln and Civil War collections in the world. The cane Lincoln carried to Ford’s Theater, personal letters he wrote, clothing he wore and the tea set used by the Lincoln Family are just some of the over 25,000 artifacts in the Museum. The Museum also contains Civil War medical instruments, weapons and uniforms.
Natural Arch
This Natural Arch is one of the largest sandstone arches in the state and is one of the area's signature features. The arch spans 150 feet and offers miles of nearby hiking trails. Following are some websites with more information:
Natural Arch information
Complete Daniel Boone National Forest information
Hensley Settlement
The Hensley Settlement is a restored Appalachian community of log cabins and split rail fences that flourished for nearly five decades on an isolated plateau. You can experience life on real working farmsteads at Hensley Settlement. At one time the settlement included a dozen active farms of about 100 people, Hensley Settlement was restored so that three of the farmsteads are functional. Two farmer-demonstrators serve the land using many of the techniques of the Hensleys themselves. The settlement is accessible via a hiking trail or a shuttle tour. Visit the Cumberland Gap website for more information on Hensley Settlement tours.
Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum
Colonel Sanders developed his secret recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken here in the 1940’s. You can dine in the restored restaurant and view the Colonel’s office, kitchen and model motel room. Throughout the refurbished restaurant/museum are displays of artifacts and memorabilia from the original Sanders Cafe and motel.
Rockcastle River
The Rockcastle River is a Kentucky State protected "wild river" and one of the most beautiful in the United States. Undeveloped, with few access points, the entire river flows through the very heart of Daniel Boone National Forest. The Forest is noted for its rugged terrain and natural beauty, but remains known to relatively few people because of the remoteness of many of its unusual rock formations, cliffs and caves. The Rockcastle is considered to be one of the best canoe streams in the country. Information on Rockcastle River is available at their website.
Big South Fork Recreation Area
This vast wilderness area, with its fantastic geological formations and lush vegetation is an outdoor lover’s paradise. The terrain is the rugged, mountainous forest land of the Cumberland Plateau. It is bisected by a deep gorge carved by the raging Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. With its Class I-IV white water it is rated as one of the ten best white water rivers in the United States. See their website at http://www.nps.gov/biso/ for more information.
Blue Heron Area
The Blue Heron area features the sweeping vistas of the Devil Jump overlooks. It is also the site of the fascinating Blue Heron Mining Community, the coal mining town that flourished here in the 1930’s and 40’s. The original Mine 18 coal tipple is the focal point of interpretive displays at the actual building sites which feature oral histories of past residents.
Additional Items of Interest
There are three golf courses, horseback riding, white water rafting, Antiquing, the largest flea market in Kentucky with over 300 booths, Civil War battlefields, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Graphite Reactor, Museum of Appalachia, and if you are a World War II airplane buff, you can see the restoration of a P-38 Lighting that was recovered from under 268 feet of ice in Greenland during 1992.
Yahoo Falls
Yahoo Falls is the highest waterfall in Kentucky, with a drop of 150 feet. What makes this waterfall so interesting is that you can walk behind the falls and have the water cascading down in front of you. Children especially enjoy this waterfall. Information on Yahoo Falls is available at their website.
Civil War Battlefields
You can visit two battlefields. The battlefield at Camp Wildcat, the first battle fought in the state of Kentucky, and the battlefield at Cumberland Gap, where the canons and remains of the old forts still exist. The following website has more information about this attraction: http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/ky/ky002.html
Iron Furnace
See the 175 year old iron making furnace. The furnace started operation in the early 1820’s and operated for sixty years making pig iron for the settlers of early America.
Stearns Coal and Lumber Museum
Downtown Stearns, built and owned by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company from 1902 to 1976, is a national historic district. The museum, located in the 1907 company office building, gives you a close look at the rugged coal mining life.
Kentucky Splash Water Park and Entertain Center
The Hal Rogers Family Entertainment Center is home to the Kentucky Splash Water Park. The center includes an 18,000 square ft. wave pool, a drift river, a kiddy activity pool, a triple slide complex, a go-kart track, a championship miniature golf course, an arcade, a batting cage, and a driving range. You'll have so much fun; you'll want to come back again, and again!
Whitewater Rafting and Canoeing
Museum of Appalachia
"The most authentic and complete replica of pioneer Appalachian life in the world." State of Tennessee Blue Book. Visit Museum of Appalachia online for more information.
Coal Mining Museums
For information, see http://www.kingdomcome.org/museum.
Restaurants
Fast food - sit down - or pizza delivery
Cumberland Gap Area
Cumberland Falls and Natural Arch Park
Known as the Niagara of the South, this is the largest, most impressive waterfall east of the Rockies except for the Niagara itself. This Natural Arch is one of the largest sandstone arches in the state and is one of the area’s signature features. The arch spans 150 feet and offers miles of nearby hiking trails.
Museum of Appalachia
Information about the museum is available at their website: http://www.museumofappalachia.org
Big South Fork Recreation Area
This vast wilderness area, with its fantastic geological formations and lush vegetation is an outdoor lover’s paradise. The terrain is the rugged, mountainous forest land of the Cumberland Plateau. It is bisected by a deep gorge carved by the raging Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. With its Class I-IV white water it is rated as one of the ten best white water rivers in the United States.
Fort Boonesborough
Visit Fort Boonesborough online for information.
