In this edition of our campground review series we will be reviewing Cummins Ferry RV Resort located in Salvisa, Kentucky.

This was our first visit to Cummins Ferry RV Resort and it was one of those places that we hoped would live up to what we saw in the photos while we were researching places to visit.

Unfortunately, it is all too common for amazing photos to be posted online that are not always representative of the reality on the ground when you arrive for your stay. And when you are booking for an entire month arriving at some RV resorts and campgrounds can be very stressful because you are not always sure of what you are getting into until you get there and get settled.

To say we were relieved when we came around the bend and saw the resort for the first time, after driving down a long and narrow road towards an uncertain destination, would be an understatement.

Cummins Ferry RV Resort is located in central Kentucky off of the Bluegrass Parkway and state route 127 in the small town of Salvisa. It’s situated on the Kentucky River and is open year round, which was a big surprise to us. The location is great for kayaking, visiting historical sites and of course driving the bourbon trail to all of the distilleries. There are also a good number of craft breweries and wineries in the area.

The road to the resort is interesting to say the least. First, you have to make sure you Do Not follow your GPS as it will take you down McAfee Rd and you will not have a good time if that happens. They have a sign that says no RV’s at the turn and it’s best to heed that warning. You will actually want to go up about a mile further and turn onto Cummins Ferry Rd. and then take it slow and easy from there.

These are small and narrow country roads so it might feel like you are lost and driving down a road where your RV should never be going, but don’t worry as there are signs that will point you in the right direction. Just go slow and be on the lookout for oncoming traffic, especially once you get to the one lane bridge. Yes, you read that correctly. There is small bridge that only has one lane so caution is warranted.

But we are not done yet! No once to get through the small country roads and cross the one lane bridge you will come to the tree covered driveway entrance to the resort. This 1/4 mile of fun takes you down to the resort on the rivers edge and it is steep and narrow. Make sure to use low gears to save your brakes and hope no one is coming from the opposite direction because someone will have to back up.

Once you get to the bottom of the hill everything opens up and the wonders of the resort reveal themselves as you drive up to the entrance gate. It’s at that point you realize the 5 mile trek down narrow country roads and across a single lane bridge was worth the trip.

Amenties

Campsites – The resort is a pretty good size with back-in sites around the perimeter and pull-thru sites in the middle. All of the sites have 50/30 amp connections however, there are some sites that do not have a sewer connection. We did see a honey wagon going around a few times so we assume they will pump out those sites that do not have a sewer connection if needed.

All of the sites are large with either asphalt or compacted gravel in the parking space and new large concrete pads on the outdoor space. They also all have a nice grass area, great campfire rings and plenty of space to spread out and make yourself at home.

The resorts wi-fi is pretty good as is and we were able to stream netflix and amazon with limited problems, which mostly occurred on busy weekends. They have installed Starlink and are working on getting it set up as their regular service for the entire park. During our stay is was only available up by the pool and camp store, but it was amazing and super fast! Please let this become a trend for campgrounds!!

They also have propane for sell on site should you need to fill your RV or grill tank.

There are a few things that people should be aware of when booking here.

First, almost every site seems to be unlevel due to the slope heading towards the river. In fact, some of the sites on the woodside way side of the park are so unlevel that people have to use an absurd amount of blocks to get their front end level. We saw some long term people that have cinder blocks stacked three high which is just crazy.

We were situated on the river view side and while the slope isn’t as bad we still could not get level without putting every block we had under our front tires and jacks. The same appeared to be the case for the middle pull-thru sites. So be prepared with a good amount of leveling blocks or whatever you use as you are going to need them. Also be prepared to spend some time getting situated properly.

Second, the drainage in some areas of the resort is not great and some of the sites do get a lot of standing water that never seems to dry out. And since it seemed to rain quite often it was always good to have a towel on the ground in our RV to avoid tracking in stuff.

Third, the river view campsites are along the river, but there isn’t much of a view for most of the sites. This is because the river is down in the valley a little bit and there are also a lot of trees blocking the view of it. We had a decent view, but it was mostly because the river was really high when we arrived due to the thunderstorms and flooding that hit the state.

This was the biggest complaint we heard from other guests on this side of the campground so we felt the information should be passed along to our readers.

Common Areas – This place is huge and there are a ton of common areas and no shortage of things to do. The campground is very well maintained and they have a great camp store with a lot of fun items and some necessities, like wood for your campfire and ice cream. Oh, and don’t for get to visit the FREE popcorn machine.

In addition to a great camp store they have a good size pool, disk golf, volleyball, tetherball, kids playground, two on site hiking trails, kayak rentals and a laundry room. And if that wasn’t enough they have a live band and food trucks every Saturday in their pavilion! One word of caution, the pool is a little chilly!

Cleanliness

The resort is kept very clean and the staff goes out of their way to make sure it stays that way. The bath houses located on the main building by the pool are also kept nice and clean, even over a busy labor day weekend.

The dumpsters are located on the road where you drive into the resort out past the pavilion. This is the only place to dispose of garbage so most people drive to it in their car or golf cart. We chose to use it as an opportunity to walk and get some steps in.

There was currently no off leash dog area, but there was so much grass our dog was very happy. They do have some pet stations situated throughout the resort with bags and trash.

Please Note: Just before our stay ended we were talking to the owner and he broke the news that he is creating a huge new off leash dog park on the far end of the resort! He had seeded the area and told us we could check it out if we wanted, so we did. It’s going to be a great spot with a lot of grass and it’s under some large trees that provide great shade. This will be a very welcome improvement for guests and their pups!

Customer Experience

While it is a little off the beaten path Cummins Ferry is a great place to stay and we look forward to visiting again someday. Once you get past the frustrations of getting settled on an unlevel site, you just can’t beat the atmosphere of being on the river and all of the amenities that they offer at this resort.

Then when you consider the locations proximity to the bourbon trail distilleries, craft breweries, wineries and horse farms it just makes the stay there that much better. And that doesn’t even take into account how close you are to great places like Lexington, Versailles, Frankfort, Shaker Village, historic Harrodsburg and the civil war battlefield at Perryville. All of the history and culture that comes along with this area just compounds the benefits of staying at the resort.

Cost

One would think that all of these great amenities and the location on the river would call for a huge price tag, but that’s just not the case. The daily rates for the resort are very reasonable ranging from $40 – $65. They also give a discount for weekly stays that range from $225 – $285 and for monthly stays that range from $550 – $750.

Please Note: The campground does charge $0.15 per kilowatt hour for electricity on monthly stays. While this is a very reasonable price it is not noted anywhere on their website or explained by the staff when you check in as it should be.

Conclusion

Having gone from a no frills campground to Cummins Ferry RV Resort where they have pretty much everything you could ask for was a bit of a shock. Our hope was that it would just be as nice in person as it looked on the website when we booked our stay. Not only did we get that, but we also got a great resort experience that was located in a great part of the state

If your the type of camper who just wants to lounge by the pool or in your campsite and enjoy everything the resort has to offer this is a great place to do that. But, if you are a history buff who also enjoys bourbon, craft beer and wine in addition to hanging out at the resort! Well then, you’re going to be hard pressed to find a better location.

As we said they do have some things that could be better. Hopefully they will continue to improve the sites and level them out. That is one of our pet peeves with campgrounds as it is a first impression and starts the stay off on the wrong foot. The good thing is that at Cummins Ferry RV Resort once you get past that frustration and begin to enjoy the resort it more than makes up for it.

Bonus

We briefly mentioned the historic civil war battlefield at Perryville earlier. While the bourbon trail distilleries rightfully get most of the attention from people visiting this area these historic sites should not be overlooked. In fact, you can incorporate a visit to the battlefield into the bourbon trail tour as it is very close to the Wilderness Trail Distillery, which we also highly recommend visiting.

In this day and age where our history is being defamed, distorted and taken out of historical context by people trying to make modern day judgements on historical events everyone would benefit from taking time to visit these historic sites. The facts of the time period and the events that occurred are on full display for those who are interested in learning the true history of our nation without the interference and false rhetoric of those who wish to rewrite it.

We hope you enjoyed our review. If you have any questions or comments please leave them below.

See you on the road………….

Joe

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