Camping in Cedars of Lebanon State Park: Newly Paved Sites

Cedars of Lebanon State Park is a great location for a weekend getaway in Middle Tennessee. Why is it great for a getaway you ask? Because this little campground is tucked back in the woods and surrounded by nature, but you still have phone service. It’s the perfect combination of being unplugged and getting some fresh air while still being able to stay in touch with the world.

Whether you are planning on staying in a tent, camper, or a full size RV, there are 117 sites with electricity and water waiting for you. With 10 miles of hiking trails, and just 40 minutes from Nashville, you won’t want to miss this peaceful campground. Plus, you can even stay in one of their 9 cabins!

So let’s dive right in!

Important Links

Cedars of Lebanon State Park Website
Printable Trail Map
Campground Map
Cedars of Lebanon State Park Reservations – Make Camping Reservations HERE!
Hiking in Cedars of Lebanon State Park – Read about hiking here

Location

Cedars of Lebanon State Park offers great proximity to Nashville, Tennessee with only a 40 minute drive into the city. But don’t worry about feeling like you are in the city, or even a suburb if you are staying at this campground.

This campground is perfectly laid out to feel like you are tucked into the woods, despite only being 900 acres. My husband and I camped here for 2 weeks and enjoyed the space and that we were able to walk to all the trailheads.

And with such close proximity to Nashville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville, it’s the perfect little place for a weekend away from the hustle and bustle.

But how much time do you really need at such a small campground?

Time to Spend Here

Cedars of Lebanon State Park is not a large state park. And even though we spent 2 full weeks camping here, I would most likely recommend a weekend.

To experience this state park in all its glory, you will probably only need half a day to hike all, or most, of the trails. All of the trails are short and easy to navigate. And if you want a day in Nashville, or an evening spent downtown to experience the Honky Tonks, then here is what I recommend.

Suggested Itinerary

Friday: Arrive as early as possible and set up camp. Spend the evening around the fire relaxing and enjoying the woods.
Saturday: Get up and hike a few of the trails in the morning to experience the park. Then shower and head into Nashville. You can complete a tour or just shop hop/bar hop on Broadway Street. (Here are some suggestions of tours to take if you are interested in experiencing Nashville!)
Sunday: Sleep in a little and wrap up camp. Check out is at noon, and then head home.

Now, this is just a suggestion, but it will give you a taste of Cedars of Lebanon as well as Nashville if you want to experience the city.

Below is what we did.

Our Itinerary

We camped at Cedars of Lebanon State Park in the Spring of 2024 and stayed for 2 weeks. While this is definitely too long to stay at this state park, the price was right and we were able to break in our new camper in a familiar area.

But while we were here, we were able to…

Hike every trail several times
Go into Nashville two different days
Relax in the quiet campground

But from all that we were able to do while we stayed here, if I had to camp here again, I would follow the suggested itinerary above to get the most of the park and the area.

Hiking Options – LINK TO HIKE POST

Now for my fellow avid hikers, there are 7 trails here. They are all easy and basically a walk in the woods. So no, this is not the best hiking that Tennessee has to offer, but Cedars of Lebanon’s trails are very family friendly or a great place to stretch your legs after winter.

For more details on the 7 trails in Cedars of Lebanon State Park, check out my post on Hiking in Cedars of Lebanon State Park.

Alright, let’s get into the details about the campground!

Campground

When camping at Cedars of Lebanon State Park, there are several options for you to consider. Obviously this mostly depends on your budget, but you can choose to rough it a little, or you can choose to glamp. I am here to help you know your options and what they each cost!

As far as options go, there are 117 tent/camper/RV sites in this campground and there are 9 deluxe cabins. But a little known secret about Cedars of Lebanon is they have a historic cabin tucked back in the woods, perfect for a romantic getaway. I’ll be laying out the prices and what the details are of each option.

But before we get into these options, here are some details about the campground.

Cedars of Lebanon Campground Details

Open for camping all year
117 campsites in 3 sections
3 different bathroom/shower houses
1 playground
Dog Friendly
A Nature Center
Laundry Room
1 Historical Cabin (Perfect for romantic getaways!)
9 Fully Equipped Cabins

Tent/Camper/RV Sites (Dog Friendly)

With 117 recently remodeled and expanded campsites, Cedars of Lebanon State Park is the perfect place to camp no matter what type of equipment you have! While we were there, we saw everything from tent campers, to car campers, to built-out vans, to fifth-wheels, to travel trailers and even gigantic RVs.

Each campsite offers water hook up and 20/30/50 Amp electrical hookup. There are a couple premium sites that have sewer hookup as well, but if you don’t want to pay the extra, there is a dump station at the entrance/exit of the campground.

Each camping loop surrounds a bathhouse, making it easily accessible no matter which campsite you book. There is also a laundry room right in the camper check-in building, making laundry easy if you need to do it.

Beware of the WiFi here though, it’s extremely limited and slow. The Cedars of Lebanon State Park website boasts that they have WiFi for you to finish up work, but I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t work very well. We worked off our hotspot the entire time we camped here.

But as you can see, the campground is spaced out very well and we enjoyed the space to enjoy our stay without being packed in like sardines.

Cabins (2 Cabins are Dog Friendly)

Cedars of Lebanon State Park offers 9 fully equipped cabins so you can escape into nature without having to fear the elements. There is a two night minimum stay to book one of these cabins, unless it’s a holiday weekend, because then there is a 3 night minimum.

Each cabin has 2 bedrooms (one with a Queen bed and one with a King bed) as well as a loft option with 2 twin beds. This is perfect for either a family, two couples, or even a small group of friends.

There are only 2 cabins (8 and 9) that allow dogs and there is a $20 fee per night, per pet in these two cabins. So if you are planning to book with Fido, I would recommend doing it sooner rather than later so these cabins aren’t already booked.

Historic Cabin for 2

The final option for staying in Cedars of Lebanon State Park is the Ricketts Historical Cabin. This is Cedar’s most expensive option, but might be just what you and your significant other need for some time together.

An inside view of the Historical Cabin: Taken from TN State Parks website

This beautiful little log cabin was built in the 1930’s and is perfect for a honeymoon or a romantic weekend away. Meant for 2, a king bed and an open concept will greet you when you arrive. And with their rocking chairs on the front porch, this cabin can provide the peace and solitude perfect for any couple.

Price Comparison

These are all approximate prices to give you an idea of price comparison. So take these numbers with a grain of salt as I can’t check every single date to find every single price.

Campsite Price

1 day: $45 – $52 per night
1 week: $380

Cabin Price

2 days: $310
1 week: $1,200

Historical Cabin Price

2 days: $465
1 week: $1,900

And as you can see, there is a big price difference between the campsites and the cabins. But considering I have no way of knowing your budget, book away and enjoy the peaceful woods!

Our Camping Experience

My husband and I camped here for 2 weeks straight! And in that time we saw people from all walks of life roll through this campground. Some people stayed for a single night, while others were there for a week or even longer (like us).

With the spread out layout of the park, we quite enjoyed that we weren’t stacked on top of eachother like at some campgrounds. And because of the Cedar’s recent improvement project, the pads are all paved now and wide enough for nearly any rig!

The bathhouses offered a clean group of showers, and a typical campground set of bathrooms. Everything was very clean and functional and we never felt gross when using the facilities.

There is a laundry room attached to the Camper Check-In building. We did use these facilities while staying here and were happy with our laundry results…no clothes were ruined and they all came out clean. Which is pretty much all I’m ever looking for when I’m doing laundry.

We were able to walk to all of the trailheads and walk all of the trails multiple times throughout our stay. Our dog was welcome at the campground and on all the trails. We also got to experience a touch of Downtown Nashville from this location.

Overall, we enjoyed our stay at Cedars of Lebanon State Park. It was the perfect place to figure out our camper and enjoy nature while we worked from the campsite.

Conclusion

Cedars of Lebanon State Park has a great little campground with 117 campsites that each offer water and 20/30/50 Amp services. This relaxed environment is a wonderful place to get away from the hustle and bustle of life.

And whether you want to hike, relax around a campfire, or go into Nashville for a day or two, this campground offers you access to all of that.

As always, if you have any further questions, feel free to reach out to me at averagewildexperience@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to help with any planning!

Happy Camping!