Wilderness Road Campground: Affordable Cumberland Gap Camping

Throughout the United States, there are 423 National Sites.  From national parks, to battlefields, to seashores, there is so much beauty in this great country.  Of those, there are 63 National Historical Sites, including Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.  If you plan to camp here, you’ll have to book a site in the Wilderness Road Campground.  

This campground has over 150 campsites (with and without electric) and they offer a great way to stay on a budget.  The campground is also only a few minutes from several great hiking locations, and the Pinnacle Overlook, which is a beautiful place to watch a sunset.  

With their affordable and close-to-the-action campsites, you won’t want to miss out on camping in the Wilderness Road Campground!  

Important Links

–Cumberland Gap National Historical Park website

–Wilderness Road Campground – Book Campsites Here

–Camping Info

–Hiking Guide via NPS

–Trail Map – featuring the entire park

Location

Wilderness Road Campground is located in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, and is closest to Ewing, Virginia.  This campground is mere minutes from both Harrogate, TN and Middlesboro, KY.  The entire area is loaded with history and natural beauty.

This area is known as the Tri-State Area and you will consistently cross the Tennessee, Virginia and Kentucky state lines if you spend any time here.  While the campground isn’t quite on the Tri-State line itself, the campground is only 1.5 hours from Knoxville, TN, 4 hours from Roanoke, VA and 2.5 hours from Lexington, KY.  

You’ll want to use the address below to ensure that you are headed to the campground, and not one of the other buildings there.  

Address: 854 National Park Road, Ewing, VA.

ATTENTION CAMPER OWNERS – TUNNEL WARNING

If you drive or tow a camper, here is a quick piece of information I wish we had known during our visit.  If you don’t use a camper, feel free to skip this section.  

There is a tunnel located at the Tennessee/Kentucky Border known as the Cumberland Gap Tunnel.  This tunnel DOES allow you to drive through with a camper, but you need to turn off your propane to pass through.  

We ended up adding hours to our drive by thinking we had to go around the tunnel with our propane, but please save yourself the miles and the headache!

Historical Significance

You might be wondering why this area is a National Historical Park.  So here’s a quick history lesson about the area.  

The Cumberland Gap was used for hunting and passage from one area to the next by the Cherokee, Shawnee and Creek Native Americans.  These tribes lived near the gap and hunted the bison and other game as they passed through. 

As European settlers began looking to travel west across the Cumberland Mountains in the 1700’s, they discovered the gap was the easiest way.  By 1775, Daniel Boone was commissioned to blaze a trail through the gap, making a way for future settlers.  

This path became known as Wilderness Road and approximately 200,000 and 300,000 European-American colonists traveled west through the gap.

Now that you know a little bit about the area, let’s discuss how much time to spend here!

Time to Spend Here

Cumberland Gap has a deep rooted history and over 85 miles of hiking trails.  They have a great campground and plenty of picnic areas to relax in.  So depending on the type of camping trip you are looking to take, then there are a couple different answers for you.  

If you are just looking for a relaxing weekend away, then this is a great place for a weekend trip.  2-3 days will allow you to take a hike or two, as well as enjoy the view at Pinnacle Overlook, and visit the visitor center where you can learn a bit about the area.  

On the other hand, if you are looking to hike a bunch of the trails, then you will probably want more than that.  2-3 days is enough to hike a few of the highlight trails, like the Tri-State Peak or to the White Rocks and Sand Cave.  However, if you are looking to hike some of the other trails and explore as much of the park as possible, you’ll probably want closer to a week here.   

Our Itinerary

My husband and I camped here twice, once for a weekend and then we came back for a two week stay when we started traveling full-time.  Here is a sample of what our weekend stay looked like.

Weekend Itinerary

• Arrive Friday Evening, set up camp
• Saturday Morning, wake up early, hike to the Sand Cave and to the White Rocks (10ish miles).  
• Saturday Evening, come back to the campsite, shower, and cook dinner over the fire
• Sunday Morning, pack up and leave, stop at the visitor center, and head home.  

Feel free to copy our weekend trip or completely ignore it.  There is plenty for you to see and do here.  

Hiking Options 

Speaking of hiking, there are 85 miles of trails in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and plenty of options for every skill level.  You can take a look at this Trail Map but here is a list of the trails.  

List of Trails (From Easy to Strenuous) 

• Object Lesson Road Trail – 0.4 mile, easy
• Harlan Road Trail – 0.3 mile easy
• Wilderness Road Trail – 0.2 mile, easy , where you intersect with the Tri-State Trail
• Pinnacle Overlook – 200 yards, easy
• Tennessee Road Trail- 0.3 miles, easy
• Saddle of the Gap – 0.3 mile, easy
• Greenleaf Nature Trail – 0.7 mile loop, easy
• Greenleaf Nature Trail to Honey Tree Spur Trail – 1.1 mile, easy to strenuous
• Fitness Trail – 2 mile loop trail, easy to moderate
• Thomas Walker Trail to Thomas Walker parking area – 0.9 mile, easy to moderate.
• Thomas Walker Trail to visitor center- 0.9 mile, easy to moderate.
• Tri- State Trail – 0.9 mile, moderate
• Wilderness Road Trail to Saddle of Gap – 1.1 mile, moderate
• Lewis Hollow Trail to Skylight Cave – 1.0 mile, moderate to strenuous
• Harlan Road Trail to Saddle of the Gap – 0.3 mile, moderately strenuous.
• Ewing Trail – 8.6 miles to Sand Cave and White Rocks, moderately strenuous.
• Pinnacle Trail to Pinnacle – 0.8 mile, strenuous
• Ridge Trail runs the length of park to White Rocks; approximately 19 miles, strenuous
• Harlan Road Trail to highway KY 988 – 1.6 mile, strenuous.
• Lewis Hollow connector Trail – 0.2 mile to Lewis Hollow Trail – 0.8 mile to Skylight Cave, strenuous.
• Gibson Gap Trail to Ridge Trail – 5 mile, strenuous
• Sugar Run Trail to Ridge Trail – 2.6 miles, strenuous

While you’re here, you can hike just one or two of these trails, or combine many of them for a longer hike.  

Ok, enough about hiking, let’s get to the campground and all that it has to offer!

Campground 

Wilderness Road Campground is located just off of Route 58 and is nestled in the woods of south-western Virginia.  There are 154 campsites to choose from, either with electric hookup or without.  There is hot running water in their 3 bathhouses and easy access to several hiking trails.  

This campground is a great place to camp in a tent or a camper, however, many of these sites are not big rig friendly.  You’ll want to be careful with which site you book if you do have a larger camper.  

Details

• 154 Campsites Total
• 41 Electric Hookup Sites
• 113 Non-Electric Sites
• 3 Bathhouses (showers and bathrooms)
• Dump Station
• Dumpsters throughout park
• Amphitheater

Non-Electric Sites

Let’s start with the cheapest way to camp at Wilderness Road Campground.  For just $18 per night you can set up a tent, or park your camper on one of the 113 campsites without electricity.  

These campsites vary in size and while some can accommodate up to a 25 foot trailer (boondocking), others are hardly big enough for both a tent and a car to be parked.  These sites are primarily placed in the woods with a spot for a tent and a gravel pad where you would park your car.  

These sites are peaceful, however, the higher the letter loop (such as loop E and F and G) the closer you are to the highway.  

Electric Sites

The only other way to camp at Wilderness Road Campground is by booking a slightly more expensive electric hook-up site.  These sites offer 30/50AMP hook-ups, but no water or sewer.  You will have to fill up your fresh water tank(s) at the dump station on the way in.  

The electric sites are all paved pads where you will park your RV/Camper/Van and plug in for the night.  Be warned, the pads are not the most level, so be sure to bring your leveling blocks for this campground.  

These 41 sites are all located in the B and C loops, which are a good distance from the highway.  Here you will be able to enjoy a quiet night and warm campfire!

Price Comparison

**Disclaimer: these are the prices for the Wilderness Road Campground as of the end of 2024.  Prices may increase or vary depending on when you go.  These prices do not include taxes or fees.**

Non-Electric Sites

• $18 per night
• $126 per week

Electric Sites

• $24 per night
• $168 per week

Again, these prices may change, but this will give you an idea of how much it will cost to stay at Wilderness Road Campground in Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.  

Our Camping Experience

My husband and I camped here for a weekend in our tent the first time we camped here and then for two weeks in our travel trailer on our second trip.  We loved all the hiking and the great phone service in the campground.  

The sites were not particularly level, but being able to fill our tanks upon arrival and have electric hook-up at the site was good enough for us.  The bathrooms were always clean and had hot water in the showers.  

The best part about this campground was the price!  For just $336 (plus taxes and fees) we were able to park here for 2 weeks and enjoy the quiet of the woods.  We did see a couple bears out towards the main road one evening, so be bear aware when you camp here.  

Highlights of the Park

Here are just a couple highlights about this park that you should make sure to check out while you are camping here.

• Walk around historic Downtown Middlesboro, KY
• Drive to the Pinnacles Overlook at sunset
• Book a walking tour with a Ranger of the Hensley Settlement 
• Hike to the White Rocks
• Hike to the Sand Cave
• Hike to the Tri-State Peak summit and stand in 3 states at once!

Conclusion

If you are looking for a place to camp close to all the outdoor adventures of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, be sure to book a campsite at their very own Wilderness Road Campground.  

These campsites offer a relaxing and quiet campground setting with easy access to hiking trails and a great place to take the family for a weekend. 

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

-Happy Camping!