Dale Hollow lake is enormous! There are multiple campgrounds in Tennessee and Kentucky. Although I have never been to the campgrounds in Kentucky, I have friends who loved staying there. Many years ago, my parents stumbled upon this campground in the little town of Celina, Tennessee. Everything is small here with exception to the Lake. Funny thing is, we didn’t discover the lake until 4 years ago! My family has been camping here for decades because we love to fish for trout. We find that the intensely cold tail water from the dam creates an almost air conditioning affect in the heat of summer when you sit by the lovely streams located along the walking trail.
Dale Hollow Damsite, Tennessee – Camping Reservations …www.reserveamerica.com › dale-hollow-damsite › FLST › overview
Dale Hollow Damsite is a quiet, peaceful campground in the green hills of Tennessee. The campground is a popular area for families …
The campground at Dale Hollow Damsite is located along the Obey River. It is relatively flat with some big pull through campsites, buddy sites, and a wide variety of other sites. I would venture to say most of the sites are shaded. In June they host the Annual Kids Fishing Rodeo. This event is always packed out since it is a free fishing day for Tennessee. The park does a great job on this! There are prizes for every child who catches a fish. Prizes for the largest fish too! It’s great fun to watch all the kids lined along the narrow streams fishing. If you get there early, you can watch the hatchery come stock the streams before the event begins. Since our kids are too old for this event, we now plan our annual trip to Dale Hollow during a slower part of the season. Usually we have 4-5 other families join us. We enjoy walking the trails, fishing, playing games around the fire at night and eating a good meal together. If we catch enough trout we will have a huge fish fry! Everyone will bring a side dish to share as we enjoy delicious trout and traditional hushpuppies. My brother usually makes home made ice-cream for dessert, although I’m not sure how we have any room after the annual feast! We finish the evening off with a rambunctious game of MAFIA around the campfire. It’s great fun every year!
My dad with our youngest son, Noah 
Madison love to carry everyone’s catch back to camp! 
Headed back with some Trout!
You can’t imagine our surprise to discover that we have been missing out on one of the best parts of Dale Hollow: The Lake! This place is amazing! So remarkably beautiful, it truly takes my breath away. The water is so clear, so pristine, it’s hard to believe this is a lake! If you go to Pleasant Grove Park, the drive is only 5-10 minutes from Dale Hollow Damsite Campground. If you are staying at the campground, the fee is waived to park. When you arrive it looks like its just a parking lot for the boat ramp. From the parking lot, there is a trail right beside the bathrooms that leads to the bridge and the protected swimming area. The lake is full of enormous boulders, so please heed the warnings for no diving! We try to enjoy a swim at the park every day that we are camping. It’s a great spot to kayak, picnic, or just sit and enjoy the view if you don’t enjoy swimming.
If you don’t enjoy camping but want to visit Dale Hollow Lake, there are lakeside cabins for rent at Cedar Hill Resort. It is not a true resort but the views from the cabins are stunning! We spent a weekend there with my family one Fall and it was a comfortable place to gather. The Dale Hollow Marina at Cedar Hill has houseboats for rent. According to the research and reviews, this is one of the most popular ways to enjoy the lake. When we stayed at the Cedar Hill Resort, my dad brought his pontoon boat and we toured part of the lake. There are so many private coves, I’m sure a houseboat would be a great way to spend a few days!
Ready to explore more of Tennessee? What are some of your favorite family parks?
- Psalms 72:19 (NIV) Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
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