Don't let the gas prices keep you indoors-there are plenty of affordable camping spots under $20 a night in Fayette County Conservation Parks!
The highlight of the Fayette County Conservation park system is the 1000 acre Gilbertson Conservation Education Area. Located along the banks of the scenic Turkey River, this recreational area is home to the Gilbertson Campground that features: 27 electrical sites, 8 primitive sites and 7 walk-walk in sites. The park has a bathouse with showers, sinks and flush toilets. Other additional amenities include: playground, pavilion, 10 miles of trails, riverfront fishing and paddling acess. A paved bike path also connects the campground to the interpretive center with fishing pond, a nature playscape, and petting zoo that is open 7 days a week in the summer.
All campsites at Gilbertson are first come/first served. Typically the campground only fills on holiday weekends. Electric sites at the campground are just $15 a night and non-electric sites are $10. More information on Gilbertson Campground can be found here
Another popular campground is at Gouldsburg Park. Located at the confluence of the Little Turkey River and Crane Creek, this charming campground is the perfect spot to get away for the weekend. This first come/first served campground features 26 electrical sites along with primitive tent camping spots along the river. There is a bathouse with sinks, toliets and showers to clean up after playing in the river. The park also features a playground, shelterhouse and mowed trails. There are great opportunties to hunt for fossils at this park too! More information about Gouldsburg can be found here
Echo Valley State Park located just outside of West Union has primitive camping spots available for just $5 a night. These are all first come/first serve sites that don't feature electricity or potable water (there are pit toilets available). Even though the camping at Echo Valley is more rustic there are plenty of reasons to camp here including trout fishing opportunities in Otter Creek, walking/biking the two mile Echo Valley Environmental Nature Trail, and checking out several historical limestone structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's-including a beautiful shelterhouse. Learn more about Echo Valley here
A lesser known campground in the county parks is the 46 acre Dutton's Cave. Two electric sites for $10 a night and several primitive sights for $5 a night are available here. Recreational opportunitties include trout fishing in Dutton's spring and hiking along the stream. For more photos of the area click here
Walking the path at Dutton's Cave
Twin Bridges County Park by Maynard is divided by the South and West Branches of the Volga River. This quaint park is a great place for picnicking, primitive camping, fishing and more. The park also has two electrical hook-ups for camping located on the south side for $10 a night and several primitive sites for $5 a night. Learn more about Twin Bridges here
Thank you for following along and we hope to see you out at one of our campgrounds this year! Be sure to click here to learn more about the abundant recreational opportunities provided by Fayette County Conservation!