Hollow Branch
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A small rustic cabin nestled under mature Kentucky hardwoods at Hollow Branch Campground

Monticello, Kentucky · Lake Cumberland

Come sit in the quiet a while.

A small wooded hollow with 5 plain cabins, tent sites under old oaks, and nothing much to do but walk, fish, and watch the fire burn down.

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The Place

A hollow that has been left alone

Hollow Branch sits in a fold of Southern Kentucky hill country, where a small creek runs down through oak, hickory, and tulip poplar toward Lake Cumberland. The canopy is old enough that the light comes down in pieces, and the ground stays cool through most of a July afternoon.

We keep it simple on purpose. Sites are spread out and screened by trees. There are no pole lights, so the sky gets genuinely dark. Most evenings the loudest thing here is a barred owl somewhere back up the ridge.

We ask everyone to camp by Leave No Trace: stay on the trails, camp on the pads, keep fires in the rings, and carry out what you carry in. The woods were here long before us and we would like them to outlast us too.

Morning mist between hardwood trunks in the hollow

Places to Stay

Two honest ways to spend the night

Inside a simple cabin: wood walls, a quilt-covered bed, a stool, and a window to the woods

Small Rustic Cabins

5 available

One room, a real bed, and a door that latches. Most have a small covered porch with a couple of chairs. Electricity is limited to a light and an outlet — there is no kitchen and no bathroom inside.

  • Sleeps two to four, bring your own bedding or use ours
  • Fire ring and picnic table outside the door
  • Shared toilets and water a short walk away
A private wooded tent site with picnic table and stone fire ring

Tent Sites

Walk-in and drive-up

Level, shaded pads tucked into the trees, each one out of sight of the next. Every site has a stone fire ring and a picnic table. Nothing else — that's rather the point.

  • Hardwood shade all day, soft leaf-litter ground
  • Firewood available at the gate
  • A few walk-in sites for people who want more distance

Open mid-March through late November. Firewood is sold on-site; please don't bring outside wood.

What You'll Find

The basics, kept well

  • Small rustic cabins

    5 on the property

  • Tent sites with fire rings

    Picnic table at every site

  • Potable water

    Spigots near the main loop

  • Vault & simple flush toilets

    Shared, cleaned daily

  • Hiking trails

    Roughly three miles through the hollow

  • Lake & fishing access

    Boat ramp a short drive away

  • Quiet hours

    10:00 pm – 7:00 am

  • Dark night skies

    No pole lights anywhere on site

What You Won't Find

Said plainly, up front

  • No full hookups — no water, sewer or electric at the sites.
  • No luxury finishes. The cabins are plain wood, a bed, and a door that latches.
  • Limited showers. Plan on a lake swim or a bathhouse in town.
  • No WiFi guarantee, and cell service comes and goes in the hollow.
  • No playground, camp store, pool, or planned activities.

This place is for people who want the real woods and the real lake.

Rules & Respect

A few things we ask, for the woods and for your neighbors

Quiet hours

10:00 pm – 7:00 am. Sound carries a long way up a hollow — voices, music, and car doors all travel.

Fires in rings only

Never leave a fire unattended, and drown it cold before bed or before you drive out.

Pack it in, pack it out

Carry out everything you bring, including food scraps, foil, and cigarette butts.

Pets on leash

Friendly, leashed dogs are welcome. Clean up after them and don't leave them alone at camp.

Generators limited

Small generators may run 9 am – 5 pm only. Medical needs are always an exception — just tell us.

Leave the woods as you found it

No cutting live wood, no nails in trees, no new fire rings, no trenching around tents.

Request a Site

Tell us when you'd like to come

Send the dates and we'll write back with what's open. Weekends in October fill first; weekdays are almost always quiet.

Prefer to talk? (606) 555-0148

We answer every request by hand — no instant booking here.

A quiet cove on Lake Cumberland with wooded limestone bluffs

Getting Here & Nearby

Finding the hollow

Directions
1420 Hollow Branch Rd, Monticello, KY 42633. From Monticello, take KY-90 east, then follow the gravel road past the second cattle gate — the campground sign is on your right. Call or write ahead and we'll share the gate code before you turn off the highway.
Boat ramp & marina
The nearest public ramp is a short drive toward the lake; Conley Bottom and Beaver Creek areas offer full marina services and fuel.
Closest towns
Monticello for groceries and gas; Jamestown and Burnside are both an easy drive for supplies, ice, and a hot meal.
Cell service
Spotty to none down in the hollow. Download your maps before you turn off the highway, and tell folks at home you'll be out of touch.