U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Ragland Bottom Campground

If you're going with family that are going to swim don't take your furbaby even if it's a service animal. The volunteer that is supposed to be helping people will scope you out and give you a lecture on no pets. Yes I saw the no pets before I came however I didn't realize it was a crime to walk around with your dog. I was even told by her that the fake service animal vests would have worked. 🤣 Really y'all that don't have a svc pet here go. Someone should declare a secret National Unservice Animal Day here but secretly with 100s wearing fake svc animal vest & tags. I could have went back to rental cabin, got proper documents for this person but I've visited many beaches in this area along with the ones on Dale Hollow & never had an issue. I just enjoyed seeing this woman thinking she was tightening up her Sgt belt more esp bragging that she had just told another man that was on beach that he had to leave. 😲 Come on Ragland Bottom beach & campground, screen these eager beaver vols that just want to power trip on others. The volunteers at Obey River & Sunset Dock Pickett Co TN are friendly and don't get their kicks from power tripping on lake goers. She's probably upset cause our dogs have better social lives than her own. 😏

Honest rating is a 4.8 -- so many good things about this place. See the "Got it Right" and "Ways to get to 5" below. We had never heard of Ragland Bottom Recreational Area until we went looking for an alternative to a site we had booked at Edgar Evins that wouldn't work for us, so it was VERY last minute. We got super lucky and they had a site for the dates we needed, so we booked it on Recreation.gov and immediately headed that way. When we got to the campground, I had noticed a few other sites also open and the gentleman at the gate was SUPER nice and told us to go look at all of them and come let him know what we picked. We ended up in Site 19. Not waterfront, but a pull through with lots of "elbow room" and a good view nonetheless. It has water and electric, but no sewer (some of their sites are full hookups, just FYI). Doesn't appear to have "honey wagon" service for longer stays, so plan accordingly. Bang for the buck, this campground is it. You can bring your RV AND your boat in many of the sites. There's also a parking lot for boats and trailers and it's included in your nightly fee. There's a boat ramp. Next-door is the day use area with a nice swimming area (with another boat ramp if you're not camping and pay the day-use fee). We went to the beach there because we didn't have a boat/kayak and it was HOT. Only downside there is we couldn't bring our dog, and that was sad because she loves the lake. If we had booked a lakefront site, she could have gone swimming, though. We also love the proximity to town and met friends in Smithville and another couple we knew over at Hurricane Marina. But the little convenience store right before Ragland Road -- Fiddler's Market and Cafe -- is a GREAT asset! We got Hunt's Brother's pizza one night and stopped in this morning for a breakfast sandwich. Great prices, good food, and a lot of last-minute stuff you might need at the campground without going further to a "real" store. Here's the good, the better, and what needs fixed to be 5 stars all the way! GOT IT RIGHT: 1. Staff/hosts. We never figured out who was a Core employee and who was a camp host, but everyone was super friendly and courteous. 2. Bang for the buck. With a senior pass, this campground is ridiculously reasonably priced, whether full hookups, water and electric, or tent site. The grounds are beautiful, the lake is beautiful, the bathrooms are clean. 3. Great lower level tent sites! Many with lakefront, all with water/electric and nice pads to set up a tent! WAYS TO GET TO 5: 1. The washers were out of order. We didn't try the dryers. Now, they were FREE, which may be why the washers were out of order. But when you're in a lakeside campground, you're going to get wet, nasty clothes and a laundry would really be great. 2. The Nature Trail has been let go into serious disrepair. We only hiked to the overlook because we had a social commitment. It wasn't TERRIBLE, but we hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, so your mileage may vary. The overlook is overgrown. In winter, you'd be able to see the marina, but not in summer. The rocks on the way in are slippery and that bathroom is closed (more on that later). It wouldn't take much for a volunteer trail group and/or a grant to bring this trail back to life. We looked for photos or video from when it was open and whatever is at the trailhead (a water fountain?) was functional but couldn't find anything. 3. Tent sites on the upper level need that bathroom at the Nature Trail trailhead reopened. Now, we weren't tenting, but to have to go down to two levels to the bathroom near the full hookups is a lot when you have a facility right there at the trailhead. 4. Clean up the beach in front of the lakefront sites. Some had tires, etc., in front of them. Eew. 5. Trash can and better hose for flushing tanks at the dump station. Nowhere to dispose of your gloves after dumping tanks and the hose was just a cut-off garden hose so we couldn't flush the tanks. Please and thank you for those improvements!

We are having a blast at Ragland Bottom. Our boys are learning to wake board and we find some of the best water out this direction. We also like the swimming hole and having restrooms. The boat ramps easy to get to and not too steep. Parking can be a challenge but if you go later in the day you'll find a spot.

Sewer not available at all sites. Great restrooms. Rather hilly so electric bikes are handy. Great lakeside sites. Great hosts. Campground ramp full of debris. Somewhat difficult to maneuver truck and trailer through the campground without going off the pavement. Very close to a store. Not far at all from Walmart and eating establishments.

We stayed with multiple other family at this campground for 3 nights. It is a beautiful location and very peaceful. There are clean restrooms and showers. They also have a sand volleyball court, as well as a playground and basketball court. We tent camp on a hill down by the water. The camp site has an awesome view, but be prepared to do lots of walking up and down a steep hill! With that beautiful view of the lake comes a price- you have quite a hike to the restrooms! We brought portable toilets, so that helped avoid a middle of the night run up the hill! The host of the campground, Tom, was very nice and friendly! You can walk right down to the lake for a swim or kayak and paddleboard. We had a bonfire down on the rocky beach on the water one night, which was awesome, as there is plenty of driftwood to use. All in all, I would recommend this campground, but if you have anyone who has a hard time walking steep hills or long distances, choose your campsite wisely, if you're tent camping! They also had awesome looking rv sites that were right on the lake with great views!