North Evarts Campground Kentucky
Camp Kentucky: I’m talking with Bill today. We’re going to talk about North Evarts Campground in Kentucky, and he actually owns two campgrounds – North Evarts and South Evarts. We’re going to start talking about North Evarts. How’s it going this morning, Bill?
Bill: It’s going pretty good this morning. These are city owned and operated.
CK: Oh, okay, sounds good. So, how long has North Evarts Campground been there and how did it get started?
Bill: Well, it started off with a grant that we had that involves on the (Unclear 00:30.9) that they (Unclear 00:33.5) back in 2005 and started off with the bare minimum of nothing. And it’s grown. We’ve built the restrooms and the showers, and added electrical outlets were we wanted, and water hookups and a dump station.
CK: Okay, perfect. Now, what are the most popular activities that the guests enjoy at North Evarts Campground?
Bill: Well, you never know when somebody is going to break out a guitar or a banjo and start singing around the campfire at the campground every night. We have a fire pit that everybody sits around, which is called Liars (Unclear 1:09.6).
CK: Love it.
Bill: And you never know what kind of stories will be told, but most people that come here do ride their ATVs or whatever, and they come in after a hard day of riding and gather up something to eat or they make something at the campground themselves, or jump in the shower and sit around a campfire and tell tales into the hours of the night, before they have to retire for the night, before the next morning.
CK: That sounds like so much fun. I think I would fit right in. Now, when we were talking a little bit ago on the phone here, you told me about a unique situation that four-wheeler owners are in, in that particular city. Could you tell our listeners about that?
Bill: Well, we are what they call the adventure tourism capital of the world. We started in Kentucky, given guided drives to four-wheelers. We’ve had people from all 48 states of upper continental and from foreign countries as well; that one time even got the German Equestrian Team on the (Unclear 2:15.4) nerf a few years back. The Equestrian Team, and we’ve had people from England, Spain, Newfoundland, Canada. We still have people from Canada come every now and then, and love riding the Appalachian Mountains. And our city warden says that you can unload your ATV right (Unclear 2:39.2) or right beside, or whatever, and you can ride through town. Get gas lane. Your food. Supplies. We even have a clinic here and a bank. ATM machines in two different locations. And as long as you obey all the rules and regulations of the road (Unclear 2:57.1), you’re good to go anywhere in town you need to go to.
CK: That’s amazing. So, I could be just sitting on my four-wheeler. We have a bunch of them at my cabin and we certainly don’t have laws that are as open as that. I wish we did. So, I could just be cruising through the bank and grab some cash out of the ATM machine, sitting on my four-wheeler.
Bill: Exactly.
CK: That is absolutely awesome, and I’m jealous of you guys there. It sounds like a lot of fun. Two more questions for you, Bill. If you could spend just one hour in North Evarts Campground or the surrounding area, how do you like to spend your time in the area?
Bill: Well, we like to meet and greet people ourselves, but a lot of the people live only about five minutes from the Trailhead to the ATV Park. It has over 8,000 acres of land to travel. Over two miles of trails.
CK: Wow.
Bill: And they have a cliff line and a zipline, which is supposed to be one of the highest in the nation. With camping, it’s over 600-foot over the ground.
CK: Are there some places around there where you can rent four-wheelers?
Bill: There’s some that are renting some right now, and I think somebody is going to start renting more, if I’m not mistaken.
CK: Okay. Now, before we go, tell me about the difference between North Evarts Campground and South Evarts Campground.
Bill: Well, the biggest difference is that the South Evarts Campground is you can make reservations for rent (Unclear 4:27.0) campground that has all the amenities right there when you pull into the slot. The North Evarts Campground is a first come, first serve, and you need to bring your water hose and extension cords and so forth to be able to use all the amenities there. Plus, both these campgrounds have free WiFi as well.
CK: Excellent. All right. Well, we’ll put links to both North Evarts and South Evarts on the article. Bill, thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to chat with us at Camp-Kentucky.com.
Bill: No problem. And like I said, back in 2006, we set a world record for longest ATV parade. I think we had 1138. Judges got confused and stopped counting. And it was two or three years later, if I’m not mistaken, that the State of Minnesota broke the record on us.
CK: Oh, okay.
Bill: But since then, it’s been broken out in Utah as well.
CK: Wow, I’m sure that’s quite the sight.
Bill: It was. It was quite an event that day.
CK: All right.
Bill: Any time I can help you all, just send me an email or give me a call. I’m usually here during the day, like I am now, but like I said, anything I can do to help you out, just give us a call.
CK: Much appreciated.
Bill: Come see us sometime.
