Mark J.recommendsJuly 2, 2022
Wiley's Last Resort(primitive camp)
3rd year in a row…
I love coming to WLR. Great people, great property, great hospitality. 100% recommend.
Mike D.recommendsMay 28, 2022
Wiley's Last Resort(primitive camp)
Primitive camped on this property and enjoyed my stay. There are lots of trails in the area. Would like to return during a music festival.
Lauren H.recommendsMay 13, 2022
Wiley's Last Resort(primitive camp)
Great place to unwind and explore!
I found this site last fall and was happy to be back this spring when I was passing through the area again. The land is beautiful and reminds me to slow down, with bonus access to the Pine Mountain Trail on the property as well. It’s perfect place to unwind, it is primitive camping so bring extra water and such, but the host also has some amenities near the pond, only a short walk for Mars where I camped. The host is very nice, I keep to myself when camping but he is willing to help out! The property has some interesting history and structures worth checking out as well.
It’s also a short drive down the mountain to some fast food restaurants if needed.
Alice Y.recommendsMay 11, 2022
Wiley's Last Resort (pond area)
Camping in the mountains
Steve was very welcoming and friendly. He told us to pick any site, explaining where to look. He came by and chatted about the fact his place had been a resort in the 30’s & 40’s and its more recent history. Steve even brought us coffee in the morning! It’s a beautiful place, high up in the mountains of eastern Kentucky. We would go back if we’re in the area!
Sydney M.recommendsApril 28, 2022
Wiley's Last Resort(primitive camp)
Wiley’s is a wild, weird, wonderful place! Steve was a great host and we had an awesome time tent camping in “Baton Rouge!” The trails are great and it was a super cool stay!
Niko L.recommendsApril 25, 2022
Wiley's Last Resort(primitive camp)
Such a gem!
This amazing site was a top 3 highlight of my multi-month camping trip! It is nestled in a holler that served as a mountain resort in the 1930s, and many of the original structures still remain!
The host offered to greet me when I arrived and I heartily agreed, and he was super friendly and personable! We enjoyed a campfire with his friends and they shared a lot of their knowledge of the area, including detailed history of the mountain and town, and I even got treated to an awesome small banjo set by one of Steve’s friends! (Thanks Jarred!)
You can opt for a more private experience but I really enjoyed the company and ambience. ◡̈
I can’t wait to come back in the summer for one of their music festivals!
Thanks again!
Niko L.recommendsApril 18, 2022
Wiley's Last Resort(primitive camp)
An Oasis in Appalachia
Wow! What an awesome spot!
One of the coolest things about this place is that the property is actually an old mountain resort originally built in the 1930s and a lot of the original structures still remain!
Steve and his friends offered to greet me and we had a great time talking around the bonfire about everything from poetry to local icons like Jimm Webb, who saved the property from destruction when the strip mining companies came to town.
Lots of beautiful nature and very serene though just a few minutes away from downtown.
Can’t wait to come back in the summer again for one of their music festivals!
Thanks so much!
Ian H.recommendsOctober 3, 2021
Wiley's Last Resort(primitive camp)
This place has heart and soul
At first finding a camp ground was just an end to a means for exploring pine mountain. I expected to just pull up somewhere had them some cash and that would be that. We got so much more out of our stay at Wiley’s Last Resort. Steve is an incredibly smart and humble human being who took time to show us around the property giving us the deep history of the place and the bests spots to put up our tent for the night. These are good people with huge hearts who will do what they can to help you have an awesome stay. Best $25 bucks I’ve ever spent. After our stay here we went to North Carolina and stayed at a state park camp site. Objectively the facilities were nicer but it was missing heart and soul that Wiley’s has to offer. This spot is way more then a camp sight and we can’t wait to return.
Mary D.recommendsSeptember 22, 2021
Wiley's Last Resort(primitive camp)
Out of this world ✨⛰😎
What a cool experience! We didn’t get a chance to meet Steve but his cousin Charles and silent Bob companion definitely took care of us! Super friendly down to earth folk who made sure we found the correct address. Be warned there is another location about 20 minutes away called wileys last resort that is not wileys.
We camped by the wicked cool rock and climbed up top in the morning for the sunrise. What a view! It’s all sandy on the ground which makes for a super soft bed. Completely secluded. They have other spots down an off road kinda path that are all tucked into the woods if that’s your scene. I imagine they get real rowdy when there’s a group down by the resort water. We definitely recommend and will be back 😁
Mark J.recommendsSeptember 14, 2021
Wiley's Last Resort(primitive camp)
My Happy Place in the Woods
My happy place. This is my second stay at Wileys, first at primitive sites. No disappointments. Secluded and peaceful. Yet, adjacent to Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail. In fact, flamingo shelter was just around the corner. You won’t find a better place to hip camp in this area. Folks are friendly as heck and would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. This is a gem just outside of Whitesburg. Can’t wait to return.
Mark J.recommendsJuly 22, 2021
Wiley's Last Resort (pond area)
The place to make new friends
This is THE place. So glad I found Willys Last Resort. This place has so many hidden gems. MARs, the pond, and many trails. I got to hang with the care takers. What a welcoming group. I could be including and hang out or I could stay by myself and absorb the sights and sounds of nature. It was entirely up to me. I can’t recommend this place enough. No regrets here and I recommend this place to anyone wanting a true hipcamp experience.
Ross M.recommendsJuly 15, 2021
Wiley's Last Resort (pond area)
Wiley’s is wild and wonderful!
What a wild place to be! Steve was an excellent host. We found a great spot a little bit away from the pond up in the woods. I felt very private and the dogs kept his company. If Steve offers you a four wheeling tour of the property, take it! It was quite a ride to see all of the campsites and all of the things that are happening at Wiley‘s Last Resort. I would definitely recommend this host and this property. We will come back if we’re ever in the area again.
Chris L.recommendsJune 7, 2021
Wiley's Last Resort (pond area)
Lovely, quirky, chill place to stay
I just love the vibe at this place. It's like a Dr. Bronner's soap label come to life--lovely, eccentric, and totally laid back, with funny phrases/sayings/signs everywhere. I'm so glad we stayed here. We came with a 17-foot camper van, and they have several places with electricity (110) that we could plug into, which was just what we needed. They also have tons of spots to just park, if you don't need electricity, and some pretty tent-camping spots with firepits and lots of firewood around. There's a shower house with one shower and a toilet--it was, um, well ventilated (i.e. there's not a TON of privacy as there are big windows, and they do call it the Eyefull Shower, lol), but it's so secluded out there that it really didn't matter, and we were so in need of showers after hiking all day, lol! (And yes, they DID have a bottle of Dr. Bronner's in the shower!) There's a nice pond, and a building with a stage where they sometimes have live music. They've got trails to hike on the property, and Steve was super nice and shuttled us between the Bad Branch Falls parking lot and the end of the Highland section of the Pine Mountain Trail. We hiked up to High Rock (GORGEOUS VIEWS) and then down to Bad Branch Falls and out to our van (it took us about 7 hours), and then drove back to WLR. In the evening, we heard whip-poor-wills singing, which was a treat. There are a few (well-behaved) doggos running around, too. AND, to make everything even more special, they even brought us a bottle of champagne on ice (and some OJ in case we wanted to save it for morning, haha) while we were making our dinner because they knew we were there celebrating our anniversary!
I can't say enough good things about the Pine Mountain Trail, by the way. I can't believe more people don't come here. We hardly saw anyone on the trail the whole time we were there.
This place should definitely not be your last resort! It's great!