S-Tree Campground

S-Tree Campground sits on a ridge above Horse Lick Creek near McKee in Jackson County, Kentucky. A small picnic area features a historic picnic shelter that was constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The campground receives heavy weekend use from off-highway vehicle users who ride the adjacent Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail, Section #25 and the Renfro Loop Trail. These trails may be accessed from the campground.

This campground cannot accommodate trailers 25 feet or more due to one lane roads and no turn-outs. Each campsite has a picnic table, tent pad, fire ring and lantern pole. Vault toilets are centrally located. Campsites and shelter are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Loop A has two double campsites. Loop B has two fire circles. All of the campsites are wooded.

No electricity, water or dump station available. Pack out your trash.

Picnicking nearby: A picnic shelter with tables is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Other picnic sites are located near an area where a fire lookout tower once stood.

View S-Tree Campground Guide & Map (pdf)

S-Tree Fire Tower once stood near the entrance to the campground. Towers like these were important tools in detecting and fighting devastating forest fires. Fire towers were home to the lookouts who ran them. A tower cab was just big enough for a wood stove, two cots, a cabinet, storage box, small table, and a stool. The all-important alidade, or fire finder, stood in the middle of the room. By the mid-1970s, firefighters used aircraft for fire detection. Many towers, like one that stood here, were torn down because they could no longer be maintained in a safe condition.

Nearby Trails: Renfro Loop Trails 
Sheltowee Trace Trail #100 Section 25 

At a Glance