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USDA Forest Service
Daniel Boone
National Forest
1700 Bypass Road
Winchester, KY 40391

Phone: 859-745-3100
FAX: 859-744-1568

Boating

Cave Run Lake and Laurel River Lake feature a variety of recreation facilities. These can include campgrounds, marinas, picnic areas, beaches, boat ramps and docks. The Forest Service does not manage all these facilities directly. It cooperates with other agencies and private groups to provide an assortment of recreation opportunities. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains the dams and some recreation facilities, while the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife is responsible for managing fishing on the lakes.

Use of some boat ramps on some districts may require a fee.

Cave Run Lake

Situated in the rugged, scenic landscape of northeastern Kentucky, Cave Run Lake on Morehead District offers outstanding and varied recreational opportunities. The 8,270-acre lake is located southwest of Morehead. It was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Louisville District) for flood control, recreation, and downstream water quality control of the Licking River. The Forest Service is responsible for the development and administration of recreation facilities, while the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife is responsible for managing fishing on the lake.

Overlooking the lake, on KY 801 South, is the Morehead District office and visitor center. Maps, brochures, and information are available. Two developed campgrounds, Zilpo and Twin Knobs, offer camping in a natural setting, with both tent and recreational vehicle sites. Both offer beaches, restrooms with showers, scenic overlooks, trails, and camp stores.

History buffs will enjoy touring the Tater Knob Fire Tower or Clear Creek Iron Furnace.

For boaters, Scott Creek and Longbow Marinas offer boat rentals, groceries, fishing supplies, gas and oil, off-shore moorings, slips, boating accessories, and pump-out stations.

Cave Run is best known for its excellent muskie fishing.

Laurel River Lake

Laurel River Lake, on London District, with its cliff-lined shores and quiet coves, is a favorite destination for thousands of visitors each year. They come to boat, fish, swim, and relax at one of the deepest and cleanest lakes in Kentucky.

The 5,600-acre lake, begun in 1964, was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Nashville District). The lake provides hydroelectric power, safe drinking water, and recreation opportunities. The Forest Service and the Army Corps of Engineers have cooperated in the ongoing work of developing public recreation facilities. Today, most of the lake is managed by the Forest Service, London Ranger District, while the Corps of Engineers oversees the operation of Laurel River Dam and recreation facilities at the dam site. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife is responsible for managing fishing on the lake.

The lake provides excellent fishing for black bass, smallmouth bass, rainbow trout, walleye, crappie, bluegill, and catfish. Seven launch ramps provide access to the lake. Two marinas, located at Grove and Holly Bay recreation areas, are open year round.

The quiet bays and backwaters of the lake are good places to view wildlife. The lake has a resident population of giant Canada geese.

Lake Cumberland
London & Somerset Districts

Lake Cumberland is located in Wayne, Russell, Pulaski, Clinton, McCreary, Laurel, and Whitley Counties on the Cumberland River. At approximately 50,000 acres, it provides hydroelectric power, water for domestic and industrial use, flood control, navigation facilities, waterway systems for shipping, and recreation opportunities. The dam site is about 10 miles southwest of Jamestown, KY.

The Wolf Creek project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1938 and the River and Harbor Act of 1946. Construction of the project, designed and supervised by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, (Nashville District) was completed in 1952. The dam, powerhouse, and lake are operated and supervised by the Corps of Engineers’ personnel under the direction of the District Engineer at Nashville, TN.

In addition to swimming, hiking, hunting, canoeing, skiing, camping, and picnicking, Lake Cumberland is a fisherman’s paradise. Crappie, largemouth bass, bream, catfish, sauger and walleye, rockfish, and white bass are some of the most popular species. The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife is responsible for managing fishing on the lake.

Author: Recreation Staff
Last Updated: March 20, 2005