Lake Cumberland in Kentucky

Trip Overview

My wife was required to attend a state mandated meeting at the park so the kids and I joined her. We pulled the kayaks with us and disappeared each day as she went to her meetings.

The first impression was the large parking area and boat ramp available in the park. Very nice!

The second impression was the super clear water in the lake! Simply awesome! Our trips were short and sweet, no more than five miles or so. We came out of the cove the ramp was in and made a right toward the State Dock (NOT a state owned location as the name might imply.)

In making that right, you will eventually come to the State Docks. Some of the house boats there were just HUGE buildings on the water, floating! The good part about going through the area where the docks were is that there is no wake allowed. We went past the docks and continued to the next cove.

En route we spotted two small deer on a steep hill enjoying the local cuisine of grasses. We were able to get within 10 feet of them without them even flinching!

A word of caution is that once you exit the 'no wake zone' be prepared. There were several boats on the water and they had no problem making plenty of waves with wake. Not much of a problem as we could use the practice in navigating waves. If it is too much for you, just pick one of the many coves and paddle around within.

Also, don't make the mistake of going down the driveway to the 'State Dock'. This is a private business on the state park and you are only allowed in that area if you happen to own a slip on their dock. We were looked at very strangely when we pulled down there with out kayaks being pulled behind our Aspen!

This was a great trip with lots of natural scenery with trees, cliffs, wildlife, and people life too.

Accommodations:

The lodge is almost a mile and a half from the boat ramp. There is a restaurant in the lodge. A bit expensive to me, but still food.

Fees:

No fees

Directions:

There are several places to put in the lake, but since we were already staying at the State Park Lodge, we just put it off of the designated boat ramp. This is accessible off of the Lake Cumberland State Resort Park Road. Be careful as the road leading into the park it twisted and steep drops on either side. The loading dock road will be on your right as you are going toward the lodge.