Cumberland Lake

About Cumberland Lake

The Lake Cumberland Reservoir was created by the US Army Corps of Engineers for flood protection and hydropower. The construction of Wolf Creek Dam in the 1950s secured the Cumberlands River for more than 100 miles, and Congress created the reservoir in 1952. It covers an area of 3,000 square kilometres and has a winding coastline and a population of about 1.5 million people.

The lake has prevented an estimated $500 million in flood damage over the last 50 years and has become one of the most flood-resistant reservoirs in the United States. With a lake the size of Lake Cumberland, it offers incredible views of Kentucky, the Kentucky River and the Cumberlands River Valley.

Boating is Lake Cumberland's biggest attraction and it's easy if you decide not to rent your own boat as you can spend countless hours enjoying a bit of fishing. Whether you wake up to the gentle waves of the lake, have lunch while enjoying 360-degree views of the lake, take a simple ride on the slide of your houseboat or fall asleep in miles of calm water, you will know that renting a houseboat is a unique type of holiday experience. The lake is an unofficial "houseboat capital" of the world, and houseboats with almost every conceivable amenity can be rented at the many marinas lining the shores of the lake.

Lake Cumberland is bedridden with a normal-altitude summer pool at 723 feet above sea level. The deepest water in the lake is about 200 feet deep, with the dam, and the highest water level of the basin is 1,000 feet.

The height of the winter pool ranges from 690 to 673 feet above sea level, and even with minimal winter levels, Lake Cumberland covers 35,820 hectares. The Army Corps of Engineers lowers water levels in winter to prevent spring flooding.

For outdoor vacationers, Lake Cumberland is a great place for hiking, biking, nature walking and fishing. The park offers a combination of all these and more in the form of hiking trails, waterfalls, lakes and picnic spots on the lake.

Lake Cumberland is a place where you can discover everything you can dream of, and then something else. You can stay in one of the many hotels on the lake, or you can wake up in a houseboat, go water skiing, throw a hole in one or go fishing. Endless fun and more than you can ever imagine awaits you on this spectacular Kentucky lake.