LIMESTONE DRIFT KENTUCKY WATER, TOLD STRAIGHT

FIELD CARD Pool & Access · No. 09-1

Corps lake · Barkley Dam corridor · I-24 exit 31 · KY 453 · US 62 / US 641 · Livingston & Lyon County

Lake Barkley

Four launches at Grand Rivers and the dam, two free and two with a fee: the tailwater ramp, Double Creek, Canal Campground and Green Turtle Bay.

BARKLEY DAM · GRAND RIVERS Launches at KDFWR coordinates · schematic

Three numbers to get right

What you hear	What the primary sources actually say
"Just read the USGS gauge."	There isn't one. USGS 03438210 served "0 data types" on 10 Sep 2026. The pool is the Corps' (Nashville District water management) and TVA's Barkley page; TVA's lake line is 800-238-2264, code 40. A link, never a level.
"Winter pool is way down."	Five feet. Corps Master Plan: 354 ft "from December 1st until April 1st", "increasing to 357 feet AMSL by April 15th, and climbing to 359 feet AMSL by May 1st". KDFWR, not the Corps, says the drawdown starts "around July 5th".
"A Kentucky licence covers the lake."	The Kentucky portion only. 301 KAR 3:160 and KDFWR's reciprocal page cover part of Kentucky Lake, Dale Hollow and Big South Fork — not Lake Barkley. Below the state line, a Tennessee licence.

What the pool does on this road

The deep end. The 1.75-mile canal to Kentucky Lake is 11 feet deep at the 346-foot minimum pool (Corps). All four launches are paved; Double Creek and Canal Campground are single-lane, the tailwater ramp and Green Turtle Bay multi-lane. Canal Campground's ramp is seasonal on its KDFWR record — the campground runs 31 March to 30 October in 2026 (Corps). KDFWR's 2026 forecast puts smallmouth around "main lake points, and the canal during late winter and early spring".

The tailwater ramp launches onto the river, not the lake. KDFWR's tailwater record (wid=331): "Cumberland River below Lake Barkley downstream to confluence with Ohio River"; sauger 14 in / 6 as on the lake; snagging only below the US 62 bridge, no sportfish; creel disputed — see 301 KAR 1:410. Barkley Lock closed 10 Aug–30 Sep 2026 for miter-gate repairs — trade press quoting Corps staff; no Corps notice readable. Canal Campground closes 26 Mar–26 May 2027 for paving (Recreation.gov).

LIMESTONE DRIFT

LAKE BARKLEY · BARKLEY DAM Access and limits

Four launches, the tailwater to the canal

Launch	Fee	KDFWR record, in the agency's words
Barkley Tailwater (below the dam)	No	"US 62/641 W of Eddyville; left at Barkley Dam". Light boats, paved multi-lane, 26–50 parking, no dock, seasonal restrooms, retail. Cumberland River below the dam. Year-round.
Double Creek	No	"KY 453 S of Smithland; US 62/641 E; right on KY 917". Any trailerable, paved single lane, dock, no restrooms, accessible parking. Year-round, 24 h.
Green Turtle Bay Resort	Yes	Grand Rivers; KDFWR prints no directions. Any trailerable, paved multi-lane, 51+ parking, dock, restrooms, camping and marina year-round. Private resort.
Canal Campground	Yes	"KY 453 S of Smithland; left at sign for Canal Campground prior to crossing canal". Any trailerable, paved single lane, 26–50 parking, dock, seasonal restrooms, camping and picnic. Corps, 117 sites. Ramp seasonal.

Limits — four of them differ from statewide

Species	Size	Daily creel
Largemouth bass	15 in minimum	statewide
Smallmouth bass	15 in minimum	statewide
Crappie, black and white	10 in minimum	20 combined
Sauger	14 in minimum	6

Everything else is statewide — redear, striped bass, white bass, catfish, sunfish, black bass creel. Camping on this road: Canal (Corps, 117 sites, 31 Mar–30 Oct 2026, Recreation.gov 232541), Green Turtle Bay (year-round, KDFWR). Corps office: 200 Barkley Dam Overlook, Grand Rivers, (270) 362-4236, Mon–Fri 7–4. Fish attractors: KDFWR publishes a GPX and a map; no count is stated.

Live pool: lrn-wc.usace.army.mil (Corps) · tva.com/environment/lake-levels/barkley · TVA lake line 800-238-2264, code 40 · no USGS series · Lake Barkley Resource Managers Office (270) 362-4236.

Sources: USACE Nashville District Lake Barkley and Barkley Dam pages and the Lake Barkley Master Plan (October 2017) for elevations, dates and statistics; KDFWR waterbody records 66 and 331, the 39 access-site records, 2026 Fishing Forecast, WMA record and reciprocal-agreements page; 301 KAR 3:160; USFS Land Between the Lakes boating, rules and camping pages; Recreation.gov; USGS 03438210.
Conditions change. Verify pool, access and regulations before you travel. Revised September 2026.

limestonedrift.comAlerts and the water page

Water alerts. We email when the pool, the ramps or the rules actually change. limestonedrift.com/alerts/?w=lake-barkley