LIMESTONE DRIFT KENTUCKY WATER, TOLD STRAIGHT
FIELD CARD Pool & Access · No. 09-6
Corps lake · The Trace, north run · KY 453 from the dam · Forest Service roads 102 to 127 · Lyon County

Lake Barkley

Enter the Woodlands Trace at Barkley Dam off US 62/641 and every KDFWR string starts the same way — "KY 453 S (Trace Road)" — then a numbered Forest Service road east to the water. Seven launches, all free, all Forest Service, two of them unpaved and unmaintained.

THE TRACE · NORTH RUN Launches at KDFWR coordinates · schematic
US 62 / US 641 · over the damKY 453 · The TraceRoad 117 · Eddyville Ferry RoadDam / tailraceBarkley DamBoat rampKuttawa Landing – LBLNo fee · tents onlyBoat rampEddyville Ferry Landing – LBLNo fee · Road 117Boat rampBarnett Bay – LBLNot maintained · unpavedCampsiteNickell Branch – LBLNo fee · self-service campBoat rampMammoth Furnace – LBLNot maintained · unpavedCampsiteDemumbers Bay – LBLNo fee · backcountryCampsiteCraven's Bay – LBLNo fee · self-service campN02 miSchematic · launches at KDFWR coordinates · hollow discs are other corridors · a dot with a leader is the published position
Three numbers to get right
What you hearWhat 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
Two of the seven are unpaved and flagged "Not Maintained" on their KDFWR records — Barnett Bay and Mammoth Furnace — and Mammoth Furnace's ramp is seasonal. Nickell Branch and Cravens Bay have docks and campgrounds; the other three are paved with no dock. An unpaved ramp with no dock is the kind five feet changes — the record says unpaved; the rest is reasoning.
Forest Service rules reach the ramp. "Boat ramps within Land Between the Lakes are free for public use." "Each person 18 and older must possess a Backcountry Camping Permit." No backcountry camping "Within 200 yards of US68/KY80, Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway (formerly The Trace), Mulberry Flat, Silver Trail, KY Lake Drive, and Fort Henry roads". "Maximum stay: 21 nights during any 30 consecutive days." "Not Maintained" is KDFWR's word for Barnett Bay and Mammoth Furnace — small boats and kayaks, not glass bass boats.
LIMESTONE DRIFT
LAKE BARKLEY · THE TRACE, NORTH Access and limits
Seven launches, the dam end to Cravens Bay
LaunchFeeKDFWR record, in the agency's words
Nickell Branch – LBLNoRoad 102. Light boats, paved single lane, unpaved parking, dock, restrooms, camping and picnic year-round, accessible pier. Self-service campground; fee site, see LBL.
Demumbers Bay – LBLNoRoad 108. Light boats, paved single lane, unpaved parking, no dock, restrooms and camping year-round. Backcountry area — permit required.
Kuttawa Landing – LBLNoRoad 117; left to Road 126 to Road 127. Light boats, paved single lane, no dock, no restrooms, camping "tents only". Year-round.
Eddyville Ferry Landing – LBLNoRoad 117. Light boats, paved single lane, paved parking, no dock, no facilities. Year-round.
Barnett Bay – LBLNoEddyville Ferry Road; right at Barnett Cemetery Road (123). "Not Maintained." Light boats, unpaved, no dock, no restrooms, camping year-round.
Mammoth Furnace – LBLNoEddyville Ferry Road to Mammoth Furnace Road (122). "Not Maintained." Light boats, unpaved, no dock, no restrooms, camping year-round. Ramp seasonal.
Craven's Bay – LBLNoRoad 117; right on Road 118. Light boats, paved single lane, paved parking, dock, seasonal restrooms, camping and picnic year-round. Self-service campground ("2 ramps", LBL); fee site, see LBL.
Limits — four of them differ from statewide
SpeciesSizeDaily creel
Largemouth bass15 in minimumstatewide
Smallmouth bass15 in minimumstatewide
Crappie, black and white10 in minimum20 combined
Sauger14 in minimum6
Everything else is statewide — redear, striped bass, white bass, catfish, sunfish, black bass creel. Camping on this road: Nickell Branch and Cravens Bay (self-service, fee envelope, "Iron Ranger"), Demumbers Bay (backcountry, permit), Kuttawa Landing (tents), Barnett Bay and Mammoth Furnace (dispersed — permit rules apply). No marina, no fuel, no store on this shore; fill up in Grand Rivers, Kuttawa or Eddyville. Fish attractors: GPX, no count 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 · Land Between the Lakes 800-525-7077 · LBLInfo@usda.gov.
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.
QR code: https://limestonedrift.com/waterways/lake-barkley/#ld-alertslimestonedrift.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