Boating in the Frankfort Area? (Lexington, Louisville: lofts, condos, homes)

[canudigit]

Long story short, we live in Michigan but my dh's entire family on his dad's side going back many generations are from Kentucky and dh is really wanting to move back down that way. We have talked about Lexington and Georgetown so far, but my dh really wants to live somewhere where we can have a boat, and there don't seem to be a lot of boating areas in central Kentucky.

I just happened to see that the Kentucky River goes through Frankfort. Do people do a lot of boating on that river? If so, can you travel quite a distance by boat, or is it like some of the rivers in our area where there are areas with rapids, dams, etc. that impede boating for very long distances? I don't mean for miles and miles, just maybe up to 20-30 miles or so, beginning to end.

ETA: Is it a common thing for people from the Lexington area to take their boats up to the Ohio River?

Any information would be very much appreciated.

[kab0906]

The river in Frankfort has locks that don't work. You don't boat from Frankfort to much of anywhere.

[canudigit]

LOL, oh, shoot. Okay, well thanks for the quick reply, anyway.

[kygman]

Back in the 70s my dad and two of his coworkers put a boat in the Kentucky River at High Bridge (about an hour south of Frankfort. They took 5 days taking the Kentucky up to the Ohio and down the Ohio to Paducah, Ky. They weren't in any hurry and just enjoyed the scenery. I remember them saying the scenery all along the Kentucky River was amazing.


Here's some Kentucky waterways information from Wikipedia:
Kentucky's 90,000 miles (140,000 km) of streams provides one of the most expansive and complex stream systems in the nation.[12] Kentucky has both the largest artificial lake east of the Mississippi in water volume (Lake Cumberland) and surface area (Kentucky Lake). It is the only U.S. state to be bordered on three sides by rivers—the Mississippi River to the west, the Ohio River to the north, and the Big Sandy River and Tug Fork to the east.[13] Its major internal rivers include the Kentucky River, Tennessee River, Cumberland River, Green River and Licking River.
Though it has only three major natural lakes,[14] the state is home to many artificial lakes. Kentucky also has more navigable miles of water than any other state in the union, other than Alaska.[15]

[canudigit]

Wow! Interesting information, thanks for sharing that.

So it sounds like if you live in the Bluegrass and want to have a boat, you would probably have to tow it either up to the Ohio River or down to Lake Cumberland.

[kygman]

I'm in the western part of the state. Just passing on some info about boating in Ky and up in the Frankfort area maybe. We took our tent and camped outside Frankfort along the Ky. River and it was really nice up there. You'll enjoy it.

[bonnie.woolums]

Originally Posted by canudigit

Long story short, we live in Michigan but my dh's entire family on his dad's side going back many generations are from Kentucky and dh is really wanting to move back down that way. We have talked about Lexington and Georgetown so far, but my dh really wants to live somewhere where we can have a boat, and there don't seem to be a lot of boating areas in central Kentucky.

I just happened to see that the Kentucky River goes through Frankfort. Do people do a lot of boating on that river? If so, can you travel quite a distance by boat, or is it like some of the rivers in our area where there are areas with rapids, dams, etc. that impede boating for very long distances? I don't mean for miles and miles, just maybe up to 20-30 miles or so, beginning to end.

ETA: Is it a common thing for people from the Lexington area to take their boats up to the Ohio River?

Any information would be very much appreciated.

Boating is a large sport for People who own boats in KY. The KY River down next to the KY River Camp Grounds everying Thursday night has a base tournment. People consitently fishing KY River all the time.

[CraigCreek]

There's also Lake Herrington, less than an hour from Lexington. LH was created by damming the Dix River, a large Kentucky River tributary, for electric power, about 70 years ago. There are launching docks and lots of privately owned cabins and cottages around the lake, which is scenic, with wooded limestone bluffs, long, and narrow.

The Kentucky River is not far away, obviously. The Bluegrass stretch of the Kentucky River consists of the Palisades, limestone bluffs which rise three hundred feet or more above the river - extremely scenic. There is a narrow band of wooded hills along the Kentucky, with several natural parks and preserves with hiking trails that are especially popular during the spring wildflower season (i.e., right now) and in late October, when the leaves turn. The Palisades offer a sharp contrast to the manicured, rolling pastures above, and boating on this stretch of the Kentucky River offers an up-close view.

There are places to launch boats all along the Kentucky - it's just no longer possible to go all the way down the river without removing your boat, since the locks no longer operate. From time to time, there are proposals for reopening and refurbishing the locks, but thus far - that remains undone, sadly. Too bad, since reopening the locks, along with returning the various small hydroelectric dams to their intended purpose would be great services to the people of Kentucky.

[canudigit]

Thanks for all of the great information, and sorry it took me so long to respond.

Lake Herrington sounds interesting, I will google that for sure.

I am still curious about the Ohio River, though, since it is only about an hour north of the Bluegrass region. Does anyone know if there are boat launches in areas like Covington or other towns along the river? Is the Ohio a fast flowing river that is better left to more experienced boaters with larger boats? It seems like it would be wonderful to cruise along the Ohio River enjoying the beautiful scenery on both sides, and you could probably go as far as you wanted to, unless there are dams or rapids that I don't know about.

Thanks again!

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by canudigit

Long story short, we live in Michigan but my dh's entire family on his dad's side going back many generations are from Kentucky and dh is really wanting to move back down that way. We have talked about Lexington and Georgetown so far, but my dh really wants to live somewhere where we can have a boat, and there don't seem to be a lot of boating areas in central Kentucky.

I just happened to see that the Kentucky River goes through Frankfort. Do people do a lot of boating on that river? If so, can you travel quite a distance by boat, or is it like some of the rivers in our area where there are areas with rapids, dams, etc. that impede boating for very long distances? I don't mean for miles and miles, just maybe up to 20-30 miles or so, beginning to end.

ETA: Is it a common thing for people from the Lexington area to take their boats up to the Ohio River?

Any information would be very much appreciated.

There are many more boating options in Louisville. For one, many people boat on the Ohio River.

RiverPark Louisville Kentucky, Lofts and Luxury Condos

Has a great Marina. There are also some great "beach" communities near Prospect KY with a great boating and water culture and lifestyle.

Closer to Louisville than Herrington Lake is to Lexington is Taylorsville Lake. It is a real gem and a very nice mid sized lake. Taylorsville is an exurban Louisville rural suburb, but has some very nice waterfront homes as well as growing subdivisions in the area.

About 45 min from Louisville, in S. Indiana, is Patoka Lake. This is by far the largest and best lake within driving distance of Louisville or Lexington. It sits in a national park so it is quite the beauty.

Of course the largest lakes in Ky are lake Barkley and Kentucky, however this area is pretty much in TN, some 3 hours from Lou or Lex.

Also, within Louisville city limits are several small lakes which are great fishing lakes. Only one is really conducive to boating and even then it is kind of small, but it has a nice boat ramp (Mcneely Lake)

Fishing - Go Outdoors - LouisvilleKy.gov