About the Cave Run Lake Area

Cave Run Lake is a beautiful place to visit!  With 8,270 acres and 166 miles of shoreline, this scenic lake is outstanding trophy muskie fishing. It is a great place for family vacations, reunions, camping retreats, fishing, hunting, and boating.  Start your day off with a picnic or a quick swim in the lake.  If you prefer camping, Cave Run Lake has several campgrounds available to accommodate visitors. RV's are welcome!  Boating is very popular throughout the area (boat rental is available at the local marinas) as well as fishing and hunting.  If you like Muskie, you'll love fishing Cave Run!  Horse back riding and hiking is also available for those wishing to explore the wildlife of Cave Run.

Morehead, Kentucky

Morehead, Kentucky is a great area for outdoor lovers. It is best known for Cave Run Lake, 15 minutes west of town off US-60. Cave Run is surrounded by the northernmost part of the Daniel Boone National Forest. Take the nine-mile Zilpo Road National Forest Scenic Byway for a ridgetop view of cliffs of rhododendron and laurel, distant mountains and glimpses of the shimmering lake. You'll pass historic Clear Creek Iron Furnace and the circa 1933 Tater Knob Fire Tower, the last fire tower in the forest. Zilpo Road goes  through the Pioneer Weapons Wildlife Management Area, where hunting is limited to weapons such as crossbows and muzzle-loading rifles can be used. The 257-mile Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail also goes through the forest. Some sections are open to horseback riding, mountain bikes and off-road vehicles, as well as hiking.

Stop at Morehead's visitor center at 150 E First, M-F 8:30-4:30, 606/784-6221 for area information and then head to the Kentucky Folk Art Center. You'll see a fascinating collection of 720 pieces of sculpture, paintings and artworks made by Kentucky folk artists. Most of the 150 artists are from northeastern Kentucky and are self-taught. The museum store offers contemporary artworks, educational folktoys, books, recordings and wearable art ($3, M-Sat 9-5, Sun 1-5, 102 West First Street, 606/783-2204).

Daniel Boone National Forest

The legendary scenic beauty of Eastern Kentucky is embodied in the Daniel Boone National Forest, a huge area that covers 672,000 acres in 21 counties. When you visit here you are seeing the spectacular land that Daniel Boone once explored - steep forested ridges, magnificent natural arches, rushing streams, abundant wildlife and lush vegetation. You can also enjoy the whole spectrum of outdoor activities - camping, hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, boating, fishing, hunting,canoeing and whitewater rafting. The forest has an incredible variety of trees, including red and white oak, chestnut, hickory, yellow poplar, basswood, beech, sugar and red maple, hemlock, and shortleaf, pitch and Virginia pine. More than 40 commercial species of timber grow here. The forest contains two large lakes and many streams, including six Kentucky Wild Rivers.

Wildlife in the forest includes more than 100 species of birds, 46 kinds of mammals, and 67 types of amphibians and reptiles. White tailed deer, wild turkey, grey and fox squirrels, ruffed grouse, bobwhite quail, red and gray foxes, ducks, muskrats, rabbit, mink and raccoon are common game species.

Nongame birds and animals include the white breasted nuthatch, chipmunk, screech owl, northern black racer snake and terrapin. Four endangered species live here - the Virginia big eared bat, Indiana bat, red-cockaded woodpecker and bald eagle. Bass, crappie, muskie, catfish, bream and stocked trout attract fishermen. The 257-mile Sheltowee Trace National Recreation Trail extends the length of the forest and links many of the developed recreation areas. The trail runs through deep canyons, along narrow ridge tops, past rivers and lakes, and through areas of strikingly beautiful rimrock cliffs. Sheltowee Trace links with the Jenny Wiley National Recreation Trail and with other major trail systems in the Red River Gorge, Cave Run Lake, Laurel River Lake, Cumberland Falls and Big South Fork areas. There are an additional 235 miles of trails within the forest. KY-89, a Kentucky Scenic Byway, runs from KY-490 in Rockcastle County to the Jackson-Estill county line. The portion south of McKee parallels the Rockcastle River and Sheltowee Trace.

About 50 miles east of Lexington is the Red River Gorge Geological Area, a favorite for day hikes and backpacking. The rugged Clifty Wilderness is also located in the gorge. Beaver Creek Wilderness, featuring rock shelters, vertical cliffs and waterfalls, is 17 miles southwest of Somerset. Nearby is majestic Cumberland Falls.

There are two popular lakes at each end of the forest - Laurel River Lake near Corbin/London and Cave Run Lake near Morehead - both with campgrounds and marinas. The Pioneer Weapons Hunting Area is next to Cave Run. There's also canoeing and whitewater rafting on the Cumberland River, Rockcastle River and Red River, all national wild and scenic rivers.

The U.S. Forest Service on KY-801 has a great visitor center with maps, exhibits and an audiovisual, M-F 8-4:30, 606/784-5624. The Lakeview Ridge Hiking Trail begins here, following the Sheltowee Trace for 1.25 miles and then proceeding for 4 miles high above the lake. The trail ends at Shallow Flats, a wetland interpretive area with an observation deck. Nearby is the Minor E. Clark Fish Hatchery, one of the largest state-owned warm-water hatcheries in the country, covering 300 acres with 111 rearing and brood ponds (free, June-Aug M-F 7-3, KY-801 S, 606/784-6872, restrooms not handicapped accessible).

For more information contact: Daniel Boone National Forest, 1700 Bypass Road, Winchester KY 40391, 606/745-3100. For a copy of the Kentucky Wildlife Viewing Guide ($8.95 plus shipping & handling), call 800/858-1549 or 502/564-4336.

Once you visit Cave Run Lake and experience all that the Daniel Boone National Forest has to offer, you will probably become a return visitor.  Kentucky is a beautiful state to visit.....experience it once and you'll come back!