Lake Cumberland

[ScarletArrow]

Planning a trip to Lake Cumberland this summer...

Has anyone been to Poppelwell's Alligator?

http://www.alligatordock1.com/html/lodging.html

Anyone have good or bad experiences to share about Lake Cumberland in general?

Know of a good place to stay?

Looking at our first lake house vacation and we want to make it a good one.

[NautiqueOasis]

RE: Lake Cumberland

Not too many lake houses close to the water on Cumberland; ya may want to consider a houseboat trip. Another possibility is a cabin on Dale Hollow Lake just a little bit south of Cumberland, but really not that much further than Aligator. PM me if you want some more info on both lakes.

[ffmedic74]

RE: Lake Cumberland

Same lake but different topic: I just went to Sumerset yesterday and was at Lee's Ford and Burnside marinas. All I can say is #$%^ the lake is low! So much of the lake is now just bank and mud. I saw a 4 wheeler stuck about an eighth of a mile out in what would normally be lake. He got stuck in mud. My boss has a houseboat that normally sits in 80ft of water and now in 34ft. The Wolf Creek Dam also has a leak in it. The Army Corp of Engineers states There's a concern at Kentucky's largest lake, as the dam that holds back Lake Cumberland is leaking. They are talking about keeping the lake 80ft below normal pool next few summers. Below is an except from the local news station. Wolf Creek Dam in Russell County is in need of $300 million worth of repairs, and now those who live near the dam are on alert. The dam holds back enough water to cover the entire state of Kentucky with more than three inches of water. A leak also happened back in 1967 and it resulted in $96 million in emergency funding. Federal officials say the dam was in danger of failure then, which could have flooded communities downstream. But officials say it isn't that bad this time around, but the problem does need to be taken care of immediately. A concrete curtain will have to be placed inside the dam to fix the leak, and it will take Congress to approve the funding.

The Army Corps of Engineers says it will take seven years to fix the problem.

[ScarletArrow]

Re: RE: Lake Cumberland

Not too many lake houses close to the water on Cumberland; ya may want to consider a houseboat trip. Another possibility is a cabin on Dale Hollow Lake just a little bit south of Cumberland, but really not that much further than Aligator. PM me if you want some more info on both lakes.

Thanks...sent you a PM.

[jthooker]

The cabins at Alligator One are located at the top of the hill above the marina. They do not have a lake view as I recall. It’s about a quarter of a mile down the steep road to the lake. We rented houseboats out of Alligator One for a number of years when Irv and Yvonne Popplewell still ran their own fleet. When Irv passed away State Dock took over the houseboat rentals but they are no longer doing that.
Grider Hill Dock on Indian Creek has lake view lodging and houseboat rentals. We’ve been renting out of there for the past 8 years or so. It’s the closest marina to 76 Falls and there are two slalom courses nearby. Boat traffic on and around Indian Creek is very heavy on summer weekends so that area is not your best choice to stay if you want maximum skiing time on good open water.
I would suggest that you not stay at State Dock or Jamestown Marina for your first visit because they are large and you will just be a number to them. Perhaps some others might give you some tips on good marinas on the East end of the lake.

[ScarletArrow]

Re: RE: Lake Cumberland

They are talking about keeping the lake 80ft below normal pool next few summers....The Army Corps of Engineers says it will take seven years to fix the problem.

So it looks like I should change my plans?

[SprintCar39]

I would also go to Grider Hill Dock for my houseboat rental. Been going there since I was 16 and only missed a couple of years. The lake level concerns me though. Eric

[igkya]

Grider Hill, houseboat, 76 Falls, 2 Slalom courses... excellant choice. try the other end of the lake for a bit more family atmosphere (Lee's Marina has cabins and Houseboats or Burnside Marina). PM if you want additional info, I've been at both ends of the lake and have stayed at the 3 marinas listed above. Visted a few others.

[CHassmann]

There's a lot of good information on www.lakecumberland.com. There is a community message board with a lot of detailed information about the problems with the dam.

[AirNautique211]

Went to Cumberland once and Dale Hollow once - we liked DH the best. Stayed on a houseboat out of Alligator 2 on the cumberland trip. It was fun for a party lake - someone was actually shot in a cruiser the weekend we were there. Stayed at Eagle Cove on DH in a cabin and had a great time on that trip. The cabin was cheaper and no big boat set up - it was much easier for our family. The cabin came with a courtesey slip, plenty of space and a real bed. Very clean operation. The water was perfect - seemed to be much smoother and more secluded than Cumberland. The water was also cleaner, just like everyone says.

The attached site will get you to both lakes , all marinas, launches, maps, and resorts.

http://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/pao/la.../lakeinfo.html

Here is a picture of the Eagle Cove Courtesay Slip with the cabins in the background.

[AirNautique211]

Hey, I just checked out the Alligator I site and was wrong in my post - I think. SNwanabe and us went out of Alligator I, not Alligator II.

Check out the link in my other post. There are a bunch of lakes listed and tons of info on each lake. This would be a good link for the PN site. I am sure there are other state sites with similar information. One can get just about anything needed for a lake trip from the state site. Check it out!

[ScarletArrow]

Thanks everyone! This is very helpful!

[jhiestand]

I wouldn't let the low water level deter you. Cumberland is awesome. In spite of it's size it can get a tad crowded on weekends, but weekdays you'll have butter everywhere. We were down in Oct and experienced the low water level. Not a huge deal, but very different from our previous trip.

I've also spent time on Dale Hollow and Lake Norris, houseboats, camping and cottages. They all are very nice and you really can't go wrong whatever you choose!

[BigBald]

Love Cumberland...and Grider Hill. We take a High School trip to Cumberland each summer (this will be our 7th year). Last three years we've gone out of Grider Hill....those folks are awesome.

By the way....we talked to them this week about the low lake levels now and this summer. They aren't too worried about the lake being too low...in fact the low level now is caused more by dry weather than by the dam damage.

[bkhallpass]

Love Cumberland...and Grider Hill. We take a High School trip to Cumberland each summer (this will be our 7th year).

Wow Splash.

They kicked me out high school after 4, and I couldn't even
stretch college past 5. Yellow_Flash_Colorz:

BKH