Deepest lakes & reservoirs in Kentucky by maximum depth (ft)
The estimated greatest depth of the water in a lake can be measured at the lake’s normal elevation. If the water volume and surface area of a lake are known, an estimate of the lake’s average depth can be calculated:Water volume ÷ Surface Area = Average Depth
Example: 1,000,000 acre-feet ÷ 20,000 acres = 50 feet average depth.
You can find many of the the world’s deepest lakes on LakeLubbers. If you sort the list, you will find the (maximum depth of) the shallowest lakes in our database. Note: For some lakes, lake depth data is unknown, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 17 articles we have published for Kentucky lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > Kentucky > Compared by maximum depth in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in Kentucky, only the 17 Kentucky lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Max depth in feet |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Laurel River Lake, KY (Daniel Boone Country, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
280 ft | Laurel River Lake was created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1974 to provide flood control and hydroelectric power to its neighboring areas, b… |
| Herrington Lake, KY (Bluegrass Region, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
249 ft | Meandering 32 miles across the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky is Herrington Lake. The first large impoundment in Kentucky, Herrington Lake was created i… |
| Lake Cumberland, KY (Kentucky, Southern Lakes Region, KY, US South Region, USA) |
200 ft | Lake Cumberland boasts an impressive 50,250 acres and 1,255 miles of winding shoreline at its normal full pool level of 723 feet above sea level. The… |
| Taylorsville Lake, KY (Kentucky, Kentucky Derby Region, KY, US South Region, USA) |
150 ft | Located in central Kentucky just 25 miles southeast of Louisville is 3,050 acre Taylorsville Lake. Created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1983… |
| Dale Hollow Lake, KY/TN (Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Southern Lakes Region, KY, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
130 ft | Also known as Dale Hollow Reservoir Dale Hollow Lake, straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee border, is an artificial lake that was formed by damming the Obey and Cumberland Rivers. As with m… |
| Barren River Lake, KY (Caves, Lakes & Corvettes Region, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
118 ft | Barren River Lake, located in south-central Kentucky, is one of the state’s hidden jewels, covering over 10,100 acres. The lake was created by the Lou… |
| Nolin River Lake, KY (Caves, Lakes & Corvettes Region, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
100 ft | Tucked into the hills of south central Kentucky, 5,795 acre Nolin River Lake shares residence among Edmonson, Grayson, and Hart counties. Created by t… |
| Paintsville Lake, KY (Appalachians Region, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
100 ft | Sharing acreage of both Johnson and Morgan counties in eastern Kentucky, Paintsville Lake has been a recreational staple since its creation in 1983. T… |
| Lake Barkley, KY/TN (Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA, Western Waterlands Region, KY) |
68 ft | Lake Barkley is one of the premier recreational destinations in Western Kentucky. The reservoir was created by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1966 for… |
| Kentucky Lake, KY/TN (Kentucky, Tennessee, US South Region, USA, West Tennessee, Western Waterlands Region, KY) |
60 ft | Kentucky Lake is the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi when measured by surface acres at “full pond,” the normal water level: 184 miles lo… |
| Yatesville Lake (Appalachians Region, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
60 ft | Also known as Yatesville Lake State Park The newest star in the Kentucky Appalachians region is Yatesville Lake. Very young as lakes go, Yatesville Lake was created in 1991 when the US Army C… |
| Lake Malone, KY (Bluegrass, Blues & Barbecue Region, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
40 ft | Lake Malone is situated in the heart of the Kentucky wilderness, part of the “Bluegrass, Blues and Barbecue” tourism region. Shaped like a large sidew… |