Cave Run Lake
Rowan County, Kentucky8,270 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Cave Run Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 79 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Ask about Cave Run Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Cave Run Lake in Rowan County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Surface area: 8270 acres.
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Cave Run Lake is a 8,270-acre lake in Rowan County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 79 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 13 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2014-07-24. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Cave Run Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch13 documented ramps
- Camping3 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water8,270 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Cave Run Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Kentucky Division of Water and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Cave Run Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Cave Run Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. Phosphorus 10 µg/L. TSI 37.
| Metric | Value | EPA condition class |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | No recent samples | |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | Measured, not scored |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 37 | Oligotrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Current Conditions
USGS snapshot Sep 7, 2026, 3:05 PM from gauge 03249498 (CAVE RUN LAKE NEAR FARMERS, KY). Station page ↗ — a live reading replaces this snapshot when the gauge responds. Missing live data is not an all-clear.
→ Cave Run Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~79 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 8,270 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kentucky has not published bathymetry for Cave Run Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- AlfreyPublic
- BangorPublic
- Beaver CreekPublic
- Twin KnobsPublic
- Warix RunPublic
- ZilpoPublic
Showing 6 of 13 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Cave Run Lake
- Boat Gunnel Group Camping0.4 km
- Twin Knobs Rec. Area1.8 km
- Zilpo Rec. Area3.7 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Fishing Cave Run Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Cave Run Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Cave Run Dam (completed 1965), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Licking River; rockfill-type dam, 148 ft tall and 2,700 ft long.
- Surface area
- 8,270 ac
- Normal storage
- 222,581 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 614,100 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 826 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Louisville District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Other;Recreation.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY03055 · Operator website
Nearby Lakes in Rowan County
Frequently asked questions about Cave Run Lake
Where is Cave Run Lake?
- Cave Run Lake is a lake in Rowan County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cave Run Lake?
- Cave Run Lake in Rowan County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Phosphorus: 10 µg/L. Surface area: 8270 acres.
Is Cave Run Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Cave Run Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Cave Run Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 79 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 8270 acres.
What is the water level at Cave Run Lake?
- The USGS snapshot on this page for Cave Run Lake is 730.24 ft of water-surface elevation, recorded Sep 7, 2026, 3:05 PM at gauge 03249498. Current Conditions hydrates a live NWIS reading from that same station when the gauge responds. A missed live fetch is not an all-clear.
Are there boat ramps on Cave Run Lake?
- Cave Run Lake has 13 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Alfrey, Bangor, Beaver Creek, Twin Knobs, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Are there campgrounds on Cave Run Lake?
- Cave Run Lake has 3 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Boat Gunnel Group Camping, Twin Knobs Rec. Area, Zilpo Rec. Area. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Cave Run Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
13.5 mi away · 60 ft
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Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2014. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- KY WQX
21KY_WQX8 samples · 2014
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles