Rough River Lake
Breckinridge County, Kentucky5,100 acresView mapDirections
Kentucky DOW publishes the water-quality measurements for Rough River Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 58 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Rough River Lake in Breckinridge County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Surface area: 5100 acres.
Rough River Lake is a 5,100-acre mesotrophic lake in Breckinridge County, Kentucky with an estimated average depth of about 58 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 10 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, KY DOW, last sampled 2016-12-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 5,100 acres, Rough River Lake is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 10 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Rough River Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Rough River Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch10 documented ramps
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
- Big water5,100 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Rough River Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Rough River 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 Rough River Lake
These are the measurements Kentucky DOW publishes for Rough River Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6.4 ft. Phosphorus 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.8 µg/L. TSI 48.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 23µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 48 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Rough River Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
→ Rough River Lake water level: the live USGS gauge reading
Lake Details
Max depth
~58 ft est.
Surface area
5,100 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Kentucky DOW
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Kentucky has not published bathymetry for Rough River Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
450 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
117.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
509 ft
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
- AxtelPublic
- Brown's HideawayPublic
- Cannon's PointPublic
- Cave CreekPublic
- Indian ValleyPublic
- L.C. LikensPublic
Showing 6 of 10 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 Rough River Lake
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
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Rough River Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Rough River Lake in Breckinridge County, Kentucky — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Rough River Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Rough River Lake → · more Kentucky lake trips
Follow Rough River Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Rough River Lake
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Rough River Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Rough River Dam (completed 1959), built primarily for flood risk reduction on the Rough River; earth-type dam, 132 ft tall and 1,590 ft long.
- Surface area
- 5,100 ac
- Normal storage
- 90,200 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 334,400 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 454 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- USACE - Louisville District
All listed purposes: Flood Risk Reduction;Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID KY03012 · Operator website
EPA Impairment Status
Rough River Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit KY-1645 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Breckinridge County
Frequently asked questions about Rough River Lake
Where is Rough River Lake?
- Rough River Lake is a lake in Breckinridge County, Kentucky. Its water-quality measurements are published by Kentucky DOW and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Rough River Lake?
- Rough River Lake in Breckinridge County, Kentucky has water-quality measurements published by Kentucky DOW, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 23 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.8 µg/L. Surface area: 5100 acres.
Is Rough River Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Rough River Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Rough River Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Rough River Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 58 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 5100 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Rough River Lake?
- Rough River Lake has 10 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Axtel, Brown's Hideaway, Cannon's Point, Cave Creek, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Rough River Lake?
- Rough River Lake has 10 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Kentucky's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Are there campgrounds on Rough River Lake?
- Rough River Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Axtel, Laurel Branch. 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 Rough River Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Kentucky's top lakes, each with its readings
Kentucky's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
Planning a trip around Mammoth Cave?
Rough River Lake is about 36 miles from Mammoth Cave National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Mammoth Cave →More lakes in Kentucky
Other Lakes in Kentucky
Mesotrophic Lakes in Kentucky
Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- USGS Kentucky Water Science Center
USGS-KY16 samples · 2016
Analytical methods
- Secchi disk method
- P, wu, WCA, persulfate CF color
- Plant pigments, sonication & 445
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
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