Kenlake State Resort Park

About this park

Kenlake State Resort Park sits on the western shore of Kentucky Lake near the community of Aurora, and holds the distinction of being Kentucky's very first state resort park. Along with nearby Lake Barkley and Kentucky Dam Village, it forms part of the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, a 170,000-acre corridor between two major reservoirs originally organized by the Tennessee Valley Authority during the Great Depression. The park absorbed the area once known as Cherokee State Park and has developed a strong cultural identity of its own, hosting the Hot August Blues Festival every summer since 1989, a tradition that has made the park a regional music destination in addition to its outdoor recreation appeal. A hotel, cottages, marina, and dining room, including the well-known Kenlake Pizza Pub, support both overnight stays and day visitors. Multiple lakeside and forest trails wind through mixed hardwood terrain with rolling hills and lake overlooks, offering everything from short, relaxed loops near the campground to longer hikes with sweeping Kentucky Lake views. Boating, fishing, and swimming round out the park's offerings, and its location roughly 40 miles southeast of Paducah makes it a convenient lake destination for far western Kentucky.