Lake Cumberland State Resort Park: Lake Bluff Nature Trail (Blog Hike #856)

Trail: Lake Bluff Nature Trail

Hike Location: Lake Cumberland State Resort Park
Geographic Location: south of Jamestown, KY (36.92760, -85.04344)
Length: 4 miles
Difficulty: 8/10 (Moderate/Difficult)
Date Hiked: June 2021
Overview: A loop hike with some steep areas offering good blufftop Lake Cumberland views.
Park Information: https://parks.ky.gov/jamestown/parks/resort/lake-cumberland-state-resort-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=876645
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video:

Directions to the trailhead: From Jamestown, take US 127 south 7 miles to the signed entrance road for Lake Cumberland State Resort Park on the left.  Turn left on the park road and drive the main park road 5.2 miles to its end at Lure Lodge.  Park in the large parking lot in front of Lure Lodge and the park's Activity Center; the trailhead is to the right (south) of the Activity Center's lower level.

The hike: Constructed in 1952 for power generation and flood control, the Wolf Creek Dam on the Cumberland River forms 65,530-acre Lake Cumberland, the 9th largest man-made lake by water volume in the United States.  The lake is 101 miles long and over 1 mile wide at its widest point.  Over 1500 houseboats float on the lake, and the area has become a popular summertime weekend getaway for people in the Midwest and the southeast.

            Perched on the lake's north shore is 3117-acre Lake Cumberland State Resort Park, a major recreation destination in the heart of southern Kentucky.  In addition to lake access, the park features 2 lodges, 20 cottages, a 129-site developed campground, a disc golf course that I reviewed in the Parking Full Time Disc Golf Reviews, a playground, some picnic areas, and 2 main hiking trails.  The Lake Bluff Nature Trail described here forms a loop around the developed part of the park.  While this hike is not the hardest in the region, some steep areas combined with some primitive trails meant I took nearly 3 hours to complete this hike.  With that warning, note that there are several bailout options you can use to short-cut the loop in case the difficulty becomes overwhelming.

Trailhead beside Activity Center

            From the information board beside the Activity Center's lower level, the trail descends some wooden steps and crosses the first of several small streams on short wooden footbridges.  Metal interpretive plaques embedded in low concrete bases describe common plants in this forest, which include some large beech trees, some oaks, and some paw paw bushes.  The hillsides in this area are very steep, and after the initial descent the narrow trail assumes a sidehill course with a small inlet of Lake Cumberland downhill and to the left.

Hiking sidehill trail

            Soon the lake inlet turns into a creek, and at 0.5 miles the signed spur trail to the campground store exits right.  Angle left to descend and cross the creek on a longer wooden footbridge.  Next the trail curves left to head back out toward the lake as it climbs the opposing ridge.  This climb is gradual at first, but it gets quite steep just before reaching the crest of the ridge.

Reaching the ridge crest

            Just shy of 1 mile, you reach a T-intersection at the crest of the ridge.  We will eventually turn right to continue the main loop, but first turn left to hike a short spur trail to a rocky overlook that gives your first good Lake Cumberland view.  Although some trees partially obstruct the view, this east-facing overlook allows you to peer out over the lake's main channel, and it gives you some idea of just how large this lake is.  Boats will likely be zooming around in the water, so take a few minutes to see what you can see.

Lake Cumberland's main channel

            Back on the main loop, the next 0.7 miles is my favorite section of the loop: it assumes a rolling course through mature forest atop the bluff with the lake 150 feet below you to the left.  I did some nice wildlife viewing here that included a deer with her fawns and a raccoon.  After dropping and rising steeply to pass through a ravine, the trail curves right to head away from the lake.

Hiking atop the bluff

            2 miles into the hike, you reach the first of three park road crossings that occur within the next half mile.  At all three crossings, wooden signs that say "Nature Trail" and yellow aluminum rectangles mark where the trail crosses the road and re-enters the woods.  Overall, although occasionally the path on the ground is faint, this trail is well-marked.

Re-entering the woods after road crossing

            After crossing the park's campground road, the third of the three aforementioned road crossings, you begin a long descent in and around another heavily wooded ravine.  At 2.8 miles, the trail curves left to begin following an old road and head for the park's Pumpkin Creek Lodge.  The park's cottages can be seen uphill to the right.  The hillside is very steep here, but the old road makes for a wide sidehill trail and relatively easy going.

Narrow trail behind lodge

            Just past 3 miles, you reach a trail intersection.  The trail going right climbs directly to the parking area in front of Pumpkin Creek Lodge while the official Lake Bluff Nature Trail goes left to circle around the back of the lodge and reach the same parking area.  This section of official trail is steep, narrow, eroded, and borderline dangerous: a slip would send you tumbling down the steep hillside toward Lake Cumberland.  While I managed to navigate the official trail without serious incident, I think it would be best to close that section of trail and reroute the official trail to the front of the lodge.

View over park's boat dock

            Regardless of how you make it to the parking lot in front of Pumpkin Creek Lodge, the trail heads up the north side of the lot before crossing the boat dock access road.  A final brief stint in the woods brings you to the park's disc golf course in a thinly forested area along the Lure Lodge access road.  The sight of your car in the parking lot downhill to the right tempts you to skip the final section of the Lake Bluff Nature Trail, but hikers who keep following the aluminum trail markers will be rewarded with an outstanding view over the park's huge boat dock from a rocky bluff some 150 feet above the water.  After taking in this view, head down to the parking lot that contains your car to complete the hike.  While you are here, the park's disc golf course also starts near this trailhead, and I had a nice time walking around the sunny and hilly disc golf course after I finished my hike on the Lake Bluff Nature Trail.