A Kentucky lake lands on 2 USA Today 10Best lists. Here’s why you should go
USA Today’s 10Best rankings recently named the 10 best lakes in America and the 10 best lakes for water sport experiences.
Kentucky’s Lake Cumberland took the No. 7 spot in both rankings.
USA Today attributed Lake Cumberland's rankings to visitors’ ability to rent a kayak, fish for largemouth bass and take a helicopter tour of the 102-square-mile reservoir.
Lake Cumberland is a 1.5- to 3-hour drive from Lexington, depending on which side of the lake you visit. For many spots on the lake, the drive takes about two hours.
Lake Cumberland was originally created as a source of hydroelectric power in the 1950s by building the Wolf Creek Dam. The original town of Burnside was almost completely underwater only a few years after the dam’s completion, making it the only town in Kentucky to be intentionally flooded.
Since then, it has become one of the largest lakes in the country and has garnered a reputation as the “houseboat capital of the world,” according to the Lake Cumberland Tourist Commission.
Lake Cumberland has made USA Today’s 10Best lists in years past, including being named the Best Lake in the country in 2023.
Here’s how Lake Cumberland has ranked in previous USA Today 10Best lists:
- 2025: No. 8 Best Lake
- 2025: No. 5 Best Lake for Water Sports
- 2024: No. 10 Best Lake
- 2024: Runner-up Best Lake for Water Sports
- 2023: No. 1 Best Lake
- 2023: No. 5 Best Lake for Water Sports
- 2015: No. 4 Best Recreational Lake