Yatesville Lake celebrates 30th birthday Saturday

By Lilly Adkins

BSN Associate Editor

LOUISA —Yatesville Lake will celebrate its 30th birthday Saturday with events and activities planned at the Lawrence County showcase.

U.S. Army Corp of Engineers representatives Kristen Lemaster and Logan White talked about the event at a Louisa Rotary Club meeting Thursday. Lemaster said she will have a booth set up by the Yatesville Lake State Park Marina from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

White said they have a lot of photographs available for people to look at and that they can make copies for people if they want them.

According to a flyer provided by Lemaster and White, visitors can also check out the nature trail for a self-guided tour to the dam and the spillway. The trail starts behind the shelter at the project office located at 708 Yatesville Dam Road.

A tributary of the Big Sandy River, Yatesville Lake is located on Blaine Creek and was constructed under the Flood Control Act of 1965, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website.

“The dam is rockfill, with a central impervious core and founded on rock,” the website says. “The length of the lake and boatable arms is 20.6 miles upstream from the dam and 18.1 miles upstream from where it flows into the Big Sandy River. The maximum depth of the lake is 60 feet with an average mean depth of 17.7 feet. The shoreline measures 93.9 miles at summer pool level. The lake’s watershed is 208 miles.”

The Corps and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife manage the lake’s fish and wildlife programs through habitat improvement, nesting site development and food-plot programs for many fish and wildlife species. Hunting is permitted in marked areas but not in the areas around the dam or information center.

Numerous recreational opportunities are available at Yatesville Lake, including boating, with launch ramps at Barkers, Pleasant Ridge, Rich Creek and Twin Branch.

Fishing is allowed from boats and the shoreline.

A 60-site campground managed by the state Department of Parks is located at Pleasant Ridge, with 15 accessible by boat only. All but the boat-accessible sites have water and electric, with a dump station also available.

Bicycles are permitted on main roads and in the campground.

Horseback riding is allowed in certain areas at the lake. A riding trail operated by the Lawrence County Saddle Club is located in the Pleasant Ridge area off Ky. 3215.

The 18-hole Eagle Ridge Golf Court is located at Yatesville Lake State Park, which also operates a marina at the Barkers launch ramp area, which also has a picnic shelter.

A nature trail is located behind an oil well exhibit adjacent to the project office/information center parking lot. The trial is approximately 1.5 miles long and is universally accessible.