When summer descends upon the Bluegrass State, it can only mean one thing: time to go play at one of the best lakes in Kentucky! Whether it’s swimming, boating, fishing, or simply admiring the beautiful bodies of water around our city, there are plenty of Kentucky lakes that are well suited for any of your summer needs Some of these Louisville lakes may require a bit of driving, but they’re all located within a three-hour radius of the city.

1. McNeely Lake Park
McNeely Lake Park, 10500 Cedar Creek Rd, Louisville, KY 40229, USA
Flickr/EX22218 - ON/OFF




Home to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Louisville, McNeely Lake Park is located right here within city boundaries and is a favorite for many residents in the city. This park offers beautiful trails, great fishing spots, boating ramps, and sports fields. This lake offers a little bit of everything for the entire family to enjoy.
2. Waverly Park Lake
Waverly Park Lake, 3507 Hardwood Forest Dr, Louisville, KY 40214, USA
Flickr/Erick Gustafson
Another beautiful lake located in Louisville is Waverly Park Lake. This lake offers mountain biking, fishing, grills, hiking trails, picnic areas, and a playground. The scenery here is a perfect setting to kick back, relax, and enjoy the outdoors. We especially love hiking along the park's 9.5 miles of hiking trails in the summer and fall seasons!
3. Lake Nevin
Lake Nevin, Kentucky 40165, USA
Flickr / Zepfanman.com
Lake Nevin is located in the beautiful Bernheim Forest, just a short 20 to 30 minutes away from Louisville. In addition to being located within one of the most immensely beautiful places in Kentucky, this lake offers limited bank fishing, but the best thing to do here is walk around the trails and admire its beauty.
4. Deam Lake
Deam Lake State Recreation Area, 1217 Deam Lake Rd, Borden, IN 47106, USA
Flickr / Jonathan Parrish
Located just 30 minutes away from Louisville in Southern Indiana, Deam Lake is like a dream. It has a public swimming area and many other designated areas for fishing, boating, swimming, camping, kayaking, picnicking, hiking, and hunting across the Deam Lake Recreation Area. You can also rent rowboats here to fully enjoy your time out on the water. Deam Lake is an amazing place to camp and it's one of the nicest, closest lakes around Louisville.
5. Lake Shelby
Shelbyville, IN 46176, USA
Facebook / Shelbyville/Shelby County Parks and Recreation




Lake Shelby, located just under 40 minutes away in Shelbyville, Indiana, is a fisherman's dream. The waters are loaded with bluegill, crappie, bass, catfish, and more. The lake is popular for fishing, but many people simply take their canoes and kayaks out and explore nature here.

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6. Taylorsville Lake
Taylorsville Lake, Kentucky 40008, USA
Flickr / LouisvilleUSACE
Taylorsville Lake is located almost an hour away, but it's one of the best near the city. A true nature lover's paradise, this lake is wonderful for camping, fishing, boating, hiking, and more. The 24-mile trail system around the lake allows for hiking, mountain biking, and even horseback riding. Birdwatching is popular here as well, as there are so many spectacular species that call this lake home, such as the Blue Heron seen above taking flight. The Van Buren Boat Ramp area also contains two nesting sites for the American Bald Eagle.
7. Hardy Lake
Wikipedia
Located a little over an hour away in Scottsburg, Indiana, Hardy Lake offers hiking, boating, camping, and has an interesting raptor rehabilitation center with trained professionals who can teach you about the region's hawks, owls, falcons, and vultures.
8. Lake Reba
Lake Reba, Richmond, KY 40475, USA
Flickr / David Gasson
Located and hour and a half away in Richmond, Kentucky, Lake Reba offers a surprising amount of amenities to entertain guests. They have a little league baseball complex, an adult softball complex, a batting cage, miniature and regular golf courses, the Paradise Cove Aquatic Center, a soccer complex, an off-leash dog park, a football field, walking/jogging trails, Herb Vescio horseshoe pits , and the fishing lake with boat ramp & fish cleaning station.
9. Laurel River Lake
Laurel River Lake, Kentucky, USA
TripAdvisor / Steve M.
Located two and a half hours away in the Daniel Boone National Forest, Laurel River Lake is a beautiful man-made lake that was built in 1977 as a reservoir of the Laurel River. There's a pristine beach to swim at and the water is amazingly clear and clean. While you're in the area, you should also check out Cumberland Falls!
10. Lake Cumberland
Lake Cumberland, Kentucky, USA
Flickr / Blueathena7




Also located two and a half hours away, the beautiful Lake Cumberland is surrounded with spots for hiking, horseback riding, fishing, and boating. Cumberland Lake prides itself in being "the Houseboat Capital of the World," as the marina offers 100 open slips, rental fishing boats, pontoon boats, houseboats, and ski boats. People just can't get enough of this gorgeous lake, so they decide to live on it!

What do you think are the best lakes in Louisville? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook! To learn about more beautiful Kentucky lakes, check out this article about the best lakes in Kentucky.

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More to Explore

Beautiful lakes in Louisville

Sarah M. | May 16, 2022

What are some beautiful beaches to visit in Kentucky?

 

Looking for the most beautiful beaches to visit in Kentucky? Head to Laurel River Lake, which boasts clear-blue waters that are so beautiful, they absolutely rival anything you'd find in the Caribbean. Laurel River Lake is located near London, Kentucky in the heart of Daniel Boone National Forest. This 5,600-acre lake has a lot to offer, including beautiful water and lovely surroundings. As one of the deepest and cleanest lakes in Kentucky, this is a unique place to get out on the water, but there is plenty to experience from its shoreline. The Laurel River Dam is also an incredible engineering feat. The photo below shows the dam after some winter flooding. Near the dam's spillway, you'll find an unexpected sandy beach where you can relax for the day and play in the water. The beach is maintained by the Corps of Engineers, and while not known all over the state, it is a favorite summertime spot for those who live in and visit the area. Roll out a towel and relax!

Of course, if you're up for a drive, there's a beach about three hours from Louisville that, in our opinion, is *the* best and most beautiful in Kentucky. We're talking about Jenny Wiley State Resort Park, one of the most underrated treasures in the state. This Kentucky State Park is 2,871 acres of pure Bluegrass beauty, offering an abundance of opportunities for outdoor recreation of both the land and water varieties. The park’s crown jewel is the 1,100-acre Dewey Lake, a cerulean pool with some of the bluest water in the state. You’ll be dazzled by its azure waters, which make Jenny Wiley State Park truly stand out — even in a state that’s known for its abundance of rivers and lakes!

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