Kenlake State Park

The Commonwealth of Kentucky began negotiations with the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1946 to lease a portion of land known as Aurora Landing. The land was situated on the western shore of Kentucky Lake near the Eggner’s Ferry Bridge. This leased land would be used as a state park dedicated to recreation.

The Tennessee Valley Authority leased an initial 1,146 acres to Kentucky. After the land transfer was officially completed on March 13, 1948, the new park at Aurora Landing was named Kentucky Lake State Park and joined the commonwealth’s state parks system. By the 1970’s, the name of the park was shortened to “Kenlake State Park.”

Kenlake State Resort Park has two short hiking trails; the 0.7-mile-long Cherokee Trail and the 1-mile-long Chickasaw Trail. The blog “My Own 100 Hikes” elaborates on how the names of these two trails are derived from the Chickasaw Indians who once lived here, and the Cherokee Indians who walked through  this area during the Trail of Tears march from Georgia to Oklahoma.

In addition to the two long-established marked trails, one can also walk the paved trails of the recently closed nine-hole golf course. There are also some other short trails located near the eastern amphitheater area of the park.