Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL) is a 171,280-acre (69,310 ha) national recreation area in Kentucky and Tennessee, United States, between Lake Barkley and Kentucky Lake. It was designated as a national recreation area in 1963 by President John F. Kennedy and developed using funds appropriated during the Johnson administration.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Forest |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| States | Kentucky, Tennessee |
| Size | 171,281 acres |
| Forest Service code | 0860, region 08 |
| Center point | 36.75° N, 88.03° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 10) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 4 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
The Forest Service trail layer records 92 named trails in this forest, 268 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| North South Trail ↗ | 58.4 | |
| Frank James ↗ | 19.3 | |
| Wyatt Earp ↗ | 12.6 | |
| Wild Bill Hickock ↗ | 11.9 | |
| Canal Loop ↗ | 11 | |
| Central Hardwoods Scenic Trail ↗ | 11 | |
| Jesse James ↗ | 10.9 | |
| Matt Dillon ↗ | 10.6 | |
| Annie Oakley ↗ | 9.3 | |
| Billy the Kid ↗ | 8.2 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
All 92 trails in Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area on Trailhead Atlas ↗
Fire nearby
- PrescribedCretaceous Hills State Natural Area Rx
43 mi from the center point · 48 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- under 0.1 miGreat Western Furnace ↗Dover, TN
- 0.8 miBrick Inn ↗Canton, KY
- 1.5 miLawson, Thomas, House ↗Grand Rivers, KY
- 2.2 miMamie S. Barrett (towboat) ↗Eddyville, KY
- 5.2 miMt. Zion Church and Cemetery ↗Elkhorn, TN
- 6.5 miSeclusaval ↗Murray, KY
- 7.1 miHalleck's Chapel and Halleck's School ↗Princeton, KY
- 7.4 miOak Hill ↗Calvert City, KY
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Kentucky
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area?
171,281 acres.
Source: Forest Service boundary data
Who manages Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: U.S. Forest Service
What state is Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area in?
The boundary crosses Kentucky and Tennessee.
Source: How states are assigned
Can I camp at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area?
Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area?
A point inside the boundary is at 36.748° N, 88.035° W. Fort Donelson National Battlefield is 1 mile away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: U.S. Forest Service
Is there a fire near Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Cretaceous Hills State Natural Area Rx at 43 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area?
Fort Donelson National Battlefield (1 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area?
The National Register has 44 listings within 15 miles, including Great Western Furnace and Brick Inn.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
- States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
- Description: Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.