Lake Barkley

{{Short description|Reservoir on the Cumberland River in Kentucky and Tennessee, United States}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox body of water

| name = Lake Barkley

| image = Kentucky and Barkley Lakes aerial view.jpg

| caption = Aerial view of Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley. Lake Barkley is on the right. The canal connecting Lake Barkley to Kentucky Lake is visible at left-center.

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| location = Livingston County, Lyon County and Trigg County in Kentucky; Stewart County and Houston County in Tennessee

| coords = {{coord|37|01|15|N|88|13|22|W|type:waterbody_region:US-KY|display=inline,title}}

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| basin_countries = United States

| length = {{convert|216|km|abbr=on}}

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| area = {{convert|234|km2|abbr=on}}

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| volume = Maximum: {{convert|2082000|acre.ft|km3|abbr=on}}

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| shore =

| elevation = {{convert|109|m|abbr=on}}

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| pushpin_map = Kentucky#USA

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| pushpin_map_alt = Location of Lake Barkley in Kentucky, USA.

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Lake Barkley, a {{convert|58000|acre|km2|adj=on}} reservoir in Livingston County, Lyon County and Trigg County in Kentucky and extending into Stewart County and Houston County in Tennessee, was impounded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1966 upon the completion of Barkley Dam. Both the lake and the dam are named for Vice President Alben Barkley, a Kentucky native.{{cite book |editor-last=Kleber |editor-first=John E. |others=Associate editors: Thomas D. Clark, Lowell H. Harrison, and James C. Klotter |title=The Kentucky Encyclopedia |year=1992 |publisher=The University Press of Kentucky |location=Lexington, Kentucky |isbn=0-8131-1772-0 |chapter=Lakes |page=532 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/kentuckyencyclop0000unse/page/532 |via=Internet Archive |chapter-url-access=registration}}

The dam impounds the Cumberland River near Grand Rivers, Kentucky, approximately {{convert|38|mi|km|abbr=out}} upstream from where the Cumberland empties into the Ohio River. {{convert|1|mi|km|spell=In}} above the dam is a canal connecting Lake Barkley with Kentucky Lake, forming one of the greatest freshwater recreational complexes in the country. The lakes run parallel courses for more than {{convert|50|mi|km|abbr=out}}, with the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area located between them.

Lake Barkley is {{convert|134|mi|km|abbr=out}} long with a shoreline measuring {{convert|1,004|mi|km|abbr=out}}. The lake's level is maintained at different levels throughout the year for flood control purposes. Summer pool, {{convert|359|ft|m|abbr=on}} above sea level, is normally reached by May 1. The water level begins dropping gradually on July 1, and winter pool ({{convert|354|ft|m|abbr=on|disp=semicolon}}) is reached by December 1. The spring rise starts April 1. The lake's water surface area varies accordingly from {{convert|57,920|acre|km2}} at summer pool to {{convert|45,210|acre|km2}} at winter pool.