ozark or cumberland
 

I have been to lake of the ozarks many times,I would like to try lake cumberlad,when is a good time to go and stay.How does it compare to lake of the ozark's

Re: ozark or cumberland
 

Gone to Cumberland for last 10 yrs. Love it. Went to LOTO 2 yrs ago for the shootout. A good time, but I'll take LC over LOTO anytime. Depends if you want the bar scene or nature scene. Best from mid July and on for warm water temps. We either stay in coves in our boats or rent slips from State Dock.

Re: ozark or cumberland
 

ditto!!

Re: ozark or cumberland
 

Lake Cumberland the week after Labor Day!!! I heard all the cool kids are there.

Re: ozark or cumberland
 

ditto here to. . . . . cumberland is great but it is pretty secluded. i have only done it in houseboats (state dock is the best!) but have been thinking of taking my boat down there for a weekend. if you plan on staying or your boat make sure you take everything your gonna need, last time i was there there wasnt much more than gas docks and a few general stores on the lake. be nice to have an OSO get todether down there :drink:


what do they get for a dock at state big enough for a 34 for a weekend?

Re: ozark or cumberland
 

quiet and calm-LC, crowds, partying, nudity, bars, big boats and waves-LOTO

Re: ozark or cumberland
 

LC does have a couple places if you want the party atmosphere. Rest of the lake can be your own private watering hole. This pic was taken from last yrs poker run at 76 Falls. You'll alway find me there. Anyone get their "Got Boat' tees shirts from last yr? :) The lake level is dropped way low for the winter pool, hense the really tight gathering in this pic. from what I understand, the lake level is going to be kept lowerer than normal this yr because of dam leakage control.

It's dry county, so gotta bring what you want with ya.

I forget the dock rental pricing. $50/night uncovered 25' slip??? We have rented a large 75' covered houseboat slip before and kept 4 boats in it before. I think that was $50/boat/night. The pricing seems to fluctuate from employee to employeee and so does the abilty to reserve one. No 2 same answers. For most part, 1st come-1st serve. No reservations.

Plan on hanging at the dam Fri and Sat evenings. See some good running.

Re: ozark or cumberland
 

I have been to both 1 time each. I like Cumberland better.

Re: ozark or cumberland
 

What US1Fountain said. I have not been to Ozarks but have been to cumberland several times. Lots of good times on a holiday weekend. 76 falls rocks! No bars around so its byob. nearest beer store is in Tenn. so don't run out. It is kind of a make your own party out in the middle of nowwhere which I think adds to the excitement. The lake is beautiful. Lots of flat water during the week but not to conjested on the weekends loke Ozarks from what Iunderstand. I highly recomend it.

Re: ozark or cumberland
 

Never been to LOTO but have been to Cumblerland a lot, and 76 falls is very very fun on the weekends.

BYOB its a nice little drive to Tennessee...bring what you think you will use then multiply it by 1.5

I know from experience its not fun to run out with a day and a half left on the houseboat and then waste 2 hours driving there and back

looks like the lake is going to stay about 50ft below normal summer levels but still plenty deep


Lake level to be low through summer, perhaps into summer 2008



It won’t be officially announced until Monday morning (Jan 22), but it appears it is going to be a low-water summer for boaters and visitors to giant Lake Cumberland. Marina operators and area officials have been notified in advance that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) is planning to reduce the level of the lake to 680 feet above sea level through September, and possibly into October – or perhaps for as long as 18 months, which would put the lower levels into the summer of 2008.

This would be about 45 feet below the tree line, and about 10 feet lower than the current level of the lake, which is now at its usual January winter low level. The COE annually reduces the level during the fall and early winter to enable it to catch usual heavy late winter / early spring rainfalls, which usually bring the lake back to its “summer pool.”

The move is prompted by the serious “seepage” of water through the limestone bedrock under the dam that was discovered and announced in 2005. A planned $300+ million retrofit of the nearly mile-long earthfill portion of the dam – by inserting a huge concrete “diaphragm” inside the rocky portion of the dam – is currently in beginning stages.

The COE had previously announced they planned to keep the level of the lake lower than normal during the spring flood seasons to reduce stress on the 57-year-old dam, but would be cautiously allowing the lake to return to normal summer levels. However, it appears that engineers have growing concerns about the stability of the dam, which has partially led to the probable very low summer levels.

Word is that some of the engineers are not comfortable with even the 680 foot level, and would prefer the water be lower to reduce stress on the structure. We understand that the COE plan to reduce the level to 680 feet within the next couple of weeks, then monitor the stress levels within the dam structure. If satisfactory after that, the level would be maintained during the first grouting work and with further checks the lake could be allowed to rise a little. However, if the pressure is still at an unsatisfactory level, there could be a reevaluation to lower the lake even further than 680 feet to reduce the pressure on the structure and its porous bedrock base.

While lower than normal, a lake level of 680 feet is not overly unusual, just a few feet lower than many wintertime lows over the life of the lake. However, that level during the spring and summer tourism season is extremely rare. The only previous time the lake was very low in the warm months was in the mid-1970s when work on the dam for a previous – and very serious – leak was underway. During that period, the lowest level was 677.85 feet, recorded on Feb. 9, 1977. A few years later, on Jan. 27, 1981, the lake was allowed to fall to the second lowest-ever level of 675.10 feet.

(The lowest all-time level of the lake occurred just 3 years after the lake filled, in Nov. 1954, when during a period of extreme drought the lake’s level fell to 665.11 feet above sea level.)

The expected low levels will have some effect on boaters’ ability to launch into the lake. Already the COE has announced that several of its launches will be too exposed to be used. At some of the lake’s 11 commercial marinas and docks there will have to be some major adjustments to mooring, though at 680 feet nearly all should still have usable launches.

Even at an unusual summertime low level of 680 feet, Lake Cumberland is still a major body of water with a huge surface area for recreational uses. It would still be one of the largest and deepest man-made lakes in the U.S. At its "normal summer pool" of 723 feet, the amount of water contained in Lake Cumberland is enough to cover the entire state of Kentucky 3 inches deep.

The COE plans a news release around 8 a.m. on Monday morning, Jan 22, to explain their plans.

LINK: COLLECTION OF NEWS ARTICLES ON DAM SEEPAGE PROBLEM