Exploring the Kentucky River headwaters, Pool 14

 

Sunday, November 5, 2023

I grew up in Lee County not far from where the three forks join to form the headwaters of the Kentucky River. My grandfather Lewis fished the river for years with great success. I've fished bits of this section myself, although the last time was probably 30 years ago. Since 1989 I've lived not too far from the confluence of the river with the Ohio and have spent a bit of time fishing the pools between Frankfort and Monterey, and between Gratz and Carrollton.

For those not familiar with the Kentucky River it hasn't been free flowing for over 100 years. It is artificially divided into pools by 14 locks and dams. Lock 14 is in Heidelberg (Lee County) just a few river miles below Beattyville where it forms. Lock 1 is near Carrollton in Carroll County just a few miles from the mouth. Only locks 1-4 are still functional, and even those are only operated seasonally on weekends for pleasure boaters. Commercial traffic ceased sometime in the mid-90's when the sand company in Frankfort closed and no longer needed shipments via barges to the Ohio.

Today all of the locks from 5-14 upstream of Frankfort are sealed. One lock in Estill County has a small hydroelectric plant installed where the boats would once be raised or lowered. Apparently there are plans to do the same to Lock 14. For all practical purposes the Kentucky River exists today only to provide recreation to a handful of fishermen and boaters, and to serve as Lexington's water supply. The Kentucky River Authority is responsible for the river infrastructure today.

I had wanted to travel the length of the river from headwaters to mouth by boat since I was a little boy. Sadly, by the time I had both a decent boat and the free time many of the lock gates had already been welded shut. Navigating the length of the river today would require doing it in something like a canoe or kayak that is small enough to portage around each of the dams. Such a boat wouldn't really be conducive to carrying enough fuel, food and other essentials for a multi-day voyage. At least not for me, because I really don't feel like dragging a bunch of supplies up 14 concrete lock walls.

Since I can't navigate downstream I began wondering just how far I could go in the other direction. Wikipedia and the Kentucky map tell us that the three forks that form the river flow for many miles before they meet. The North Fork (NF) begins in Letcher County near the Virginia state line. The Middle Fork (MF) begins in Leslie County, but in practicality it now begins at the base of Buckhorn Dam in Perry County. Finally, the South Fork (SF) begins in Clay County near Oneida. How far from Beattyville can someone in an average fishing boat go before the river becomes too shallow or too clogged with debris to navigate? I decided to find out.

I launched my boat at the Beattyville ramp on Sunday, November 5 at around 10:30 am and headed upstream.

Not far upriver is the community of Sharp Rock. The derivation of the name should be obvious. There's a boat ramp there that's relatively new.

Middle Fork

After a few minutes at 20 MPH I arrived at the mouth of the MF. I've been here before and I knew it could easily be mistaken for just a big creek. I immediately slowed to idle speed because the depth decreased almost immediately, and downed trees are everywhere. 

In less than a mile I came to a spot where the downed trees and < 2 foot depth made me decide to turn back. Someone in a kayak or canoe could clearly have gone on, but anything with a propellor would soon have ground it to a nub on the gravel bottom. The photo below is the exact spot where I turned around. 

Bullseye, Mother Nature, bullseye!

As you can see from this Google Maps screen shot, I didn't get very far.

Back at the mouth and ready to head upriver again. There was a layer of leaves and other debris where the NF and MF meet that remained stationary while the current flowed around it.

 North Fork

In less than a mile the water depth in the middle of the channel dropped to < 3 feet so I slowed to idle speed and would be traveling at 4 MPH or less for the rest of my trip upstream. I spotted a curious onlooker watching me from the bank.

This rock shelter looked huge, and since it was near both the river and the mouth of a small creek I suspect many generations of natives have lived or at least taken shelter there.

I passed this old bridge footing about 100 yards below the Airedale bridge, so I assume at one time Highway 2016 crossed the river here.

 Looking back to the current Airedale bridge.

I didn't get too much farther before I had to stop. My depth finder said 1.7 feet and the motor was scraping the bottom. When you can see dappled sunlight on the bottom of the Kentucky River you know it's shallow!

South Fork

I headed back downstream past the boat ramp to the confluence with the South Fork, where the river proper begins. Here you're looking downstream on the main river. Those building are on the old Beattyville bypass.

Here you're looking upstream at the mouth of the South Fork.

Just past the mouth are the remains of the pilings of the old bridge. Years of erosion have taken their toll and there's not much left.

Unlike the NF I was able to run at full speed...right up until the point where I wasn't. Fortunately this shoal was visible from far enough away I was able to cut the throttle before I grounded myself at 20+ MPH. Even so, I had to raise the motor and use a push pole to unstick myself from the shallow gravel and mud. It might have been deep enough on the far right side to go on but a fallen tree has it blocked.

It just wouldn't be the Kentucky River without a tire.

Finally, here's the screen shot for my progress on the SF, and a zoomed out map view showing my progress on all three forks.

The entire trip took only a few hours and used less than five gallons of fuel. I can't help but be disappointed that such long rivers are only navigable for such a short distance. I really had my hopes up on the SF until I reached the shoal. I didn't expect to get very far on the MF but I had higher hopes for the others.

Buckhorn Lake drops 25 feet from summer to winter pool. At the time I did this it was only down 4.5 feet. Maybe when they are actively dropping the lake the flow rate on the MF might be high enough to at least make it to Saint Helens? That sounds like something worth finding out...