Kentucky whitewater - Rockcastle River, Cumberland Plateau Mountains, Laurel/ Pulaski County

Laurel/ Pulaski county, Kentucky 80 to Bee Rock Boat Ramp section whitewater kayaking, rafting, and paddling information.

 

CLASS II+(IV)     16 miles
  The wonderful Kentucky scenery and the beautiful way the water current moves down the stream make the trip here worthwhile. Whitewater rafting and kayaking spots in Kentucky tend to be more forgiving than the national average, so better not forget that rivers here are less demanding. The Kentucky 80 to Bee Rock Boat Ramp stretch of Rockcastle River in Kentucky is 16 miles long and it is classified as a class II+(IV) section by American Whitewater. There's camping available near Rockcastle River. You might have to settle for a hotel a bit away from the river
    if you want to stay the night, but you'd better reserve in advance because these hotels fill up quick. Great exercise and spending some quality time in nature are great reasons to come. If you hurry you can run this section in a day but why not make it an overnighter, so pack your
sleeping bag. The beautiful Cumberland Plateau Mountains scenery is an added bonus. The starting location is a short drive from London, there's a road map further down the page with more info on that. Since you're on this site you are probably into whitewater rafting or kayaking, either way this is an area with plenty of spots for that. Rockcastle River doesn't have a lot of paddling sections, the Kentucky 80 to Bee Rock Boat Ramp section is the only one.

Briefly about the general area:
A perfect site to explore right next door to Rockcastle
 
River is Cabin Hollow, and don't leave Rockcastle River without first going for a hike along the Winding Stain Gap Trail. Rockcastle River gets a lot of water; the month of May is the wettest with most of the rain, and the driest of the months is October.
Now, you may feel that's a lot but there's even more entertaining things to do here in the Cumberland Plateau Mountains. There's delightful hiking along the Bee Rock Trail. Summertime highs at Rockcastle River generally tend to be in the 80's. When the night sets in temperatures drop down into the 60's. All through the winter the highs are commonly in the 40's; winter nights come with lows in the 20's to Rockcastle River.

Rockcastle River, Kentucky 80 to Bee Rock Boat Ramp road map
Printable road map with the put-in and take-out locations clearly marked.

QUICK STATS
AW Class: II+(IV)
Length: 16 miles
Average Gradient: 5 fpm
  
Putin Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 37.14703
Longitude: -84.29284

Takeout Location Coordinates:
Latitude: 37.02774
Longitude: -84.32125

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Current weather conditions at Rockcastle River, Cumberland Plateau Mountains, Kentucky
WXPort

Local climate location: SOMERSET 4 miles away


RAFTING TRIP OUTFITTERS

There are no whitewater outfitters currently listed for this river.

Days Inn London, London
8 miles away
Indoor Heated Pool. Easily Accessible From Interstate. Restaurant Close By. Deluxe Continental Breakfast....

Kastle Inn Motel, Mount Vernon
14 miles away
The Kastle Inn Motel of Renfro Valley/Mount Vernon is located right at the exit 59 off I-75 in the Country Music Capitol of Kentucky. The Renfro Valley Country Music Entertainment Center is a very sh...

Red Roof Inn London I-75, London
14 miles away
Just « mile from downtown, Red Roof London is within walking distance of Vendor?s Mall (largest flea market in Kentucky). For lots of fun, Levi Jackson State Park, Daniel Boone Motocross Track, and Lo...



OTHER_INFO
  Cumberland Plateau Mountains Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater kayaking and rafting spots in the Cumberland Plateau Mountains.

Cumberland Plateau Mountains Outdoors Info
Complete outdoors info for the Cumberland Plateau Mountains.

All Kentucky Whitewater
Complete list of all the whitewater paddling spots in Kentucky.
Books about whitewater paddling on Rockcastle River, Kentucky
List of books from Amazon.com that cover whitewater paddling on Rockcastle River, Kentucky.
Find a whitewater outfitter in Kentucky

Whitewater Basics
If you're new to whitewater paddling please take a look at this basic whitewater info.
Outdoors Recreation Near London, Kentucky
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of London, Kentucky, the metro area neareast to Rockcastle River. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.
 

   

OUTDOORS
These outdoors activities are available near Rockcastle River.
 Whitewater Near Rockcastle River:
Laurel River, Laurel County , 8 miles away, Class II-III(IV) - 2 miles long (Below Laurel River Lake)
Bark Camp Creek, Whitley County , 10 miles away, Class III-IV - 0 miles long (Old Fluffy)
Cumberland River, Whitley/ McCreary County , 11 miles away, Class II-III - 11 miles long (Cumberland Falls to Laurel River)
Buck Creek, Pulaski County , 12 miles away, Class II - 34 miles long (Kentucky 461 to Cumberland River)
Cumberland River, Whitley/McCreary County , 16 miles away, Class I-II - 12 miles long (Redbird Kentucky204 Bridge to Cumberland Falls)
Roaring Paunch River, McCreary County , 27 miles away, Class IV-V+ - 3 miles long (Barthell to Big South Fork)
Rock Creek, McCreary County , 28 miles away, Class II-III(IV) - 6 miles long (White Oak Junction to Big South Fork of Cumberland River)
Cumberland River - Big South Fork, McCreary/Whitley County , 30 miles away, Class II - 12 miles long (Station Camp to Lake Cumberland)
Cumberland River - Big South Fork, Scott / Pulaski County , 30 miles away, Class II+(IV) - 19 miles long (Leatherwood Ford to Blue Heron Kentucky)
 Ski Areas Near Rockcastle River:
Ober Gatlinburg, Tennessee , 92 miles away, 600 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Rockcastle River:
Days Inn London, London , 8 miles away
Kastle Inn Motel, Mount Vernon , 14 miles away
Red Roof Inn London I-75, London , 14 miles away
Econo Lodge London, London , 14 miles away
Quality Inn London, London , 14 miles away
 Camp Grounds Near Rockcastle River:
Bee Rock Campground, Laurel County, 3 miles away
Rockcastle Campground, Laurel County, 7 miles away
Twin Branch Shelter Campground, Laurel County, 8 miles away
 Trails Near Rockcastle River:
Winding Stain Gap Trail, Laurel County , 3 miles away
Bee Rock Trail, Pulaski County , 3 miles away
Rockcastle Narrows Trail, Pulaski County , 3 miles away
Cane Creek Trail, Laurel County , 4 miles away
Nathan McClure Trail, Pulaski County , 6 miles away
 National Parks Near Rockcastle River:
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area, Oneida - TN , 35 miles away
Obed Wild & Scenic River, Wartburg - TN , 61 miles away

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Some content, including Reach Name, Class, and Length, comes from American Whitewater