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
  This stretch of Rockcastle River in Laurel/ Pulaski County is 16 miles long and has been rated as a class II+(IV) section by American Whitewater. The nature scenery of Kentucky and the cool fresh water are in themselves reasons enough to come here to paddle. If you hurry you can run this stretch in a day but why not make it an overnighter, so pack your camping stuff. Getting a good workout and a chance to spend some time outdoors have a lot of people coming here. The campgrounds here at Rockcastle River are pretty good. Some people prefer whitewater
    rafting and some kayaking, either way this area has a large number of paddling rivers. Rockcastle River doesn't have a lot of paddling stretches, the Kentucky 80 to Bee Rock Boat Ramp stretch is the only one. The wild scenery of the Cumberland Plateau Mountains is great. You might
have to settle for a hotel a bit away from the river if you want to stay the night, but do book a room before you come because it is a very popular destination. The average Kentucky whitewater rafting or kayaking river tends to be a bit easier to master than those in other states, so don't forget that a large number of rivers in this state are quite easy. The starting point is not too far from London, as you can see on the road map further down.

Briefly about the general area:
High temperatures at Rockcastle River through the long summer days
 
are in the 80's, and all through summer nights temperatures are in the 60's. The cold days of the wintertime come with highs in the 40's, and overnight lows through the wintertime for Rockcastle River tend to be in the 20's. The Bee Rock Trail is a tremendous hiking trail in close proximity to Rockcastle River; since you're here why not check out Cabin Hollow.
Rockcastle River is a rather wet place mostly with a lot of precipitation; May is when you get the most rain here; the driest of the months is October. Now, you may feel that's a heap but there's even more fun things to do here in the Cumberland Plateau Mountains. If the weather is perfect here at Rockcastle River, you can go for a hike along the Winding Stain Gap Trail.

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

Ramada Limited and Suites London, London
13 miles away
National Heritage Inn and Suites of London, Kentucky is located at Interstate 75, exit 38 on Highway 192. This 77 room hotel is within walking distance to restaurants, shopping, movie complex and with...

Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, Corbin
14 miles away
Cumberland Falls State Resort is located in the Daniel Boone National Forest. Known as the Niagara of the South, the waterfall forms a 125ft wide curtain that plunges 60ft into a gorge below. The mist...



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
Cataloochee, North Carolina , 119 miles away, 740 vertical feet
Perfect North, Indiana , 120 miles away, 400 vertical feet
Spicy Run Mountain, Ohio , 133 miles away, 600 vertical feet
Sky Valley, Georgia , 134 miles away, 210 vertical feet
Scaly Mountain, North Carolina , 134 miles away, 225 vertical feet
Wolf Laurel, North Carolina , 139 miles away, 700 vertical feet
Paoli Peaks, Indiana , 173 miles away, 300 vertical feet
Ski Beech, North Carolina , 175 miles away, 830 vertical feet
Sugar Mountain, North Carolina , 177 miles away, 1200 vertical feet
 Hotels Near Rockcastle River:
Days Inn London KY, London , 8 miles away
Ramada Limited and Suites London, London , 13 miles away
Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, Corbin , 14 miles away
Red Roof Inn London, London , 14 miles away
Budget Host Westgate Inn, 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