Established January 18, 1961 On June 28, 1938, under what has
come to be known as the “Flood Control Acts of 1938,” Congress
authorized the construction of a dam and reservoir about 43
miles above the mouth of the Middle Fork of the Kentucky River
and about a half mile upstream from Buckhorn, Ky. The dam is 162
feet high, 1,020 feet long, and 842 wide at the maximum base.
The reservoir located in both Leslie and Perry Counties covers
550 acres, and the seasonal pool is 1,230 acres. The Kentucky
State Parks Board approved the acceptance of Buckhorn Lake into
the commonwealth’s parks system on January 18, 1961. The area
has some of the most dramatic and beautiful scenery in Kentucky.
However, the seclusion of the park caused a great deal of
difficulty in obtaining road access during the early 1960s. The
Kentucky Department of Highways constructed a road over the
mountain to the park, but the stabilization of the road took two
years before commercial traffic could utilize it. The park did
not officially open unt