Doe Run Lake Park
Doe Run Lake Park
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.0
17 reviews
Excellent
5
Very good
6
Average
6
Poor
0
Terrible
0
tlynn3
47 contributions
Jul 2020 • Family
Spent two hours with our kids and grandkids and had a lot of fun. It was very hot and there wasn't much shade on the lake but we saw lots of blue herons, turtles and ducks. The ramp makes it easy to get the boats in and out of the water and the lake is a great size for the younger kayakers. Close to our home so there's not a lot of time wasted in travel. Overall a nice trip!
Written 18 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Puppyseal
2 contributions
Sept 2014
Trails, fishing, picnic and soccer field. Very quiet during weekdays. Large lake to trails around it must be lengthy. No gasoline powered boats allowed but there is a boat ramp for other types of boats. Occasional benches around the lake for fishing. Haven't fished there yet but will soon.
Written 5 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travelerbunny
Independence, KY94 contributions
Oct 2013 • Family
This park is a hidden treasure. It has a decent size lake, could fishing and boating, a nice walk trai in the woods, picnic area, soccer field, etc. It is quite most of time and you could enjoy some rest and peaceful time alone. My dad love fishing here and he caught lot good size carps.
Written 7 March 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kentuckylongrifle
Independence, KY505 contributions
Nov 2017 • Family
Doe Run Lake is one of our go to spots for hiking and kayaking locally. It does have some issues, but we still enjoy our hiking/kayaking trips there. The lake covers about 30 acres and the park itself is approximately 180 acres.
While my family’s hiking preference is Red River Gorge, the 90 minute drive there is prohibitive every weekend. The proximity of the lake to our home makes this an ideal spot to spend an afternoon or evening.
A few miles from CVG airport, one does get the overhead aircraft noise that is absent in the gorge, but it shouldn’t be a detractor for visiting. The prohibition of gas (electric only) motors on the lake assists in keeping the noise pollution to a tolerable level.
The lake is a popular fishing spot and you find fisherman on all sides and trolling on the lake as well. The trail that meanders around the lake is brushy and thick on the South side, yet opens up and becomes a gravel road as you walk down the North side of the lake. After the foliage drops, the South side isn’t as bad, but during the spring and summer months I typically wear long sleeve shirts and hiking trousers. The trail around the lake is just under 3 miles in length.
Near the parking lot is the boatramp used for kayaks, canoes and smaller fishing boats with trolling motors. There is a soccer field and well used port-o-lets. I typically bring some TP with me on the offhand chance I have to use the port-o-lets as they are often out of paper. Some hand sanitizer is another item you may want to bring as well.
The South side trail will have you navigating hilly and rocky areas where good shoes are a must. You will also traverse several washouts along the southern side. Trail markers along the trail could be updated as there are places you could wander off and end up on private property. One of the bridges, while it seemed study when I crossed it, is leaning and should be repaired. It’s also not unusual to come upon a downed tree across the trails. The last several visits required us to scramble over a fallen tree or 2.
The lake itself has little movement. It’s not stagnate, but there’s little current and that is one of the reasons I enjoy kayaking there. Over this past season, it’s also seen an influx of paddle boarders.
It’s not uncommon to see much of the diverse wildlife that calls the area home. I’ve seen everything from deer, foxes, raccoons, opossums and snakes. For the timid, most of the snakes I see are water snakes and your common black snake, however I did run across a copperhead during a hike, but that was one time during the last 20 plus years I’ve been visiting. Many visitors will hike to the back and swim in the pools that form in Bullock Pen creek, and I’ve swam in them myself, just don’t throw caution to the wind, survey the area, have fun, but stay alert.
The park is a great place to bring a dog. We have a smaller dog so we usually stay on the North side and walk along the gravel trail. Bigger, sure-footed dogs should have no issue along the South side as well. Just remember Kenton County does have a leash law.
From time to time, I’ve seen people swimming in the lake. I believe swimming is allowed, but it’s not a lake I would swim in since there’s not much water movement and due to the run off from the surrounding areas. I have swam over where Bullock Pen creek runs into it the lake. There the creek forms several “pools” that are deep enough to swim in and more importantly (to me) the water is still flowing keeping it fresh.
My biggest issue with the park is the garbage from the visitors. There is a development overlooking the park which gets a lot of the blame, but in my experience, much of the trash I see is left from fishermen and folks picnicking there. On more than one occasion I’ve actually witnessed folks leave and not even bother to put their trash in the bin not twenty feet from the table. This trash is then blown into the lake and accumulates in several spots and along the shoreline. I’ve been part of several cleanups and it still amazes me the amount of trash people leave behind. If you visit, please pick up after yourselves.
This is a wonderful little out of the way park to visit.
While my family’s hiking preference is Red River Gorge, the 90 minute drive there is prohibitive every weekend. The proximity of the lake to our home makes this an ideal spot to spend an afternoon or evening.
A few miles from CVG airport, one does get the overhead aircraft noise that is absent in the gorge, but it shouldn’t be a detractor for visiting. The prohibition of gas (electric only) motors on the lake assists in keeping the noise pollution to a tolerable level.
The lake is a popular fishing spot and you find fisherman on all sides and trolling on the lake as well. The trail that meanders around the lake is brushy and thick on the South side, yet opens up and becomes a gravel road as you walk down the North side of the lake. After the foliage drops, the South side isn’t as bad, but during the spring and summer months I typically wear long sleeve shirts and hiking trousers. The trail around the lake is just under 3 miles in length.
Near the parking lot is the boatramp used for kayaks, canoes and smaller fishing boats with trolling motors. There is a soccer field and well used port-o-lets. I typically bring some TP with me on the offhand chance I have to use the port-o-lets as they are often out of paper. Some hand sanitizer is another item you may want to bring as well.
The South side trail will have you navigating hilly and rocky areas where good shoes are a must. You will also traverse several washouts along the southern side. Trail markers along the trail could be updated as there are places you could wander off and end up on private property. One of the bridges, while it seemed study when I crossed it, is leaning and should be repaired. It’s also not unusual to come upon a downed tree across the trails. The last several visits required us to scramble over a fallen tree or 2.
The lake itself has little movement. It’s not stagnate, but there’s little current and that is one of the reasons I enjoy kayaking there. Over this past season, it’s also seen an influx of paddle boarders.
It’s not uncommon to see much of the diverse wildlife that calls the area home. I’ve seen everything from deer, foxes, raccoons, opossums and snakes. For the timid, most of the snakes I see are water snakes and your common black snake, however I did run across a copperhead during a hike, but that was one time during the last 20 plus years I’ve been visiting. Many visitors will hike to the back and swim in the pools that form in Bullock Pen creek, and I’ve swam in them myself, just don’t throw caution to the wind, survey the area, have fun, but stay alert.
The park is a great place to bring a dog. We have a smaller dog so we usually stay on the North side and walk along the gravel trail. Bigger, sure-footed dogs should have no issue along the South side as well. Just remember Kenton County does have a leash law.
From time to time, I’ve seen people swimming in the lake. I believe swimming is allowed, but it’s not a lake I would swim in since there’s not much water movement and due to the run off from the surrounding areas. I have swam over where Bullock Pen creek runs into it the lake. There the creek forms several “pools” that are deep enough to swim in and more importantly (to me) the water is still flowing keeping it fresh.
My biggest issue with the park is the garbage from the visitors. There is a development overlooking the park which gets a lot of the blame, but in my experience, much of the trash I see is left from fishermen and folks picnicking there. On more than one occasion I’ve actually witnessed folks leave and not even bother to put their trash in the bin not twenty feet from the table. This trash is then blown into the lake and accumulates in several spots and along the shoreline. I’ve been part of several cleanups and it still amazes me the amount of trash people leave behind. If you visit, please pick up after yourselves.
This is a wonderful little out of the way park to visit.
Written 15 November 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
birdrockclimber
Tampa, FL4 contributions
May 2014 • Couples
This park has two main attractions - fishing, and a gravel trail for walking the dog, especially when you want some shade on a hot day. The park hasn't been overly developed, so you can still find some nice wildflowers :-) The view from the top of the dam overlooking the hills is wonderful.
Written 15 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ilovemyboys3
Hebron, KY271 contributions
Jul 2018 • Couples
My bf and I are taking up getting back in shape, therefore we googled local places to hike. I have been to Doe Run since I was 8, but I never knew that over by the boat loading area that there are actually areas to hike back there. Needless to say we will definitely go back when we have more time to check it out.
Written 28 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laneytalks
Louisville, KY4 contributions
May 2018 • Solo
It was very pretty but pretty small for kayaking. I don’t know why I was expecting bigger but I was. It was also a little dirty among the edges-lots of trash. BUT it was free and easy to get my kayak in and out so that was nice.
Written 27 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wckdtrix
Taylor Mill, KY228 contributions
Jul 2017 • Couples
This little lake is perfect for a kayaking. No motorized boats are allowed, so there is no wake from other boats which makes for a nice calm lake to paddle around. There is a boat ramp which makes it easy to launch a kayak. There is plenty of nature to see as you paddle around the lake. There usually isn't many people out which makes for a very peaceful time.
Written 6 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NKyAdventurer
Fort Mitchell, KY534 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
Doe Run Lake is a tranquil outdoor escape in the heart of Erlanger, Independence, and Covington. Not only does it offer boating and outdoor activities but it also has a 3-mile hiking trail which circles the lake. Highly recommended!
Written 8 February 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sharon C
Covington, KY8 contributions
Aug 2015 • Couples
Love this lake for boating or fishing. Not for swimming, but peaceful and beautiful. Nicely maintained.
Written 24 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Any idea how deep the lake is? I notice that most people don't mention swimming there.
Written 19 July 2018
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