Kentucky / Lake Barkley /
Ford Bay Boat Ramp
Boat ramp · on Lake Barkley · near Cadiz · Kentucky
Zebra mussels (latest report 1992) reported in Lake Barkley 1.9 km from this launch (USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database). Clean, drain and dry your boat, trailer and gear before you leave, and do not move water, plants or live bait to another water.
USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database · checked October 18, 2026
Open per USDA Forest Service recreation sites (boating)'s data, checked October 17, 2026. Seasonal gates, low water and storms are not always posted; check before you tow.
At the launch
- Type
- Boat ramp
- Fee
- Free
- Ramp lanes
- 1
- Ramp surface
- Unpaved
- Car parking
- Up to 25 vehicles
- Restrooms
- No restroom available
- Hours
- Year-round, all hours
- Managed by
- USDA Forest Service
- Website
- app.fw.ky.gov
- Coordinates
- 36.72337, -87.98350
Conditions
- Weather forecast for this launch · National Weather Service
- Lake level at Barkley Lock and Dam · USACE
Lake level: Lake Barkley
Today's level loads here; without it, see the agency's page below.
Full pool is 359.0 ft (USACE, Top of Normal).
Level from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Corps Water Management System (Barkley Lock and Dam), about hourly; the agency's page. Levels change; check conditions at the ramp before you launch.
On the river
River mile 68.8 on Cumberland River · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Navigation Mile Markers, placed between its mile markers
Sources: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Navigation Mile Markers.
On Lake Barkley
Reservoir in Kentucky. All launches on Lake Barkley.
Community
Where people who use Lake Barkley talk about it.
Nearby launches
- Bacon Creek - LBL · 1.9 mi · Lake Barkley
- Donalson Creek Boat Ramp · 2.2 mi · Lake Barkley
- Donaldson Creek - Calhoun Hill · 2.5 mi · Lake Barkley
- Linton Recreational Area · 4.8 mi · Lake Barkley
- Devil's Elbow Corps Ramp · 4.9 mi · Lake Barkley
- Devil's Elbow - LBL · 5.0 mi · Lake Barkley
Sources
- Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Fishing and Boating Access Sites record 610 · No access and use limitations; acknowledge KDFWR as the data originator (ArcGIS item 754c5304f53c4941956d5ee945bd30db)
- USDA Forest Service recreation sites (boating) record 3820887010602 · US federal government data, public domain
Why it is listed as public: listed by Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Fishing and Boating Access Sites and USDA Forest Service recreation sites (boating). Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.