Dale Hollow Lake

[Dpod13]

Hey all, been on the site for about a year now love all the info it’s been awesome to read...

My family and I are taking our first road trip with the boat this year from Ohio to Dale Hollow Lake in June.

Any recommendations of must see things at the lake? Or any restaurants you’ve been to in the past? I’ve read there’s some good snorkeling and hiking but any past experience would be welcomed... thanks in advance!

 

[2kwik4u]

The water is super clear so Snorkeling and Scuba Diving is pretty common there. Take a mask for checking things out.

Wife and I got married at the lodge there almost 10 years ago. We've only made it back a handful of times since then, but always enjoy our time there. Did a poker run in our little 19ft Rinker the year after we got married. Had some camping trips with friends there a few times as well. Can't say as I remember a lot on the water though, now that I think about it, it's been a good 6yrs since we've been down there

The Lodge at the KY state park has decent food, and is a decent place to stay. The state park campgrounds are nice too from what I remember. Wish I was more help.

 

[Peelz]

I need to take the fam and boat here... Mother in law always tells us how nice it is.

9hr drive though..... :/

 

[Dpod13]

Thanks 2kwik4u...

We are staying in one of the lodges as well excited to get the family out there. It’s about a 7 hour drive for me too Peelz.. But we’re trying to do one road trip like that a year..

I’ll let everyone know what we discover.

 

[2kwik4u]

You guys and these long drives are pretty dedicated. It's just over 3.5hrs for us, and it's sneaking up on a long trip. We try to stay under 2hrs for day trips, but have stretched that to 2.5hrs a few times. 5hrs of driving for 5hrs on the water is sneaking up on a lot of work for not much enjoyment.

We're headed to Douglas Lake this summer. 5.5hr trip there, sure hope its' worth it. Did Nashville by boat last fall, that was a good time, but definitely more of an adult themed trip than a family trip. Been debating on a Key West trip for our anniversary this year, but good grief that's sneaking up on 20hrs drive time. Not sure I can handle that myself.

 

[Volffas]

We like to eat dinner at Mike's Landing at Sulphur Creek Resort. They had a new outdoor bar area this year, it has garage doors that can close if it rains. Very nice. http://www.sulphurcreek.com/marina/mikes.php

We really like the ice cream at Sunset Marina. They have good food there too. It is a pretty good poke from most places on the lake, but it can make a fun day trip. https://sunsetmarina.com/

 

[Dpod13]

Yeah we are staying for a week, or heck no I wouldn’t drive 7 hours for a trip...
Thank you for the recommendations Volffas

 

[IndySmittyYammi]

Hey all, been on the site for about a year now love all the info it’s been awesome to read...

My family and I are taking our first road trip with the boat this year from Ohio to Dale Hollow Lake in June.

Any recommendations of must see things at the lake? Or any restaurants you’ve been to in the past? I’ve read there’s some good snorkeling and hiking but any past experience would be welcomed... thanks in advance!

We do 4 or so weekends each summer at DHL.

Restaurants: Sulpher Creek has the best atmosphere, but Sunset Marina has the best food. We highly recommend going for pizza at Willow Grove. It can be crowded especially on live music nights, but that’s all part of the fun. We go to breakfast at Mitchell Creek every morning. It’s the only place that we know of that serves breakfast, and there’s nothing like a morning run on DHL. It’s just beautiful.

Things to do: Go find Butternut. Butternut is a wild goat that roams the shores near First Island. He can be hard to spot some times, but he’s cute and he’s become part of DHL legend. Cliff jumping near the dam is a blast. There are signs that say no jumping, but we’ve been jumping off those cliffs for 30 years. There are small jumps for the kiddos and big ones for the brave ones. There are 2-3 gorgeous waterfalls. All require a hike up creeks. You WILL see snakes. Most people I’ve taken say it’s worth it, but that’s up to you. Talk to marinas about directions. The one near Sulpher my favorite. Running your boat down the Obey River to East Port Marina is fun. It’s a long run, but it’s windy and gorgeous. If you like long rides, then make sure you do it.

Ice cream: This is my wife and kids favorite topic. Sulpher Creek soft serve is good. Sunset has a good variety of scoops.

Beer: Willow Grove has an awesome beer cave.

Gas: Willow Grove always has the cheapest gas on the lake.

Shopping: My wife loves the marina stores at Mitchell Creek and Sunset Marina.

Coves: This is where I draw the line. Can’t give out our secret spots

Have fun! DHL is a pretty incredible place. Maybe we’ll see you down there!

 

[Dpod13]

Awesome feedback thank you! We are super excited. I’ll definitely check out all we can!

 

[Josh Lipe]

we Love it there - spend a week there every summer! Here are some ideas around the lake:

Things to do:
o

o

- Restaurants on the water:
o Southern Favorites @ The Galley Restaurant
o Pier 42 Restaurant | Sunset Marina - Dale Hallow Lake
o The Fork, Allons - Restaurant Reviews, Phone Number & Photos - TripAdvisor
The_Fork-Allons_Tennessee.html
o Sulphur Creek Resort - Dale Hollow Lake o Restaurant at Cedar Hill Resort on Dale Hollow Lake

- Rental Properties (none have actual docks on water):
o Beautiful Lake-view Cabin on Dale Hollow Lake, Sleeps 12, Marina 1/4 Mile - VRBO ($2271, $200 deposit, $2271 up front)
o We also have friends that have a cottage here with a cottage that sleeps 8 – will have to
get pricing but it is SUPER reasonable. - House Boat Options:
o 74' Flagship Houseboat for Rent at Sunset Marina ($2650, $550 deposit)
o Houseboats at Burnside Marina - Safe Harbor Rentals
eagle-cove-resort/ ($2196, $500 prepayment)
o Houseboat Rental Information at Cedar Hill Resort on Dale Hollow Lake
o Houseboats – East Port Marina and Resort ($3000, $1000 deposit)

- Cabin Rentals:
o One bedroom Cabin Rental on Dale Hollow Lake at Sunset Marina
o Villas at Sunset West on Dale Hollow Lake at Sunset Marina
o Lodging at Eagle Cove Resort - Safe Harbor Rentals
eagle-cove-resort/
o Sulphur Creek Resort - Dale Hollow Lake

Let me know if you have any questions,

 

[Speedling]

How's the flooding at Dale hollow?
I know Cumberland is insane. 76 falls is getting jet ski'd over right now.

 

[Volffas]

How's the flooding at Dale hollow?
I know Cumberland is insane. 76 falls is getting jet ski'd over right now.

Dale Hollow is getting record flooding as well. So is Laurel Lake. I'm pretty sure all of the lakes in that area of the country are flooding right now. It's pretty crazy.

 

[2kwik4u]

Spoke with a friend this past weekend that keeps his boat slipped at Cumberland. Said they've had to release the floating slips/docks from their normal tie downs and now have them tied off to various tress and such around the cove they're in. Said it's been a real mess for them with all the debris in the water that the rain/flooding is picking up. News this morning is the Governor has declared a state of emergency in a number of counties in that area, mostly to get funding to cover personnel that are needed to man roads/water rescues/etc.

And to think, not that long ago Cumberland was the "other way" after being drained significantly to repair problems with the dam.

 

[Speedling]

Spoke with a friend this past weekend that keeps his boat slipped at Cumberland. Said they've had to release the floating slips/docks from their normal tie downs and now have them tied off to various tress and such around the cove they're in. Said it's been a real mess for them with all the debris in the water that the rain/flooding is picking up. News this morning is the Governor has declared a state of emergency in a number of counties in that area, mostly to get funding to cover personnel that are needed to man roads/water rescues/etc.

And to think, not that long ago Cumberland was the "other way" after being drained significantly to repair problems with the dam.

I know the pictures I see on Facebook has the dam wide-open

 

[kyle]

You guys and these long drives are pretty dedicated. It's just over 3.5hrs for us, and it's sneaking up on a long trip. We try to stay under 2hrs for day trips, but have stretched that to 2.5hrs a few times. 5hrs of driving for 5hrs on the water is sneaking up on a lot of work for not much enjoyment.

We're headed to Douglas Lake this summer. 5.5hr trip there, sure hope its' worth it. Did Nashville by boat last fall, that was a good time, but definitely more of an adult themed trip than a family trip. Been debating on a Key West trip for our anniversary this year, but good grief that's sneaking up on 20hrs drive time. Not sure I can handle that myself.

We did Douglas last summer. I dont think you will be disappointed. We went the last week of July and there was almost no boat traffic, water was very clear, not a clear as Dale Hollow, but good enough. We liked it so much we are going back again this year. Tons of coves, swimming spots, and no traffic. Win win if you ask me