Land Between The Lakes is located near I-24, about 90 miles north of Nashville. As a designated national recreation area under the management of the USDA Forest Service, LBL is maintained for the public’s enjoyment and safety.

When the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers were impounded to create Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, an inland peninsula was formed. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy designated the peninsula Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area in an effort to demonstrate how an area with limited timber, agricultural and industrial resources could be converted into a recreation asset that would stimulate economic growth in the region. Today, LBL remains the country’s only such demonstration site and is the cornerstone of the region’s $600 million tourism industry.

Land Between The Lakes offers all the outdoor recreation "basics", with some unique opportunities for environmental education and historic interpretation. Nestled in western Kentucky and Tennessee, LBL hosts an average of two million visitors each year who come from all over the nation and more than 30 foreign countries. With more than 170,000 acres and 300 miles of undeveloped shoreline, you’ll discover a wide range of opportunities in LBL to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL) would not be what it is today without the enthusiasm, dedication and assistance of volunteers. In December of 1983, LBL’s Volunteer Program was formed by the "Friends of LBL", a non-profit organization established to support LBL. We serve as a liaison between the managing agency and the private sector and it was under this umbrella that the Volunteer Program was established during TVA’s tenure. Since 1983, it has grown in excess of 700 volunteers annually, with 200 of those volunteering on a regular basis.

With LBL’s nine campgrounds, sixteen lake access areas, six large visitor facilities and over two hundred miles of trails, Forest Service staff time is precious and a strong healthy Volunteer Program allows them to accomplish much more work. Each year, hundreds of volunteers help LBL narrow the gap between what is desirable and what is attainable. They contribute thousands of hours of work to LBL in every conceivable area. Trail maintenance, litter clean-up, historic and environmental interpretation, administration, special event staffing, wildlife monitoring—these tasks and many more are covered, in part, by volunteers.

LBL’s web address www.lbl.org

LBLA’s web address www.friendsoflbl.org

Volunteer Coordinator email address jrhodes@lblassoc.org

So don’t just sit there. . .

COME OUTSIDE AND PLAY

The Volunteer Hour Stats: