Western Waterlands

Western Waterlands covers the far western tip of Kentucky between the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers, the country known as the Jackson Purchase that the Chickasaw ceded to the U.S. in 1818. The terrain is flat to gently rolling — coastal plain country very different from the rest of Kentucky — with the Mississippi running the western boundary, the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers cutting through the interior, and the Ohio River meeting the Mississippi at the northwestern corner. Fifteen counties cover the region. McCracken holds Paducah, the largest city; Calloway holds Murray and Murray State University; Christian holds Hopkinsville and Fort Campbell (the home of the 101st Airborne); Trigg holds Cadiz and most of the Land Between the Lakes; Graves holds Mayfield; Lyon holds Eddyville. Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area sits between Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley, the two largest reservoirs in Kentucky. Most trips here center on the lakes. Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley handle most of the bass-fishing and houseboating traffic; Land Between the Lakes runs the Elk and Bison Prairie, the Homeplace 1850s working farm, and the Golden Pond Planetarium; Paducah’s National Quilt Museum and historic downtown anchor cultural visits.