Sections of the Rockcastle are protected under the state of Kentucky’s Wild Rivers Program and the river has been recognized with an Outstanding National Resource Waters designation. The river’s beautiful, clean waters attract skillful paddlers and anglers alike.
Within the watersheds, laurel dace find refuge in the slow moving pools of headwater streams, while the lavender flowers of Cumberland rosemary blossom on sandbars and gravelly banks. Forests here are richly diverse and a high percentage of the watershed is protected by the Daniel Boone National Forest. The Rockcastle watershed contains more agricultural land than most Appalachian watersheds in the region – pasturelands occur primarily atop the Cumberland Plateau, east of the Daniel Boone National Forest.
