Laurel Branch Beach is the swim beach inside Laurel Branch Recreation Area, a campground and day-use area run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Louisville District, on the north shore of Rough River Lake in Breckinridge County, Kentucky. Rough River Lake is a 5,100-acre flood-control reservoir on the Rough River, and the Corps manages its land and water together with the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The beach sits at the western end of the recreation area, at the head of a small cove a few hundred yards west of the campground loops.

To get there, follow KY 259/79 to McDaniels and turn onto KY 110 (Laurel Branch Road), which ends at the recreation area at 991 Laurel Branch Road. The beach has its own parking lot right behind the sand, so it is a short, flat walk from car to water. There is a gatehouse at the entrance, and it is not always staffed. The boat ramp is close by, so expect boat traffic outside the swim area on summer weekends.

The swim area is a graded beach of sand and gravel that runs down into the cove, with a buoy line marking where swimmers should stay. Some visitors describe the footing as rocky and muddy rather than soft sand, so water shoes help. The lake is a warm-water reservoir that heats up through the summer and has no current to speak of inside the cove. The Corps does not list lifeguards here, so you swim at your own risk, and children need an adult watching them.

In its January 2016 announcement of a new day-use fee structure for Rough River Lake, the Corps stated that it was not charging day-use fees at the Laurel Branch and North Fork beaches, while boat ramps cost $5 per private vehicle per day. No newer Corps notice adds a beach fee, so expect the beach to be free, with the $5 charge applying only if you launch a boat. The recreation area operates seasonally, roughly from late April into late October, and the beach is generally treated as a summer facility. Call the gatehouse at 270-257-8839 or the Rough River Lake Project Office at 270-257-2061 to confirm hours before a trip.

Water level is the biggest variable here. Since 2023 the Corps has run the lake under interim dam safety limits, filling it later in spring and holding summer pool lower than it once did, and in July 2026 it broke ground on Phase 2 of the Rough River Dam Safety Modification project, a six to eight year job. In spring 2026, drought dropped the lake to elevation 474.2 feet in mid-May, its lowest spring fill in five years. At low water the beach gets much wider and the edge moves out onto exposed lakebed, so the swim area can look quite different from one year to the next.

Beyond the beach, Laurel Branch has 62 campsites in four loops, most of them on the water, plus a playground, showers, a short nature trail, a group shelter and a fish cleaning station. Camping is by reservation through Recreation.gov. The lake is known for bass, crappie and catfish, and marinas elsewhere on the lake rent pontoons and other boats.