Pulaski County spreads across south-central Kentucky with Somerset as the main settlement and Science Hill, Ferguson, Burnside, and Eubank forming additional urban references. US 27 and Kentucky routes 70, 80, 90, 192, 39, 461, and 769 connect the central city area with broad hill country, Lake Cumberland, and the Cumberland River valleys. The physical maps add Buck Creek, Pitman Creek, Fishing Creek, White Oak Creek, and the Big South Fork Cumberland River. High-resolution JPG versions of the supplied maps can also be downloaded together in one ZIP archive for printing, classroom work, presentations, or offline reference. High-resolution map files are available for download in the section below.
Kentucky.gov describes Pulaski County as one of Kentucky’s largest counties by geographic area and highlights its marinas on Lake Cumberland. Kentucky Historical Society records note that Somerset became the county seat in 1801. The supplied elevation map reports an actual range of about 212 to 502 meters with a mean near 309 meters, showing broad low corridors around the lake and rivers and higher ridges toward the east and north.
Table of Contents
Somerset anchors US 27 and the county’s central road network
The general county map makes Somerset the easiest place to begin. US 27 runs south from Science Hill through the Somerset area, route 70 crosses the northern interior, and route 80 approaches from the west. Routes 192 and 692 continue east and southeast of the city, while route 39 provides another north-south connection on the north side.
Science Hill lies north of Somerset on the US 27 corridor, Ferguson sits immediately south of the city, and Burnside is farther south near Lake Cumberland and the Cumberland River system. Routes 461, 452, and 635 provide additional northern connections, creating a denser road pattern around the central and northern developed areas than in the outer hills.
The western side uses routes 80, 837, 196, 761, and 235 to cross rolling terrain cut by lake tributaries. Routes 769 and 90 provide long references in the south and southeast. Russell Springs, Jamestown, Monticello, Corbin, and Mount Vernon appear outside the county and help orient Pulaski County within the larger Lake Cumberland region.
This map is intended for geographic orientation rather than live navigation. It does not show current construction, temporary closures, bridge restrictions, or travel times. Lake arms, creek valleys, and ridges can force roads into long curves, so actual driving distance may be much greater than direct map distance.
Somerset leads a five-city distribution across the county
The city-distribution map ranks five major cities. Somerset is listed first with 12,216 residents, Ferguson second with 849, Burnside third with 755, Science Hill fourth with 647, and Eubank fifth with 412. These are the values printed on the supplied map and are best used to compare the relative scale of the mapped settlements rather than treated as current official population estimates.
Somerset occupies the central part of the county, Ferguson lies directly to the south, and Burnside sits farther south near Lake Cumberland. Science Hill follows US 27 north of Somerset, while Eubank is the farthest north, close to the Lincoln and Rockcastle county side. The distribution creates a clear north-south chain of named communities through the central county.
Neighboring county labels include Rockcastle and Lincoln to the north, Laurel to the east, McCreary to the southeast, Russell and Wayne to the west and southwest, and Casey to the northwest. Those references help place Pulaski County between the Cumberland Plateau, Lake Cumberland, and the rolling interior of south-central Kentucky.
The simplified city view works well when settlement size and direction matter more than road detail. The general map is better for route numbers and smaller local references. Once Somerset, Ferguson, and Burnside are fixed, the relationship between the central urban corridor and Lake Cumberland becomes much easier to follow on the physical maps.
Lake Cumberland and the Cumberland River define the southern water system
Lake Cumberland is the dominant water feature on the terrain-and-water map, occupying the southwest and southern side through numerous long arms and tributary valleys. Around Burnside, the Cumberland River and Big South Fork Cumberland River provide the main flowing-water references. The broad lake-and-river lowlands contrast sharply with the surrounding uplands and help explain the location of roads and settlements in the south.
Buck Creek runs through the eastern interior and creates one of the clearest north-south tributary valleys. Pitman Creek approaches the Somerset side from the east and southeast, while smaller tributaries gather across the central county. Big Lick Creek and Cedar Creek provide useful northern references above the Somerset area.
Fishing Creek and White Oak Creek drain the western interior toward Lake Cumberland. Wolf Creek and Dry Branch mark additional western valleys, while the northwestern tributary network sends several long branches toward the lake. The many water-filled arms make the western side of the county much more irregular than a simple rolling plateau.
A practical reading order is to begin with Lake Cumberland and the Cumberland River, then move to Pitman Creek and Buck Creek east of Somerset before tracing Fishing Creek and White Oak Creek on the west. This is a general geographic reference rather than a flood, navigation, water-depth, fishing-regulation, or property-access product. Current conditions should be checked with the responsible agencies.
Elevation from 212 to 502 meters rises away from lake and river corridors
The elevation map reports an actual county range of about 212 to 502 meters and a mean near 309 meters. The lowest green terrain follows Lake Cumberland, the Cumberland River, the Big South Fork, and major creek valleys. Higher yellow, orange, and brown ridges become more common in the east, north, and northwest.
Somerset occupies comparatively moderate terrain around Pitman Creek and several smaller tributaries. The central city area is not flat, but its rolling ground is gentler than the strongly dissected eastern uplands. US 27 and routes 80 and 192 take advantage of these lower passages through the center.
The eastern and southeastern sides show much stronger relief. Buck Creek forms a long green valley through higher terrain, and the Cumberland River corridor remains low along the southern edge. In the north, repeated stream valleys cut through elevated ridges, while Lake Cumberland arms break the western side into a complex pattern of low coves and intervening hills.
The elevation surface is intended for county-scale comparison rather than parcel-level measurement. It is useful for distinguishing lake, river, and creek valleys from higher uplands, but it should not be treated as survey-grade elevation for a road, structure, property, or engineering project. Exact site work should rely on current source elevation data or professional surveying.
Following Pulaski County from Somerset to Burnside and Lake Cumberland
Somerset is the simplest starting point for comparing all of the map views. On the road map, locate US 27 and routes 80, 192, and 39, then identify Science Hill to the north and Ferguson and Burnside to the south. On the physical map, Lake Cumberland and the Cumberland River establish the main southern reference.
For the south, use Burnside before tracing the Big South Fork Cumberland River and Cumberland River. The elevation map shows broad green lowlands around the water with ridges rising quickly on both sides. Routes 90 and 769 help place the long southeastern section beyond the main Somerset urban area.
For the north and east, use Science Hill and Eubank together with routes 70 and 461 before tracing Buck Creek. On the west, routes 80, 837, and 196 can be compared with Fishing Creek and White Oak Creek. Repeating the same places across the road, water, and elevation views makes the county’s large and varied terrain much easier to understand.
Choosing the best Pulaski County map for print, class, or reference
Use the general county map when Somerset, Ferguson, Burnside, Science Hill, numbered roads, and the full boundary need to appear together. The city-distribution map is cleaner when the main question is how the five ranked cities compare in relative size and where they sit along the central north-south corridor.
Choose the terrain-and-water map for Lake Cumberland, Cumberland River, Big South Fork Cumberland River, Buck Creek, Pitman Creek, Fishing Creek, and White Oak Creek. The elevation map is the strongest view for explaining the contrast between low water corridors and higher eastern and northern hills. Comparing water and elevation together makes that relationship especially clear.
The WebP images in the article are optimized for browser viewing. The downloadable ZIP contains the original JPG maps at 3,638×2,572 pixels each, which is better suited to printing, classroom worksheets, presentations, and offline reference. These maps are general geographic resources rather than legal boundary records, flood studies, parcel surveys, navigation products, or engineering plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Somerset within Pulaski County?
Somerset lies near the center of the county and serves as the county seat. Kentucky Historical Society records note that Somerset was established as the Pulaski County seat in 1801. US 27 and routes 80, 192, and 39 provide the easiest road references around the city.
Which map best shows Lake Cumberland and the Cumberland River together?
The terrain-and-water map is the best choice. It shows Lake Cumberland, Cumberland River, Big South Fork Cumberland River, Buck Creek, Pitman Creek, Fishing Creek, White Oak Creek, and many smaller tributaries in one view.
Can the 212–502 meter elevation range be used as an exact property elevation?
No. The range summarizes the actual countywide elevations shown on the supplied map, with a mean near 309 meters. It is useful for comparing water corridors with higher hills, but exact site elevations should come from current source data or professional surveying.
Map File Information
The ZIP archive contains the original high-resolution JPG versions of the Pulaski County road-and-boundary map, city-distribution map, terrain-and-water map, and elevation map. Each image is 3,638×2,572 pixels for printing, classroom work, presentations, and offline reference.
- File Type: 4 JPG files inside one ZIP archive
Related Maps
Sources and references
County and Somerset information is available from the Kentucky.gov Pulaski County profile, the official City of Somerset website, and the Kentucky Historical Society Pulaski County record. For underlying geographic data, see the U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line Shapefiles for boundaries and roads, USGS National Hydrography for rivers, lakes, and streams, and the USGS 3D Elevation Program for elevation data.
These maps are intended for geographic explanation, printing, and general reference. Legal boundary decisions, live traffic, flood and water-safety questions, property surveying, and engineering work should rely on the latest authoritative information from the responsible public agency.
Green Map creates custom-edited map images using open geographic data sources such as geoBoundaries, Natural Earth, OpenStreetMap, and government open data. These maps are edited visual materials, not raw data files, and are provided for education, documents, presentations, and graphic reference.
