Established Camping
Charles C. Deam Wilderness
About
USDA Forest Service
The Charles C. Deam Wilderness offers 36 miles of trails for hiking, backpacking, and horse riding through scenic hardwood forest and varied terrain with views of nearby Monroe Lake. The area was designated a wilderness in 1982 and encompasses nearly 12,953 acres of the Hoosier National Forest. Wilderness designation places this area in a special legal status (subject to the 1964 Wilderness Act). It is managed to preserve a natural condition and provide opportunities for solitude. Since its designation as a wilderness, visitor use in the area increased to a point that significant damage was occurring. Special restrictions are in place to protect the wilderness character. Visitors to this special place are asked to follow these restrictions to lessen your impact and share responsibility in preserving this unique natural resource.
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Hike-InBackcountry sites.
- Boat-InSites accessible by watercraft.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonUnknown
- AT&TAvailable
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
- Equestrian
Features
For Campers
- Phone Service
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
Favorite Spot in Indiana
This place is the gift that keeps in giving being so close to the city. Beautiful sites on the lake, and dozens of other spots scattered throughout the forest as well.
- (5) View All
Geodes, geodes, geodes!
I had the awesome experience to hammock camp on the Patton cave trail, along the creek that winds the length of that trail. It was a strenuous hike to pack in/out of, but was beautiful scenery. The cave is amazing, and if you’re interested in backwoods camping, there are an abundance of spaces to do so. I packed in at the trailhead by a horse camp, so there was a bathroom before and after the trip. But honestly, not worth it if you want a toilet. I walked the creek for hours just looking at all the rocks on the sandbars. I have never encountered so many geodes in my life. Truly magnificent to encounter. The only negative was that we came after a lot of rain. So everything is permanently wet and mosquitos/ticks abounded.
- (5) View All
Great Hike & Campsites
This area is so beautiful! We visited during mid-April, perfect for finding morels. The trails are well paved and marked, not too strenuous. So many beautiful trees and plants to see, plus lots of creeks to walk through. There are an abundance of areas to set up a hammock. We enjoyed the sycamore loop, which was around 6 miles. Everyone is super kind in the area, except for the gravel road to park (which is limited). Come Friday you’ll be fighting for a spot or face an $80 fine for parking on the roadway. More parking is a necessity with the amount of dispersed campers.
Location
Charles C. Deam Wilderness is located in Indiana
Directions
From east State Route 46 in Bloomington, take State Route 446 south to Tower Ridge Road. You will see a sign for the Charles C. Deam Wilderness and the Maumee Boy Scout Camp. This gravel road is after the lake and on the left as you are heading south. The Wilderness boundary begins just a few hundred feet down this road and continues for several miles. Please get a map before visiting this area, as the boundaries are not clearly marked.
Coordinates
39.02070084 N
86.38380036 W