Charles C. Deam Wilderness

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.

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.

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.