Deam Lake State Recreation Area

This is one of my favorite hiking spots. Surrounded by Clark State Forest, Deam Lake has over seven different hiking trails of varying lengths and difficulty levels, including the Knobstone Trail, which begins south of the 194-acre lake.

I really enjoy hiking through the woods here because of the beautiful scenery & abundance of plants and wildlife that can be found throughout the different seasons, but if hiking isn't your thing, you can kayak, fish, or even swim in the roped-off beach area. There are mountain bike & horseback riding trails, camping and camping cabins, a boat launch, and you can even hunt in season in designated areas.

We had an AMAZING weekend camping/fishing at Deam Lake. All park staff were warm and welcoming as were the other visitors.

We booked the Heron Horse Cabin and it was great! Important to note the “horse” cabins are literally that. There is a horse campground on site, these cabins are exclusive to those traveling with horses. They were gracious and let us know for next time. The cabin was clean and included a porch swing, rocking chair, fire pit & picnic bench seating. Inside has a queen bed frame (bring your own air mattresses), bunk bed frame, & a loft that included a 2nd bunk bed frame. Sleeps 5. The A/C unit is EXCELLENT! You can’t beat it for the price! Its got the basics and makes it affordable for families. We can’t wait for the next trip!

There are water stations, restroom stalls and locker room style showering stations throughout the park. Firewood and ice are sold on site for a good price.

There is a beach area with plenty of picnic tables and fire pits. On Saturday families of all kind had tents up, bbq going & enjoying the beach. They have kayak and row boat rentals. The kayaks were really nice. The row boats sucked. I wouldn’t do those again but for $32/day it’ll get you on the water..

Fishing here was great. We caught blue gill, bass, large mouth bass, crappie and channel catfish. We had the best luck & caught the biggest fish early morning. All from the bank.

We loved everything about Deam Lake and can’t wait to come back! Excellent state park.

Clean, relatively quiet, and very picturesque! The bath houses are fine, but they could be cleaner, wear your shower shoes and you’ll be fine! Plenty of picnic tables in the shade for those who want to picnic.

Got 2 cabins for 3 days & nights. We absolutely loved it! Always went to deam lake as a kid to swim. The cabins are so nice and cute! The whole campground is well kept, & the beach/lake area was great. But the restrooms/showers at the lake could use a good cleaning though. Restrooms/showers back at the campground was well kept and clean!! For the cabins you do have to provide your own padding, they provide only bed frames. Twin bunk beds and a queen size bed frame (says full on website but it easily fit our queen size air mattress, a full sized one would have been a bit too small.) We had a great time, we’ll be returning! 10/10 would recommend getting a cabin or even a tent site here. It’s great you’ll love it (I’ve been here once before for a shorter period of time it was just as awesome that time as this one!)

A+ for bathrooms with soap! Also, it's super nice they have changing and rinse off areas. It was very useful for having little kids. I loved that they had ropes so kids couldn't go very far in the water. It's shallow though to the ropes so that's nice! Lots of tables to use. We didn't even see ALL of the area so we know there is even more cool stuff. Absolutely beautiful! We will be back for sure!

Absolutely loved this peaceful lake.
- Beach area (open memorial day - labor day, swimming, concessions open on weekends, decent restrooms with changing rooms & showers, wheelchair accessibility to beach)
- Fishing w/ license
- Hunting w/ license
- Playground w/ swings within walking distance of beach
- Picnic areas w/ grills
- Covered pavilions
- Rent kayaks/ row boats
- Trolling motors only on lake
- Paved and Gravel parking
- Hiking trails
- Horse riding trails
- Plenty of bathrooms around (outhouse style)
- Mountain bike trails
- Forest Education center
- Campground (equestrian, cabins, rv campsites)
- Entrance fee $7.00 per car in state

We booked a place here for Memorial day not even sure where it was. It was a great weekend the camp site was great, paved parking area, large camp site, plenty of room for us and the dogs. Had plenty of facilities both pit and regular bathroom, the shower facility was nice also. Has a nice boat ramp and a beach also, the water was super clear. It was a great weekend and will return here at some point.

My husband and I had such a great experience here. The rangers were super friendly and helpful. The campground was clean and the bathroom amenities were wonderful. The lake was beautiful and the water felt great. Wish we could have spent more time there! Electric hookups were also available.

Beautiful little gem in Southern IN. You can go fishing, hiking, camping, kayaking, and boating there. They keep the place well maintained. There cabins there available to rent. Pet friendly, with the exception dogs are not allowed in the lake. Staff are very friendly. You go there just one day or camp there and stay more than one night Prices are reasonable. Playground available for the little ones. Great place to take the family and enjoy nature.

We loved it. Big spaces between campers. Beautiful views. Staff very friendly.
Bath house smells like urine.

The front gate was business as usual. The folks cleaning the grounds at opening were fabulous and busy! Was lovely Monday at the beach. The kids ( 2, 4, 5, 7) made a sand castle, practiced swimming and splashed about.

Great trails, vista's, picnic areas, safe & well managed, clean, modern facilities, including many new outhouses, great campground, lots of horse facilities & trails, seem good quality, w/ good usage

Favorite family camp and kayak spot, grandkids love hiking and swimming at the beach. Was sad that the playground that was supposed to be near our campsite wasn't there... suggest changing the online reservation site to reflect this. Shower houses are nice and clean too.

Wonderful campground! We loved the nature setting, views, picnic areas, and trails. The new playground was nice and large and challenging and not as much for younger ages. Loved the nature center! Small, but loaded with so many things for kids to look at, touch, books, and craft table. The bathrooms were the only big disappointment. Although they are older they are not in bad shape, but they do not get normal cleaning in the campground. If they were just cleaned better, they would be fine. This is our new favorite campground that is still convenient to go into Louisville to as well.

Great time as normal. We rented a row boat for $32 and had a ball.

Very relaxing, although some DNR personal apparently weren't up to date with there own rules and regulations??

Love camping and kayaking here. We go multiple times a year. Clean bathrooms and showers. Great campground and can't forget the beautiful lake!

Neat place for a day trip or weekend getaway.

Just did a drive through to check out the park for our first visit. Will definitely be back to camp and fish. The nature center was very informative about the wildlife of the area. A lot of good exhibits of the local animals.

Very good lake for one day trip. Clean water and bank of lake. You can have your boat. Go with drinking water and food. 10$ entry charges per car. Parking is free. Enjoy your summer time here.