Charles C. Deam Wilderness
Nearly 13,000 acres of ridges, coves, peninsula shoreline, horse routes, backpack camps, and recovering forest offer solitude complicated by the visible history of former farms.
Artwork inspired by T.C. Steele
The Deam is Indiana’s only federal wilderness area, a roadless portion of Hoosier National Forest adjoining Monroe Lake. Its hardwood ridges and steep coves grew over former farms, roads, and homes after federal acquisition. Backpacking, horse use, hunting, shoreline camps, and solitude coexist, which means the landscape can feel remote without being empty of history or other users.
Carry an official forest map and offline navigation; junctions, old roads, and user paths can confuse, and cell service is unreliable. Water should be treated, ridge mileage is more tiring than it appears, and lake levels change shoreline camping. Horse traffic affects some routes, while ticks, heat, hunting seasons, and storms require preparation. Wilderness rules prohibit mechanized travel and demand careful waste practices.
- Designation
- Federal wilderness
- Size
- Nearly 13,000 acres
- Forest
- Hoosier National Forest
Quick guide
- Navigate offline
- Download or carry the official map and track junctions before signal disappears.
- Treat every source
- Filter or purify water; seasonal streams may be dry.
How to travel responsibly in Indiana wilderness
- Navigate offline
- Download or carry the official map and track junctions before signal disappears.
- Treat every source
- Filter or purify water; seasonal streams may be dry.
- Share horse routes
- Yield appropriately and avoid sudden movements around stock.
- Read the old landscape
- Notice foundations, fields, roads, and regrowth without disturbing artifacts.
Good to know
The wilderness is open year-round without an entrance fee. Trailhead parking is free but limited and roads can be rough. There are few developed facilities, no reliable potable water, and inconsistent cell service. Natural trails are steep, muddy, and not accessible; equestrian use, hunting seasons, ticks, and remote conditions require planning.
Notice these
- Hickory Ridge trail network
- Monroe Lake peninsula
- Terrill Ridge fire tower area