This afternoon I headed out to my second State run nature area. This time instead of State Park it was one of the 8 reservoir properties run by the State Park system of the Indiana DNR. The trail is described as a loop around the lake, but in the thick underbrush of the summer, the lake was never really visible from the trail. The trail was, however, well maintained and very easy to follow.
The Details:
Name: Deam Lake State Recreation Area
Location: Deam Lake Rd – just off of Highway 60 east of Borden IN
Established: 1965
Size: 1300 Acres
Known For: Fishing, Boating, and Swimming in Deam Lake. Deam Lake is also the southern terminus of the Knobstone Trail, a 60-mail backcountry-hiking trail. It is the longest trail in Indiana. Deam Lake also has several miles of trail open to horses and non-powered bicycles.
The Day
As I drove through the park I missed the Day-use parking area which accesses several trails. I ended up at the camping area. The nice lady who was working the check-in said I could park in the overflow lot of the camping area and hike from there. This was a good thing as it turned out. From this point in the Northwest corner of the park I began a clockwise hike on what is called the “Yellow Horse Trail”. It is named that because of the yellow markers which are posted at every intersection and were very helpful keeping me on the right path. .Both horses and mountain bikes are allowed on the entire 6-mile loop.
Soon after I began my hike, I came across a sign marking trail closures in the Northeast corner of the park. Had I started at the Day-use parking lot, I might have turned around at this point, but I had barely started and decided that I would just continue on until I had to turn around. As it turned out, the signs were over a month old and didn’t include the weekends. As it was 4pm on Friday, I decided that I was probably safe hiking through the closed area. Once I got to the line the tape that was normally across the trail was tossed in a neat pile off to the side. There were indications of logging and construction along that part of the trail, but it looked like it had been several days since any activity had actually taken place.
The trail from where I started to this part of the woods was a very well maintained fireroad. It was easy to hike along and the trees and forest made for a lot of interesting views, unless you wanted to see the lake itself. There were only very small glimpses here and there. Sometimes I wasn’t even sure what I was seeing was water through the trees.
All along the Eastside of the park I came across dozens of tiny frogs. The largest was the size of quarter and smallest could hid under a dime. I really hope that I didn’t step on any. They all seemed to hop away. I tried looking up the species, but couldn’t find one that was a good match. Unless these were all much smaller than adults.
When I got to the southern section of the trail along the side of the Dam, the trail almost disappeared. It became a very small footpath along the boundary road. At one point I was thinking I had missed the trail, because it was so different and suddenly hard to follow. The Knobstone Trail travels along the top of the dam and probably has some nice views, but this trail was below the dam, and so once again no views of the water.
Once I crossed the main entrance road the trail widened back out and the entire west side of the trail was easy to follow again. As I got closer to the Day Use parking area I came across 4 horses and their riders enjoying a Friday evening ride. I also saw my first deer. I couldn’t get a good photo. In fact, I made a video which is easier to see, because the trail was constantly swatting bugs. Otherwise it perfectly blended in with the thick underbrush.
All in all, it was a good day for hiking. Despite being the middle of August, it was probably the coolest day in weeks with a high right around 80. The bugs were not too bad. I didn’t even get any ticks from the narrow grassy trail near the dam. If you want nice vistas this is not your trail, but for a place to get away and immerse yourself in God’s creation I highly recommend it. .
Hiking the Indiana State Parks 