Deam Lake State Recreation Area
Encyclopedia
Deam Lake State Recreation Area is an Indiana state park in Clark County
, Indiana
in the United States. The park is 1300 acres (526.1 ha) and sits at an elevation of 535 feet (163.1 m). Deam Lake State Recreation area is open for year-round recreation. Much of the recreation is centered around Deam Lake. It is named for Charles C. Deam, the first state forester
of Indiana.
Deam Lake State Recreation Area is adjacent to Clark State Forest
. Deam Lake and the park facilities were constructed during the 1960s, opening in 1965. The park operates under a "multiple use concept." Recreational activities at the park include hiking
, fishing
, hunting
, swimming, boating
, camping
, picnicking and horseback riding.
Deam Lake is a 194 acres (78.5 ha) man-made lake. It was built in 1965. The lake is used for flood control
, as a reservoir
and for recreational purposes. It is on Big Run which is a tributary of the Muddy Fork River which is part of the Ohio River
system. The lake is impounded by Deam Lake Dam which is an earthen dam that is 59 feet (18 m) high and 1200 feet (365.8 m) long. Deam Lake is open for fishing, swimming and boating. Boats are limited to electric motors. Kayak
s, canoe
s and other human powered boats are permitted. Jet-skis are not allowed in the lake. The beach at Deam Lake is open from 8:00am to sunset
, Memorial Day
through Labor Day
. Lifeguards are not provided. There is a beach house and concessionaire that provides snacks and boat rentals.
Deam Lake State Recreation Area features two separate camping facilities. The "regular campground" has 116 campsites that include picnic tables, electric hookups, a fire ring, and parking pad. Access to a dump station for RVs and shower facilities is available. Additionally, the park has 68 "horse campground" sites. The horse campground is equipped with stalls and provides access to a network of trails within the park and the adjacent Clark State Forest.
The park is home to four hiking trails and serves as a trailhead for the 80 miles (128.7 km) Knobstone Trail
which is the longest hiking trail in Indiana.
Environmental Education
opportunities are provided at Deam Lake State Recreation Area. An education center is managed by a full-time naturalist
. The naturalist hosts a variety of educational sessions throughout the year. A fishing derby
for children is led by the naturalist as is a digital camera
scavenger hunt
, a tree identification program, a group hike on Trail 4 to Lookout Rock and several other nature activities.
Clark County, Indiana
Clark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana, located directly across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky. At the 2010 Census, the population was 110,232. The county seat is Jeffersonville. Clarksville is also a major city in the county...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
in the United States. The park is 1300 acres (526.1 ha) and sits at an elevation of 535 feet (163.1 m). Deam Lake State Recreation area is open for year-round recreation. Much of the recreation is centered around Deam Lake. It is named for Charles C. Deam, the first state forester
Forester
250px|thumb|right|Foresters of [[Southern University of Chile|UACh]] in the [[Valdivian forest]]s of San Pablo de Tregua, ChileA forester is a person who practices forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including timber...
of Indiana.
Deam Lake State Recreation Area is adjacent to Clark State Forest
Clark State Forest
Clark State Forest, located just north of Henryville, Indiana in the United States, is Indiana's oldest state forest, formed in 1903 as a forest research facility and a nursery and later expanded by the Works Progress Administration. Originally 2,028 acres of total land area, it is now almost...
. Deam Lake and the park facilities were constructed during the 1960s, opening in 1965. The park operates under a "multiple use concept." Recreational activities at the park include hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
, swimming, boating
Boating
Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...
, camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
, picnicking and horseback riding.
Deam Lake is a 194 acres (78.5 ha) man-made lake. It was built in 1965. The lake is used for flood control
Flood control
In communications, flood control is a feature of many communication protocols designed to prevent overwhelming of a destination receiver. Such controls can be implemented either in software or in hardware, and will often request that the message be resent after the receiver has finished...
, as a reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
and for recreational purposes. It is on Big Run which is a tributary of the Muddy Fork River which is part of the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
system. The lake is impounded by Deam Lake Dam which is an earthen dam that is 59 feet (18 m) high and 1200 feet (365.8 m) long. Deam Lake is open for fishing, swimming and boating. Boats are limited to electric motors. Kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
s, canoe
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
s and other human powered boats are permitted. Jet-skis are not allowed in the lake. The beach at Deam Lake is open from 8:00am to sunset
Sunset
Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west...
, Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
through Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
. Lifeguards are not provided. There is a beach house and concessionaire that provides snacks and boat rentals.
Deam Lake State Recreation Area features two separate camping facilities. The "regular campground" has 116 campsites that include picnic tables, electric hookups, a fire ring, and parking pad. Access to a dump station for RVs and shower facilities is available. Additionally, the park has 68 "horse campground" sites. The horse campground is equipped with stalls and provides access to a network of trails within the park and the adjacent Clark State Forest.
The park is home to four hiking trails and serves as a trailhead for the 80 miles (128.7 km) Knobstone Trail
Knobstone Trail
The Knobstone Trail is the longest hiking trail in Indiana. Its southern terminus is about north of Louisville, Kentucky in the Deam Lake State Recreation Area. It currently ends at Delaney Creek Park near Salem, Indiana, however there are plans to eventually extend the trail another north to...
which is the longest hiking trail in Indiana.
- Trail 1 is a 0.6 mile (0.965604 km) "easy trail." It begins near the campground and ends at the old playground. Trail 1 is used for a variety of special hikes during the year, including "A Walk in the Woods" which is designed for families with children and the annual "The Haunted Trail" which takes place near HalloweenHalloweenHallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. - Trail 2 is just 0.2 mile (0.321868 km). Access to the trail has been limited in the aftermath of a severe wind storm in 2008 and an ice storm in 2009. Much of the trail is covered by fallen Virginia PineVirginia PinePinus virginiana is a medium-sized tree, often found on poorer soils from Long Island in southern New York south through the Appalachian Mountains to western Tennessee and Alabama. The usual size range for this pine is 9–18 m, but can grow taller under optimum conditions. The trunk can be...
s. - Trail 3 is the longest trail in the park at 3 miles (4.8 km). It begins at the campground and is covered with gravelGravelGravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
. It serves hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers. The trail passes around the north end of Deam Lake and is connected to Knobstone Trail via several side trails. - Trail 4 also known as Lake Vista Trail is 2.5 miles (4 km) and follows the shores of the lake, passes through some wet bottom lands and runs over rolling hills to a vista at a rocky outcrop over the lake.
Environmental Education
Environmental education
Environmental education refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. The term is often used to imply education within the school system, from primary to...
opportunities are provided at Deam Lake State Recreation Area. An education center is managed by a full-time naturalist
Naturalist
Naturalist may refer to:* Practitioner of natural history* Conservationist* Advocate of naturalism * Naturalist , autobiography-See also:* The American Naturalist, periodical* Naturalism...
. The naturalist hosts a variety of educational sessions throughout the year. A fishing derby
Fishing derby
Fishing derby may refer to:* Fishing tournament, a fishing contest among a group of anglers* Fishing Derby, an Atari 2600 video game...
for children is led by the naturalist as is a digital camera
Digital camera
A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography...
scavenger hunt
Scavenger hunt
A scavenger hunt is a game in which the organizers prepare a list defining specific items, using which the participants — individuals or teams — seek to gather all items on the list — usually without purchasing them — or perform tasks or take photographs of the items, as specified...
, a tree identification program, a group hike on Trail 4 to Lookout Rock and several other nature activities.