Charles C. Deam Wilderness
The Charles C. Deam Wilderness, the only designated Wilderness area in Indiana, offers 36 miles of trails for hiking, backpacking, and horse riding through scenic hardwood forest and varied terrain with views of nearby Monroe Lake. Tower Ridge road divides this Wilderness into a smaller northern section and a largest southern one. As recently as fifty years ago, 81 farms dotted the landscape, every ridge was planted with corn or hay, and 57 miles of roads traversed the higher ground. While the area still shows signs of human alteration, the Wilderness is gradually returning to its natural state. Bird species such as flycatchers, scarlet tanagers, red-eyed vireos, hawks, and woodpeckers now thrive in the thickening forest.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Indiana |
| Size | 12,472 acres |
| Designated | 1982, by Congress |
| Center point | 39.04° N, 86.35° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 10) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
1 federal campground sits inside the boundary and 2 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trailheads and sites
The Forest Service lists 4 recreation sites inside this wilderness, among them 2 interpretive sites, 1 horse camp, 1 backpacking. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 2 miHickory Ridge Fire Tower ↗Interpretive site · Year-round
- 2 miCharles C. Deam Wilderness ↗Backpacking
- 2 miBlackwell Campground ↗Horse camp · Year round
- 3 miBrooks Cabin ↗Interpretive site · Seasonal
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
10 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 39 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Grubb Ridge Trail ↗ | 14.5 | |
| Cope Hollow Trail ↗ | 6.1 | |
| Sycamore Trail ↗ | 4.8 | |
| Axsom Branch Trail | 2.6 | |
| Martin Hollow Trail | 2.6 | |
| Peninsula Trail | 2.6 | |
| Hayes Trail | 2.5 | |
| Terrill Ridge Trail | 1.9 | |
| Hunter Creek Trail | 0.9 | |
| Grubb Ridge Trail Spur | 0.1 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 7.5 miBrown County Bridge No. 36 ↗Nashville, IN
- 8 miMitchell, Joseph, House ↗Smithville, IN
- 8.8 miStipp-Bender Farm ↗Clear Creek, IN
- 8.8 miCarter-Randall-Parker House ↗Bloomington, IN
- 9 miWheeler, Frank, Hotel ↗Freetown, IN
- 9 miHendricks, Thomas A., House and Stone Head Road Marker ↗Stone Head, IN
- 9.6 miMillen House ↗Bloomington, IN
- 9.9 miMadden School ↗Bedford, IN
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Indiana
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Charles C. Deam Wilderness?
12,472 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Charles C. Deam Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Charles C. Deam Wilderness in?
Indiana.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Charles C. Deam Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1982.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Charles C. Deam Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Charles C. Deam Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 39.035° N, 86.353° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Charles C. Deam Wilderness?
The National Register has 39 listings within 15 miles, including Brown County Bridge No. 36 and Mitchell, Joseph, House.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.