Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area

Charles C. Deam Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)
Map showing the location of Charles C. Deam Wilderness
Location Monroe / Brown / Jackson / Lawrence counties, Indiana, USA
Nearest city Bloomington, Indiana
Coordinates 39°02′17″N 86°21′17″W / 39.03806°N 86.35472°W / 39.03806; -86.35472Coordinates: 39°02′17″N 86°21′17″W / 39.03806°N 86.35472°W / 39.03806; -86.35472
Area 12,935 acres (52 km2)
Established 1982
Governing body U.S. Forest Service

The Charles C. Deam Wilderness Area is located close to the city of Bloomington, Indiana. Lake Monroe forms the northern boundary. It was established as wilderness in 1982 and is managed by the Hoosier National Forest. It covers approximately 13,000 acres (53 km²). It was named in honor of former State Forester Charles C. Deam.

The area is a fine example of Karst topography, with its flat-topped ridges, geode-laden streambeds, and occasional caves. Squirrels, deer, and other game are plentiful, attracting many hunters every fall. Hikers, backpackers, and horseback riders are also drawn to the wilderness and its 39 miles of trails.

Unlike the virgin forest found in many other wilderness areas, the Deam Wilderness was settled in the nineteenth century. Most of the trails follow old roadbeds, and a bit of exploration off the main trails will bring visitors past other shadows of the past, including house foundations, domestic plants, old fences, and the occasional cemetery (five cemeteries exist within the wilderness boundary). The narrow, rocky ridges made for marginally productive farmland, but the inhabitants were able to scrape by until the Great Depression. As the economy forced them out, the U.S. Forest Service acquired their property and, with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps, began rehabilitating the area and managing it for recreation. "Improvements" included constructing ponds, replanting trees, and building the Hickory Ridge Fire Tower that still stands, open to the public, at the Hickory Ridge Trailhead. Since its designation as wilderness under Ronald Reagan, the only artificial improvements have come in the form of trail maintenance.

Charles C. Deam Wilderness Trail System

Trail Location Uses Length (miles)
Hayes Trail Hiking, horse riding 4.7
Grubb Ridge Trail Trailhead: 39.032701, -86.340826 Hiking, horse riding 6.6
Peninsula Trail Hiking, horse riding 2.6
Axsom Trail Hiking, horse riding 2.6
Cope Hollow Trail Hiking, horse riding 4.7
Sycamore Trail Hiking 4.7
Terrill Ridge Trail Hiking, horse riding 1.8

Source: "Charles C. Deam Wilderness" (PDF). United States Forest Service. Retrieved December 31, 2014. 

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