Deam Lake State Recreation Area — Attraction in New Albany

Spent two nights camping at Deam Lake. The campground and the shower houses are quite clean and the hike we took on the Lake Vista trail was as much fun as it was when I made the loop twenty years ago. The downfall of the trip was the rules. Not the fact that they have them, but because none of them are enforced. There are rules everywhere, on the paperwork you get when you arrive, on the website and on signs at every turn but it is all meaningless if no one enforces anything. The entire campground was a big parking lot. Most campsites had one car parked on the pad and then as many as three parked in the grass around their campers and tents. Some sites had multiple tents and then other structures as well with well over a dozen people staying in them. Dogs are supposed to be kept on leashes but several people felt that the rule did not apply to their dog and more than once while walking on the blacktop I was met by an unfriendly German Shepherd with the owner in hot pursuit yelling "HEEL-STOP" (If you gotta chase your dog and threaten it to make it stay while people are walking on the road, the dog obviously isn't trained as well as you think it is). My wife and I went to the beach on Sunday and between the kayaks and the dogs in the water chasing frisbees it almost looked like something out of Caddyshack. When I camped there years ago you could count on seeing a green DNR truck patrol through the campground every couple of hours. I mentioned the lack of security to an employee and I was told that they have only one security person and that they "can't work 24 hours a day". As we were packing to leave we did finally see a DNR truck drive through the campground twice. And one final note for those thinking about camping there - get a spot far away from the horses unless you enjoy the smell of manure. I suppose it was a financial decision when they made half the campground for horses rather than building a new one at a distance as they should have. I grew up on a farm and I think horses are great, but I have no desire to ride them again or smell them while camping! My next camping trip will be to a different State Park and hopefully they will have a full staff that monitors what goes on. If not I will simply start camping at privately owned...

3rd visit to Deam Lake--never again. Although I would love to find somewhere close to home to take my goddaughter for her first camping trip, Deam Lake will not be it. I would like to say up-front that most of my issue is with other campers; however, it does not seem like quiet times or other park rules are being enforced.

First visit was in 2017 and I just performed a drive-through to check ot out. Gate personnel was rude as can be, but the place looked ok.

Second visit was 27APR18 for a one night camping outing. No one was working the gate. The guy who came around at about 1900 hours was polite and helpful. We chose the cleanest spot and still had to clear the firepit of garbage and remove more garbage from beneath the picnic table. Someone played music all night long and there was motorcycle traffic off and on from about 02:30 to 04:30.

The third and final visit was the weekend of 08Jun18 - 10JUN18. The park was busy (I think there was a family reunion or something. Everyone in the E cabins and around 10 of the sites seemed to be together) so good campsites were difficult to find. Here are the issues I encountered:

Immediately had to clean up the campsite. There was trash in the firepit and trash on/under the picnic table.

People walking through our campsite at all hours. People throwing their trash in unattended campsites.

Showers/restrooms looked clean upon entering. Water in the showers smelled stagnant. By Sunday morning, it appeared that the restrooms were not being cleaned. The showers were definitely not cleaned all weekend.

Got neighbors on Saturday. Nice people. Felt sorry for them since they spent around 30 minutes cleaning trash out of their firepit and from around their site.

Saturday afternoon: group of boys running all over the park unattended. Chased each other in and out of the men's and women's showers and restrooms.

Saturday night: loud argument between drunks that lasted around 20 minutes. People wandering around until...

We had an AMAZING weekend camping/fishing at Deam Lake. All park staff were warm and welcoming as were the other visitors.

We booked the Heron Horse Cabin and it was great! Important to note the “horse” cabins are literally that. There is a horse campground on site, these cabins are exclusive to those traveling with horses. They were gracious and let us know for next time. The cabin was clean and included a porch swing, rocking chair, fire pit & picnic bench seating. Inside has a queen bed frame (bring your own air mattresses), bunk bed frame, & a loft that included a 2nd bunk bed frame. Sleeps 5. The A/C unit is EXCELLENT! You can’t beat it for the price! Its got the basics and makes it affordable for families. We can’t wait for the next trip!

There are water stations, restroom stalls and locker room style showering stations throughout the park. Firewood and ice are sold on site for a good price.

There is a beach area with plenty of picnic tables and fire pits. On Saturday families of all kind had tents up, bbq going & enjoying the beach. They have kayak and row boat rentals. The kayaks were really nice. The row boats sucked. I wouldn’t do those again but for $32/day it’ll get you on the water..

Fishing here was great. We caught blue gill, bass, large mouth bass, crappie and channel catfish. We had the best luck & caught the biggest fish early morning. All from the bank.

We loved everything about Deam Lake and can’t wait to come back!...