Monroe Lake

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Monroe Lake Official Indiana DNR page for Monroe Lake. The property office is located at Paynetown. This property is in the Eastern time zone.

Monroe Lake manages 9 recreation areas (Paynetown, Fairfax, Cutright, Allens Creek, Pine Grove, Moores Creek, Cartop, Salt Creek, Crooked Creek) and 3 waterfowl resting areas (Stillwater-Northfork, Middlefork, Southfork) around the reservoir. The property consists of 23,952 acres (includes a 10,750 acre lake) and stretches across 3 counties (Monroe, Brown, Jackson).

We're excited to try something new for Halloween this year! Check out our Halloween Legends Luminary Trail on Friday, Oc...
10/07/2026

We're excited to try something new for Halloween this year! Check out our Halloween Legends Luminary Trail on Friday, October 23 (kicking off our "Ghostly Gathering" weekend!) or Friday, October 30.

Wind your way through the dark woods… as you walk, you can read about the origins of Halloween traditions and monsters (NO SCARES: this is NOT a haunted trail) – and test your observation skills by searching for both “glowing eyes” and pumpkins amongst the trees. When you emerge from the trail, enjoy a cup of hot c***r and a sweet treat.

Halloween Legends Luminary Trail from 7 to 9 p.m.
Friday, October 23 & Friday, October 30
Monroe Lake: Paynetown SRA (4850 S. State Road 446, Bloomington, IN)

Trail begins at front end of Overflow Parking Area (by the trailhead)
• No one will be allowed to begin the trail after 8:30 p.m.
• The trail closes completely at 9 p.m., so make sure you are out of the woods by then.
• All children under the age of 16 must be accompanied on the trail by an adult.
• Please bring a flashlight (make a “red light” cover for it at the trail entrance!).
• The luminary trail is included with park admission. A donation box will be at the end of the trail; if you enjoy it, please support it!

Halloween Legends Luminary Trail Facebook Event Page (share and invite your friends!): https://ow.ly/PM5T50ZN23q

Learn about all of the upcoming events and activities at Monroe Lake on the DNR Calendar: https://ow.ly/poQr50ZN23r

Lots of area schools are on Fall Break next week (yay!) - and we hope that you'll come to the lake for a camping trip or...
10/06/2026

Lots of area schools are on Fall Break next week (yay!) - and we hope that you'll come to the lake for a camping trip or day visit!

Join us for scheduled activities...
Oct 10-11: https://ow.ly/ZO3m50ZNWxf
Oct 14: https://ow.ly/QJnX50ZNWxa
Oct 15: https://ow.ly/KI7K50ZNWxe
Oct 16: https://ow.ly/aeJ550ZNWxb
Oct 17-18: https://ow.ly/88NT50ZNWxg

Enjoy a hike on one of our trails: https://ow.ly/Brus50ZNWx9

Visit the Activity Center at Paynetown SRA! Located next to the swimming beach and open during October on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. Free drop-in crafts available each day!

Photo credit: Jeff Danielson

Will you be joining us for a GHOSTLY GATHERING?!?The fun kicks off on Friday, Oct. 23 with the Halloween Legends Luminar...
10/05/2026

Will you be joining us for a GHOSTLY GATHERING?!?

The fun kicks off on Friday, Oct. 23 with the Halloween Legends Luminary Trail, then continues on Saturday, Oct. 24 with Halloween Ornaments & “Poison” Bottle Factory and Halloween Games in the afternoon, then Trick-or-Treating and the Campsite Decorating Contest in the evening. We'll also have a Creepy Collages activity on Sunday, Oct. 25 - plus additional Halloween crafts in the Activity Center on Sat. and Sun. afternoons.

All activities are open to both campers and day visitors!

Details on the Facebook Event Page (https://ow.ly/aFO850ZN1Yp ) or on the DNR Calendar ( https://ow.ly/V3uh50ZN1Yq)!

Today is the deadline to sign up for our last Flora Field Day of the year, which takes place this Wednesday morning! We'...
10/05/2026

Today is the deadline to sign up for our last Flora Field Day of the year, which takes place this Wednesday morning! We'll be tackling the identification of goldenrods, asters, and other fall bloomers. Beginners welcome (and encouraged!) to attend!

Info & Registration at https://ow.ly/uT9r50ZNWAe

Learn about other upcoming Monroe Lake programs on the DNR calendar at https://ow.ly/BBaj50ZNWAc

Our Adopt-a-Shoreline volunteers donate their time to help make the lake a better place for everyone! Thanks so much to ...
10/03/2026

Our Adopt-a-Shoreline volunteers donate their time to help make the lake a better place for everyone! Thanks so much to Eric Goy (Fairfax SRA), Kyra Shank (Cartop SRA), Michelle Zimmerman (spillway), and Stacie and Jason Roland (Pinegrove SRA) for cleaning up trash during the month of August!

Can you donate 30 to 60 minutes a month to help keep our lakeshore clean? Email [email protected] for details about joining the Adopt-a-Shoreline program at Monroe Lake!

Learn more about volunteering in Indiana State Parks at https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/how-you-can-help/volunteering

Autumn camping season is officially here! If you're kicking off October with a trip to Monroe Lake, don't forget to chec...
10/02/2026

Autumn camping season is officially here! If you're kicking off October with a trip to Monroe Lake, don't forget to check out our scheduled activities. This weekend at Paynetown SRA, we're making paper tent photo frames and "snuggle bunnies" on Saturday and an Indian corn craft on Sunday.

Find program details on the Facebook Event page (https://ow.ly/bXxq50ZN1Lp) or on the DNR calendar (https://ow.ly/9qYn50ZN1Lq)!

Will you be joining us for a GHOSTLY GATHERING?!?The fun kicks off on Friday, Oct. 23 with the Halloween Legends Luminar...
09/29/2026

Will you be joining us for a GHOSTLY GATHERING?!?

The fun kicks off on Friday, Oct. 23 with the Halloween Legends Luminary Trail, then continues on Saturday, Oct. 24 with Halloween Ornaments & “Poison” Bottle Factory and Halloween Games in the afternoon, then Trick-or-Treating and the Campsite Decorating Contest in the evening. We'll also have a Creepy Collages activity on Sunday, Oct. 25 - plus additional Halloween crafts in the Activity Center on Sat. and Sun. afternoons.

All activities are open to both campers and day visitors!

Details on the Facebook Event Page (https://ow.ly/aFO850ZN1Yp ) or on the DNR Calendar (https://ow.ly/V3uh50ZN1Yq)!

Address

4850 S State Road 446
Bloomington, IN
47401

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 11pm
Tuesday 7am - 11pm
Wednesday 7am - 11pm
Thursday 7am - 11pm
Friday 7am - 11pm
Saturday 7am - 11pm
Sunday 7am - 11pm

Telephone

(812) 837-9546 (Office); (812) 837-9967 (Naturalist & Paynetown Activity Center)

Website

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