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Patoka Lake

5.0 (9 reviews)

Patoka Lake Photos

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Bob A.

I went on a weekday to get away from the city for few hours, and was very pleasantly surprised (even though I got what I expected). It is a quiet lake. Too many stumps for water skiing or speed boats. I was fishing from a canoe - quite a trick for a novice paddler - and the lake waters were calm, the forest was quiet and calming, and the only other boaters were two pontoon boats that didn't even get close. Fishing was okay, but it was more about being able to get away. I wish I had prepared to camp, and I will shortly. The campground was largely deserted. I am guessing high water was keeping people away, and I'll take it. Herons, some vultures, turtles, and some spiders and ticks when getting a lure out of a tree. There is a fee to enter/use the park, and even a Indiana launch fee (good through the end of the year) for canoes and kayaks. I am glad I went and I'll be back for some middle of the week seclusion and decompression.

Beautiful ~ even on a dreary day.
Randy T.

This is a great lake for fishing, camping, and also for those that love the beach. The people that are a part of the state recreational areas are very friendly and very knowledgeable in helping when you have questions about what's going on or what you would like to do. This is an area that we will recommend to people and we will be back.

The beach
Heather P.

We were there during the Forth of July weekend and we watched the fireworks show from the beach area. Traffic and parking were horrific due to the firework show, but luckily we walked to the lake from the campground area. If you plan to stay at the campground, keep in mind that there isn't water hookup... we didn't realize that until we got there, so just a fair warning. This was one of the prettiest lakes that I've ever been to. I must admit though, I didn't get on a boat, I did go to the beach though. The beach was nice, but there were a lot of duck and duck remnants in the sand. The water was pretty clean though. We were there from 11am to about 1pm and not many people there on the beach, especially for a holiday weekend... maybe we were there earlier than the crowd that day. The hiking trails and paved sidewalks were everywhere. Everywhere around the lake was pristine and maintained very well. There was even a wildlife center that we went to. There was a boat rental place nearby, but they were booked up for the weekend... so if that's your thing, book ahead.

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5 months ago

Beautiful, clean lake. Boating, camping, cabin rentals, dining, winery, brewery, hiking, fishing, & more!

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

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10 years ago

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8 years ago

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12 years ago

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18 years ago

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Patoka Lake Marina & Lodging - one of our houseboats

Patoka Lake Marina & Lodging

4.2(20 reviews)
0.2 mi

We were renting a Duplex Cabin for a family reunion weekend. The price is right and it's a pretty…read morenice cabin, however I say that with a couple caveats. The beds are horribly uncomfortable. You will feel every single spring in them. My body was really sore the next day and I am not old! I would recommend that you bring some extra blankets to try to make the bed softer because it's really hard to get to sleep and honestly almost painful. The bed was also very noisy, so if you are tossing and turning because of the extreme firmness, that will also keep you away. It's also really, really dark at night. There needs to be some exterior motion detector lights so people can see to get in the cabin. We just used our phone flash lights but you can't really even tell which cabin is yours in the dark (at first arrival) so I would advise them to at least install a motion light near the door so you can see the lock. We also had very luke warm water in the shower. I can get by with that, but others might not. We also had some wasps and a stink bug in the cabin, but that's to be expected in the woods and they do provide a fly swatter. If I was going to stay here again, I would want a different cabin due to the bed. Otherwise, it was fine.

I needed knew that this place existed…read more It was a wonderful place to relax for the week end. We rented a boat for the day which was a good price for the day. I thought that I would catch more fish but I was wrong. For the record. I didn't know my fishing license didn't carry over from state to state lol. THE MORE TOU KNOW! Please make sure that you buy fishing license when you cross over state lines. Lol as I didn't know my Kentucky license for fishing was no good. The good thing was that the game wardens were nice enough to issue us a warning. All sowed is to buy one online while they waited. Which made it awesome. I thank them kindly for their patience and respect. We spent the whole day on the lake and it was so relaxing and fun. I know that being on a boat all day is great but no one warns you about your body adjusting to being in the boat all day. You feel like your on the boat hours after you have been off. It's like being drunk without liquor. There are plenty of fishing places to be had and they even rent you a tube if you need it. Then again they can rent you out everything. Soooooo there is that. If you don't want to go far but want to relax on a wonderful lake. This is your place. I recommend staying on a boat all day fish and relaxing and taking a swim. It's worth the trip. Stay awesome Batman

Photos
Patoka Lake Marina & Lodging - Our rental suites

Our rental suites

Patoka Lake Marina & Lodging - Our tour boat

Our tour boat

Patoka Lake Marina & Lodging

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Ferdinand State Forest

Ferdinand State Forest

4.7(3 reviews)
11.6 mi

Small yet relaxing state forest!…read more Found the forest while looking for a nice spot to have a picnic. It's small but never seems crowded. I've been on both weekdays and weekends, and most weekdays you'll only share the place with a handful of people. It's $7 to enter the park (if someone's at the gates), $13 / night to camp, and $5.35/hour to rent a small boat or canoe. The forest hosts a lake for swimming (sand beach) or boating, two playgrounds, a plethora of grills, and many covered pavilions with picnic tables. Things to know before you go: there is no running water that I could see, however the restrooms were kept well stocked. This is also a place where you leave with everything you came in with, including trash. There are no trash cans available. I usually make it a habit to stop at the gas station headed back into town. ALSO: bring bug spray!

Since COVID 19 is still an issue we were looking for local places to try while avoiding crowds so…read morewe spent a day here. If someone is on the gate the price is $7 to enter and despite the fact that its a smaller park it does have a lake that allows for kayaking, fishing & electric trolling motors only. Jon boats & canoes can be rented by the hour and the lake has a beach area where a handful of children were taking advantage of the good weather. A lifeguard isn't provided but there is a changing house. There are grills within the park and we had a small portion of the lake to ourselves while grilling. There are picnic tables & benches around one side of the lake and it made for a peaceful break during the normal work week. Camping is available for tents and other sections for campers & RVs. The hiking is limited but if you combine all the trails & fire lanes its about 10 miles. The city of Ferdinand is what I call a sleepy little city and I mean that in the best way, so on a Wednesday I saw only a dozen people on this day and relaxed, avoided COVID and look forward to a time when its safe to try the local brewery & restaurants.

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Ferdinand State Forest

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Scales Lake Park - Is it ironic that a guy with two stumps likes trees?

Scales Lake Park

3.9(12 reviews)
40.4 mi

This park is fantastic! It is well maintained and safe for kids. There are three playgrounds…read more The bike trails are the best around! If you are hiking on the trails don't go when it's damp because they are extremely slick. Some of the rv sites are small but workable. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. My biggest concern is the front gate. It is locked with a chain and padlock so you have to get out of your vehicle to unlock it open the gate and drive through then get back out to close it and lock it. The lock numbers are 5 font so hard to see and it sticks sometimes which is so fun when raining. I felt so vulnerable doing this after coming back from visiting family. They really need an automated gate!

I was down in Southern Indiana and took the opportunity to visit Scales Lake Park. Scales Lake Park…read morefalls under Warrick County Parks. The park offers a 66-acre lake with activities including boating (including boat rentals), camping, fishing, swimming, picnicking, and cabin rentals (both primitive and with utilities). The beach opens Memorial Day weekend and closes August 6th for this year. Admission is $3 per person on M-F and $4 on weekends. Children ages 5 and under are free. Hours are 11am-5pm weather permitting. It should be noted that flotation devices are not allowed. There are mountain biking trails. You can buy a daily pass ($3) or annual pass (General, $40), Warrick County residents ($35), Seniors ($30), and Warrick County Seniors ($25). Annual passes are good for the entire calendar year. Having checked out some of the mountain bike trails, they are generally not wheelchair friendly and since they are for mountain bikes that makes sense. Scales Lake also has a petting zoo that is included with your park admission. It's relatively small but kids will love it. Scales Lake offers events and even week-long summer camps that are surprisingly affordable. Scales Lake offers camping sites that are Class A sites with water, sewer, and electricity, Class B sites with water and electric, and Class C (primitive) sites for the more rugged outdoors person. The lake offers four two-bedroom cabins that can sleep eight persons each. One of the cabins is specifically wheelchair accessible. Pricing per night is $150 (Thursday-Saturday and holidays), $130 (Sunday-Wednesday), and there's a $65 deposit. Finally, Scales Lake also offers an event pavilion and outdoor shelter available for rentals. Scales Lake is particularly great for those who like to rough it a bit more in terms of camping, hiking, or biking. I wouldn't call it a particularly wheelchair friendly park, however, I enjoyed my visit and had no problem justifying park admission and making good use of it. As is true of many public parks, rules and policies can be fairly strict so before renting definitely review agreements. However, for Warrick Park residents in southeast Indiana this park is a definite gem.

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Scales Lake Park - One of the hiking trails (fairly rugged, definitely not wheelchair friendly though I could do part of it)

One of the hiking trails (fairly rugged, definitely not wheelchair friendly though I could do part of it)

Scales Lake Park - You can see the trees starting to blossom.

You can see the trees starting to blossom.

Scales Lake Park - A great path alongside the lake (though better for those without mobility concerns).

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A great path alongside the lake (though better for those without mobility concerns).

Patoka Lake - lakes - Updated May 2026

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