Indiana's largest lake. A 23,952-acre state park south of Bloomington.
Lake Monroe is Indiana's largest lake, a 10,750-acre reservoir inside a 23,952-acre state park and Hoosier National Forest holding south of Bloomington — nine recreation areas, nine boat launches, and 36 miles of forest trail around the shoreline.
Lake Monroe sits almost entirely inside Indiana's state park system, twenty-five minutes south of Bloomington and Indiana University. Fairfax, on the southwest shore, holds the lake's resort core — Fourwinds Lakeside Inn & Marina and the seasonal Windjammer Grill. Paynetown, on the east shore, is the campground-and-general-store hub. Hardin Ridge, inside the Hoosier National Forest boundary, anchors the trail network — 36 miles across Pate Hollow, Peninsula, Grubb Ridge, and more. It reads as a state-park lake first, a second-home market second.
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