Brookville Lake – SRAs/Causeways/Boat Ramps/Dam
Brookville, IN
This is one of the top birding spots in East-Central Indiana. This diverse habitat is situated around the large Brookville Lake.
Specialty Species:
Waterfowl: Scan the lake from the multiple vantage points listed below in order to find a large number of dabbling and diving ducks and geese during the late fall and winter.
Gulls: Scan the lake from the multiple vantage points listed in order to find a large number of gull species. The most common are Ring-billed and Bonaparte’s Gulls, but if you search carefully you might just find a rarer species such as a Franklin’s Gull.
Shorebirds: Follow the directions for Dunlapsville Ramp to find shorebirds in late March and early April.
Where to Bird:
- Quakertown SRA – Beach and Ramp/Marina
- Dunlapsville Causeway
- Dunlapsville Ramp
- Fairfield Road Causeway
- The Dam Area
- Mounds SRA - Mounds Beach and Templeton Creek Ramp
- Sagamore Marina
- Fairfield Ramp
All of the locations listed above offer good options for scanning the lake. Not all of the stops will produce great numbers of waterfowl and gulls, but you should hit one or two stops that offer a diversity of species.
Begin at Mounds State Recreation Area by following the directions listed below. Start at the beach and scan the lake for gulls and waterfowl. Drive back towards the entrance, but turn right to go to the Templeton Ramp. Scan the lake from this vantage point and then return to the entrance. Turn right onto SR-101. After 5.2 miles, turn right just after the “Brookville Lake – Bonwell Hill Ramp – Edward D. Lewis Overlook – Corps. Office” sign. Take the first left and proceed to the overlook. Scan the lake from here and then return to SR-101.
Turn right onto SR-101. At the intersection of SR-101 and SR-1 in Brookville, turn right onto SR-101. After 6 miles, turn right onto Fairfield Causeway Road. Park in the Causeway parking lot that is located just before the bridge. Scan the lake and marina from here. When finished, continue across the causeway. After 3.2 miles, the road comes to a T. Turn right onto SR101. After 2.3 miles, turn left onto Old State Road 101. At the end of this road, park in the Fairfield Ramp parking lot. Scan the lake from the boat ramp. When you are finished, head back the way you came. Just after leaving the parking lot, turn right into Sagamore Marina. Scan the lake from the tip of the marina. Return to SR-101.
Turn left onto SR-101. Go 3.4 miles and turn left onto Dunlapsville Road. After 1.7 miles, turn right onto Old Dunlapsville Road. At the end of the road, park and scan the lake from the ramp. Follow the footpath down the lake. When the lake is drawn down to winter levels, you can walk along the lake bed to large pools of water that attract shorebirds in late March and early April. Return to Dunlapsville Road and turn right. As you proceed across the bridge, drive slowly and keep an eye out for waterfowl on the lake.
After crossing the bridge, take the next left into Quakertown SRA. Follow this road to the marina and scan the lake from here. As you drive back toward Dunlapsville Road, take a right into the beach area. Scan the lake from here and then return to Dunlapsville Road. You have now finished a full tour of Brookville Lake.Hours:
SRAs and Boat Ramps: 7am to 11pm
(Other than in SRAs and Boat Ramps, no hours are posted)
Fees:
SRAs:
$4 Monday-Thursday, $5 Friday-Sunday for Indiana plates
$7 Daily for non-Indiana plates
Accessiblity:
Some of the area can be birded by car, but the trails in the area are not handicap accessible.
Trails:
43 miles of trails are located around the lake.
Non-birding Equipment Needed:
- None
Lenght of Visit:
Half or full day visit is recommended
Map:
Website:
Directions:
From the West: Take I-70 East from Indianapolis. Take Exit 149A onto SR-38 South. Go 3.3 miles and turn left (east) onto US-40. Go .9 miles and then turn right (south) onto S. 8th Street/IN-227/S Kelly Street/US-27. Continue to follow US-27. After 14.1 miles, continue straight onto SR-101. After 9.3 miles, turn right (west) into Mounds SRA.
From the East: Take I-70 West from Dayton, OH. Take Exit 156A for US-40. After 3.3 miles, turn right (north) onto N 16th Street. As 16th Street curves to the left (west) it becomes North A Street. After .6 miles, turn left (south) onto US-27. Continue to follow US-27. After 14.3 miles, continue straight onto SR-101. After 9.3 miles, turn right (west) into Mounds SRA.
From the South: From the intersection of I-275 and SR-27 in Cincinnati, OH, take US-27 North for 34.5 miles. Turn left onto SR-101 (south). After 9.3 miles, turn right (west) into Mounds SRA.Address:
14108 State Road 101
Brookville, IN 47012
(765) 647-2657
(765) 647-2658
This address is for Mounds SRA.
Nearby Birding:
Whitewater Memorial State Park