In the spring of 2025, we decided to take a drive down to Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife Area at the southern tip of Indiana. Since we had just started filming our trips, we felt this would be a good place to do a test run with the equipment.
According to the Indiana DNR, Hovey Lake FWA covers approximately 7,404 acres and features a 1,400-acre oxbow lake, smaller sloughs and marshes, and extensive bottomland hardwood forests. Hovey Lake FWA provides and maintains quality outdoor recreational opportunities, including hunting, fishing, wildlife viewing, and recreational paddling. It encompasses land from the Ohio River to the Wabash River and includes all the low-lying land in the area. When you visit, it is 16 miles from the nearest town, Mount Vernon, Indiana. To get to the lake itself, all the roads are two-lane blacktop. However, other roads around the lake and surrounding area are gravel.
We posted the video on our YouTube channel, which you can watch below. Keep reading for more insights from the trip and pictures that Cheryl took during the visit.
To get around to the back side of the lake, you will need to turn left onto a gravel road before you reach the lake. Look for Conservation Dr., as that is the road you need to take. As you drive along this road, you will be between the lake and the Ohio River. This area is where many of the duck and geese hunting blinds are located.
The first area you will come to is Cottonwood Slough. This area floods many times a year, which helps create a diverse bird habitat. We saw deer and other wildlife while driving on the backside of the lake, but it was the wrong time of year to see ducks and geese. There are many miles of road behind the lake—one that will take you to a spot where you can see the river, and another that goes around to the lake dam. There is only one way in and out of the backside of the lake. When you come back out to the old highway, turning left will take you along the lake to the main entrance and boat ramp.
Here you will find a shelter house where you can sit while watching the lake. There is an eagle’s nest out on the lake where you might get to see the eagles flying around, getting food. Most of the time, this area is very quiet with not much traffic unless it is hunting season. While you are here, you can hike on the cut trail that goes through the wildflowers across from the parking lot.
The views from the lake can be some of the best that the Hovey Lake Fish and Wildlife have to offer.
After spending a long time at the lake, we drove around and slowly made our way over to the Big Cypress Slough area, which also has wildflower fields. It also has fields to help attract doves. It was here that Cheryl was able to get some really nice pictures of butterflies.
The last thing we did was drive along the slough to see if we could find any wildlife there. If you know where to look, you can see an eagle’s nest. It is really hidden on the far side of the slough and is best seen in the fall.
You can spend all day exploring Hovey Lake WMA. Just remember that almost all the roads are gravel and can be flooded at different times of the year. During hunting season, I would make sure that you are wearing an orange vest or hat so you can be seen.
There are no restrooms there either, but if you drive over to the Union Town Locks and Dam, there are restrooms available for public use.
