List of Indiana state parks

Brown County

Chain O' Lakes

Charlestown

Clifty Falls

Falls of the Ohio

Fort Harrison

Harmonie

Indiana Dunes

Lincoln

McCormick's Creek

Mounds

O'Bannon Woods

Ouabache

Pokagon

Potato Creek

Prophetstown

Shades

Shakamak

Spring Mill

Summit Lake

Tippecanoe River

Turkey Run

Versailles

White River

Whitewater Memorial

Indiana State Parks (clickable map)

The U.S. state of Indiana has 25 state parks maintained and operated by Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Marion and Clark are the only counties to have two. Brown County, the largest state park, has the greatest number of visitors, followed by Indiana Dunes State Park.^[1] In addition, a separate state agency operates White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis.^[2]

Richard Lieber was instrumental in the foundation of the Indiana State Park system. The first state park in Indiana was McCormick's Creek State Park, in Owen County in 1916, followed in the same year by Turkey Run State Park in Parke County. A steady climb in the number of state parks rose in the 1920s, mostly by donation from local authorities to the state government for the purpose of a state park. Of the initial twelve, only Muscatatuck State Park is no longer a state park, having been given back to Jennings County in 1968.^[3] It was during the Great Depression of the 1930s that much infrastructure was built within the park, constructed by New Deal agencies such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration, with the majority of this Depression-era construction still in use in the 21st Century. This delay in infrastructure was due in part to Richard Lieber believing that the parks should be kept as natural as possible.^[4]

Initially, the state parks were meant to feature natural environments in Indiana; establishing Mounds State Park for its historical nature and establishing Shakamak State Park purely for recreational purposes (it was an abandoned strip mine) strayed from the initial purposes of the Indiana state park system.^[5]

While Indiana does not have as many state parks as some other states, it has avoided obtaining too many smaller properties that would be hard to manage. A goal of having at least one state park within an hour's drive for every Hoosier was met when Prophetstown State Park was established.^[6]

State parks

Name	Photo	City	County	Established	Area[7]	Description[7]
Brown County		Nashville 39°07′N 86°16′W / 39.11°N 86.26°W / 39.11; -86.26 (Brown County)	Brown	1929	7007638432069197824♠15,776 acres (63.84 km2)	Largest State Park in Indiana[8]
Chain O' Lakes		Albion 41°20′N 85°23′W / 41.33°N 85.38°W / 41.33; -85.38 (Chain O'Lakes)	Noble	1960	7007109993557560832♠2,718 acres (11.00 km2)	Features eight connected kettle lakes[9]
Charlestown		Charlestown 38°26′N 85°38′W / 38.43°N 85.63°W / 38.43; -85.63 (Charlestown)	Clark	1996	7007206389677542400♠5,100 acres (21 km2)	Built on the grounds of the old Indiana Army Ammunition Plant[10]
Clifty Falls		Madison 38°46′N 85°25′W / 38.76°N 85.42°W / 38.76; -85.42 (Clifty Falls)	Jefferson	1920	7006573034869411840♠1,416 acres (5.73 km2)	Features a canyon that has daylight only at midday[11]
Falls of the Ohio		Clarksville 38°16′37″N 85°45′47″W / 38.277°N 85.763°W / 38.277; -85.763 (Falls of the Ohio)	Clark	1990	7005667731309696000♠165 acres (0.67 km2)	Offers views of the Falls of the Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky[12]
Fort Harrison		Indianapolis 39°52′N 86°01′W / 39.87°N 86.01°W / 39.87; -86.01 (Fort Harrison)	Marion	1996	7006687965591808000♠1,700 acres (6.9 km2)	Built on the site of old Fort Benjamin Harrison[13]
Harmonie	—	New Harmony 38°04′N 87°57′W / 38.06°N 87.95°W / 38.06; -87.95 (Harmonie)	Posey	1966	7007140223575036160♠3,465 acres (14.02 km2)	Near historic Rappite and Owenite villages.[14]
Indiana Dunes		Porter 41°40′N 87°02′W / 41.66°N 87.04°W / 41.66; -87.04 (Indiana Dunes)	Porter	1925	7006883024071367680♠2,182 acres (8.83 km2)	Attached to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.[15]
Lincoln		Lincoln City 38°06′N 86°00′W / 38.10°N 86.00°W / 38.10; -86.00 (Lincoln)	Spencer	1932	7006747454381217280♠1,847 acres (7.47 km2)	Across from Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, it was the last state park established by Richard Lieber.[16]
McCormick's Creek		Spencer 39°17′N 86°44′W / 39.29°N 86.73°W / 39.29; -86.73 (McCormick's Creek)	Owen	1916	7006778615175669760♠1,924 acres (7.79 km2)	First state park in Indiana[17]
Mounds		Anderson 40°06′N 85°37′W / 40.10°N 85.62°W / 40.10; -85.62 (Mounds)	Madison	1930	7006117358836249600♠290 acres (1.2 km2)	[18]
O'Bannon Woods		Corydon 38°14′N 86°18′W / 38.23°N 86.30°W / 38.23; -86.30 (O'Bannon Woods)	Harrison	2004	7006809371284480000♠2,000 acres (8.1 km2)	Formerly the Wyandotte SRA, renamed in honor of the late Indiana governor Frank O'Bannon.[19]
Ouabache	—	Bluffton 40°43′N 85°07′W / 40.72°N 85.11°W / 40.72; -85.11 (Ouabache)	Wells	1962	7006446772949032960♠1,104 acres (4.47 km2)	Name comes from the French spelling of "Wabash"[20]
Pokagon		Angola 41°43′N 85°22′W / 41.71°N 85.36°W / 41.71; -85.36 (Pokagon)	Steuben	1925	7006509903909222400♠1,260 acres (5.1 km2)	Well known for its skiing.[21]
Potato Creek	—	North Liberty 41°33′N 86°35′W / 41.55°N 86.58°W / 41.55; -86.58 (Potato Creek)	St. Joseph	1969	7007155399286620160♠3,840 acres (15.5 km2)	[22]
Prophetstown	—	West Lafayette 40°30′N 86°50′W / 40.50°N 86.83°W / 40.50; -86.83 (Prophetstown)	Tippecanoe	2004	7006809371284480000♠2,000 acres (8.1 km2)	[23]
Shades		Waveland 39°56′N 87°05′W / 39.93°N 87.08°W / 39.93; -87.08 (Shades)	Montgomery	1947	7007124724114938368♠3,082 acres (12.47 km2)	Only state park to ever have its own airstrip.[24]
Shakamak		Jasonville 39°10′N 87°14′W / 39.17°N 87.24°W / 39.17; -87.24 (Shakamak)	Clay, Greene and Sullivan	1929	7006714674844195840♠1,766 acres (7.15 km2)	Used to be a strip mine[25]
Spring Mill		Mitchell 38°44′N 86°25′W / 38.73°N 86.42°W / 38.73; -86.42 (Spring Mill)	Lawrence	1927	7006549563102161920♠1,358 acres (5.50 km2)	Featured a pioneer village, numerous caves, and a memorial to Gus Grissom[26]
Summit Lake		New Castle 40°02′N 85°18′W / 40.03°N 85.30°W / 40.03; -85.30 (Summit Lake)	Henry	1988	7007108455752120320♠2,680 acres (10.8 km2)	[27]
Tippecanoe River		Winamac 41°09′N 86°36′W / 41.15°N 86.60°W / 41.15; -86.60 (Tippecanoe River)	Pulaski	1943	7007111733705822464♠2,761 acres (11.17 km2)	[28]
Turkey Run		Marshall 39°53′N 87°13′W / 39.88°N 87.21°W / 39.88; -87.21 (Turkey Run)	Parke	1916	7006963961199815680♠2,382 acres (9.64 km2)	Famous for its sandstone gorges and unique terrain[29]
Versailles		Versailles 39°05′N 85°14′W / 39.08°N 85.23°W / 39.08; -85.23 (Versailles)	Ripley	1943	7007242325762573312♠5,988 acres (24.23 km2)	[30]
White River		Indianapolis 39°46′N 86°10′W / 39.77°N 86.17°W / 39.77; -86.17 (White River)	Marion	1979	7006101171410560000♠250 acres (1.0 km2)	An urban park in downtown Indianapolis[31]
Whitewater Memorial		Liberty 39°37′N 84°58′W / 39.61°N 84.97°W / 39.61; -84.97 (Whitewater Memorial)	Union	1949	7006692012448230400♠1,710 acres (6.9 km2)	Built on land donated by four counties[32]

See also

• List of Indiana state forests
• List of National Parks of the United States

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to State parks of Indiana.

• Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of State Parks and Reservoirs

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