Indiana State Parks

Whether you have a boat for boating and fishing in any of the many Indiana State Parks, or are looking for a relaxing get-away, you'll discover our Indiana State Park listings as the place to find just the right park for you and your family.  We have compiled all the state parks into one place for your convenience.

Indiana State Parks has something for everyone: Boating, Fishing, Bicycling, Camping, Canoeing, Kayaking, Hiking, Swimming or just good relaxation.  Click on any of the links below to find the specific information on boat launching fees, camp reservations and information about the park.

All state parks are controlled and maintained by the State of Indiana. They are clean, safe and well maintained by the state.


Listings

  • Charlestown

    Once a largely undeveloped portion of the huge (15,000-acre) indiana army ammunition plant, charlestown state park is located in southern indiana. the park is easily accessible, located 8 miles east of i-65, on state road 62. with scenic vistas of the fourteenmile creek valley and the ohio river, with elevation changes of over 200 feet, charlestown has much to offer the visitor with its rugged hills and deep ravines. while hiking the rugged terrain you will see devonian fossil outcrops and areas of karst sinkhole topography. bird watchers will enjoy the 72 species of birds, including bluebirds, black vultures and an occasional bald eagle.

  • Clifty Falls

    Clifty creek’s stony bed is littered with fossil remnants telling of a long vanished marine ecosystem that teemed with life that included ancient corals, ancestral squids, brachiopods and more. fossil collecting within clifty falls state park is prohibited but nearby collecting locations are readily accessible.

  • Fort Harrison

    At fort harrison, landscape and history blend together at this unique setting on the north-east side of indianapolis. the 1,700-acre park features walking and jogging trails, picnic sites, fishing access to fall creek and two national historic districts. the former citizen's military training camp is preserved around the park office in what was once known as camp glenn.

  • Harmonie

    Harmonie state park is located "on the banks of the wabash" 25 miles northwest of evansville. a beautiful swimming pool, shady picnic areas, ravines and pristine landscape await you here. this is a trail lover's paradise! trails for walking, biking and nature hikes will lure you for a visit.

  • Indiana Dunes

    Large sand dunes, located beyond the entire shoreline, have taken thousands of years to form, and tower nearly 200 feet above lake michigan. a wide range of habitats and plant species are found in the park, with vegetation stabilizing some of the sand. these habitats provide homes for many types of plants and animals. the lake also provides habitat for many aquatic species, as well as a constantly changing fishery.

  • J. E. Roush Lake

    Roush lake fish and wildlife area is dedicated to providing quality hunting and fishing opportunities while maintaining 7,347 acres of land, 900 acre lake, and 350 acres of impoundments. the property is a long narrow band along the wabash river approximately 15 miles long.

  • Lincoln

    Discovery the boyhood home of the 16th president of the united states, abraham lincoln. among the rolling hills and thick forest, young lincoln learned many life lessons. lincoln state park offers 10 miles of hiking trails, two scenic lakes, and an interpretive center to help you experience early life of settlers in southern indiana. your entire family can enjoy a relaxing time at one of the campgrounds, cabins or group cottages. tour the colonel jones home, the historic home of the merchant and civil war officer who employed young lincoln.

  • McCormick's Creek

    Explore the spectacular limestone canyon, flowing creek, and scenic waterfalls that highlight indiana’s first state park. hike trails featuring diverse forest trees, spicebush, and native wildflowers, including a trail through wolf cave nature preserve and an accessible trail at the recently renovated nature center. experience history as you climb the fire tower, use shelter houses or cross the stone arch bridge created by the civilian conservation corps, or examine the historic statehouse quarry near white river, which furnished limestone used for the indianapolis statehouse. relax in the lobby of canyon inn, open to all park visitors, or watch birds from the dining room porch. catch cultural events such as concerts in the park amphitheater or attend the several special events hosted annually at the park. mccormick’s creek state park offers active enjoyment through all seasons of the year.

  • Mississinewa Lake

    Mississinewa lake, one of the three upper wabash flood-control reservoirs, offers excellent fishing, hunting and boating opportunities in the heart of north-central indiana. in addition to featuring a 400-plus-site campground and family cabins, mississinewa was the first state property in indiana to introduce seasonal camping, where visitors can retain a campsite for the entire season in an all-new campground. the expanses of forests, prairies and farmland surrounding the lake provide attractive habitat to a wide variety of wildlife, exhibiting exceptional viewing opportunities for hikers, bird watchers and touring bicyclists.

  • Patoka Lake

    With 26,000 acres of land and water, patoka lake is a fine example of lake ecology. an 8,800-acre lake provides habitat for freshwater jellyfish and bald eagle nesting sites. river otters and osprey were reintroduced at patoka by the dnr.

  • Tippecanoe River

    Attention canoers! get ready for a relaxing journey as you float down the beautiful tippecanoe river. you must bring your own canoe or make arrangements with the local canoe livery. when you return, you can enjoy the beautiful campground facilities with your group, family or friends.

  • Versailles

    Take a drive through the beautiful rolling hills of southeastern indiana with versailles state park, indiana’s second-largest state park, as your destination. this area has deep history rooted in both the civil war and the civilian conservation corps. versailles state park dedicated a ccc commemorative statue in 2010. numerous fossils tell the story of an ancient sea that covered the region. during the civil war, morgan’s raiders made their way through the area that is now the park. the town of versailles was briefly under confederate control.

  • Whitewater Memorial

    Shoreline hiking, flat-water boating, swimming, fishing and camping opportunities are abundant around the man-made lake. the access to brookville reservoir provides many opportunities for seeing migrating flocks of birds.

  • Brookville Lake

    A part of the brookville lake -whitewater memorial state park complex, brookville reservoir lies in the historic east fork of the whitewater river valley. traces of prehistoric native american mounds are still found throughout this valley. the area is known by some worldwide for its significant deposit of ordovician fossils. these 450-million-year-old fossils, reminders of a primeval inland sea, can still be seen.

  • Brown County

    Nicknamed the “little smokies” because of the area’s resemblance to the great smoky mountains, brown county encompasses nearly 16,000 acres of rugged hills, ridges and fog-shrouded ravines. glaciers from the most recent ice ages stopped short of the “hills o’ brown,” but their meltwaters helped create the narrow ridges, steep slopes and deep gullies of brown county state park. indiana’s largest park is a traditional fall color hot spot, with nearly 20 miles of tree-lined roads and many scenic vistas overlooking miles of uninterrupted forestland.

  • Cagles Mill Lake (Lieber SRA)

    In 1952, cagles mill lake was built as indiana’s first flood control reservoir, protecting the eel and white river watersheds. mill creek feeds the 1,400-acre lake and is home to beautiful cataract falls. these falls resulted from two pre-glacial bedrock ridges buried beneath ancient lake sediments of the illinoisan glacial period.

  • Cecil M. Harden Lake (Raccoon SRA)

    Native forest and large rock outcrops line the upper part of big raccoon creek. cecil m. harden lake resulted from the damming of the creek for flood control. the lake also provides recreation, wildlife management and economic benefits. a variety of fish, flora and fauna can be viewed at the property.

  • Chain O' Lakes

    This is lake country and a small boater's paradise. nine connecting lakes will be the center of your adventures at chain o'lakes. paddle through the chain of serene kettle lakes, hike the 10 miles of forested trails, fish the electric-motors-only lakes, stay overnight in a forested hillside family cabin, or visit the park's old one-room schoolhouse nature center. other facilities available for visitors to enjoy include a campground, beach and picnic shelters.

  • Falls of the Ohio

    Located on the banks of the ohio river at 201 west riverside drive, clarksville, indiana (i-65 exit 0), is the falls of the ohio state park. the 386-million-year-old fossil beds are among the largest exposed devonian fossil beds in the world. the park features a spectacular interpretive center overlooking the fossil beds. inside you will find a 14 minute movie, an exhibit gallery with river and marine aquariums.

  • Hardy Lake

    Hardy lake is the only state reservoir not created for flood control. this means that the lake level stays stable year-round, positively affecting the appearance of the shoreline, fishing and wildlife living there. the property is a multi-use facility offering hiking, swimming, boating, skiing, camping and more.

  • Monroe Lake

    Paynetown sra, fairfax sra, allen's creek sra, cutright sra, moore's creek sra, salt creek sra, pine grove sra, crooked creek sra

  • Mounds (Anderson)

    Mounds state park, located off i-69 east of anderson, features 10 unique earthworks built by prehistoric indians known as the adena-hopewell people. the largest earthwork, the great mound, is believed to have been constructed around 160 b.c. archaeological surveys indicate the mounds were used as gathering places for religious ceremonies, from where astronomical alignments could be viewed.

  • O'Bannon Woods

    O'bannon woods state park (formerly wyandotte woods state recreation area) lies in the central and extreme southern part of the state, bordering the ohio river. it is nestled inside 26,000-acre harrison crawford state forest, but is managed separately, along with wyandotte caves state recreation area. for more information about o'bannon woods or wyandotte caves, contact the park office at (812) 738-8232

  • Ouabache

    Ouabache is difficult to spell, but easy to pronounce. simply say 'wabash'...just like the river that forms the southwest boundary for the park. this is the french spelling of an indian word, so don't be surprised to hear some folks call it o-ba-chee.

  • Pokagon

    Pokagon state park is located near angola, just off i-69. the park was originally called lake james state park when proposed to be the fifth indiana state park in 1925. the name was changed to pokagon state park to acknowledge the rich native american heritage of the state and region. leopold and simon pokagon were father and son and the last two most notable leaders of the potawatomi. the park’s potawatomi inn takes its name from these native americans, who made their home in the area. the inn, with its up-north fishing-lodge theme, is one of the midwest’s most popular resorts and conference centers.

  • Potato Creek

    Potato creek is in north-central indiana about 12 miles southwest of south bend. the park features a wide array of activities and facilities for year-round enjoyment. making reservations is advisable to enjoy some of the facilities at this very popular park.

  • Prophetstown

    Indiana’s newest state park, prophetstown is located where the tippecanoe river meets the wabash near the town of battle ground. the park's landscape has been shaped by ice from glaciers, moving water, fire that helped maintain the vast tallgrass prairie and human hands. native americans hunted and lived along the two rivers for thousands of years. french trappers and traders found the land teeming with wildlife, and european farmers discovered that the rich, deep prairie soils grew healthy corn and wheat.

  • Redbird State Recreation Area

    Redbird has grown from a property that was primarily used for off-road vehicle recreation to a true recreation area. redbird is now open for both motorized and non-motorized recreation.

  • Salamonie Lake

    Lost bridge west state recreation area (sra), lost bridge east sra, dora-new holland sra, mount etna sra, mount hope sra

  • Shades

    Shades state park is open for day use only (8 a.m. until dusk), november through march. overnight camping is available at turkey run state park just 15 miles to the southwest. turkey run also has an inn and cabins.

  • Shakamak

    Ready to relax? let's head for shakamak. three man-made lakes offer 400 acres of water for fishing and boating while a new family aquatic center provides swimming fun. about two-thirds of the campsites are in a wooded area, offering cool shade in the summer and beautiful fall colors in autumn. nearby is a play field area for family fun. a popular feature of the park is the group camp.

  • Spring Mill

    Spring mill state park offers a powerful illustration of the link between the natural and cultural worlds. the water flowing from several cave springs led to the founding of an industrial village in the early 1800s. pioneer entrepreneurs took advantage of a constant water source that never froze, using it to power several gristmills, a wool mill, a saw mill, and a distillery. in turn, pioneer settlers shaped the landscape around the village, clearing land for agriculture and timber.

  • Summit Lake

    An expansive view and good fishing beckon you to summit lake state park, near new castle. more than 2,680 acres, including a large lake, await your visit. facilities include 125 electric campsites, three boat ramps, a beach bathhouse and two large open shelters that can be reserved for family picnics and other events.

  • Turkey Run

    You'll marvel at the natural geologic wonders of this beautiful park as you hike along its famous trails. nestled along state road 47 southwest of crawfordsville, the park offers the chance to explore deep, sandstone ravines, walk along stands of aged forests, and enjoy the scenic views along sugar creek.