The U.S. state of Indiana has 24 state parks maintained and operated by Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR).[1] In addition, a separate state agency operates White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis.[2] Marion and Clark are the only counties to have two parks. Brown County, the largest state park, has the greatest number of visitors, followed by Indiana Dunes State Park.[1]

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. The number of state parks rose steadily in the 1920s, mostly by donations of land from local authorities to the state government. Of the initial twelve parks, 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 parks, 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's belief that the parks should be kept as natural as possible.[4]

Initially, the state parks were intended to feature natural environments in Indiana. The establishment of Mounds State Park for its historical nature and Shakamak State Park (an abandoned strip mine) purely for recreational purposes represented changes 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 in 2004.[6]

It is possible to view the Milky Way at 3 of the 24 Indiana State Parks,[7] which are Shades State Park, Tippecanoe River State Park, and Turkey Run State Park.

State parks

Park Name Image City County or Counties Year Established Size[8] Remarks[8]
Brown County Nashville
39°07′N 86°16′W / 39.11°N 86.26°W / 39.11; -86.26 (Brown County)		 Brown 1929 15,776 acres (63.84 km2) Largest State Park in Indiana[9]
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 2,718 acres (11.00 km2) Features eight connected kettle lakes[10]
Charlestown Charlestown
38°26′N 85°38′W / 38.43°N 85.63°W / 38.43; -85.63 (Charlestown)		 Clark 1996 5,100 acres (21 km2) Built on the grounds of the old Indiana Army Ammunition Plant[11]
Clifty Falls Madison
38°46′N 85°25′W / 38.76°N 85.42°W / 38.76; -85.42 (Clifty Falls)		 Jefferson 1920 1,416 acres (5.73 km2) Features a canyon that has daylight only at midday[12]
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 165 acres (0.67 km2) Offers views of the Falls of the Ohio and Louisville, Kentucky[13]
Fort Harrison Indianapolis
39°52′N 86°01′W / 39.87°N 86.01°W / 39.87; -86.01 (Fort Harrison)		 Marion 1996 1,700 acres (6.9 km2) Built on the site of old Fort Benjamin Harrison[14]
Harmonie
—
 New Harmony
38°04′N 87°57′W / 38.06°N 87.95°W / 38.06; -87.95 (Harmonie)		 Posey 1966 3,465 acres (14.02 km2) Near historic Rappite and Owenite villages.[15]
Indiana Dunes Porter
41°40′N 87°02′W / 41.66°N 87.04°W / 41.66; -87.04 (Indiana Dunes)		 Porter 1925 2,182 acres (8.83 km2) Attached to Indiana Dunes National Park.[16]
Lincoln Lincoln City
38°06′N 87°00′W / 38.10°N 87.00°W / 38.10; -87.00 (Lincoln)		 Spencer 1932 1,847 acres (7.47 km2) Across from Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, it was the last state park established by Richard Lieber.[17]
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 1,924 acres (7.79 km2) First state park in Indiana[18]
Mounds Anderson
40°06′N 85°37′W / 40.10°N 85.62°W / 40.10; -85.62 (Mounds)		 Madison 1930 290 acres (1.2 km2) [19]
O'Bannon Woods Corydon
38°11′N 86°17′W / 38.18°N 86.29°W / 38.18; -86.29 (O'Bannon Woods)		 Harrison 2004 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) Formerly the Wyandotte SRA, renamed in honor of the late Indiana governor Frank O'Bannon.[20]
Ouabache
—
 Bluffton
40°43′N 85°07′W / 40.72°N 85.11°W / 40.72; -85.11 (Ouabache)		 Wells 1962 1,104 acres (4.47 km2) Name comes from the French spelling of "Wabash"[21]
Pokagon Angola
41°43′N 85°01′W / 41.71°N 85.02°W / 41.71; -85.02 (Pokagon)		 Steuben 1925 1,260 acres (5.1 km2) Well known for its skiing.[22]
Potato Creek
—
 North Liberty
41°33′N 86°20′W / 41.55°N 86.34°W / 41.55; -86.34 (Potato Creek)		 St. Joseph 1969 3,840 acres (15.5 km2) [23]
Prophetstown West Lafayette
40°30′N 86°50′W / 40.50°N 86.83°W / 40.50; -86.83 (Prophetstown)		 Tippecanoe 2004 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) [24]
Shades Waveland
39°56′N 87°05′W / 39.93°N 87.08°W / 39.93; -87.08 (Shades)		 Montgomery 1947 3,082 acres (12.47 km2) Only state park to ever have its own airstrip.[25]
Shakamak Jasonville
39°10′N 87°14′W / 39.17°N 87.24°W / 39.17; -87.24 (Shakamak)		 Clay, Greene and Sullivan 1929 1,766 acres (7.15 km2) Used to be a strip mine[26]
Spring Mill Mitchell
38°44′N 86°25′W / 38.73°N 86.42°W / 38.73; -86.42 (Spring Mill)		 Lawrence 1927 1,358 acres (5.50 km2) Featured a pioneer village, numerous caves, and a memorial to Gus Grissom[27]
Summit Lake New Castle
40°02′N 85°18′W / 40.03°N 85.30°W / 40.03; -85.30 (Summit Lake)		 Henry 1988 2,680 acres (10.8 km2) [28]
Tippecanoe River Winamac
41°09′N 86°36′W / 41.15°N 86.60°W / 41.15; -86.60 (Tippecanoe River)		 Pulaski 1943 2,761 acres (11.17 km2) [29]
Turkey Run Marshall
39°53′N 87°13′W / 39.88°N 87.21°W / 39.88; -87.21 (Turkey Run)		 Parke 1916 2,382 acres (9.64 km2) Famous for its sandstone gorges and unique terrain[30]
Versailles Versailles
39°05′N 85°14′W / 39.08°N 85.23°W / 39.08; -85.23 (Versailles)		 Ripley 1943 5,988 acres (24.23 km2) [31]
White River Indianapolis
39°46′N 86°10′W / 39.77°N 86.17°W / 39.77; -86.17 (White River)		 Marion 1979 250 acres (1.0 km2) An urban park in downtown Indianapolis[32]
Whitewater Memorial Liberty
39°37′N 84°58′W / 39.61°N 84.97°W / 39.61; -84.97 (Whitewater Memorial)		 Union 1949 1,710 acres (6.9 km2) Built on land donated by four counties[33]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "DNR: State Parks: Find a Park". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  2. ↑ "White River State Park". in.gov. State of Indiana. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  3. ↑ History Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ Ralston, Patrick. New Deal Resources in Indiana State Parks MPS
  5. ↑ Ralston
  6. ↑ DNR - State Parks & Reservoirs: History & Culture
  7. ↑ R, Mike (August 13, 2021). "State Parks Light Pollution Map And Statistics". CosmosPNW. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  8. 1 2 "Indiana Recreation Guide 2010" (PDF). Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 17, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Brown County". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  10. ↑ "Chain O' Lakes". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Charlestown". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Clifty Falls". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Falls of the Ohio". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Fort Harrison". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Harmonie". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  16. ↑ "Indiana Dunes". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  17. ↑ "Lincoln". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  18. ↑ "McCormick's Creek". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Mounds". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  20. ↑ "O'Bannon Woods". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  21. ↑ "Ouabache". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  22. ↑ "Pokagon". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  23. ↑ "Potato Creek". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  24. ↑ "Prophetstown". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  25. ↑ "Shades". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  26. ↑ "Shakamak". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  27. ↑ "Spring Mill". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  28. ↑ "Summit Lake". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  29. ↑ "Tippecanoe River". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  30. ↑ "Turkey Run". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  31. ↑ "Versailles". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  32. ↑ "White River". White River State Park. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  33. ↑ "Whitewater Memorial". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
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