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 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]