My parents are staying at the camp ground. It's very nice and clean. We went and spent the afternoon hiking with them at Rose Island. It was really neat! It's a very steep walk down and then back up. My dad and I both have bum knees and the walk down was hard on our knees. It says in several places that trail 3 is longer but not as hard, so we decided to take trail 3 back. I don't know who decided to play a mean trick on people and say trail 3 is easier to take but man they have a sick sense of humor! The mail trail is about a mile down a wide paved road. You could easily drive down it. Trail 3 is a windy, steep up and down, rocky, rooty, dirt trail that is also very narrow. It is not in any way shape or Form easier than the main trail. Oh and did I mention it is about a mile and a half or more? So it's harder and longer than the main trail . See the pictures. We did see more cool stuff on trail 3 than the main trail though. Rose Island itself was really cool. It would have been an amazing place in its hay day! read more

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Extremely rude at the gate really bad attitude just because I'm not from Indiana Indiana State residence. What a pitiful way to encourage tourism. read more

Charlestown State Park is lovely in all weather. We've been hiking their trails since the park opened in the 90's. Each trail has something different to offer. The picnic areas and playground are also nice for picnics or get togethers. The facilities are clean and everything is kept neat. Get out and enjoy nature (and local history) at Charlestown State Park! read more

We had a great time in Charlestown State Park. My wife and I explored and hiked. Did a bunch of fun activities up here. It has a great story behind it. A lot of neat scenery, and one heck of a walking trail at the rose island. Getting up that hill is brutal. It's a lot of fun for sure and we enjoyed it and we will definitely be back. read more

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TICK infested. Even with Repellant on we ended up finding so many ticks on both us and our pups. Plus the $9 parking fee is a bit high for a really desolate trail. The signs are not clear throughout the trails either --- 2 options along every milestone of the trail, but no info on which one is shorter, or what - so we ended up going MUCH longer than we anticipated. Add the growing collection of ticks and I will NEVER come back to this park again. read more

I made it my 2021 resolution to hit every single state park in Indiana and this was my first one. Omg I almost died. I had heard about an abandoned amusement park and I wanted to check it out. It's not what I expected but it's still pretty cool. The pool has been filled in for "safety" reasons, which seems fair. I loved reading the history pieces around the island. Way more fun than most history classes I've taken. And omg the workout. Getting to the island was fine. But coming back. That was a struggle. It's a 70 foot incline over a short period of time. Be prepared to take breaks and definitely if you've got any health issues maybe don't take this trail. Overall very fun. read more

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We really enjoyed this trail. We parked at trail three to get to Rose Island. Rose Island was the main reason we took this trip but we will definitely go back to check out other trails. The very steep hill was a doozy for us but we appreciated the stopping points to sit for a breather along the way. We enjoyed learning the history of Rose Island. We were so glad they had pictures and information showing us how it used to look. If you're interested in this one, it's definitely a neat experience. read more

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An amazing gem in Indiana! Tons of hiking trails that were actually challenging, and some that are flat. Visiting Rose Island was really awesome. My pup and I loved it! read more

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We only stay here when we come to Louisville to visit the Kids & Grandkids. The only thing negative is they charge a Park entry fee even though we made reservations to stay at the Park. This fee should be part of the reservations. The check in procedure is very slow, when we have paid the fee and we leave the Park. They need to fix this process. read more

For all you history buffs, give this place a shot. As I'm sure you've seen in photos and promos, it has an abandoned amusement park with lots of signage, existing materials, and info on what took place many, many years ago. Reasons to love this park: - the history - the hiking trails can be quite nice - lots and lots of wildlife (we saw snake, turtles, deer, birds galore on our hike) - pawpaws! We picked quite a few along one of the trails during mid-October. With the above in mind, I will add that this was one of the trashiest (most littered) state parks I've been to living in Indiana all my life. It was really discouraging to see so much trash and litter scattered throughout the park and along the river. C'mon y'all, don't be trashy. read more

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Charlestown State Park is awesome! We took a day long hiking trip here, and we had such a great time. The park is easily accessbile, and it's huge, so there's a lot to explore! There are so many trails! Some are more rugged, while others are fairly easy to traverse, so you can really customize your hiking experience. And the park is absolutely beautiful, boasting gorgeous views of not only trees and plant life, but also rock formations, and water and waterfalls. There are also opportunities outside of hiking, including picnic shelters, fishing along the creek bank, or camping. I definitely recommend Charlestown State Park for a day trip! read more

I have been here two time before both times were very enjoyable. Today I went with my 75 year old father. He was driving. He may or may not have went 15 in a 10 mile an hour zone but he never went over 25 the entire time we were there. A DNR Officer stopped in front of us and angrily got out of her van walked back to us and addressed my 75 year old father like he was a 16 year old hot rodder. Someone should inform her that it is people like my dad and I are why she has her job. I'm not saying that my dad did not break the speed limit but she was way out of line in the way she addressed the situation read more

This park was so cool!! The loop around Rose Island is about 2 miles (trail 7). They did a really good job with information placards around the island to learn about the history. The first mile down to the island is all paved and makes for a great hour or two of exploring! read more

Charlestown State Park - Parks Near Me - Charlestown, Indiana

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Charlestown State Park is a great place to go to enjoy nature and get away from the city! They have several trails that you can hike, and of course they have Rose Island that you can visit. Rose Island has an eerie feeling, but it was so neat to visit. The park is very well kept and has a lot to offer! read more

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The state park is located outside of Charlestown off Highway 62. You exit to the right if traveling from Louisville. The main entrance is clearly marked and you'll have to stop at the guard house to pay your entrance fee. That would be $7 if your plate says Indiana otherwise it's a $9 entrance fee. And folks let me tell you it's worth every cent. The park is over the top gorgeous. You'll have about six trails to choose from if you want to hike. Be forewarned some of the trails are pretty rough, so I'd suggest you start short and work your way up. Literally! This place is definitely worth many visits. Spring is a showcase of flowers everywhere perfect for pictures. One trail leads to what remains of Rose Island the old amusement park. You wanna visit this area right before dark if you want that eerie someone's watching me feeling. Another trail leads to fantastic views of fourteen mile creek were you actually fish. I think you may need a license to fish? Best part of the park THE TREES they are everywhere as are roots sticking out of the ground. I hit the ground in less than two seconds. Watch your step stay on the trails and take lots of water. You are in for one great hike and then another one. The scenery is constantly changing. There are RV hook ups available as well. The Charlestown State Park is outstanding! read more

We did the rose park walk. Super steep hill! Was an interesting place. Kind of anticlimactic but beautiful. Some great places for photos. Lots of trash on the beach. read more

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tbh, i did think this park was quite neat but due to how busy it was, i had to give it a 4 star. I took one of the trails around Rose Island on a very sunny Saturday morning in peak covid times (november 2020). the trails were incredibly busy and the parking at this particular location was completely overrun and cars parked in the grass lining the road to the parking lot. this said, due to the very skinny trails in the woods, it was very difficult to socially distance. yes i said that. it was so busy, you could not appropriately socially distance yourself while hiking on trails in the woods. yes. i know it sounds preposterous, alas here we are. the history of rose island is pretty neat and added a value to the trails. the trails were well maintained. the only very strange thing is that the whole way to and from the main point of rose island, there were no trash cans. many people bring their dogs or eat snacks, but no trash cans?? strange since it had state funding and there is a fee to get in to the park as well. read more

Fantastic camping only half-an-hour from Louisville. While most of the sites toward the front are razed for larger RVs, the Paw Paw loop is nicely forested with plenty of shade. The bathrooms, including the pit toilets on the campground-only trail, are the cleanest I've ever seen in a campground. The park has some really beautiful trails winding their way through the ridges and valleys created by the creek and river. Rose Island is a must for history's sake, but the wooded trails are equally interesting hiking. read more

The Park is a very nice park. However, our site (190) was very muddy, the pad is deteriorating and is very unlevel. Parking a large rig in this site is very challenging, as it is a straight on site and there is a large pole across the street that when backing in you come close to hitting. Site 190 needs a complete redo of this site for challenging parking, unlevel site, and it's so muddy if it rains and it doesn't dry out for days because the site gets no sun. read more

Clean, quiet, and did I mention clean? Very nice location close to Louisville and the Bourbon trail. Definitely on the use again list!

Charlestown State Park is a gradual evolutionary park. Each year goes by and they add something new or improvement or a new function. If you like hiking, camping, fishing, photography or any outdoor activity such as walking, running, biking or reading a book while enjoying nature this is a nice park for you. There is also a Memorial to Rose Island Amusement Park to self educate yourself of local Charlestown and Louisville history. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_Island_(amusement_park) Great place for a family picnic or get together. read more

What a gem for us to have right here in Clark County. Situated on land the Army bought in the early 40's for the Army Ammunition Plant, it was never developed. In the early 90's as the plant was shuttered a few miles south, all of this was donated to the state by the feds for use as a park. Campgrounds, 6 hiking trails, boat ramp, picnic areas and shelters, and fishing in 14 mile creek. 7 bucks a car to visit, or pay 50 bucks for a statewide park pass annually. Heck, half the time the gate is unmanned and you can drive on in. Trails are as short as a mile or so and a few are much longer. Some flat, some hilly, but the woods are pristine. The real hidden gem is Rose Island. RI is the site of a former ( early 20's and 30's) destination park for this area. Hotel, pool, zoo, dance hall, dining, strolling along a path with arches and roses above it... all wiped out in the 30 flood. Amazing to see what 55 years of neglect does when a forest reclaims what man wrought. 10 minutes from the east end bridge and I-265 and 25 minutes from Downtown Louisville. Worth a couple of hours if you love crunching some leaves and smelling the great outdoors. read more

We only hiked on Trail 1, but we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Eventually the trail did become a bit more rugged, but the rock formations and trees were beautiful. Definitely wear appropriate walking/hiking shoes. Would definitely like to return to try out other trails. read more

Very nice hidden gem. The trials are great and the campground is top notch. The guard shack employees have been extremely friendly each time we have visited here. A few camping sites aren't level, but the level ones are very spacious and maintained. read more

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Nice trails for hiking and really great scenery. Take trail #2 for sure. It's not a rough hike and there are some mini waterfalls. read more

Charlestown State Park - Parks Near Me - Charlestown, Indiana

Beautiful walking trails. We did them with our kids and had a great day hike to Rose Island ... steep hillsides I wasn't expecting but with lots of breaks we all made it back up the hill! read more

Great new (1995) State park. Rugged trail (trail 6) means rugged. We were happy we had our hiking sticks. Wonderful views of the Ohio River and small creek waterfalls... and so many butterflies! Especially the Black swallowtails....Only downside was that drinking water (fountains or pumps) was impossible to find. None around the toilets or picnic areas that we could find. Make sure you bring plenty of your own water. read more

Love this place! Staff is so kind & the trails, especially Rose Island & tail #6 are gorgeous!

A great little park to visit. We even found a cave while hiking one of the trails and my kids went crazy over it! Also they have great little camping spots. read more

Are there multiple listings for Charlestown? I think there are. I was here earlier in the year exploring Rose Island, and trail 3 and went back just this past weekend and explored trail 5 or trail 4... the 2.9 mile one. Again, it was beautiful. The trail was designated as rugged, but as still a novice/inexperienced hiker, it was not too bad. There are a few rocky parts, and 2 or 3 spots that are pretty steep, but nothing too bad. I really like Charlestown State Park, and it's not too far of a drive to get there for a little nature, fresh air, and exploring. read more

This State Park was another great find in our search to camp the last weekend in October. For us it was an easy 2 hour drive South from Northern Ky. Once at the well-marked entrance, it was almost like entering Shangri-La (a mystical happy place, isolated from the rest of the world). The park's roadway is tree-lined, and the Autumn colors were blazing in the sun. The variety of trees led to a mix of colors making Fall ever present. Areas of the park were easily identifiable by the signage so finding the camping area was very easy. With a slow drive into Mulberry Loop we found our site and began the task of backing our camper into it. Being 'new-bees' this is still an arduous task and in time, with good team work, we had the camper parked where we wanted it on the pad. Having arrived in the late afternoon, setup took us into early evening, leaving time for dinner and rounding out the latter part of the evening with a campfire. This was a great site, as were many others. There was mature tall brush and trees between our site and the one to our left, giving privacy. This was a feature that we noticed available on many of the sites. It is not something that campers can enjoy in too many places as often times the spaces blend together uninterruptedly. Due to the inclement weather we were not able to enjoy much outside time on day two. Knowing this weather was on its way, though, we were more than willing to relax, read, nap and journal inside a dry, warm camper. The park can boast of being well maintained, grass cut and trimmed. It also has picnicking areas with shelters and playgrounds and fishing in limited areas of the park. We were at a full hookup RV site and there are many to choose from there. There is much to do here, with hiking, much of which is very rugged, to bird watching. The proximity to the Ohio River Valley gives itself to scenic views. Three or more nights of camping is ideal for an outing but we settled for two due to work. Taking the scenic route home, rounded out our time with Mother Nature. This park is now on our list for a return visit. It does not disappoint and is well worth the drive. read more

Beautiful Park. Love everything they have to offer. They have trails for everyone, a great playground and shelter area. Seem to have a nice campground. (I have never personally camped there.) I really enjoy the campground trick or treat that is offered near Halloween, it is a safe and fun event for all ages, especially toddlers. read more

I spend a lot of time in this park , watching wild life , Deer , coyotes, foxes , bob cats and some big ones !! Rabbits , turkeys ,minks , otters, beavers and u got 14 mile creek so much history all the Indian tribes the 1000 s of years the caves devils backbone running down the Indiana side of the river George Rogers Clark, Daniel Boone, Prince Matic of Welch Indians way before Columbus came to America !!! read more

This was our first night out on our trip. When we arrived we were directed to the campground but somehow the directions weren't clear and we ended up several miles from the campground. The campground was clean with roomy sites. There was wildlife to see wandering around. The only thing that was a disappointment was the beach/river area was too far from the campground to walk and we did not want to unhook our RV. read more