There is no place like Crooked Lake in my book. It is the perfect size, big enough to spend the day…read moreon the water but not too big that it loses its tight-knit community. The Crooked Lake Association does a great job of hosting events and keeping the community cohesive- the most notable are the fantastic 4th of July firework show and 5k race. The water is clean and beautiful and very family oriented. There are two sand bars that are a great place to float, throw a football or let kids search for shells. The lake freezes over in the winter and is great for hockey, ice skating, ice boating, or ice fishing! It's one of my favorite places, it's truly beautiful.

A great little lake in northeast Indiana. Very quiet on week days and tons to do during the…read moreweekend. Nice beach with a great playground for small children. Boat launch just down the beach. Tons of parking and very quiet setting.

I've been making an effort to experience my home state of Indiana a little more these days. From…read morestate parks to roadside attractions to smalltown diners, I've been trying to simply slow down and enjoy Indiana. Chain O' Lakes State Park is one of Indiana's state parks. Located in Albion, a small city of under 2,400 in northeast Indiana's Noble County (think Kendallville), Chain O' Lakes State Park has as its main feature, you guessed it, a chain of lakes. The park has a chain of nine "kettle" lakes (13 lakes total, 9 connected). Kettle lakes are glacial lakes that were formed out of melting ice blocks. Chain O' Lakes offers small boating, 23 miles of forested trails for hiking, a hillside family cabin, a Nature Center, campground, swimming beach, picnic shelters, and the historic Stanley Schoolhouse - a historic one-room schoolhouse. Chain O' Lakes has 426 campsites, 18 cabins, waterfalls, great fishing spots, and you can rent watercraft. This is far enough from Indy that I kind of recommend making it a weekend trip rather than a day trip. There's much to do in Noble County (which also has a decent-sized Amish community). You can canoe a great five-mile path through the park's nine connected lakes (This used to be an official "challenge," though I don't know if it is anymore). There are even canoe camping sites (more isolated than the traditional camping sites). Chain O' Lakes is one of Indiana's under-appreciated gems. It's definitely less accessible than some of the parks, though it has improved somewhat over the years. It's more rustic and natural. It emphasizes outdoor experiences and its just over 2,700 acres feel like you could just get lost in them. The park is only 19 miles northwest of Fort Wayne (Indiana's second largest city), however, it feels like a world away. As someone who typically goes to Fort Ben State Park, I have a major love for these parks where you get there and forget there's a world outside the gates. If you're not the camping type, I'd probably head to Kendallville rather than Albion for the overnight. However, Chain O' Lakes has everything from primitive to more comfortable camping. So, it's easy to find something that works. I hadn't been to Chain O' Lakes in a while. Returning, I was reminded just how much I enjoy the place and how relaxing it is. A few other basics - This is a state park, so there's a fee to enter unless you've gotten the State Park pass (which I recommend for Indiana's 24 state parks). Also, fishing requires the state license and it is enforced. Finally, a couple semi-fun facts. There's a "re-entry center" located directly in the state park with a capacity of 140 incarcerated individuals. It offers educational and treatment programs designed to help people transition into the community - it also helps maintain this park, Pokagon, and the surrounding communities. It's been here since 1967 (and yes, it is safe.). Chain O' Lakes State Park also hosts The HUFF 50k Trail Run/Relay, the 12th largest ultramarathon in North America. Doesn't all this make you want to visit? I'll admit that I tend to stick in the 4-5 star range for most state parks. I love them. In terms of accessibility, I'd go 4-star for Chain O' Lakes. Because it offers so much and is really under-appreciated (in my opinion), I'm bumping it up to 5-stars. The trails, occasionally accessible, really do require someone with mobility issues to have assistance and some simply wouldn't work. Word of caution, as well, with so much water you had best plan for mosquitoes. They can be really serious around here!

Great camping spot! It's always quiet and beautiful. The boat rental closes at 4 ( I couldn't find…read morethe hours) and we didn't know that and got there at 4:05 :( only downside. The trails are good and the Dairy Queen in town is always a nice backup if the hot dogs aren't enough for your hunger

This is real joke of management here. We are staying here for a whole week. X2 campers/families…read more We have paid this facility over 1000$ to stay. We take 12 adults/kids to go on the splash pad at 4:30 Saturday july 5th mgmt: you can pay full price for 1hour but only get it for 30 min. Us: can we pay half price for 30 min? Mgmt: NO. Full price or nothing. We close at 5pm on a Saturday of a holiday weekend. 20$ for an hour or 4 people for 65$ an hour. But you only have 30 minutes. Us: we have 12 people. (65$x 3 groups of 4 = 195$) You dont want our $$ Brian the owner/Melinda the GM - you need to do better.

Bathroom cleaning not done on the busiest holiday of the year July 4th. initialed but not done. Sad…read moregoing down hill.

Fun little campground! They have mostly seasonal campers! And a few spots for visitors and tent…read morecampers! Cute little beach and a huge fun speed lake! They have fun events on holidays and a nice convenient store! As well as golf cart rentals, clean bathrooms and a nice playground for kids. I'm not giving 5 stars because it has been over a week and I haven't received my deposit back for my golf cart after numerous attempts to contact someone about it. I keep getting told I'll hear back and never do. Only reason I'm giving 4 stars. Not going lower because I'm aware it's not their fault it's the bank! Or whoever is in charge of their card transactions. But, I am taking a star for the wait and getting no phone calls back. Other than that. I would recommend! It's a fun little place.

This campground is very expensive and has elusive cancellation policy so make sure you fully…read moreunderstand costs upfront before booking a reservation. They only allow 5 total per campsite made up of adults and children. All additional people/visitors cost $7 per person over the age of 5 which can add up quickly. We booked a site 9 days prior to camping date and discovered the high cost to have additional family and grandkids join us for a day. When we cancelled 9 days prior to arrival date (same day we made reservation), they charged us $25 even though their cancellation policy stated that there would be no cancellation cost until 8 days prior to arrival date. Buyer beware of this campground's extra costs compared to normal practices.

The other day we spent an afternoon at this waterpark and the kids had a blast, they are already…read moreasking again to go! It's been hot here and everything water related sounds good! Our favorites were the wave pool and the lazy river. We didn't have little ones so we didn't use the kid's area. There is plenty of lounging chairs but if it's super busy these may fill up pretty fast. Luckily you can also set your stuff up in the grassy area too. These are my tips for visiting: 1. Best hours are between after lunch and close. 2. You gotta keep your water bottles, drinks, and snacks in the car. So pack a cooler for breaks or purchase from their snack bar (affordable prices & had 1/2 food after 5pm!). You can also bring in empty bottles to fill up. 3. Stay with your little ones in the wave pool. While our older kids loved the high wave hours, it can been rough for little guys. 4. Check Groupon, they were admission packs available! 5. The "toilet plunge" waterslide is a little rough for little kids, and kids must be 48" or taller for the water slides so they are great for older kids. And there is a specific kid area for the smaller kids! 6. Pack your own beach towels, sunscreen. 7. They aren't really any shaded area, so bring something, like a shade tent, to set up in the grassy areas if preferred.

Upon arrival to the waterpark I was a bit apprehensive but for the price of admission you really…read morecan't beat it. The facility was clean and well staffed with many eyes out for safety. Although a bit small the kids will love it. There is a decent sized wave pool, lazy river and three slides one of which is like a toilet bowl. My only advice would be to eat beforehand or after. The concession stands could use a little work. My sister ordered a walking taco and only received meat and cheese no lettuce, tomato, nothing. I ordered a soft pretzel with cheese and got a hard dried up pretzel with cheese. Come visit the park and enjoy just don't ask for much in the way of food.

I always have fun visiting up here. I love the lake. I went canoeing on it a few times this past…read moresummer. Fun times.

My cousins and uncles and aunts in Indiana have a summer lake get-together every year. For the…read morelast couple of years, they've been at Lake James and this year my wife and I flew out from California to join them. This is a lovely lake. It's throbbing with motorboats, pontoons, speedboats and water skiers on the weekend but in the middle of the week or late at night, it's quiet and peaceful. There are at least two public access beaches, one at Potawatomi State Park and another that I saw in a quiet lagoon from my uncle's speedboat. There are probably more. I can only speak about the experience of being in a rental cabin on a forested hillside with a dock on the lake, which was really special. Plenty 'o mosquitoes around sunset, so bring bug repellent.

Very cool Aqua Park in Coldwater, MI, conveniently located by the highway. Great for all ages with…read moreyard games, a clean cool beach, kayaking, and paddle boarding and great shaded areas for picnics and grassy areas. They also have a water blow up for ages 1-5. In addition to tons of huge inflatable gladiator style slides diving platforms Bring a picnic and water/soda they also have concessions , hot dogs Dippin' Dots and corn hole. Water is fresh and clean. Natural spring feed lake. Great venue for weddings. Reunions. Family gatherings parties. And evening movies by the lake.

I finally visited Pokagon State Park for the first time. After hearing my mom talk about a…read morechildhood visit she had (including the Toboggan run) for decades, we made the three hour trek north from Indy for a cozy weekend of staying at the lodge, hiking on the trails, visiting the nature center, etc. The overall park and setting was peaceful. The Tobaggan run definitely makes them stand out from other Indiana state parks as one of the more winter-friendly destinations. It was certainly hopping during our chilly January visit. Given the park's popularity, I was surprised at how much TLC the inn could use. The nature center is fairly simple but worth a visit. They have a trail that runs out the back door and easy parking. You'll also find Nordic skiing trails, homes along the lake and a simple restaurant at the inn. The toboggan run was a hit with our four year old. I cheered overhead with our two year old and I have to say that watching is quite enjoyable as well

They have a day long hike called the Hell's Point Challenge. I would love to return in the warmer…read moreweather and complete this hike, due to below freezing weather in January I just did portions of the hike, with car heater breaks. There is a beautiful historic lodge with restaurant. The restaurant prices are reasonable and the dining room is historic. For kids they have sled riding shoots, when I was a kid I would have lived this. There is a unique beauty about hiking in the winter.