One of the newest parks (2011) for the area is a 25 acre nature park with a lake in the middle…read more For enthusiasts, there is a boat launch for boats using a trolling motor. Fishing is allowed for those having the proper licences. For everyone else, the park has a shelter and covered picnic tables, a great paved hiking path that loops around the lake, and a small playground on the west side of the park. Everything seems to be well maintained and there is plenty of parking on the south side of the park (Maple Street). Review #908

Very nice area with the exception of a large amount of broken glass along the perimeter of the lake…read moreclosest to parking area. Definitely needs remediation!

What a wonderful place to get out of the city and just slow down! My honey took me here 4/26/26…read moresince we've had some nice weather lately. Pleasantly surprised they have many picnic tables, the cover bridge to see and of course the Falls. Just be careful when walking to the lower fall as you are pretty close to the ledge of the falls. Plenty to enjoy here. Next time we shall have a nice picnic and enjoy the scenery. You can swim too.Parking is easy but i'm sure it gets crowded in the summer time!

Cataract Falls is a geological wonder worth visiting and only an hour west of Indianapolis. These…read moremagnificent Falls were created over millions of years as ice and water carved into the ancient limestone resulting in Mill Creek and two sets of falls. The Upper Falls drops 20 feet and can be viewed near the entrance to the park at several overlooks. We visited this week on a bright summer day. The waters were loud and rapid after recent rains. This is one of Indiana's most beautiful sites. There is a large parking lot near the Upper Falls along with picnic tables, grill, pavilion and small playground. We brought a picnic lunch so we could enjoy the Falls. There are pit bathrooms near the playground in a second parking lot. The Lower Falls are a short drive through the park. A nearby lot provides plenty of parking. The short path to view the falls is not paved, but an easy walk. These falls drop 18 feet with incredible views of the layered limestone exposed west of the falls. I was envious of a lone kayaker below the falls. There are marked trails through dense woods descending near the creek. You'll want to wear good hiking shoes and bug spray if you are up for the adventure. The property was donated by Agnes Stuckey in memory of her mother, Agnes Steiner. The Park is maintained by the Indiana DNR. There was no admission during our midweek visit.

Beautiful, fun place to take the kids for summer!!! We had an absolute blast & can't wait to go…read moreback again. Perfect day!

This is not wheelchair friendly! Me and my dear friend Agatha in a wheelchair were driving here one…read moreday to come here. we checked into our hotel room and it was pretty nice. we took a rest and the next day we set out in the morning to walk trail 3. Little did we know, Agatha was in trouble. as we set out, going down the stairs Agatha was bumping all around in her wheelchair and all of the sudden she tipped on her back! she was screaming and I was trying to help her but I couldn't, luckily some kind young man helped her up and said "why are you on this trail?". we kept trekking in and we made it to the bridge and one again there were more stairs! so another young man carried her up the stairs and onto the bridge. how nice! we continued walking and walking, it was getting very hot and then we saw a narrow passageway not suitable for a wheelchair, there was a foot of water beneath us and the wheelchair didnt fit! so we helped Agatha out and folded the wheelchair she made it across the passageway and we continued, trudging in feet of water. Then we made it to the ladder. I dont know how people in a wheelchair do this! Luckily I had a pulley with a rope so I climbed the ladder and it was a grueling experience but finally I made it to the first edge. There was still another ladder! so I hooked up the pulley system and Agatha's wheelchair was tied on the rope. With the strength of 2 young men, we successfully pulled Agatha up. But then Agatha fell over on the edge and fell to the ground! Oh no! So we hooked up the pulley again and lifted her up and made sure to secure her on the ledge. We made it to the top and pulled her up successfully. Finally we were almost done, we just had a mile long hike left. So, we completed the trail and Agatha emerged with inly minor injuries. What a non-wheelchair-friendly place!

If you are looking to get away from it all, go to a larger park. On both of our hikes, we could…read morehear nearby freeway traffic the entire time. There was also lawnmower noise from the park itself and diesel exhaust from the parks vehicles. I understand employees have to do trail maintenance, but electric vehicles should be used. It was noisier in this park than in my backyard. We went into the Inn to cool down for a bit and the ice machine in the lobby sounded like a Mac truck. There was no indication that the inn has exhibits or a wildlife observation room, so we missed that. When we entered the park, we asked the gate keeper which trails were the most scenic. We were directed to the waterfall and the fire watchtower. The water fall is all of ten feet. We climbed all 106 steps to the top of the fire watchtower only to discover that there is no view from the top. All you can see are the trees a few feet in front of you. The entire experience was underwhelming.

The falls are amazing and in the summer they refresh you. The park has trails to fit every age…read moregroups. We Owen county residents enjoy our park and events they offer for our children as well as adults.

This is a nice nature park. It has a couple of ample sized parking areas, three to be exact. There…read moreis a nice calm 3 acre lake in the park with picnic tables and picnic shelters with tables under them and grills just outside of them. Fishing is allowed in the lake, but with limits. You will definitely need a fishing license to fish here. With every nature park, there is some green space to play filed activities such as soccer, football, catch, kite flying or other activities. This park is no exception. There is a decent amount of green space by the playground area. Some of the shelters are in desperate need of repair though. A couple has sections of the roof collapsing in. There is a small playground at this park with older traditional equipment laid on a wood chip bed. Some of the playground equipment includes a some traditional and toddler swings, A tall spiral slide, a decent sized jungle gym with slides, a see-saw, and a large truck tire. It has benches and picnic tables on the perimeter of the area where parents can sit and watch their littles. There are a couple of small accessible piers on the lake that you can walk out on. They do not go too deep into the lake. I would say about 10 to 15 feet from shore. You will find a nature center and Native American Museum here at the park, along with some awesome wooded trails. It you are not feeling adventurous and are intimidated by the wood trail, you can just walk around the lake. I saw a bunch of people doing that while I was there. Additionally, there is a nice bike/running trail that goes past the front of the park. All in all, there are approximately 3 miles of trails which will take you past restored wetlands, through pine woods, old growth and second growth forest as well as a 25 acre State Nature Preserve. With visits to the Nature Center, native American Museum, Lake, playground and trails, you could easily spend a half a day or more here. I wish that the playground area was a little bit more robust, but it will do. This park has a peaceful vibe and is very relaxing. It is a destination park and hopefully you will get to visit it in the near future.

We are retired. Nice place to bring your lunch, watch the Canadian geese, and dads trying to teach…read moretheir kids to fish!!

great park nice lake need to do something about family of raccoons before someone gets hurt!…read moreincluding my tent i know of 2 others that the raccoons tore into with campers inside of them also left with a bunch of stings and bites from the red ants after raccons tore the hole in my tent!

This weekends experience was awful thanks to the camp hosts. Not only were they verbally and…read morephysically abusing their two small children the whole time, they were using power tools all day making a racket. Totally not the relaxing experience we usually have here.

What a serene and beautiful state park! Went during memorial weekend which was the perfect…read moretime/weather. We brought 2 dogs (small and medium size) with us. Recommend bringing plenty of water, bug spray, a packed lunch/snacks, a bag for trash because you must pack in and pack out - leave no trace behind. Wear hiking boots for ample ankle support and when you cross creeks/streams of water. For hiking - we hit up trail 2, then 1 and ended with 9. I'm glad we did it in that order because we did the most challenging trails in the beginning and ended with a nice walk. Easily hiked ~6 miles. We went when it wasn't crowded so we were fully immersed into nature without big groups. This park doesn't have much foot traffic compared to Turkey Run, which is what we enjoyed the most here. We went around noon and left before it got dark. PROS: $7 for Indiana residents, modern restrooms, playground for kids and benches for lunch. CONS: No trash cans

It had been 40 years since I last visited, and it's still gorgeous. I'm glad I decided to run by…read moreShades with my wife for a quick walk on our drive from Indy to Lafayette: it wasn't peak leaves, but the place is just lovely - a side of Indiana that's not often viewed by folks from elsewhere, and that's a shame. It's worth your time. Be aware that it's not as large or feature-driven as the larger Turkey Run State Park a few miles west of Shades, but it's a lot quieter and it more than holds its own as a place to visit. (In fact, the more serious outdoors people I know seem to prefer visiting Shades to TR.)

We were in the area for a track and field meet at De Pauw and visited here to hike. This is an…read moreawesome spot that's unknown. Such pretty views of the quarry. Saw several Turkey Vultures and gained interesting knowledge. Great place to visit and hike. Be careful of your have kids along as some paths are steep with no railings.

Pretty but ...desolate Trash cans strewn about were a bit…read moreunsightly...trails were nice and the quarry offered good photo ops but....not much else

We recently went to Illinois to visit family and planned to go to Kickapoo to do some fishing and…read moregrilling. It was a pretty warm day, so we found a spot with some shade, flat ground, benches and access to the pond for fishing. We didn't have much luck with the fishing, but neither did the folks who had been in the same spot before us. The park has several ponds with multiple access points. Some have docks where you can fish off of them and others have boat launches as well. A very large area with lots of picnic tables and stationery grills was roped off/closed. We weren't sure why. They also have paddle boats as well as kayak and tube rentals. Entry was free (which was surprising to me) and I was sad to see so much litter strewn about. People should take better care of our green spaces. Hopefully, they have someone who cleans up and maintains these areas.

3.1 clear lake trail sucks for maintenance, not even wide enough for 1 person, no edge work done…read morefor years, the path itself is moderate/rugged is good. And dont expect trail markers when you come to a fork in the path. At one point it just stop and dumps you in a field near a parking lot with no explanation.