Pictured is Clifty Inn at Clifty Falls State Park in Madison. Photo provided by Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

News Release

INDIANAPOLIS — Usher in 2023 with other outdoor lovers at one of the many First Day Hikes offered Jan. 1 at Indiana’s state parks, forests and lakes.

In addition to the hikes, six Indiana state park inns and the Indiana Dunes Pavilion at Indiana Dunes State Park will be open for meals. More information can be found at IndianaInns.com.

First Day hikes are listed below. More may be added, so check the website if your favorite place is not listed. Make sure to wear sturdy, comfortable shoes on all hikes and dress for the weather.

• Brookville Lake. Meet at the Campground Shelter at Mounds State Recreation Area at 4 p.m. to hike the Wildlife Wander Trail.
• Brown County State Park. This self-guided hike will be available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will start at the Nature Center.
• Chain O’Lakes State Park. Meet at the Sand Lake Beach parking lot at 11 a.m.
• Charlestown State Park. Meet at the Trail 3 and 4 parking lot at 10 a.m. for a 2.5-mile hike to Rose Island.
• Clark State Forest. Meet at the Oak Lake Shelter at 1 p.m. for a guided hike. Advance registration is recommended by calling (812) 294-4306.
• Clifty Falls State Park. Meet at the Nature Center at 1 p.m. for a 2-mile rugged hike along trails 1 and 3. It should take 1½ to 2 hours to complete.
• Deam Lake State Recreation Area. Meet at the Lake Vista Trailhead at 10 a.m.
• Falls of the Ohio State Park. Meet at the Interpretive Center at 1 p.m. for an exploration hike to the fossil beds.
• Ferdinand State Forest. Meet at the Sycamore Shelter at 9 a.m. to hike a 1.7-mile loop on a moderately rugged trail.
• Fort Harrison State Park. Meet at the Delaware Lake Shelter at 1 p.m. for a 2-mile hike on a paved trail.
• Greene-Sullivan State Forest. Meet at the Reservoir 26 Shelter at 8 a.m.
• Harmonie State Park. Meet at the pool parking lot at 1 p.m. CT for a 2-mile hike on a paved bike trail to Rush Creek and back. A shorter hike will also be available at the same time.
• Indiana Dunes State Park. Meet at the Nature Center for a 2-mile moderate to rugged loop along Trail 9 from 10 a.m. to noon CT.
• Interlake Off-road State Recreation Area. Meet at the Big Kate Shelter at the main parking lot at 10 a.m. CT for a two-hour riding tour around Interlake OSRA.
• Jackson-Washington State Forest. Meet at the parking lot below the CCC picnic area at 9 a.m. The hike is approximately 2 miles and will go to Pinnacle Peak and back.
• Lieber State Recreation Area. Meet at the Hilltop Shelter for a 1-mile hike.
• Lincoln State Park. Meet at the Nature Center at noon CT for a 2-mile hike through Mr. Lincoln’s Neighborhood Walk.
• Martin State Forest. Meet at the Hardwood Lake parking lot for a guided one-half-mile hike beginning at 10 a.m. CT.
• McCormick’s Creek State Park. Meet at Canyon Inn at 2 p.m. for a hike to the waterfall. There will also be a photo contest that day from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Registration card will include submission instructions.
• Mississinewa Lake. Meet at the Shelter House in Miami SRA at 4:30 p.m. for a 1-mile roundtrip, 1.5-hour easy hike to the campground pond.
• Monroe Lake. Meet at the Bay View Shelter in Fairfax State Recreation Area for the annual First Day Trail Run/Walk. Registration/check-in runs from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. and the untimed run/walk starts at 3:30 p.m. Advance registration is available here.
• Morgan-Monroe State Forest. Meet at the Walls Shelter at 8 a.m. for a 1-mile hike on an accessible trail.
• Mounds State Park. At 5:30 p.m. the naturalist will lead a luminary walk to the Great Mound.
• O’Bannon Woods State Park. The park’s “Walk with an Ox” event will be at the Nature Center at 10 a.m.
• Ouabache State Park. Meet at the bison enclosure parking lot at 1 p.m. for a tour of the area. There will be a walking tour of the Wonderland of Lights displays at 5:30 p.m. at the campground parking lot.
• Owen-Putnam State Forest. Meet at the park office at 8 a.m. for a guided hike on Poplar Top Trail.
• Patoka Lake. Meet at the Nature Center at noon for a trivia game based on the history of the park while hiking 3/4-mile Trail 4.
• Pokagon State Park. Meet at the CCC Shelter at 2 p.m. for a 2.5-mile hike.
• Potato Creek State Park. Meet at the Quaking Aspen parking lot at 2 p.m. for a 1-mile hike around Worster Lake.
• Prophetstown State Park. Meet at the Prairie View Picnic Area at 1 p.m. for an easy 2-mile hike.
• Raccoon SRA/Cecil M. Harden Lake. Meet at the Hollandsburg Boat Ramp, which is 500 feet east of the main park entrance, at 1 p.m., for a 1/2-mile hike into the lakebed along old U.S. 36.
• Redbird Off-road State Recreation Area. Meet at 3 p.m. for a motorized “hike” along Trail 3.
• Salamonie Lake. Meet at the Interpretive Center at 10 a.m. for a 1.5-hour easy hike on the 1-mile Wildlife Management Trail.
• Salamonie River Forest. Meet the property manager at the Three Falls Trail parking lot at 3 p.m. for a moderately rugged hike.
• Shakamak State Park. Meet at the Group Camp Mess Hall at 1 p.m. for a hike on Trail 2.
• Spring Mill State Park. Two hikes, one long and one short, will be available. The long hike begins at 9 a.m. at the Lakeview Activity Center. The short hike is a 20-minute, 1/4-mile hike and begins at 9:30 a.m. at Trail 6 near the Grissom Memorial.
• Starve Hollow State Recreation Area. Meet at the Forest Education Center at 10 a.m. for a 1-mile walk around the campground.
• Summit Lake State Park. At 10 a.m. join park staff for a prairie hike.
• Tippecanoe River State Park. Meet at the fire tower parking lot at noon for this 1/2-mile hike.
• Turkey Run State Park. Meet at the Nature Center at 11 a.m. for a guided hike through Rocky Hollow Nature Preserve.
• Versailles State Park. Meet at the Oak Grove parking lot at noon for a 2.5-mile hike on Trail 1, which is approximately 2.5 miles long and considered moderately difficult.
• Whitewater Memorial State Park. Meet at the Poplar Grove Shelter at 2 p.m. for a 2.5-mile hike of the Memorial Loop Trail that should take approximately 90 minutes.
• Yellowwood State Forest. Meet at 4523 T.C. Steele Road in Nashville for a 2-mile hike along an access road with some off-trail hiking.

Find one near you at on.IN.gov/INStateParkEvents.