Clifty Falls State Park

I go bike riding in this park several times a week. The roads are gently rolling and the pavement is smooth. Traffic is usually sparse and drivers are normally respectful of walkers and bike riders on the road. No bikes are permitted on the trails. That would be suicide.  
The naturalist there is a walking fountain of interesting facts about the real world of nature. He is a state treasure, hope he doesn't retire.

These trails are not for the faint of heart.  

My wife, a friend, our Golden Doodle Audrey and I embarked on a few of the trails in Clifty Falls last weekend and I was thrilled!  Getting to Clifty is very straight-forward and finding a trail-head is easy enough with parking lots adjacent to most.  The paths are not your typical well-beaten roads, however.  Many are quite rugged and difficult to traverse.  It will give you quite a workout and even my intrepid Doodle was exhausted by the end of the day.  She really, really didn't want to get out of bed the next morning.

Our visit was in early June on a very temperate, comfortable day.  The paths that go along the creek make it much more enjoyable on warm days since the temperature drops significantly down near the water.  The falls are beautiful and lead to lovely babbling brooks and shallow tributaries.  

Strap on your hiking boots, fill up your Camel Back and get out there and enjoy Clifty Falls!

The trails at Clifty Falls are mostly rated Rugged or Very Rugged.  There are only two that are Moderate.  My husband had to try the Very Rugged #2 since I asked him not to.  He said it WAS rugged and wandered back and forth as part of it was closed due to a flooded stream. It wandered between trails 1 and 3.  He loved it.

As all Indiana state parks, it was extremely well organized.  If you can, enter off Route 56.  The Inn is less than a mile from the south entrance.  We entered from the north off of Route 62 at night and it is over 4 miles to the Inn.  The roads are very twisty but it is a scenic road, even in the winter.

It is hard to get lost with the excellent signage.  There is a nature center, closed in the winter of course.

The trees are mostly deciduous so there isn't much green in the winter but Clifty Falls does have a stark beauty.  Don't miss this state park - one of the most impressive in the Indiana system.