The U.S. state of Indiana has 24 state parks maintained and operated by Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR).[1] In addition, a separate state agency operates White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis.[2] Marion and Clark are the only counties to have two parks. Brown County, the largest state park, has the greatest number of visitors, followed by Indiana Dunes State Park.[1]
Richard Lieber was instrumental in the foundation of the Indiana State Park system. The first state park in Indiana was McCormick's Creek State Park, in Owen County in 1916, followed in the same year by Turkey Run State Park in Parke County. The number of state parks rose steadily in the 1920s, mostly by donations of land from local authorities to the state government. Of the initial twelve parks, only Muscatatuck State Park is no longer a state park, having been given back to Jennings County in 1968.[3] It was during the Great Depression of the 1930s that much infrastructure was built within the parks, constructed by New Deal agencies such as the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration, with the majority of this Depression-era construction still in use in the 21st century. This delay in infrastructure was due in part to Richard Lieber's belief that the parks should be kept as natural as possible.[4]
Initially, the state parks were intended to feature natural environments in Indiana. The establishment of Mounds State Park for its historical nature and Shakamak State Park (an abandoned strip mine) purely for recreational purposes represented changes from the initial purposes of the Indiana state park system.[5]
While Indiana does not have as many state parks as some other states, it has avoided obtaining too many smaller properties that would be hard to manage. A goal of having at least one state park within an hour's drive for every Hoosier was met when Prophetstown State Park was established in 2004.[6]
It is possible to view the Milky Way at 3 of the 24 Indiana State Parks,[7] which are Shades State Park, Tippecanoe River State Park, and Turkey Run State Park.
^ ab"DNR: State Parks: Find a Park". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
^"White River State Park". in.gov. State of Indiana. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
^History Archived 2008-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
^Ralston, Patrick. New Deal Resources in Indiana State Parks MPS
^Ralston
^DNR - State Parks & Reservoirs: History & Culture
^R, Mike (August 13, 2021). "State Parks Light Pollution Map And Statistics". CosmosPNW. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
and 25 Related for: List of Indiana state parks information
of Indiana state forests Listof National Parksof the United States "DNR: StateParks: Find a Park". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved...
when establishing the IndianaStatePark system. Like all Indianastateparks, there is a fee for entrance. Indiana Dunes StatePark was established in 1925...
State Roads in the U.S. stateofIndiana are numbered rationally: in general, odd one-digit and two-digit highways are north–south highways, numbers increasing...
(seasonal) ListofIndianastateparks "2018 / 2019 Estimated Fiscal Year Visits for IndianaStateParks ~ Alphabetical" (PDF). Indiana Department of Natural...
most of the trails are along the sides of the valley. ListofIndianastateparks "2018 / 2019 Estimated Fiscal Year Visits for IndianaStateParks ~ Alphabetical"...
refer to parks entirely within one state or territory. Shared parks refer to parks in multiple states. Territories are set in italics. National Park Service...
Indiana Historical Commission's StateParks Memorial Committee.) The stateparks committee agreed to take on the task of establishing a stateparks system...
Mounds StatePark is a statepark near Anderson, Madison County, Indiana featuring Native American heritage, and ten ceremonial mounds built by the prehistoric...
River StatePark is an urban park in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Situated along the eastern and western banks of its namesake White River, the park covers...
Indiana Dunes National Park is a United States national park located in northwestern Indiana managed by the National Park Service. It was authorized by...
Indiana (/ˌɪndiˈænə/ IN-dee-AN-ə) is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the...
Indiana is a state located in the Midwestern United States. As of the 2021 census estimate, the state had 6,805,985 residents. There are 569 municipalities...
States Bicentennial in 1976. There are a total of seventeen former Pennsylvania stateparks: four former parks have been transferred to the NPS, four to the...
state parks in Indiana, and occupies 15,776 acres (63.84 km2)—making it one of the larger stateparks in the United States. It is among Indiana's most...
The IndianaState Museum is a museum located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum houses exhibits on the science, art, culture...
coordinates) This listofparks in Indianapolis provides a general overview of parkland in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Most parks are managed by...
a listof characters in the Indiana Jones series. List indicator(s) This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in the Indiana Jones...
The current flag ofIndiana was designed by Paul Hadley and officially adopted by the StateofIndiana in May 1917. It is the state's third official flag...
Global Information
