Global InformationList of National Natural Landmarks in Indiana information
From List of National Natural Landmarks, these are the National Natural Landmarks in Indiana.[1]
Cowles Bog
Ohio Coral Reef
Hanging Rock and Wabash Reef
Harrison Spring
Hoosier Prairie
Wesley Chapel Gulf
Marengo Cave
Meltzer Woods
Pinhook Bog
Pioneer Mothers
Portland Arch
Rise at Orangeville
Pine Hills
Rocky Hollow Falls
Wesselman Woods
Wyandotte Caves
Big Walnut Creek
Cabin Creek Raised Bog
Calvert and Porter Woods
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Indiana National Natural Landmarks (clickable map)| Name | Image | Date | Location | County | Ownership | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Walnut Creek | 1985[2] | Bainbridge 39°47′48″N 86°46′39″W / 39.796749°N 86.777474°W |
Putnam | State & private | Contains one of the few stands in Indiana where beech, sugar maple, and tulip poplar grow on alluvial Genesee soil. | |
| 2 | Cabin Creek Raised Bog | 1974 | Farmland 40°08′13″N 85°07′33″W / 40.1368101°N 85.1257457°W |
Randolph | Private | One of the few known inland raised bogs in the United States. It has a very rich flora including many species at or near their range limits. | |
| 3 | Calvert and Porter Woods | 1974 | New Ross 40°01′22″N 86°43′19″W / 40.0228369°N 86.7218275°W |
Montgomery | State | One of the finest near-virgin remnant forests in the Tipton Till Plain of central Indiana. | |
| 4 | Cowles Bog | 
|
1965 | Chesterton 41°38′15″N 87°05′32″W / 41.6375°N 87.092222°W |
Porter | Federal | Part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, this is the sole remaining remnant of the Central Dunes where Henry Chandler Cowles performed his pioneering field studies of plant succession and species diversity. |
| 5 | Davis-Purdue Agriculture Center Forest | 1974 | Farmland 40°15′12″N 85°08′53″W / 40.2533425°N 85.1480344°W |
Randolph | State | The best old growth oak-hickory forest on the Tipton Till Plain. | |
| 6 | Donaldson Cave System and Woods | 1972 | Mitchell 38°43′49″N 86°24′55″W / 38.73022°N 86.4153307°W |
Lawrence | State | Located in Spring Mill State Park. A stream flows from a cave through the bottom of a gorge. | |
| 7 | Dunes Nature Preserve | 
|
1974 | Porter 41°39′36″N 87°02′24″W / 41.660°N 87.040°W |
Porter | State | A part of Indiana Dunes State Park. Inter-dunal wetlands and blowouts along Lake Michigan |
| 8 | Fern Cliff Nature Preserve | 1980 | Greencastle 39°36′40″N 86°57′49″W / 39.610985°N 86.96366°W |
Putnam | Private | Contains exceptional occurrences of mosses and liverworts, including a noteworthy number of rare species. | |
| 9 | Hanging Rock and Wabash Reef | 
|
1986 | Lagro 40°49′48″N 85°42′26″W / 40.83°N 85.70722°W |
Wabash | Private | Contains an impressive natural exposure of fossilized coral reef dating from the Silurian Period some 400 million years ago. The limestone reef deposit rises 75 feet (23 m) above the river and is being undercut by it, giving the site its "hanging" appearance. |
| 10 | Harrison Spring | 
|
1980 | Depauw 38°14′41″N 86°13′31″W / 38.244755°N 86.225143°W |
Harrison | Private | A portion of the water that feeds the spring originates from Indian Creek, and then goes underground until it reaches the spring area. It produces at least three million US gallons (11,000,000 L; 2,500,000 imp gal) of water a day at an average of 18,000 US gallons per minute (1,100 L/s), enough to supply water to an average town of 12,000 |
| 11 | Hemmer Woods | 1973 | Oakland City 38°13′51″N 87°22′15″W / 38.230768°N 87.370935°W |
Gibson | State & private | Original southwestern Indiana oak-hickory forest. | |
| 12 | Hoosier Prairie | 
|
1974 | Griffith 41°31′22″N 87°27′27″W / 41.522683°N 87.457572°W |
Lake | Federal | Part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Wetland prairie remnant of sand plains, sedge meadows, and marshes. |
| 13 | Hoot Woods | 1973 | Freedom 39°15′00″N 86°53′22″W / 39.249897°N 86.889462°W |
Owen | Private | A relatively undisturbed, isolated beech-maple forest in which near climax conditions prevails. | |
| 14 | Kramer Woods | 1973 | Reo 37°50′38″N 87°08′17″W / 37.843932°N 87.137981°W |
Spencer | State | The only example of a Shumard's red oak-pin oak-hickory dominated stand of lowland mixed forest of any size in Indiana. | |
| 15 | Marengo Cave | 
|
1984 | Marengo 38°22′32″N 86°20′24″W / 38.37555°N 86.33993°W |
Crawford | Private | One of only four show caves in Indiana, public tours of the cave have been given since 1883. Tours commenced just days after the cave's discovery by two school children. |
| 16 | Meltzer Woods | 1973 | Shelbyville 39°30′10″N 85°40′04″W / 39.5028°N 85.6678°W |
Shelby | Private | Contains two contrasting forest types and exceptionally large individuals of several tree species. | |
| 17 | Officer's Woods | 1974 | Seven miles northwest of Madison[3] | Jefferson | Private | One of the finest remnants of beech-maple forest south of the Wisconsin-age glacial boundary in Indiana. Contains two stands which differ slightly in composition, one of which contains an exceptionally high density of black gum. | |
| 18 | Ohio Coral Reef | 
|
1966 | Clarksville 38°16′36″N 85°45′56″W / 38.27665°N 85.76544°W |
Floyd | Federal | A classic example of a Silurian and Devonian coral community. Extends into Kentucky. Part of Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area. |
| 19 | Pine Hills Natural Area | 
|
1968 | Waveland 39°56′34″N 87°02′58″W / 39.94276°N 87.049348°W |
Montgomery | State | A unit of Shades State Park. Deep gorges, the result of the last glacial meltwaters. |
| 20 | Pinhook Bog | 
|
1965 | Michigan City 41°36′54″N 86°50′54″W / 41.615°N 86.848333°W |
LaPorte | Federal | Part of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. A bog formed from a postglacial kettle moraine left behind about 14,000 years before the present by the melting of the ice sheet during the end of the Wisconsin glaciation. The acidic bog is noted for pitcher plants and other wetland species. |
| 21 | Pioneer Mothers Memorial Forest | 
|
1974 | Paoli 38°32′10″N 86°27′32″W / 38.536°N 86.459°W |
Orange | Federal | One of the best examples of an original, undisturbed presettlement forest in Indiana. Part of Hoosier National Forest. |
| 22 | Portland Arch Nature Preserve | 
|
1973 | Covington 40°13′07″N 87°20′09″W / 40.218611°N 87.335833°W |
Fountain | State | The preserve encompasses the wooded valleys, ravines, and rocky cliffs around the lowest section of Bear Creek. The name comes from a natural sandstone bridge carved by a small tributary of Bear Creek. |
| 23 | Rise at Orangeville | 1972 | West Baden Springs 38°37′52″N 86°33′26″W / 38.63115°N 86.55711°W |
Orange | Private | Orangeville Rise of Lost River Nature Preserve is the second largest spring in the state of Indiana. | |
| 24 | Rocky Hollow Falls Canyon Nature Preserve | 
|
1974 | Marshall 39°53′37″N 87°12′17″W / 39.893739°N 87.204589°W |
Parke | State | Rocky Hollow and Falls Canyon are two of a series of canyons cut into the sandstone of Turkey Run. Located in Turkey Run State Park. |
| 25 | Shrader-Weaver Woods | 
|
1974 | Bentonville 39°43′13″N 85°13′20″W / 39.720309°N 85.222321°W |
Fayette | State | Old growth beech-maple forest with a pioneer homestead. Includes tulip, wild black cherry, and black walnut trees. |
| 26 | Tamarack Bog | 1973 | Mongo 41°40′35″N 85°15′44″W / 41.676361°N 85.262314°W |
LaGrange | State | A large tamarack tree swamp located within the Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area. | |
| 27 | Tolliver Swallowhole | 1972 | Orleans 38°36′58″N 86°29′41″W / 38.616197°N 86.494599°W |
Orange | Private | An extraordinary example of the disappearing stream aspect of karst topography. | |
| 28 | Wesley Chapel Gulf (Elrod Gulf) [4] | 
|
1972 | Orleans 38°37′21″N 86°31′19″W / 38.622452°N 86.521906°W |
Orange | Federal | Probably the largest sinkhole in Indiana. Located in Hoosier State Forest. |
| 29 | Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve | 
|
1973 | Evansville 37°59′05″N 87°30′22″W / 37.984722°N 87.506111°W |
Vanderburgh | Municipal | A southern old growth forest |
| 30 | Wyandotte Caves | 
|
1972 | Leavenworth 38°13′41″N 86°17′46″W / 38.228056°N 86.296111°W |
Crawford | State | Straddles O'Bannon Woods State Park and Harrison-Crawford State Forest. Caves began to form in the Pliocene Era, about 2 million years ago. Like most of Southern Indiana's caves, the caves were formed when water dissolved limestone, causing hollow caves to form. |
- ^ National Registry of Natural Landmarks (June 2009) Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ "Places We Protect: Big Walnut, Indiana". Nature Conservancy. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ National Registry of Natural Landmarks (1989) Retrieved 22 November 2014.
- ^ "Wesley Chapel Gulf". U.S. Forest Service. 1999. Retrieved November 24, 2014. Cites "Elrod Gulf" as alternate name. The feature is also labeled "Elrod Gulf" on the USGS topographic map for the French Lick Quadrangle.