Welcome

Welcome to Indiana State Parks and Reservoirs’ Healthy Parks, Healthy People Initiative. Walk, hike, swim, ride and relax your way to better health at your favorite park or reservoir!

We want to keep our parks and reservoirs healthy, too. Our Hoosier state properties feature great natural resources, ranging from giant sand dunes to deep, rocky canyons. They are priceless gems and it takes staff, expertise and funding to manage and protect them.

Stop the Emerald Ash Borer: Don't Move Firewood!

Help keep the Emerald Ash Borer out of our parks and reservoirs - don't bring firewood from quarantined areas. Learn more about our firewood policy, and the Emerald Ash Borer.

Biking Has Never Been Better at State Parks and Reservoirs

Biking Has Never Been Better at State Parks and Reservoirs
Mountain bike trails are now available at several state parks and reservoirs around the state. Get out your helmet and your knee pads and take a ride through forests and meadows in some of Indiana’s most scenic places. Trails are now available at:

• Brown County State Park
• Versailles State Park
• Potato Creek State Park
• Spring Mill State Park
• Salamonie Lake
• Roush Lake

Mountain biking trails are also planned at O’Bannon Woods State Park, Harmonie State Park and Fort Harrison State Park, too. If you are interested in volunteering to assist with trail construction and maintenance, contact the Hoosier Mountain Bike Association or one of the properties listed above.

Healthy Habitats

Want to know more about why we eliminate some of the deer at our Indiana State Parks each year? Read our Deer Management Brochure. For additional information, take a look at our Resource Management Spotlight.

Healthy Wildlife

Raccoons are a part of our properties but campground feeding of these mammals is unhealthy for the park and for the raccoons. Read more about raccoons in state parks and reservoirs.

Managing Canada Geese

Canada geese are fun to watch, but they never want to leave! Read more about how we make sure the Canada goose populations at our state parks and reservoirs stay in balance in these fliers: The Truth About the Canada Goose and Resource Management Spotlight: 2008 Goose Reductions.

What makes each
State Park & Reservoir unique?

Where can you find historic homes to visit at our properties? What properties have great wetlands for birding, or geologic formations to enjoy? Download a booklet, originally designed for teachers and students, that has lots of great information about the features and stories at each of our properties.

State Parks and Reservoirs:
By The Numbers

It takes a lot of products and people to keep our state parks and reservoirs running at full speed.

Here's a glimpse at some statistics for our system

• We maintain approximately 2,080 buildings.
• State Park Inns with 612 rooms, are the 4th large state park inn system in the country.
• We have more than 560 miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails that wind through forests, cross meadows and skirt marshes teeming with wildlife.
• Reservoir properties offer approximately 69 thousand acres of public hunting land.
• The Division of State Parks and Reservoirs has over 39,000 acres of lakes, accessed by 75 boat ramps and 17 marinas.
• The Division of State Parks and Reservoirs has 7,452 campsites and 131 cabins.
• The Division of State Parks and Reservoirs has approximately 17,000 picnic tables, 174 picnic shelters and 163 playgrounds.
• Reservoir properties maintain over 350 wood duck nesting boxes.
• The Division of State Parks and Reservoirs manages 13 year-round Nature Centers and eight seasonal centers. These centers are visited by a half-million people each year. Educational and entertaining programs are attended by a quarter of a million students, teachers and families.
• Approximately 15 million visitors use the 178,330 acres managed by the Division of State Parks and Reservoirs each year.

INdiana INShape DNR Day is September 12

Visit a state park or reservoir and talk a walk with other visitors and DNR staff. Entrance is free to Indiana InShape participants, who will receive an email coupon after Labor Day.

What’s New for You in 2009?

Each winter, state parks and reservoirs staff spend many hours making improvements to campsites, trails, restrooms, interpretive centers and other facilities. Check out this list and look for these changes when you visit this summer.

Indiana Department of Natural Resources | 2009