State Park Camping

NUMBER 4. CLIFTY FALLS STATE PARK

People have always been fascinated by scenes of geologic splendor, land that provides a witness to the awesome forces at work in nature. Clifty Falls State Park is such a place. This park is just West of Madison, Indiana about 20 miles North of Louisville, KY. Located on State Roads 56 and 62, in Southeastern, Indiana.

Clifty Falls is a beautiful park with some awesome views of the Ohio River. It has some wonderful waterfalls on the property and the old Madison State Hospital has been converted into an Inn.

ACTIVITIES AND FACILITIES

Camping: The campground is equipped with modern facilities. Not all areas will accommodate trailers and RVs so please check what is available before making any camping reservations. There are no modern hookups, but electricity is available. There are more than 12 miles of moderate to rugged trails and there is a park swimming pool with a waterslide and wading pool. Open the Saturday before Memorial Day and no later than Labor Day. The inn has a dining room open to the public serving a complete daily menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sunday dinners, banquets and convention facilities are available. All rooms have a private bath, telephone, color TV and air conditioning.

Picnic areas have tables, grills, toilet facilities, playground equipment and playfields. The nature center is open all year and had interpretive and recreational programs. Shelters are available to reserve through the Central Reservation System. There is tennis courts located across from the Clifty Inn.

HISTORY OF CLIFTY FALLS

Clifty Falls State Park was established in 1920 to preserve the falls on Clifty Creek, “a bit of original Indiana”. Initially the park consisted of 617 acres, primarily the canyon and its waterfalls. In 1965, the park doubled in size when it acquired adjacent uplands from the Madison State Hospital. The park now covers 1,416 acres.

Clifty Falls was created during the Ice Age when the southward flowing waters of Clifty Creek met the newly formed Ohio River in a spectacular plunge, a waterfall that may have been two hundred feet high. The falls has since cut its way into bedrock to a point more than two miles north of its original position. Today, at a height of sixty feet, it continues the retreat upstream at a rate of one-quarter inch per year.

Because of its small watershed, the park’s four major falls are at their best from December through June. July through November offer meager falls and the easiest hiking in Clifty Creek’s spectacular stone bed.

In 1852, the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad began work on a route through the wilds of Clifty Canyon. Abandoned in bankruptcy, the project left extensive grade and stonework, scenic passage for present day foot trails. The most prominent remnant is a muddy, rock strewn, six hundred foot tunnel, piercing the hillside beneath Oak Grove. It is passable on foot with a flashlight.

The nature enthusiast will find a wealth of opportunity here. The park’s 425 million year old shale and limestone rocks contain numerous marine fossils and are among the oldest bedrock exposures in Indiana. Beneath rugged cliffs spring wildflowers that bloom in a quiet woodland air. Songbirds, hawks, and vultures stir in all seasons while deer and wild turkey inhabit the uplands with the occasional fox and weasel. Naturalist programs explore the park in year round field trips.

Clifty Inn, overlooking the Ohio Valley and the historic river town of Madison, provides year round lodging and meeting facilities. Madison itself offers the visitor a rich step back in time along the Ohio’s beautiful banks.

(information taken from Indiana Department of Natural Resources)