Diamond Jubilee: Clifty Falls State Park, Indiana

After leaving our frustrations with Madison, AQ and I stopped at a state park outside of town famous for its cliffs and waterfalls.

Clifty Falls State Park is located near Madison with entrances on state roads 56 and 62. The park’s waterfalls change moods with the weather and the seasons and can range from roaring plunges to delicate bridal-veil mists to gleaming frozen titans. Winter and spring visits reveal them at their best. The rugged splendor of Clifty Canyon offers exciting year-round hiking and scenery. Clifty Creek’s stony bed is littered with fossil remnants telling of a long-vanished marine ecosystem that teemed with life that included ancient corals, ancestral squids, brachiopods, and more. Fossil collecting within Clifty Falls State Park is prohibited but nearby collecting locations are readily accessible.

https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/clifty-falls-state-park/

As with Cayuhoga Valley National Park and Hocking Hills State Park in Ohio, the dry summer did not make for great waterfall viewing. The walks in and around the cliffs of the park were still lovely, however.

Interestingly, the park also holds the failed attempt to bring the rail line more directly to Madison. The city lies at the base of a valley (the Ohio River) far below the plains of Indiana. The park contains the remains of a railway tunnel never completed.

The park must be lovely after a strong rain or in a season with more flowing water. Even so, its green canopy provided wonderful shade from the hot July sun.

July 2021

Before visiting Clifty Falls, we were certain all its waterfalls would not be impressive, but the park was still worth a look. I don't regret the visit as our expectations were managed before arriving. Given that it lies right outside of Madison, it adds another attraction for those going there for a weekend visit. For us, it saved the visit given how frustrated we were with the unlucky timing and the annual Regatta.

I never heard of Clifty Falls in Indiana - a surprise discovery on the way to Indianapolis.