Clifty Falls State Park

Clifty Falls State Park
Clifty Falls from the Overlook
Map of the U.S. state of Indiana showing the location of Clifty Falls State Park
Location	Jefferson County, Indiana, USA
Nearest city	Madison, Indiana
Coordinates	38°44′53″N 85°24′55″W / 38.74816°N 85.41523°W / 38.74816; -85.41523Coordinates: 38°44′53″N 85°24′55″W / 38.74816°N 85.41523°W / 38.74816; -85.41523
Area	1,416 acres (573 ha)
Created	1920
Operated by	Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Visitors	425,506 (in 2003-2004)

Clifty Falls State Park is an Indiana state park on 1,416 acres (573 ha) in Jefferson County, Indiana in the United States. It is 46 miles (74 km) northeast of Louisville, Kentucky.

On Oct. 27, 1920, citizens of Madison, Indiana gave the land for the park, 570 acres (230 ha), to the state of Indiana at the suggestion of Richard Lieber. This was after a year's work by the citizens. A system of naturalist programs for Indiana state parks started in 1927, with Clifty Falls being one of the first four with one.^[1]

The park features Clifty Creek, Little Clifty Creek, and a canyon in which the sun only shines during midday.

It has many beautiful nature trails, especially those that go near Clifty Falls. The Clifty Inn is available for overnight guests, and the park contains a campground with sites for RV and tent campers.

Canyons

Clifty Creek Canyon traverses the entire north-south length of the state park. The upper rim of the canyon at the north end of the park is 800 feet (240 m) above sea level, descending to the valley of the Ohio River which is 500 feet (150 m) above sea level. The creek descends down to about 750 feet (230 m) before dropping over one of the two Clifty Falls.^[2] Then it runs downward until reaching the Ohio River. Two other major canyons enter Clifty Creek Canyon from the east, they are Deans Branch (Tunnel Falls) and Hoffman Branch (Hoffman Falls).^[3]

Waterfalls

Clifty Falls State Park is named for the waterfalls on Clifty Creek.^[3]

Big Clifty Falls - 60 feet (18 m)
Little Clifty Falls - 60 feet (18 m)
Hoffman Falls - 78 feet (24 m)
Tunnel Falls - 83 feet (25 m)

Trails

Clifty Falls State Park has ten trails that vary from easy, moderate, rugged and very rugged. Trail two is the only very rugged trail and it is the most rugged trail in all of Indiana. Because of the danger of falling rocks, the end of the trail is blocked from the public. There are old steps, also blocked, that used to lead down to the falls. You can see the falls from an overlook carved out of the side of the canyon.

Gallery

View of the Ohio River from Clifty Inn in the southern part of the park
Tunnel Falls from the Tunnel Falls Trail
The Tunnel is an abandoned Railroad Tunnel that was never completed. It is closed to the public from Nov. 1 - April 31 to protect hibernating bats from the White-Nosed Bat Syndrome.
The Tunnel Trail like most of the trails are along the sides of the valley.

References

↑ http://www.in.gov/dnr/history/ Official (Indiana) DNR Historical Timeline
↑ U.S.G.S. Topographical Map, Madision, Indiana Quadrant
1 2 Clifty Falls State Park brochure, Indiana Department of Natural Resources

"Clifty Falls State Park". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2007-04-02. (official site)

"Statistics: Parks & Reservoirs Visitation". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2007-04-02.

United States Geological Survey. "Clifty Falls State Park, USGS Clifty Falls (IN) Topo Map". TopoQuest. Retrieved 2008-07-05.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Clifty Falls State Park.

Protected areas of Indiana

National Park Service	George Rogers Clark National Historical Park Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial

National Forest	Hoosier

National Wildlife Refuges	Big Oaks Muscatatuck Patoka River

National Natural Landmarks	Cowles Bog Hanging Rock and Wabash Reef Harrison Spring Marengo Cave Ohio Coral Reef Orangeville Rise Pinhook Bog Portland Arch Nature Preserve Rocky Hollow Falls Canyon Nature Preserve Wesley Chapel Gulf Wesselman Woods Nature Preserve

State Parks	Brown County Chain O'Lakes Charlestown Clifty Falls Falls of the Ohio Fort Harrison Harmonie Indiana Dunes Lincoln McCormick's Creek Mounds O'Bannon Woods Ouabache Pokagon Potato Creek Prophetstown Shades Shakamak Spring Mill Summit Lake Tippecanoe River Turkey Run Versailles White River Whitewater Memorial

State Forests and Recreation Areas	Clark Deam Lake Ferdinand Greene–Sullivan Harrison–Crawford Jackson–Washington Martin Morgan–Monroe Owen–Putnam Pike Salamonie River Selmier Starve Hollow Yellowwood

Indiana Department of Natural Resources

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