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    Turkey Run State Park

    4.5 (146 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 11:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    Eliette C.

    This is my favorite park to visit when in Indiana. It has a vast amount of activities but I go for the hiking. They have over 10 trails to hike from easy to very rugged but no matter the level,they all end up in a beautiful river where you can freshen up with a swim or just lay back and enjoy the scenery. It also includes a great amount of space for setting up a picnic and or bar b q and even on busy days, it does not feel full. There is a community pool and even a small amphitheater where we enjoyed a little country music.

    Kristin B.

    This place is so peaceful and beautiful! Although we were not quite prepared for our trail loop of 3, 5, 9, 10 and 1... when they are described as "rugged" within the park map, it's pretty spot on, as I was trying not to slip, fall, and injure myself during several portions (especially trail 9... the devil's trail lol). Make sure you pack water & snacks, as there isn't anywhere to fuel up once you begin your journey. We came on a (blazing hot) Sunday afternoon and while there were plenty of people, it never felt crowded and everyone was very respectful on the trails and ensured one another's safety. I would love to see how beautiful this park looks during the fall and winter seasons

    Historic inn
    Marissa C.

    This is a beautiful area! The natural features are stunning and there are a lot of nice amenities, including an inn, cabins, campsites, shelters, sports fields, and playgrounds. The gorge is fun to explore and has a great view at Sunset Point. Rocky Hollow Nature Preserve is located inside the park and is accessible via a neat suspension bridge across Sugar Creek. It has a lot of amazing sandstone formations - canyons, caves, slump blocks, and more. Some of the trails themselves wind in and out of the actual streambed. There is also a nature center available at the park. Great place to visit!

    Fatima G.

    We visited Turkey Run right after winter today and it was still as beautiful without the leaves and greenery. Granted there soil was mushy but we had a great time hiking loop 6 and 7. There are about 6-7 trails and some of them are far more rugged and require climbing a lot of steps. For seasoned hikers, it's fun and definitely worth your time. The camps and inn are busy and overflowing in summer but today it was a good, quiet day with a couple hikers here and there. Definitely recommend and turkey run doesn't grow old!

    Breanne B.

    Wow. An absolutely beautiful State Park. Our family of five visited in April and had the best day. I definitely recommend looking at the trails before and deciding what works best for your group. Since we had a 7 year old we decided to do portions of 3 of the trails. Don't get me wrong, these trails, 3, 5, 9, (where they intersect) still are a lot. You will be tired. But take your time. Bring plenty of water and a small snack. Please wear comfortable shoes with grip and dress in layers. It was cool when we arrived in the early afternoon but we soon got warm by 1 or 2pm with all the walking (and stairs

    Park closed sign
    Brandy B.

    First, I will say that this is a beautiful park. I absolutely recommend it. I think it's 100% worth the trip. It's beautiful year round! Lovely trails and beautiful landscape to see. That being said... this trip was soured by a massive breakdown in communication to patrons. My family drove from Bloomington IL to visit. We made reservations by phone for the lodge. We were not told the park was closed. When we arrived a very speed woman at the park entrance told us the news. We told her that we were staying here and had come from Bloomington il, and we were told we could only go corticosteroids to the lodge and can not go anywhere else in the park. When we went to the lodge to cancel our reservation... we saw there is not even anywhere to eat because the lodge restaurant is closed also. No one told us when making reservations, it's not on the park website, there was claim that it was on the Facebook page. We never saw it. We looked. I feel that there should be something more done for these situations. If we had been told when making reservations... we could have saved a lot more time, gas, and money.

    The ladder
    Ian B.

    What can I say that already hasn't been said!! I'll make this short and sweet. One of Indianas best parks!! Easy to get to, lots of parking and lots of room for people to explore. Great for families, great solo hiking, great to do with pets. Not too technical but keep in mind there are the ladders on trail 3 that would be very difficult with large dogs or children/people afraid of heights. 11 different trails ranging from .5 miles to 2 miles, easy, to rugged. Tons of options. Great picnic areas, always clean and just a great time out here. Also when it's warm out there is some great tubing, canoeing, kayaking down the river through the park.

    Incredible views like this all through the park. Not your typical Indiana views.
    Ryan A.

    This is the park that made me fall in love with hiking. There's so much to see here and all within a relatively short distance, this really is the perfect park for a day of hiking. Bring your waterproof shoes as Trail 3 is the creek, but with preparation this is such a great time. Cannot recommend this highly enough. Get out here and explore - you'll be glad you did.

    Karley C.

    While I have not been to every state park in Indiana, I must say this is my favorite one I've been to so far! If I have out of state guests visiting who want to hike, I'll drive here from Indy because I think the drive is worth it. While it can get crowded in the summer, this state park has some fun, rugged trails that will lead you through Creeks with some light scrambling. Wear your Chacos to make sure you can get your feet wet! For people who have a dream of doing "The Narrows" at Zion--all the "canyoneering" you can do here is as good as it is going to get in Indiana :) The campground itself has a pool and an Inn, so there are also some great amenities at this state park as well. A great way to spend a summer day, if you ask me. Be sure to pack your picnic--you are going to need it after doing the five mile loop!

    Ty H.

    Excellent place to hike. This place does get crowded on weekends, so plan ahead and arrive early! There's also a swimming pool within the park and plenty of picnic areas.

    The suspension bridge made my evermore heart squee
    Heather B.

    This is absolutely one of the best places to go hiking in Indiana. I love how many trails they have and they're all kind of difficult, which makes it fun. I've also not seen ladders used frequently and trail 3 has 3 of them for added fun. Once you cross the suspension bridge over sugar creek, you've got three options: take trail four or go right or left on trail three. I recommend left because then you go UP the ladders instead of DOWN. I probably would have peed a little at the idea of going down them. It's a long drop to very hard rock. So that's a nope from me. Luckily I chose correctly! Also, listen to the map. Trail three is very rugged. It was very fun though. And it rained yesterday and was very wet. The map is not wrong when it says parts may be impassable during high water. My friends foot slipped and she ended up in shin high water. In December. Oops. Absolutely cannot wait to go back. I'm going to do the covered bridge trail next time.

    Fall leaves
    Emily M.

    Definitely one of the best state parks in Indiana, and about an hour drive from downtown Indy. Beautiful fall leaves, variety of trails, and an affordable way to get great exercise and fresh air. BUT! When I went this fall, I learned that they are also piloting the Tailblazer Program to promote good dog safety habits at state parks. We were so intrigued by the signs at the entrance to our trail, we stopped by the visitor center on the way out. They have a PAWS Pledge that you take and then they have a bandana and treat for your dog. I'm 30 and thought it was so cute, so it would be such a fun little activity for kids and families with dogs! My dog loves to hike and it was fun to see how they are encouraging dogs to come to the parks, while also promoting pet safety there.

    Julie M.

    During Covid, we struggled where to go as a family. We stayed outside of the state park at some small cabins that were privately owned. We went to Turkey Run on three separate days. We were so excited to see the variety of trails and the geographical features. We've been to Scotland before as a family and so many of us said it reminded us of Scotland. If you spin around completely in some of the areas with the tall rock formations and water features, it would be hard to believe you were in Indiana. We also on one day, decided to do a two hour canoe trip with a local outfitter. You actually canoe on the river through Turkey Run and can see some of the beautiful cliffs and rock formations from the water in a different way versus inside the woods. Some of the trails are tricky when you are trying to hike through creek beds and see where the path goes, but there are markers if you pay attention. We had so much fun we plan to go back. If you are looking for an adventure, whether you're looking for leisurely hikes or really rugged terrain's and ladder system hikes, this is the place for you! We also were traveling with two young children and they were able to do most of the trails except for some of the ladder systems. Our group split up for that portion of the trails. I felt like the state park map was very accurate about the difficulty level. Some of the trails were labeled as more rugged and they had stairs and some climbing. The trails that said moderate to easy, truly were. Even the easy to Moderate trails were stunning. I think whatever your level of fitness, you will find true enjoyment inside of this state park.

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    Simply beautiful setting - the stairs were a real challenge but we loved every minute of it!

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    Ask the Community - Turkey Run State Park

    Review Highlights - Turkey Run State Park

    Once you cross the creek and the suspension bridge, you can spend half a day across sugar creek.

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    Covered Bridge Campground - Rates from April 15th to October 31st.

    Covered Bridge Campground

    4.5(4 reviews)
    9.0 mi

    We stayed here during the Covered Bridge Festival Oct. 2012 and 2014…read more First the positives: It is the ONLY full hookup RV park in Rockville, IN. It is within walking distance of the town square and all the venders in the downtown area. The daily rate of $32.00 seems reasonable. The couple who operate the park are friendly and helpfull. The park is attractive, there is laundry facilities (we didn't use them) & bath and shower facilities if you need them ( we didn't use them either). Now the NEGATIVES: If it rains very much the park turns to lots and lots of mud, which it did the week we were there. The park is older & was designed for older RVs, ie 20-25 ft. long & only needed 30Amp hookups. We tripped the breaker a couple of times. We also had electrical problems with the park hookup as did another RVer, his kept going on and off one day. The park is owned by the operators father who if you have a problem refuses to come to the park. He shows up long enough to create a problem then leaves and the couple who run the place are stuck trying to solve what he caused, she says "you'd just have to know my dad", not a good answer. Two of the 3 entries are difficult to maneuver thru if you have a newer (and longer) RV such as a big 5th wheel. Half the park is on the LOW end of the park and if it does rain very much it becomes a real mess, one guy had to spread hay just to pull out and he didn't have a big trailer either. We had a 4 wheel drive Dodge or we probably would not have been able to pull out since we were on the low side of the park. One guy hit the metal corner post at the entry with his trailer ( mostly his fault but still it is a real problem where it's at but it's protecting the power pole that's also located at the entry) not good either. I gave this park 3 stars mainl because the couple who run it are nice and are "stuck" much like we almost were otherwise I'd rate it a TWO !!If you do reserve a site request one on the high side of the park and you'll be better off.

    All of the staff were very friendly and easy to talk to. The campground is kept very clean and that…read moreis a plus. It is within walking distance of the square and that is a plus in my book! Will most definitely be going back! Thanks for a great camping experience! :)

    Photos
    Covered Bridge Campground
    Covered Bridge Campground
    Covered Bridge Campground

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    Turkey Run Campground - The main building. Nice general store with basic supplies and the camp check-in.

    Turkey Run Campground

    3.3(9 reviews)
    1.2 mi

    First time being at turkey run state park Beautiful…read morescenery, horse back riding, camping , they even have an inn there with a pool, everything was amazing, went there for a kayak trip down the river and didn't plan anything very well on my side. Just figured that I would just find myself a shuttle service, although I have been kayaking already for about a month or so, I didn't know that they have a season for it and I was about a week to early. No problem I just wasn't able to go kayaking today but I will be back definitely, I'll just have to do better next time. I'm used to self shuttling. Got some cool souvenirs from the gift shop.

    This was my second experience ever at a campground--the first being a KOA somewhere in Minnesota…read more We had the luxury of glamp-ing with our friends over the weekend, so we didn't go without electricity or water. Hallelujah! TR Campground was completely full the weekend we visited. At times I felt that maybe we were a little too close to our neighbors, especially the neighbors with 8+ guests. Our site did have some unsavory things leftover from the previous guests(s) (dirty bandaids, dog poop, shoes, a canoe paddle), so the campground really does leave it up to the guests to cleanup after themselves. We were near located near the bathhouse, which was only good for toilets. The Men's and Women's showers were out of order, so I'm not sure what the tent campers did all weekend--I find this to be the most unsavory part of camping. The campground is within walking distance of Turkey Run State Park's Trail 7, which we appreciated. This was an incredibly hoppin' place, so I'd have to recommend it. I'd even recommend visiting during the week so you don't have to deal with as much traffic. The power along State Rd. 42 did go out for a period of time on Saturday afternoon, so that impacted electricity at the campground. Luckily this didn't happen on a super hot day. They have a suggestion box located near the exit of the campground which I should have used. This seems like common sense because they're so pet-friendly, but 20 or so signs saying, "please clean up after your pet" would be nice. Yes, this is outdoor living, but other people don't need to be stepping in your dog's $#!&. I recommend Turkey Run Campground, but you won't catch me camping again anytime soon. :)

    Photos
    Turkey Run Campground - Fun for the whole family.

    Fun for the whole family.

    Turkey Run Campground - Great view of the woods and a ravine.

    Great view of the woods and a ravine.

    Turkey Run Campground - Primitive campsite #89. Nice and quiet!

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    Primitive campsite #89. Nice and quiet!

    Shades State Park

    Shades State Park

    4.5(52 reviews)
    7.7 mi

    It had been 40 years since I last visited, and it's still gorgeous. I'm glad I decided to run by…read moreShades with my wife for a quick walk on our drive from Indy to Lafayette: it wasn't peak leaves, but the place is just lovely - a side of Indiana that's not often viewed by folks from elsewhere, and that's a shame. It's worth your time. Be aware that it's not as large or feature-driven as the larger Turkey Run State Park a few miles west of Shades, but it's a lot quieter and it more than holds its own as a place to visit. (In fact, the more serious outdoors people I know seem to prefer visiting Shades to TR.)

    What a serene and beautiful state park! Went during memorial weekend which was the perfect…read moretime/weather. We brought 2 dogs (small and medium size) with us. Recommend bringing plenty of water, bug spray, a packed lunch/snacks, a bag for trash because you must pack in and pack out - leave no trace behind. Wear hiking boots for ample ankle support and when you cross creeks/streams of water. For hiking - we hit up trail 2, then 1 and ended with 9. I'm glad we did it in that order because we did the most challenging trails in the beginning and ended with a nice walk. Easily hiked ~6 miles. We went when it wasn't crowded so we were fully immersed into nature without big groups. This park doesn't have much foot traffic compared to Turkey Run, which is what we enjoyed the most here. We went around noon and left before it got dark. PROS: $7 for Indiana residents, modern restrooms, playground for kids and benches for lunch. CONS: No trash cans

    Photos
    Shades State Park
    Shades State Park
    Shades State Park - Ravine. Very Jurassic park.

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    Ravine. Very Jurassic park.

    eXplore Brown County - That's me on the last Zip!!! Gorgeous view!!!!!!

    eXplore Brown County

    4.5(63 reviews)
    75.5 mi

    I had a blast here playing paintball. I called ahead, made reservations, they told me when to get…read morethere for our 1pm start time. We had 20 people and they were so organized. When we got there, we followed the signs to paintball. We went into the place that looked like it would be the office, it was. We made sure everyone signed the waiver, a few of us wanted overalls. We got everything done and we were ready for our safety / procedure instructions. After that, we started the paintball fight! We split in two teams, the teams were mixed each session, we played about 6 rounds with 3 different games and then it was time for us to head home - we could have been there longer, but we had a schedule to keep. Overall - it was a fun time for everyone.

    Upon arrival, there was no clear indication of where to check in. The building labeled Office had a…read morepermanent "Closed" sign, which made things even more confusing. After wandering around, we finally found someone. The owner seemed unsure about checking us in, mentioning that they're normally closed on Tuesdays, which explained why only two staff members were onsite and why it felt like they weren't expecting us. We were informed there was an electrical outage being worked on at the time. Understandable--but when we tried to pull into our site to wait it out, the space was occupied by the electrician and his trailer of tools. The owner had to track him down to get the site cleared. Once we finally pulled in, the campsite itself was a mess: five trash cans stacked up, a broken picnic table shoved to the back, a fire pit overflowing with ash and garbage, and litter scattered all over--plastic utensils, bottle caps, string, caution tape, and paper trash. The whole site looked neglected, with uneven gravel, sticks, and leaves everywhere. We had prepaid $46 for a trailer of firewood, expecting enough for a 5-day stay. Instead, what we received was roughly the equivalent of four bundles--maybe $28 worth at best--and the wood was wet, making it hard to use. Other campers around us received much larger, drier loads of wood, and even a staff member commented that our delivery was ridiculous and promised more, but nothing ever came. The bathrooms and showers were another major disappointment. Except for one permanent building at the far end of the park, everything else is portable toilets and trailers. The trailer near us was unusable the first day because no one had bothered to turn the breaker on. Even once it was working, the power was mysteriously shut off multiple times without notice, leaving campers stranded. It also wasn't stocked with hand towels until our last day. The shower trailer offered only two stalls, both moldy, with no hooks or shelves to place belongings. The shower I used had such a moldy curtain that I refused to close it. Ventilation was poor, and if you cracked the window, you were exposed to a mechanical area and a neighboring porch. Portable toilets throughout the park were even worse--several were overflowing, creating awful smells that you couldn't avoid while walking to the lake. While the park map shows brick-and-mortar restrooms at the event hall, staff told us they simply don't open them. Everywhere we went--the docks, stages, buildings--looked dirty, dusty, and poorly maintained. The "vintage campers" offered for rent were also concerning. They were left unlocked, and when we peeked inside, the smell of mold and mildew was overpowering. The bedding looked like it hadn't been washed in months. There's no way I would ever stay in one of those. Ultimately, we cut our stay short by a day because nothing about the experience encouraged us to stick around. Bottom line: The location itself is stunning and the property has incredible potential, but it desperately needs a full cleanup and refresh. Campsites should be maintained (fire pits cleaned, picnic tables fixed, gravel added, trash removed), facilities deep-cleaned, and bathrooms and showers properly managed. The dock area needs attention (and the massive wasp nest removed). The entrance and check-in process should be clear and welcoming, and rental campers need serious restoration before being offered. With effort and care, this place could be worth the $45/night rate. But in its current state, it was a huge disappointment.

    Photos
    eXplore Brown County - Zip line over the water

    Zip line over the water

    eXplore Brown County
    eXplore Brown County

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    Turkey Run State Park - parks - Updated June 2026

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