I like Shades State Park near Waveland, Indiana. It is not far from the popular Turkey Run State Park and is very similar in nature. I think it is a lot quieter. Shade is the 15th state park in Indiana. It crosses two counties Parke and Montgomery and is located west of Indianapolis. I have been there twice in the past two years.
Shades State Park has 10 trails that intermingle with each other. There are easy, moderate, and rugged trails that are no more than 1.5 miles except for the backpack trail that is 2.5 miles. The rugged trails have ladders, steps, and water to wade through. I usually start out by counting the steps, but I eventually lose track when I get out of breath. I like the lookout view of Sugar Creek that runs through the park. I also like walking down the trail by the river. We saw Indiana’s state bird, the Cardinal the last time we were there. It lived in a very natural looking birdhouse that blended in with its surroundings. There are waterfalls called Maidenhair Falls and Silver Cascade Falls. There are also canyons and ravines to cross.
Shades has picnic shelters, camping, fishing, and playground equipment for the children to play on. My boyfriend’s family has gone mushroom hunting in the woods. They were not too successful on that particular trip. Deer’s Mill Covered Bridge is maintained for canoeists to enter on Sugar Creek. A hiker can walk down into Devil’s Punch Bowl and visit Lover’s Leap. I will let you guess on how it received that name. It has natural springs that contributed to it being a health resort in 1887. There are several stories that attribute to the original name “The Shades of Death.”
The first year I went, I was 5 months pregnant so I stayed on the easy trails. My boyfriend brought our dog to walk along the trails. The second time we went, my boyfriend carried our daughter in a backpack carrier. I was impressed because we thought we were taking an easy trail but we ended up taking a rugged trail. He carried her up and down steps and ladders. Rugged trails are our favorite because we feel adventuresome on them.
I like making a day trip adventure to Shades State Park. It is a great park with a variety of trails and activities.