I never expected Indiana to take my breath away the way it did the first time I wandered into one of its state parks. There is something quietly spectacular about this place, something that sneaks up on you between the trees and the canyon walls and the sound of water rushing over ancient rock.
I have hiked trails that made me stop mid-step just to stare, convinced for a second that I had walked into a scene from a fantasy film. The region has sandstone gorges, underground rivers, towering dunes, and waterfalls that pour over mossy ledges like something out of a storybook.
If you have been sleeping on the state’s trail system, these ten spots are about to change your mind completely.
1. Turkey Run State Park – Trail 3, The Ladders
Nobody warns you about the moment you first drop into Rocky Hollow at Turkey Run State Park. One minute you are on a forested ridge, and the next you are standing at the bottom of a sandstone canyon that looks like it was borrowed from a Peter Jackson film set…