Clifty Falls State Park

Clifty Falls State Park is a 1,519-acre Indiana State Park near Madison in Jefferson County.  The park covers Clifty Canyon, a deep and rugged gorge with numerous waterfalls just upstream of the Ohio River.  In 1852, work begin on railroads through Clifty Canyon.  Abandoned after bankruptcy, old railroad grades provided the base for present day hiking trails.  The incomplete tunnel is the most prominent feature remaining from the failed railroad days.  The park was established in 1920 and grew to its present size with acquisition of additional acreage in 1965.

Contact Information:

1501 Green Road

Madison, IN 47250

Phone: (812) 273-8885

Directions:

From Madison, head north on IL-7 for 1.5 miles and turn left on IN-62.  Go 1.2 miles and turn left to enter the park.

Map:

Trails:

Trail 5:

Trail 5 starts at the Lilly Memorial Overlook and leads down into the canyon, passing by the two entrances to the tunnel and Tunnel Falls.

Points of Interest:

Clifty Falls:

Clifty Falls, the park's namesake is a 60-foot waterfall on Big Clifty Creek.

Hoffman Falls:

Hoffman Falls is a big waterfall on Hoffman Branch, but there is not good spot to view it.

Lilly Memorial Falls:

Lilly Memorial Falls is a unnamed seasonal waterfall below Lilly Memorial.

Little Clifty Falls:

Little Clifty Falls is a 60-foot waterfall on Little Clifty Creek just east of Clifty Falls.

Lookout Point:

Lookout Point is a pull off along the park road with an overlook of Clifty Canyon with a distant view of Clifty Falls.

Tunnel:

An unfinished railroad tunnel is located along Trail 5.  It is closed to visitors during certain parts of the year to protect hibernating bats.

Tunnel Falls:

Tunnel Falls is an 80-foot waterfall on Deans Branch, accessed from Trail 5.

Wildlife:

Yellow jewelweed (Impatiens pallida)

Great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica)

Blog Entries:

03-Sep-2020: Clifty Falls

External Links:

Indiana State Parks website: https://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2985.htm