Have you noticed the trend where different parks are creating challenges for people to complete while visiting? We have seen them multiple times and at various parks, both state and national, but have never actually completed one ourselves. That changed during our visit to Clifty Falls State Park in Indiana. In fact, we didn’t just complete one challenge, but TWO! For each challenge, the rule is to take a photo or selfie at each designated stop on the route, and then take it in to the nature center to show the park staff and redeem a prize.
First, we completed the Four Falls Challenge. This is a hiking challenge that takes you to – you guessed it – four waterfalls! This one was a little deceptive, though. The park shows it as a 4 mile hike, but that is actually only one way. Once you finish seeing and photographing all the required stops along the way, you still have to make it back to your starting point! It was not a problem for us because we knew before starting that it might be longer, so we went prepared with a lunch and extra snacks, and planned to spend the day on the trails. We were able to take a short-cut on the way back, too, so instead of being the full 8 miles, it ended up being a 7 mile day for us. A couple of things to note…all the trails were marked rugged, moderately rugged, or very rugged, and while they are quite rocky with lots of tree roots, we didn’t find them particularly difficult. We also didn’t time our visit the best for waterfall viewing. Winter and spring are said to be best, and there wasn’t much water flowing for our October visit. A trickle would be a good descriptor of what most of the waterfalls looked like for us. It was still a very enjoyable hike, though!
The stops on this hike were:
- Hoffman Falls. This is USUALLY the park’s second tallest waterfall, but on our visit, it was dry. There hasn’t been much rain in the area lately, so we knew the falls might be a bit diminished. This one was diminished to the point of non-existence! Honestly, though, even if there would have been water, we aren’t sure you could view it very easily. There is a bridge at the top, so seeing the precipice of the falls wouldn’t be a problem, but there were trees at the overlook area that we feel like would have obstructed the view from there.
- Stairs to Lilly Memorial. We did one better than just photographing the stairs! We actually walked to the top and saw the memorial and lookout! We didn’t count them, but it was a LOT of stairs. The view at the top looked out over the Ohio River and a power plant along its banks. There was a stone bench and rock wall constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, and some giant oak trees that were absolutely raining acorns! We would have benefited from helmets!
- Brough’s Tunnel. In the 1850s, John Brough planned a railway line route through Clifty Canyon, and started digging this 600 foot tunnel. Within 2 years, though, the project was bankrupted and Brough was unable to secure additional funding, so the project was abandoned. The park used to allow people to walk through the tunnel, but due to some recent rock falls, it has been deemed unsafe. It was very dark, and more than a little creepy, though, so we aren’t sure we would have wanted to walk through anyway!
- Tunnel Falls. At 83 feet tall, Tunnel Falls is the highest waterfall in the park, and there was actually a little water flowing during our visit!
- Little Clifty Falls. Little Clifty also had some water flowing, though it wasn’t much. When the light hits it just right, though, it is beautiful!
- Cake Rock. This is a giant limestone block that gets its name from its triangular shape. From the right angle it does resemble a giant slice of cake!
- Big Clifty Falls. This is the star of the show. At 60 feet high, it is not the tallest waterfall in the park, but it is the widest. The limestone shelf it flows over is terraced, giving it a stair-stepped look. When we were there in the afternoon during our hike, it was mostly in shadow, but when we went back the next morning it was lit up in the morning sun and was truly beautiful. And the best part? You don’t have to be a hiker to experience Big Clifty. There is a parking lot, complete with a restroom, picnic tables, and an ADA accessible path that takes you right to the overlook of this waterfall!
The Centennial Challenge was a bit easier than the Four Falls. This is more of a driving tour with a few short walks to view the sites. Three of the stops – Big Clifty Falls, Lilly Memorial, and Brough’s Tunnel – are shared between the challenges, so if we did it the day before, we didn’t go back specifically for the Centennial Challenge. See above for those stops. The stops we did make are:
- Clifty Inn. Originally built in 1924, the Clifty Inn was destroyed by a tornado in 1974. The Inn we see today opened in 2006 in the same location – overlooking the Ohio River – as the original structure.
- Garber Memorial. Located behind the inn and overlooking the river, this memorial honors Michael Christian Garber, Jr. who led the push in creating Clifty Falls State Park.
- Nature Center. The Nature Center is now home to interpretive and live animal exhibits focusing on the flora, fauna, and landscape of the park. The building that houses it, though, was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1938 to be a saddle barn.
- Clifty Shelter. This was another construction project of the CCC. They built several of these shelters within the park, but this is the only one that remains.
- Guthrie Memorial. Located at the south gate to the park is this memorial honoring William A. Guthrie who was the first chairman of the Indiana Department of Conservation and was very active in the acquisition and development of the park.
So what grand prize did we win for completing both of the park’s challenges? Why, stickers, of course! Even without a prize, though, we had a lot of fun hitting all the stops and seeing parts of the park we likely wouldn’t have even known about, otherwise!
Until next time!
