Shakamak State Park: Trails #2 and #1 (Blog Hike #1018)

Trails: #2 and #1
Hike Location: Shakamak State Park
Geographic Location: southeast of Terre Haute, IN (39.17727, -87.24125)
Length: 4.5 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: May 2024
Overview: A loose loop around Lake Shakamak passing some old coal mines.
Park Information: https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/shakamak-state-park/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=962296
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming September 5, 2025)

Directions to the trailhead: From Terre Haute, take US 41 south 17.5 miles to SR 48 and turn left on SR 48.  Drive SR 48 east 9.5 miles to the state park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the park entrance fee, then turn right and left at the first 2 intersections, respectively, to park in the large blacktop parking lot for the playground and swimming pool.  The trailhead for Trails #1 and #2 is on the right about halfway down this parking lot.

The hike: Opening in 1929, Shakamak State Park protects 1766 acres of fairly flat land 30 miles southeast of Terre Haute.  The park was developed in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), who built many of the picnic shelters, trails, and other buildings still used today.  The park's name comes from the Delaware or Kickapoo name for the nearby Eel River, and it translates to "river of the long fish."

            The park is most famous for its 3 lakes: Lake Lenape, Lake Shakamak, and Lake Kickapoo, all of which are formed by dams on the same waterway.  Fishing is particularly good here, but the park also features a 174-site developed campground, several cabin areas, numerous picnic shelters, and 7 hiking trails totaling over 13 miles.  The route described here combines 2 of the park's most popular trails as it explores the northern section of the park, and it forms a loose loop around Lake Shakamak while also exploring this area's coal mining history.

Trailhead at large parking lot

            The signed trailhead for Trails #1 and #2 is on the north side of the large parking lot near its midpoint.  Turn right at the first intersection, then continue straight where Trail #1 turns left to cross a narrow inlet of Lake Shakamak on a wooden bridge.  These turns start you on a counterclockwise journey around Trail #2.  The large number of lotuses in this inlet would make a great flower show in late summer.

Lotus colony in Lake Shakamak

            Soon you cross wooden trail bridge #201, i.e. the 1st bridge on Trail #2, before climbing gradually.  The difference between maximum and minimum elevations on this hike is only about 50 feet, but the numerous small ups and downs make this hike more challenging than you might expect for this part of Indiana.  At 0.3 miles, you cross the main park road before paralleling it for several hundred feet.

Crossing a creek

            For the next 0.4 miles the trail parallels an unnamed creek with a steep but shallow ravine.  When you cross the creek on a wooden footbridge, look to the left for a coal mine demonstration site.  Although this demonstration mining shaft was built for the park by the CCC, before this park was established miners would crawl into shafts like this one and dig out the coal.  Numerous interpretive signs describe these old coal mines and the people who worked them.

Demonstration coal mining shaft

            Traffic noise from SR 48 comes within earshot from the right as the trail curves left to climb out of the first ravine and enter a second one.  The trail alternates between ravine bottom and rim, creating more down and up than you might prefer.  At 1.3 miles, you cross the park road for a second time.

Intersecting Trail #1

            Near 1.5 miles, you reach the end of Trail #2 at an intersection with Trail #1, which goes straight and right.  You could continue straight if you wanted a hike of only about 2 miles, but this hike turns right to do a full circumnavigation of Lake Shakamak, which reappears to your left at this point.  Some large hickory trees live near Lake Shakamak, and I did some good wildflower viewing including violets and asters when I came here in early May.

Sweet violet

            For the next 1.75 miles the sometimes narrow trail stays within sight of Lake Shakamak as it passes around 3 of its 4 arms.  Only minor ups and downs are encountered, and the lakeside hiking is pleasant if unremarkable.  At 3.25 miles, the trail climbs gradually away from the lake and soon crosses the cabin access road.  The terrain here is flat and the woods scenic.

Hiking along the lake

            At 3.6 miles, you pass a collection of picnic shelters.  If these shelters are not reserved, they make nice places to rest and have a trail snack.  At 3.8 miles, you come out at the cabin and boat ramp road, where the trail seems to end.  Turn left here, then in a few hundred feet angle right to leave the road on a gravel trail that leads to the dam that forms Lake Shakamak.

Hiking across Lake Shakamak's dam

            The trail surface turns to asphalt as you head east across the dam.  Lake Shakamak appears to the left, and Lake Kickapoo appears downstream to the right.  After crossing the dam, turn left to continue Trail #1; the asphalt Pedestrian Path goes straight here.  Quickly Trail #1 comes out at the west end of the large parking lot that contains your car, and a short walk across the parking lot concludes the hike.

Spring Mill State Park: Trail #4 (Blog Hike #1017)

Trail: Trail #4
Hike Location: Spring Mill State Park
Geographic Location: east of Mitchell, IN (38.73136, -86.41836)
Length: 2.2 miles
Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate/Difficult)
Date Hiked: May 2024
Overview: A loop hike past a pioneer village, 2 caves, a pioneer cemetery, and an old quarry.
Park Information: https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/spring-mill-state-park/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=962225
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming October 17, 2025)

Directions to the trailhead: From Mitchell, take SR 60 east 3 miles to the park entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, pay the entrance fee, then bear left at the next intersection.  Where the road becomes one way (against you), turn right and park in the Donaldson Picnic Shelter parking lot.

The hike: Established in 1927 as Indiana's 6th state park, 1358-acre Spring Mill State Park offers a little something for everyone.  The park lies in the Mitchell karst plain, which accounts for the large number of caves in the park.  The park's most famous attraction is its boat tour at Twin Caves; visitors ride park boats across the water and into the flooded cave.  The park also contains Donaldson's Woods Nature Preserve, which protects a rare stand of virgin timber.

            In addition to the natural features, the park contains interesting human history.  A pioneer village with a large flume and grist mill depicts what life was like here in the early 1800's.  The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) worked to repair and reconstruct that village in the 1930's, and they built many of the park's roads, trails, and buildings as well.  In terms of more recent history, the park also contains the Grissom Memorial that honors Gus Grissom, an astronaut from nearby Mitchell who died in the Apollo 1 accident in 1967.

            To top things off, Spring Mill State Park has excellent amenities.  The park has a 188-site developed campground, hotel-style lodging at Spring Mill Inn, the usual aquatic recreation on Spring Mill Lake, several picnic shelters, and 7 hiking trails totaling over 8 miles.  All of the park's trails are worth exploring, but I only had time to hike one of them on my visit.  I chose to hike Trail #4, which passes the pioneer village, a pioneer cemetery, and 2 caves, thus sampling both this park's human history and natural scenery.

Trailhead at Donaldson Picnic Shelter parking lot

            Trail #4 is a true loop, so it leaves in 2 directions from the Donaldson Picnic Shelter parking area.  I hiked the loop clockwise by starting on the signed gravel trail heading northwest into the forest and using the trail that heads down the stairs to the east as my return route.  The fairly flat trail heads into a beautiful mature forest that is dominated by oak and hickory trees.  At 0.25 miles, you pass the Hamer Pioneer Cemetery, which has some surprisingly recent headstones among the older headstones.

Hamer Pioneer Cemetery

            After Trail #7 exits left, you begin the steep descent toward the pioneer village.  An interpretive sign tells you that this area used to be a quarry, and some starkly cut rocks testify to this history.  0.75 miles into the hike, you reach the bottom of the hill, the edge of the pioneer village, and a major trail intersection.  We will eventually turn right to walk through the pioneer village, but first turn left to head for Hamer Cave.

Descending into the quarry

            A short, steep, and slightly muddy climb brings you to the Hamer Cave overlook.  Hamer Cave is the main source of Mill Creek, and water rushes out of the cave into a pond before spilling over a dam.  A long flume diverts water to the pioneer village's mill, and the Lehigh Cement Company still diverts water from the creek for industrial cooling purposes.  Take some time to admire the odd mix of industry and natural scenery here.

Hamer Cave

Pond at Hamer Cave's mouth

            Next retrace your steps to the pioneer village and take a walking tour of the village.  The village's centerpiece is its huge grist mill, which was built in 1817.  Numerous smaller log buildings include a leather shop, distillery, spring house, and meeting house.  Some benches beckon you to sit, have a snack, and think about what life was like in this village 200 years ago.

Grist mill

Pioneer village

            Exit the village by walking northeast on a wide trail toward the main village parking area.  Where bridges take you left across Mill Creek to the parking lot, stay right to remain on the south side of the creek and continue Trail #4.  The trail stays near the creek for the next 0.6 miles, and this section of trail is rather narrow, primitive, and muddy.  On the bright side, I saw lots of birds in this area including goldfinches, cardinals, and robins.

Wilson Monument

            At 1.7 miles, Trail #1 exits left to cross the creek and head for Spring Mill Inn.  A couple hundred feet later, you reach the Wilson Monument, an odd wedge of stone placed here by former landowner George Donaldson in honor of fellow Scotsman Alexander Wilson.  Wilson is best known as the father of ornithology; he has several birds named after him.

Donaldson Cave

            Just shy of 2 miles, you reach another trail intersection.  The wooden stairs leading uphill to the right will eventually take us back to the parking area to complete the loop, but first take the elevated walkway going straight to quickly arrive at Donaldson Cave.  The walkway actually enters Donaldson Cave, which has a much larger entrance than Hamer Cave, thus allowing you to experience the cave for yourself.  After seeing the cave, head up the 150 wooden stairs to return to the parking area and complete this hike.