Clifty Falls State Park (Blog Hike #37)

Trails: Trail #1, #5, and #7
Hike Location: Clifty Falls State Park

Geographic Location: west side of Madison, IN (38.74438, -84.41865)

Length: about 2.5 miles total walking plus some driving
Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)

Dates Hiked: April 1999, January 2015

Overview: A tour of one of Indiana’s oldest state parks that passes four waterfalls.

Park Information: https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/clifty-falls-state-park/

Hike Route Map: http://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=102704
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Madison, go west on SR 56 2 miles to the park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pay the small entrance fee at the gatehouse, and proceed uphill on the park road.  The first stop, the nature center, is 1.5 miles from the gatehouse on the left.  The main park road continues to the north entrance at SR 62, where the final parking area on this tour is located.

The hike: Set in southern Indiana just 2 miles west of the scenic town of Madison, Clifty Falls State Park spreads itself out over steep, rocky, and rugged Clifty Creek canyon.  Established in 1920, Clifty Falls is one of the oldest state parks in Indiana.  It was created to protect the four major waterfalls in Clifty Creek canyon, all of which are over 60 feet tall and can be seen on this tour of the park. 

            This "nature hike" actually consists of several smaller hikes, allowing the visitor to see the entire park without an extended day hike.  Of course, this means that some substantial driving is needed to get from one point of interest to the next.

            Begin at the south park entrance, which is located off of SR 56 just west of Madison.  Pay the $5 entrance fee from your vehicle at the gate house and begin climbing uphill on the narrow park road.  The road takes you past a rock cut on your right, across a high concrete bridge, and past Clifty Inn.  Just past Clifty Inn, turn left to park beside the nature center, the first stop on our tour.  The nature center features some interesting exhibits on the park's history, gives some information on the flora and fauna likely to be seen in the park, and provides a bird observation window.  When I was there, a red-headed woodpecker, a cardinal, and a mourning dove were enjoying a dinner of bird seed outside the window.

Trailhead for Trail #1

            When finished at the nature center, return to the parking lot and begin hiking Trail #1, which starts at the far end of the parking lot. This rocky trail descends through some young forest on its way to an observation tower which overlooks the town of Madison and the Ohio River.  On the way, notice a point where the trail appears to divide for a short distance, with the trail to the right descending some stone steps to rejoin the other trail.  A closer inspection reveals that the stone steps are part of some stonework that remains from a railroad line that ran through the gorge many years ago. 

            Upon reaching the tower, climb to the top for a nice view of the surrounding area.  The 20 foot tower is steel with a wooden floor and can be a little shaky on a windy day.  At the tower, the trail switchbacks into the gorge for a longer hike.  Retrace your steps uphill to complete the first short hike.

View of downtown Madison from Observation Tower

            Back in your car, continue driving north on the park road, ignoring another road that goes off to the right just north of the nature center.  Our next stop is Hoffman Falls, the first major waterfall.  This parking area and all others we will be visiting are clearly marked with black wooden signs and yellow letters.  Take the only trail out of the parking area, which descends some wooden steps to an overlook of the falls.  The water tumbles 78 feet over a U-shaped rock shelter into a small plunge pool.  The overlook is in good position, but some small trees partially obstruct views, and the base of the falls is not accessible from the trail. 

            Return up the wooden steps to your car. The next point of interest is Lilly Memorial, which is an overlook of the gorge and the Ohio River.  After a quick stop here, continue north to the parking area for Tunnel Falls, site of our next short hike.  From the north side of the parking area, begin Trail #5, which descends some wooden steps to the Tunnel Falls Overlook.  The waterfall looks much like Hoffman Falls and has about the same height and volume of water.  The best place to view the falls is from a point on the trail just south of the overlook because trees partially obstruct the view elsewhere. 

Tunnel Falls

            After viewing the falls, continue south on trail #5 to discover why this waterfall is called Tunnel Falls.  The rocky trail threads its way through the forest between the gorge on the right and the hillside on the left.  A few hundred feet later, arrive at the abandoned railroad tunnel that gave the falls its name.  The dark, muddy tunnel enters the limestone bedrock on the left and passes under the park road and a picnic shelter before coming out on the other side.  Do not enter the tunnel without a flashlight. 

            Continue south on Trail #5 and ascend a new wooden staircase to the aforementioned picnic shelter.  From this point, walk a short distance north on the park road to arrive at your car. Drive further north on the park road and make a left turn to park at the Clifty Shelter, the origin for our last hike, this one over the 1.25 mile Trail #7. 

Starting Trail #7

            Begin on the east side of the parking area where the trail enters the woods and descends gradually.  The dirt trail turns left through maple forest and begins following Little Clifty Creek north.  Just before intersecting the park road, the trail turns right, crosses the creek on a long wooden footbridge, and then takes another right to follow the east side of the creek.  This portion of the creek, which flows about 20 feet below the trail's level, contains some small, but scenic waterfalls. 

            Where the trail reaches an unmarked intersection, keep to the left; the trail to the right goes steeply downhill to the other side of this loop.  Our trail ascends gradually to intersect with Trail #6.  Take a short detour on this trail to arrive at Lookout Point, which provides a dramatic overlook of Clifty Falls from across the gorge.  This waterfall brings Clifty Creek's main tributary into the gorge; it is the highlight of the park.  A closer view of the waterfall will be experienced later.

View from Lookout Point

            Retrace your steps along Trail #6 back to the intersection with Trail #7 and turn left on Trail #7.  This trail descends to a point just above Little Clifty Creek and then follows the creek upstream to an overlook of Little Clifty Falls.   Unfortunately, trees block most views of the falls, and there is no very good place to view the falls from.  Continuing along the trail, the trail crosses the creek above the falls on a wooden bridge and forks.  Take the left fork, which leads to Cake Rock, a slab of limestone that looks like a piece of birthday cake.

Clifty Falls in the winter, as seen from overlook

            Where Trail #2 used to exit left, continue to the right on Trail #7, which climbs some steps to the Clifty Shelter picnic area. Walk a short distance to your left for an overlook of Clifty Falls, a 60 foot waterfall with the largest volume of water of any falls in the park.  Walk through the picnic area to your car, completing our tour of the park.