Clifty Falls State Park

This is one of my favorite places to hike. There are trails ranging from very easy to difficult. The trails also intersect with each other a lot– making it easy to make your own way through the park. There are several beautiful waterfalls to see.
Make sure you take a map! You do not want to get turned around or lost while you are out exploring.
There is also a lovely inn if sleeping on the ground isn’t your thing!

Upper loop is 4.5 miles of hilly terrain on the road. Runners in the weekend are all over the upper loop. The lodge has an outstanding view up and down the Ohio River from the bluff. Slight noise from the power plant nearby but it quickly downs out as you hike the trails. It’s a great park.

Let me start off by saying I used to go camping every weekend for years growing up so I am quite the camper /​hiker when it comes to these sorts of things.
This was a quick, spontaneous trip as I’ve never been here before and wanted o get out of the city– not too far, not too expensive, seemed great.
And overall, it did deliver what I was looking for from the trip and the state park. My biggest complaints are: 1– the trails are poorly labeled in random places. And not only that, some of the trails don’t even connect to anything. You just walk and walk and then end up on a road! As campers, we weren’t thrilled about having to end our hike on a road. 2– the camp sites (at least in the non-​electric) seem to be a bit close together. Our campsite had no even ground so we were forced to put our tent on what seemed to be a 25 – 35 degree angle. Also, it was right by the playground and screaming children and raccoons that stole our food, but that’s not the camp’s fault; it just made for better stories.
Overall, it’s a good park but some of the attractions are a bit underwhelming, especially the watch tower.
I’d recommend going in the winter and or spring so there’s a lot of rain to pick the falls up, we only got to see trickles, but still, great views and a much needed getaway.

This place is dear to my heart and I’ve never even been there to hike! My wife and I, before we were married, would take little vacations down to the hotel at Clifty Falls during the off season when they have 2 nights for 1 specials typically during the late fall and winter. The park is beautiful with plenty of trails, beautiful falls and lots of interesting geological features left over from when Indiana was a tropical beach. The restaurant at the hotel is acceptable for dining. The rooms are clean. The staff is friendly, The gift shop is well stocked. While not exactly within walking distance from old town Madison, you’re just about three minutes away. The view of the Ohio river from one of the south facing rooms puts one at ease and the white noise generated by the coal plant will make you sleep like a baby.
My family now, several years later, makes the trip here every Thanksgiving to eat the buffet at the Inn and stay for a few nights. I start looking forward to this in about mid July. The wifi service kind of sucks, but, dude, you’re at a state park… go your ass on a walk or look out the window or something.

This is a hidden gem in Southern Indiana! I grew up in Madison and we used to camp here a lot. The hotel and restaurant are newly renovated and really nice. There are plenty of trails in varying degrees of difficulty too. All in all, a great State Park!!!

Very nice park. Was a little disappointed that I didn’t get to see the falls, came in the wrong season for them :-(but aside from that the park has great trails and a walk through cave.

Clifty Falls is an overlooked state Park nestled by Historic Madison. The hiking is amazing and the waterfalls are beatiful. I better note that the falls are low and more like a small stream with not much water, or a crazy river after a large downpour. It is a great place to go for a weekend trip.

Snow and wind in the winter. But the place is a charm. Beautiful! It is total of 16 of us from a meet up hiking group. Great leaders and team members.

Since the weather was so beautiful this weekend, I decided it was finally time for me to explore the park during our annual choir retreat.
There are more trails than I expected there to be, though they often overlap.
The trails, the falls, the whole area is gorgeous! The trails are (mostly) clearly and well marked and pretty easy to follow. Some of the trails are much more rugged than the others, so grab a map and keep to the trails you feel prepared for! But even on the most rugged trail, I felt not impossibly challenged.
A great way to spend a day, and only about an hour outside of Louisville. An easy day trip!

It only takes a little more than an hour’s drive to take you a world away. Hubby and I have been missing out on this great state park! The only regret we have is that we did not come here sooner and visited more often!
Clifty Falls State Park has something for everyone. For true hikers who need to traverse real terrain and cross creeks, you will be glad to hike Trail 2 for hours. The drive-​by-​photo-​op-​tourists can enter through the north entrance, be parked and looking over the gorge within 10minutes of entering the gate. And for those amature hikers like hubby and I, Trail 7 (1.25mile one way) has the perfect combo of moderately rugged terrain, wide and narrow paths as well as stairs. There is this awesome Cake Rock that is not to be missed. Part of Trail 7 is also ADA accessible to the Clifty Falls Overlook area. See? There is something for everyone!
Although I have heard that late fall is not the best time to view waterfalls due to the low water levels, we still were able to see plenty of water going over the falls. Hubby and I lingered over the overlooks for the longest time. We can’t wait to come back in the spring months when water level is higher.

The limestone walls and cliffs are absolutely gorgeous. There are wild turkeys all over the place which is kind of fun. The owl noises at night were also cool. The people who work at the park were friendly and helpful. We did our hiking on the north side of the park. The rugged trails were pretty narrow & steep. I actually slipped downhill & ended up on my butt! Trail 2 is literally in the creek so you’ll sprain an ankle if you’re not careful. Bring an extra pair of shoes because you will be soaked after this. We found some cool fossils in the creek. Going back uphill is a lot harder so keep that in mind. Downtown Madison is cute but we didn’t visit there. The pool was a nice relief on a hot day (open noon — 6pm). Now the con’s: the bathrooms close to site #47 were just plain gross. However, the bathrooms at the pool were very good. A campstore would be nice for camp souvenirs. The inn has some stuff but it’s not the same. The nuclear power plant next door is so ugly against nature’s beauty. (The lookout tower by the nature center is the best example.) The caves & tunnels are closed due to white nose syndrome in bats.

Out of all the state parks I have been to here in Indiana, this one rates as my second best. The few interactions I’ve had with park staff they’re friendly and helpful. Most of the trails are rugged which excites me as I like the challenge and usually the more rugged the trail, the more cool stuff you can see. We came back to Clifty Falls as in Oct the creeks were pretty dry and unimpressive. We were told that January to June is the best time to see all the waterfalls and I was not disappointed at all. The falls were pretty and it was fun climbing on all the rocks to try and get all the best shots. The public spaces appear to be clean and well maintained. It even seems that some of the railings and bridges have been recently rebuilt. There are a few trails that I’m still wanting to do, and will be back again.

We love this State Park and the Inn. It is clean, staff is friendly, trails are gorgeous (but I agree, not all are for the casual walker). The pool at the Inn isn’t huge, but it’s big enough and is kept up very well. The pool in the park is very nice too.
This week we ended up here on some rainy days. Still lots to do in the area and at the Inn. At the Inn we swam, played some board games provided, and had our meals at the restaurant. The park is just moments away from Historic Madison, so we took in some shops and other attractions. Park is nearby to a movie theatre too if that is your interest.

Honestly, best state park in Indiana! Camping is great. Showers and bathrooms are newer and very clean. Pool is huge and clean. Trails are maintained and excellent! I am a huge fan of Clifty. Highly recommend it, 2 hours from Indy so why not check it out!

Very peaceful place to walk, hike and relax. Also, has a great pool and a lovely Inn.

These trails are not for the faint of heart.
My wife, a friend, our Golden Doodle Audrey and I embarked on a few of the trails in Clifty Falls last weekend and I was thrilled! Getting to Clifty is very straight-​forward and finding a trail-​head is easy enough with parking lots adjacent to most. The paths are not your typical well-​beaten roads, however. Many are quite rugged and difficult to traverse. It will give you quite a workout and even my intrepid Doodle was exhausted by the end of the day. She really, really didn’t want to get out of bed the next morning.
Our visit was in early June on a very temperate, comfortable day. The paths that go along the creek make it much more enjoyable on warm days since the temperature drops significantly down near the water. The falls are beautiful and lead to lovely babbling brooks and shallow tributaries.
Strap on your hiking boots, fill up your Camel Back and get out there and enjoy Clifty Falls!

The trails at Clifty Falls are mostly rated Rugged or Very Rugged. There are only two that are Moderate. My husband had to try the Very Rugged #2 since I asked him not to. He said it WAS rugged and wandered back and forth as part of it was closed due to a flooded stream. It wandered between trails 1 and 3. He loved it.
As all Indiana state parks, it was extremely well organized. If you can, enter off Route 56. The Inn is less than a mile from the south entrance. We entered from the north off of Route 62 at night and it is over 4 miles to the Inn. The roads are very twisty but it is a scenic road, even in the winter.
It is hard to get lost with the excellent signage. There is a nature center, closed in the winter of course.
The trees are mostly deciduous so there isn’t much green in the winter but Clifty Falls does have a stark beauty. Don’t miss this state park — one of the most impressive in the Indiana system.

My first experience at camp ground camping. Probably doesn’t count since I am staying in a fancy Winnebago. Nothing like waking up in the morning to birds singing and dogs barking. I so much appreciate these people bringing their dogs. Other helpful tidbits: probably not a good idea to go to the bath house with a pink towel. Just sayin…
And why is it that guys showers don’t have curtains but girls do?
Went down to the lodge the next day. It has been completely remodeled. Very nicely done

What an absolutely amazing, beautiful state park!
Yesterday, the Indianapolis Hiking Club had 2 hikes scheduled — a 5 – 6 mile morning hike and a 5 – 6 mile afternoon hike.
The morning group consisted of 22 hikers. The morning hike ended up being about 6 miles with an elevation gain of around 600 feet. Pretty tame but absolutely beautiful with the leaves changing color… but the water fall was only a trickle due to the drought this year.
After lunch at the Clifty Inn, the afternoon hike had 18 hikers. Due to some confusion with the trail markers, we ended up going 8 miles rather than 6, but this was ‘real’ hiking! We had an elevation gain of about 1500 feet and one definitely had to pay attention to where one put their feet as we traversed creek beds and narrow trails with sharp dropoffs. Great mental workout as well as physical.
Our hike leader, Jim, did a fantastic job of leading us and taking care of hikers with more limited abilities. My only ‘complaint’ is that the state park service should do a better job of marking the trails as they can be very confusing at times. But with the experienced hikers in the group, we found our way with very little back tracking.
The Indianapolis Hiking Club has been around for 53 years and the hikers in the Club range in age up into their 90s! Many of my hiking companions yesterday are old enough to be my parents, but they keep on truckin’…kudos to them and their active life style!
Although it took a little over 2 hours to get to Clifty Falls State Park from Indianapolis, this state park is located in southern Indiana, it was well worth the time it took to get there and I definitely plan on coming back here before Fall is over… next time I’ll remember to bring my camera.

When I first visited HC, my mom and I had reservations at some random motel in uptown Madison. When the lady at the college admissions office found that out, she quickly referred us to Clifty. She even offered to help us book a room there. We were like, hrmmm, either Clifty is really good or our motel is really shady. It was both!
Clifty is cheap (well compared to Hawaii hotels) and their staff is really friendly. The rooms were clean and had a homey feel to them. The restaurant in the hotel had cheap food it was good too :). They had a station for free coffee or tea in the middle of the night. They even had games in their lounge area. Nice views from the park. Also, I stayed here and camped. That experience was fun too.
The whole hiking thing was fun at the park too! We got to see the falls once. Nice short hike. Lots of good photog opportunities!