It's no secret that the Hoosier state has plenty of gorgeous natural sites worth visiting. From the beloved Brown County State Park to the stunning Indiana Dunes, there's a ton of beauty spread across our home state. However, some of the most beautiful spots in the state are little known, like this hidden spot that's unbelievably beautiful.
Campbellsburg, Indiana is a small town in Washington County with just under 600 residents. This tiny town is located near Mitchell and is home to one of the most stunning natural gems in the state.
This stunning natural preserve full of caves and waterfalls looks like it popped right out of a fairy tale. Yet this stunning slice of heaven is very real and can be found in southern Indiana.
Cave River Valley Nature Preserve consists of more than 300 acres of caves, trees, creeks, ridges, and rocky valleys. This breathtaking preserve is hard to find, but a real treat once you do.
This nature-filled valley was once a bustling destination for tourists as the site of several mills and River Cave. As the mills closed, nature slowly reclaimed the area, turning it into the natural gem you'll find today. To get permission (and directions) to visit Cave River Valley, visit the entrance at Spring Mill State Park at 3333 State Road 60 E, Mitchell, IN 47446. To view more, check out the below video:
Will you be checking out this incredible hidden spot in Indiana? For more gorgeous natural spots to explore, check out these 11 hidden gems.
Indiana Dunes National Park is Indiana's first—and so far, only—national park. This makes it pretty special, I think! Of all the incredible parks and recreation areas in the Hoosier State, this one might be the single most unique one, making it absolutely worth driving from wherever you might be (in the Midwest and/or outside of it!) to experience it. While you're here, you'll have the chance to indulge in some of our state's most iconic hikes and hiking trails.
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Of the amazing hiking trails in Indiana, Indiana Dunes probably has some of the most iconic. After all, the dunes are incredibly iconic in and of themselves, thanks to their complete strangeness compared to the terrain of the rest of the state. Ask any stranger if there are sand dunes in the Midwest and see what they say; I suspect most folks have no idea.
Enter the Mt. Baldy Beach Trail, just under one mile of challenging (but rewarding) hiking with incredible beach views.
Truly, some of the intensely beautiful views of Lake Michigan on this hike look and feel like something out of a Caribbean paradise rather than a park in Indiana, but hey, here we are - and it's glorious. On particularly clear days, you can catch glimpses of the Chicago skyline across the water.
The trail is simple but not easy. You'll begin in the parking lot at the trailhead. From there, find your way to the staircase, which is right up along the entry road. Once you reach the top, you'll find that the trail veers right and meanders around the western side of Mt. Baldy (which is a dune, not a mountain, for the record). Follow the trail until you reach the edge of the dune, where you'll make your final descent down to the beach.
This is the hard part. The sand is loose and soft, and thanks to its nature, folks find it nigh on impossible to bring things like coolers and equipment down. The National Parks Service strongly advises against trying to bring these things, and so do I—let's enjoy nature without all the bells and whistles, at least while we're immersed in this particularly delicate ecosystem.
If you find getting down to the beach challenging—and for many, it is—you're definitely not going to like the way back up, which is simply the way from which we came. Climbing back up the dune is tough, even for seasoned hikers, but I promise the entire experience is worth it.
Mount Baldy is an impressive 126 feet above sea level (in this case, the "sea" is Lake Michigan), and amazingly, it's moving—and incredibly rapidly. While most geological processes take centuries, Mt. Baldy is meandering inland at an amazing four feet per year.
You'll find the amazing trailhead parking lot at 101 Rice Street (U.S. Highway 12), Michigan City, IN 46360. For a map and more information about the hike itself, check out the official Mt. Baldy Beach Trail AllTrails listing. If you're serious about hiking and would like to take it to the next level, check out the perks of getting AllTrails Plus. I'm personally obsessed with it.
Southeastern Indiana is a beautiful place to visit, live, and play in - especially in the fall. At this magical time of year, the leaves and brush come alive in brilliant, vivid color, inviting folks to explore the landscape in an entirely new way every year.
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Take, for instance, Versailles State Park. This park is one of 24 in the Hoosier State and just so happens to be the second-largest (after Brown County State Park) - and my goodness, friends, the color you'll find yourself fully immersed in is nothing short of incredible.
My favorite autumn hike at Versailles State Park in Indiana is Trail 1 - which is technically a blend of three trails plus a little stretch all its own. Why? Oh... you'll see.
Versailles Trail 1, also known as the Trail 3, 2, 1 Loop, is legendary year-round... especially this time of year. The leaves on every tree and shrub fade to brilliant shades of gold, orange, and crimson, and I promise: there's nothing more tranquil than meandering this loop in the morning, during the week - when there are fewer people and more opportunities for complete tranquility.
The scenic, rolling hills of the southern portion of Indiana are photogenic enough as-is, but throw in colors like these and you've suddenly got every excuse in the book to bring a camera and shoot an entire calendar.
During your adventures, you'll come across several points of interest that ought to shake up your photos and make sure the whole trip is unique: a 230-acre lake where you can paddle the day away if you want, more than 20 miles of horse trails, more than 13 miles of the best mountain biking in Indiana, and lots more.
Oh, and before I forget to mention it: there's another reason Versailles State Park is THE place to be in the fall. During the last weekend in September, there's the can't-miss Versailles Pumpkin Show, and the last weekend of October is host to all sorts of Halloween shenanigans the whole family will love getting into.
If you're planning to visit Versailles in the fall and need more fun stuff to do, check out all the happenin' goings-on from our friends at Viator. No matter where you end up, something is happening - you've just got to find it.
