Indiana National Parks
Whether it's remembering poignant moments or just a lazy day at the beach, Indiana's National Parks will draw you in. Come #FindYourPark in Indiana.
Indiana National Parks
Indiana
Table of Contents
3 National Parks in Indiana
Other NPS-Affiliated Sites in Indiana
George Rogers Clark National Historical Park
The George Rogers Clark National Historical Park tells the story of George Rogers Clark and his rise to fame for capturing British outposts on the Northwestern Frontier. His most famous was the capture of Fort Sackville at Vincennes in 1779. News of his triumph made it back to George Washington who used these victories over the British to help form an alliance with France. Ultimately, Clark's efforts helped turn the tide of the war in the Northwest, making him a war hero and earning the moniker "Conqueror of the Northwest".
Today, visitors to the George Rogers Clark National Historical Park can learn more about Clark's life and conquests, enjoy a thirty minute movie at the Visitor Center, along with the murals hung in the rotunda and Clark Memorial, and enjoy wayside monuments and informational markers along the Wabash River around the grounds. The Visitor Center is open every day except for major holidays. George Rogers Clark National Historical Park became a Park Service Site in 1966.
Indiana Dunes National Park
Previously known as Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana Dunes received National Park status in 2019 along with White Sands National Park in New Mexico, making them some of the youngest National Parks in the Park Service. The park protects 15 miles of southern shoreline on Lake Michigan, encompassing about 15,000 acres, and is a hub for outdoor activities including swimming, hiking, bird watching, camping, and just spending a day sunbathing at the beach.
Indiana Dunes is named for its prominent 200-ft. tall sand dunes formed when retreating glaciers left the land exposed. Besides an impressive sand box to play in, it's also home to swamps, bogs, marshes, oak savannas, and forests, along with abundant wildlife, rich biodiversity, four National Natural Landmarks, and a National Historical Landmark (The Bailly Homestead).
The Indiana Dunes Visitor Center is open daily except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day, and operates with seasonal hours. Indiana Dunes also has the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education, Ranger-Guided programming, lectures, and other educational programs to explore.
Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site
The Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site marks the moment where, after being told the news of Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, then-candidate Robert Kennedy gave an impromptu speech to an Indianapolis crowd in 1968. Despite being advised by local authorities to not speak, Kennedy proceeded anyway. His speech was praised by many to be powerful and offer healing to a grieving, albeit tense nation. Robert Kennedy was assassinated shortly after giving this speech.
The Kennedy-King National Commemorative Site is managed by Indy Parks and Recreation with assistance from the National Park Service. It was established on April 4, 2018 by President Donald Trump - exactly fifty years after Dr. King's assassination and Kennedy's speech. Visit www.kennedykingindy.org to learn more about the park, ongoing initiatives, events, and to listen to Kennedy's speech.
Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
The Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail marks the historic journey by Merriweather Lewis and William Clark along 4,900 miles of wilderness from Pennsylvania all the way to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. The trail connects 16 states - Pennsylvania,Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon - and includes museums, landmarks, exhibits, and Visitor Centers along the route. For a complete list of markers and things to see and do, click here.
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial preserves the homestead and farm in southern Indiana where Abraham Lincoln spent his childhood years from 1816 to 1830. The site encompasses 200 acres where guests can walk the grounds, visit the working farmhouse, enjoy rangers dressed in period clothing who teach and perform farm work, visit the memorial building, and explore the museum. The grounds are open from dawn until dusk daily. The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial was signed into law in 1962 by President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.