Indiana is making great strides to bringing in more hikers to their state parks. Several parks have a hiking challenge specific to that park that you can complete.
- Pokagon State Park: Hell’s Pointe Challenge
- Clifty Falls State Park: Four Falls Challenge
- Indiana Dunes State Park: 3 Dunes Challenge
- Shades State Park: 6 Ravine Challenge
- Turkey Run State Park: 5 Mile Challenge
The park we are featuring in this article is Shades State Park. Shades is located in the Far West part of the state near the Indiana/Illinois state line just a few miles from Turkey Run State Park. Shades was officially announced Indiana’s 15th state park in 1947. Here you will experience deep woods, ravines, and canyons.
The Challenge:
The challenge is to hike a 4.42 mile loop around the parks ravines to the designated areas and take selfies with the signs at each checkpoint to show you actually did it. Inquire about the challenge with a ranger at the entrance gate or at Turkey Run State Park Nature Center. You will be given a map with the designated areas for pictures to be taken.
WARNING! If there is not a gatehouse attendant you will need to head over to Turkey Run State Park Nature Center to get a map and you may need to return to get your sticker.
Save a Trip and get your Map Here: PRINT THE MAP
The Hike:
The hike itself doesn’t seem too long, however while you are bouncing through ravines, climbing over rocks and trees, and trying not to fall or get wet, this is not your normal hike and will take a little longer.
The trails and ravines can be a little tricky at times to navigate, so please bring a map or a GPS trail app. I personally like All Trails. On the trail map it suggests to start at the shelter. We started on the backpack trail and avoided a lot of uphill climbs especially on trail 4. We also planned this so we would be going up the ladders as opposed to going down them. This challenge is not your typical hiking challenge. You are climbing rocks and trees and maneuvering your way through streams and rugged terrain. This is a great trail for kids for an added challenge to climb around rocks and playing in streams.
I would recommend attempting this challenge in the warmer months. Mainly due to the cold water in the ravines and slippery wet leaves covering the trails and rocks.
The Reward:
What do you get? Well…other than being able to say I completed this challenge, you are able to purchase a small sticker that looks similar to the Turkey Run 5 Mile Challenge sticker for $1 saying you completed the challenge. Slap it on your Nalgene Water Bottle and head to the next challenge.
