McCormick's Creek State Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids McCormick's Creek State Park
IUCN Category III (Natural Monument)
McCormick's Creek State Park Location in Indiana
Location	Owen County, Indiana, USA
Nearest city	Spencer, Indiana
Area	1,924 acres (7.79 km2)
Established	1916
Governing body	Indiana Department of Natural Resources

McCormick's Creek State Park is the oldest state park in the U.S. state of Indiana. It opened on July 4, 1916, as part of Indiana's 100th birthday celebration. You can find it about 14 miles (22.5 km) west of Bloomington in Owen County.

Park History and Features

The park is named after John McCormick, who was the first settler in the area. He settled on 100 acres (0.4 km2) in 1816, near the canyon and waterfalls. Before that, the land was a hunting ground for the Miami Indians. The beautiful McCormick's Creek Falls is a main attraction here.

On May 12, 1916, a local newspaper editor suggested that the McCormick's Creek area would be a great spot for a state park. Richard Lieber, a businessman from Indianapolis, really pushed for the idea of creating state parks all over Indiana. He bought the land for $5,250. McCormick's Creek officially opened on December 11, 1916, which was Indiana's 100th birthday. In 1927, the park started a naturalist program, which was the first of its kind in Indiana and the United States.

Building the Park: The CCC's Role

Many of the park's buildings and structures were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). This group was part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" program during the 1930s. The CCC helped put people to work during a tough economic time. Many of their stone structures, walls, and beautiful arched limestone bridges are still used today.

The park's entrance gatehouse, the old nature center, and a stone arch bridge over McCormick's Creek were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. This means they are important historical sites.

What to Do at the Park

McCormick's Creek State Park has eight hiking trails. These trails lead to cool spots like a 90-foot (27.4 m) fire tower, a scenic ravine, a waterfall, a small cave, and unique sinkhole formations. You can also see tall, old trees in the forest. The park also has great paths for horseback riding.

The Canyon Inn is also located in the park. It used to be a place for people to recover from illness, but now it's a hotel where guests can stay overnight. It even has a large swimming pool. If you prefer, you can also go camping here. The park also has the Old State House quarry, which is where the famous Indiana limestone used in the Indiana State Capitol building came from.

McCormick's Creek Canyon

The main part of the park is McCormick's Creek Canyon. The top parts of the canyon are about 700 feet (213.4 m) above sea level. The canyon drops down to the West Fork of the White River, which is around 540 feet (164.6 m) high.

McCormick's Creek Waterfall

The McCormick's Creek waterfall is a major attraction at the park. Indiana doesn't have many waterfalls because the land is mostly flat. This makes the waterfall at McCormick's Creek very special!

Hiking Trails for Exploration

Wolf Cave Trail

Trail #5, called the Wolf Cave Trail, is considered to be of MEDIUM difficulty. This trail is 2 miles (3.2 km) long and loops through the Wolf Cave Nature Preserve. It's mostly flat, with one small drop into a shallow valley. The trail starts at the Wolf Cave Parking Area. The forest along this trail is a Beech-Maple forest, which means you'll see lots of beech and maple trees. Wolf Cave was formed when a larger cave collapsed, leaving only the middle part still covered like a roof.

McCormick's Creek Falls Trail

Trail #3 is a short 0.8-mile (1.3 km) trail that is considered RUGGED. This trail starts across from the Canyon Inn. It goes down into the canyon and then rises up to the edge of McCormick's Creek Canyon. There's a parking lot and overlook here. The trail then goes down to the bottom of the canyon. There are no bridges across the creek, so sometimes the water levels can make parts of the trail hard to access. The trail ends at Stoney Restroom, which is a short walk back to the Canyon Inn.

Gallery

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  Canyon Inn

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  Inn Dining Room

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  Guest Room

Images for kids

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  McCormick's Creek Falls in 1917