Parked just across the way from Louisville, Kentucky, in a little town named Clarksville, Indiana, is the state’s tiniest state park. Of the 24 state parks in Indiana, Falls of the Ohio State Park is by far the smallest, coming in at an adorable 165 acres. Compare that to Indiana’s largest state park – Brown County State Park – which is 16,000 acres and you’ve got yourself a day trip made of pure “Aw, it’s so cute.” Tiny it may be, but this park packs a powerful punch: it’s an extraordinary living archaeological site, and while you’re here, you’ll be introduced to an entirely new world. So come out and visit the smallest state park in Indiana – you might learn a few things!

One of the major things that makes Falls of the Ohio State Park so outrageously unique is its incredible ancient fossil beds.
flickirized/Flickr
The beds are composed of Jefferson Limestone from the Devonian time period, making it anywhere from 419 to 358 million years old.
Spanning across the river and over the park is a fascinating old bridge known as Ohio Falls Bridge (or simply "14th Street Bridge).
cmh2315fl/Flickr
It serves as a complex and interesting backdrop for the park, adding a more modern element to an otherwise ancient area.
Visit the interpretive center and learn all about the area, its history, and what you'll be looking at once you begin to explore.
Taylor Studios, Inc/Flickr
Collecting fossils you spot inside the park is both illegal and unethical, so please don't do that - instead, check out some of the awesome piles of sediment available to sift through to find your own.

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Amazingly, more than 600 species of fossils have been discovered here.
William Alden/Flickr
Of the more than 600 species, more than 250 of them are different types of coral. Talk about amazing, especially for somewhere that is now landlocked.
It's entirely possible that Falls of the Ohio State Park is the closest you'll ever get to traveling through time.
William Alden/Flickr
It's not every day you get a front-and-center seat to the past, and you most certainly wouldn't expect it from somewhere like the American Midwest.
But once upon a time, this entire region was beneath the sea - a time long gone now, replaced with modern amenities and leftover remnants of the critters that once called it home.
Eric Allix Rogers/Flickr

So, what do you think? Have you ever visited Indiana’s smallest state park? Tell us what you thought of it in the comments. For the most up-to-date hours, interpretive center programs, and admission costs, be sure to visit the official Falls of the Ohio State Park website.

Need more amazing Indiana? Check out these incredible Indiana state parks you need to add to your bucket list ASAP.

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Falls of the Ohio, Clarksville, IN 47129, USA