Indiana’s Most Underrated Old-Growth Forest You Need to Visit

Shades State Park is one of 24 incredible state parks in Indiana that is 100 percent worth exploring for at least a day. It's otherworldly in its surreal beauty, and it feels like something out of a sci-fi novel more than a location in the Midwest. But nope, it's real and it's ours - Shades State Park is an incredible place, but it has an amazing secret. Hidden here in this little slice of paradise is one of the very few remaining old-growth forests in Indiana, and it's astonishing.

"Old growth" forest has a very specific meaning: It's a forest allowed to develop over a (very) long period of time with few, if any, disturbances. Amazingly, Indiana has seven areas considered authentic old-growth forests, and one of those can be found hidden away at Shades State Park. Known as the Pine Hills Nature Preserve, this incredible old-growth paradise is a testament to just how long Indiana has been beautiful.

The preserve isn't enormous, just 480 acres, but it's certainly explorable. White pine, Hemlock, and Canada yew have thrived here for centuries. There are about 20 million acres of forest in Indiana currently, and fewer than 2,000 of those are old-growth. These are a rarity now, but to me, this just makes it all the more urgent to protect them.

Indiana is truly a beautiful place, filled with wonder, and it breaks my heart to how little credit it gets for its natural beauty. Even many Hoosiers sometimes forget to appreciate the incredible world around us, and Indiana is the epitome of incredible. It's not everywhere you can find trees and forests as old as you can here; it's not quite known just how old the oldest trees at Pine Hills are, but the oldest old-growth forests in Indiana predate the Declaration of Independence.

There's a delightful hiking trail through the preserve that I highly recommend: the aptly named Pine Hills Nature Preserve Trail is nearly three miles long, moderately challenging, and leads hikers through the preserve with front-row seats to all its wonders. If you're an avid hiker like I am, I can't recommend AllTrails Plus enough - I'm not sure what I did before I had it.

If you don't want to leave, I don't blame you - feel free to camp at Shades State Park. It offers some of the most beautiful campgrounds in Indiana, and I truly adore it. There's a lot to love about this park - the old-growth woods, incredible landscape, and excellent camping are just the beginning(s).

If you find you can't get enough of these incredible old-growth forests, you can find even more all over Indiana; there are six others you're sure to love.

Do you know of any old-growth forests near you? Go explore it. You won't regret it for a moment. Find even more things in Indiana to explore using our Travel Planner!