Pokagon State Park by Kenx01 / CC BY 2.0
Indiana offers photographers the opportunity to capture beautiful lake scenes, waterfalls, lakes, forests, and more. Here we’ll take a look at some of the best places in Indiana for landscape and nature photographers. The interactive map below shows the location of each spot mentioned on this page.
This page will continue to be a work in progress, so please feel free to leave a comment with your own suggestions of great places to photograph.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes State Park
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes State Park are located along the southern shores of Lake Michigan. Sand dunes may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Indiana, but this beautiful area is ideal for photography. In addition to sand dunes you will find bogs, marshes, swamps, prairies, and woodlands.
Indiana Dunes State Park by Todd Petrie / CC BY 2.0
Clifty Falls State Park
Clifty Falls State Park is located in southern Indiana, northeast of Louisville, Kentucky. The park features several waterfalls, Little Clifty Creek, and Clifty Creek Canyon. Big Clifty Falls, Little Clifty Falls, Hoffman Falls, and Tunnel Falls are all at least 60 feet high. There are several trails in the park.
Clifty Falls State Park by Chris Light / CC BY-SA 3.0
Brown County State Park
Brown County State Park is about 50 miles south of Indianapolis. This is the largest and most-visited state park in Indiana. Here you will find beautiful views of the hills of southern Indiana, and it is especially picturesque in autumn. The 18 miles of hiking trails make it possible to reach lakes, observation towers, and more.
Brown County State Park by Cszmurlo / CC BY 3.0
Turkey Run State Park
Turkey Run State Park in western Indiana features a beautiful gorge and Sugar Creek. There are several trails for exploring and experiencing the gorge, some of them are pretty rugged. Some of the trails are impassible in certain seasons.
Turkey Run State Park by Tennessee Wanderer / CC BY-ND 2.0
McCormick’s Creek State Park
McCormick’s Creek State Park is about 60 miles southwest of Indianapolis. The park is home to a canyon and waterfall. Several hiking trails allow you to explore the canyon and forest and find photo opportunities.
McCormick’s Creek State Park by Chris Light / CC BY-SA 3.0
Shakamak State Park
Shakamak State Park is about 40 miles southwest of McCormick’s Creek State Park. Three lakes, hiking trails, and woods offer some nature nature photo opportunities. This park is also popular for fishing.
Shakamak State Park by Barbara Ann Spengler / CC BY 2.0
Pokagon State Park
Pokagon State Park is located in northeastern Indiana, not far from the Michigan and Ohio borders. The park is bordered by two lakes, includes wetlands and the Potawatomi Nature Preserve. There are more than 10 miles of trails to explore the park.
Pokagon State Park by Kenx01 / CC BY 2.0
Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge
Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge is in southeastern Indiana, just a short distance north of Clifty Falls State Park. The park is home to many birds, as well as a grasslands area and flatwoods. The flatwoods provide excellent opportunities for photography.
Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge by USFWSMidwest / CC BY 2.0
Wolcott Windmill Farms
Wolcott is a town in northwestern Indiana, about 30 miles northwest of Lafayette. The wind mill farm here provides an opportunity to get some interesting photos of the wind mills and the flat landscape that surrounds them.
Wolcott Windmill Farm by Daniel X. O’Neil / CC BY 2.0
Benton County Windmill Farms
Just a short drive southwest of Wolcott you can mind more windmills and wind farms in Benton County.
Benton County Windmill Farm by Huw Williams / Public Domain
Fall Creek Gorge
Fall Creek Gorge is a beautiful area in west central Indiana. It features steep canyons, a creek, and “potholes”. The potholes are circular holes in the rock at the bed of the canyon, giving it an interesting look.
Fall Creek Falls by Charles Knowles / CC BY 2.0
Cataract Falls
Cataract Falls is about 50 miles southwest of Indianapolis. The upper and lower falls are separated by about one mile. Both have a series of drops. The total height of the upper falls is about 45 feet and the total height of the lower falls is about 30 feet.
Cataract Falls by Shipwrecklog.com / CC BY-ND 2.0
Photo license links: CC BY 2.0, CC BY-SA 3.0, CC BY 3.0, CC BY-ND 2.0,
