We wanted to build you an Ultimate Indiana Waterfalls Road Trip that covered all of the most beautiful waterfalls in the state…but there are just too many to choose from!
We couldn’t bear to leave out any of our favorites (or send you on a single 22-hour drive), so we decided to split the list and give you TWO epic Waterfall Road Trips to take to make sure you see the best of both the Northern AND Southern regions of the Hoosier State!
PART 1 of our Ultimate Waterfalls Adventure features six of our favorite ‘falls in the Northern half of the state, but also check out PART 2 to see our Southern Indiana Waterfalls!
We started (and ended) our trip in Indy, but you can jump in anywhere along this Indiana waterfalls road trip! To make this trip as easy as possible, we’ve built a ready-to-go Road Map for you through Google Maps! Let’s get this waterfall road trip in northern Indiana started.
Stop #1: Thistlethwaite Falls
Image: Facebook / WayNet.org – Info For Richmond & Wayne County, Indiana The first stop on our Indiana waterfalls road trip is Thistlethwaite Falls. This man-made fall was created in 1854 when a portion of the Whitewater River was dammed to build a sawmill in the area. The mill is long gone, but the low-sloped Thistlethwaite Falls remain.
Facebook / Dry Dredgers The falls are easy to access, as they mark the endpoint of the Nature Trail at Whitewater Gorge Park. The trail itself makes for a lovely walk; it is about 3.5 miles long and will take you past nine bridges, the Weir Damn, a bird sanctuary, and some very cool exposed limestone and shale vertical cliffs.
Facebook / Bill Lacy Head to the Visit Richmond website to learn more. 60 Waterfall Rd, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
Stop #2: Salamonie River State Forest
Facebook / Kim Christianson Eltzroth Salamonie River State Forest was created in 1930s as the Civilian Conservation Corps worked to reclaim the eroded land.
AllTrails User/AllTrails This is a popular site for camping, fishing, and hiking. There are several paths leading to the waterfall from the main shelter house, but many visitors prefer to travel on horseback. The Yellow Trail offers lovely views of the water near the Hominy Ridge Picnic Area, and the longer Blue Trail winds through ravines and rocky gorges with plenty of scenic waterfall views!
Image: Flickr / rsteup Visit the Indiana DNR website to learn more about one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Northern Indiana. 5124 County Rd 100 S, Lagro, IN 46941, USA
Stop #3: Kokiwanee Nature Preserve
Image: Foresquare / Trina Beana Kokiwanee is full of old-growth forests, natural springs, and wildflowers, and the seasonal waterfalls here are one of many beautiful sites to see! The site is a former Girl Scout Camp and covers over 140 acres.
Image: Flickr / rsteup The preserve is very close to Salamonie River State Forest (Stop #2) and Hathaway Preserve, which is the next stop on our Waterfalls Road Trip!
Image: Flickr / rsteup Visit the Acres Land Trust website to learn more about this stop on our Indiana waterfalls road trip. 5821 E 50 S, Lagro, IN 46941, USA
Stop #4: Hathaway Preserve
Image: Flickr / rsteup The Hathaway Preserve features an amazing gorge full of fossils, vertical limestone cliffs, and beautiful waterfalls!
Flickr / rsteup The shallow Ross Run tributary flows over exposed bedrock and you can follow the creek along a two-mile hiking trail. In the winter, the falls ice over and turns the area into a winter wonderland. If you are lucky, you will see one of the park’s many bald eagles!
Image: Flickr / rsteup Visit the Acres Land Trust website to learn more about this waterfall. 1866 E Baumbauer Rd, Wabash, IN 46992, USA
Stop #5: France Park Falls
Image: Facebook / France Park France Park is just a few miles outside of Logansport. There are tons of activities (including camping, fishing, and even scuba diving) to do in the county park, which is located at an old quarry, and the France Park Falls are easy to access and make for a fun stop if you are in the area. If you want to stay a bit longer, there are several miles of trails in the area, but for our trip, we only made a quick visit so we could move on to our next stop.
Flickr / Valerie Everett Visit the Cass County website to learn more about this Indiana waterfall. 4505 US-24, Logansport, IN 46947, USA
Stop #6: Williamsport Falls
Image: WikiMedia Commons / Jim.buckley22 With a height of 90 feet, Williamsport Falls is the tallest free-falling and one of the best waterfalls in Indiana. This narrow plunging falls has cut a cool little spout in the sandstone ledge, and the pool it spills into was once a sandstone quarry that produced much of the rock used in the foundations of buildings in the town of Williamsport.
Image: WikiMedia / Huw Williams In the 19th century, the falls flowed enough to support a mill, but the changing landscape of the area and the diversion of the creek for farm irrigation has left the water flow inconsistent, and at times the falls are entirely dry…but if you do catch them flowing, the view is quite beautiful. This waterfall rounds out Part 1 of our waterfall road trips, which are arguably the best road trips in Indiana to take! 25 N Monroe St, Williamsport, IN 47993, USA
The Southern region gets most of the attention when it comes to waterfalls, but Northern Indiana has plenty of fantastic falls to show off as well. There are many more that we could have listed here, but in an effort to keep this Road Trip to a “doable” distance, we could only include so many.
Image: Facebook / WayNet.org – Info For Richmond & Wayne County, Indiana
The first stop on our Indiana waterfalls road trip is Thistlethwaite Falls. This man-made fall was created in 1854 when a portion of the Whitewater River was dammed to build a sawmill in the area. The mill is long gone, but the low-sloped Thistlethwaite Falls remain.
Facebook / Dry Dredgers
The falls are easy to access, as they mark the endpoint of the Nature Trail at Whitewater Gorge Park. The trail itself makes for a lovely walk; it is about 3.5 miles long and will take you past nine bridges, the Weir Damn, a bird sanctuary, and some very cool exposed limestone and shale vertical cliffs.
Facebook / Bill Lacy
Head to the Visit Richmond website to learn more.
60 Waterfall Rd, Richmond, IN 47374, USA
Facebook / Kim Christianson Eltzroth
Salamonie River State Forest was created in 1930s as the Civilian Conservation Corps worked to reclaim the eroded land.
AllTrails User/AllTrails
This is a popular site for camping, fishing, and hiking. There are several paths leading to the waterfall from the main shelter house, but many visitors prefer to travel on horseback. The Yellow Trail offers lovely views of the water near the Hominy Ridge Picnic Area, and the longer Blue Trail winds through ravines and rocky gorges with plenty of scenic waterfall views!
Image: Flickr / rsteup
Visit the Indiana DNR website to learn more about one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Northern Indiana.
5124 County Rd 100 S, Lagro, IN 46941, USA
Image: Foresquare / Trina Beana
Kokiwanee is full of old-growth forests, natural springs, and wildflowers, and the seasonal waterfalls here are one of many beautiful sites to see! The site is a former Girl Scout Camp and covers over 140 acres.
The preserve is very close to Salamonie River State Forest (Stop #2) and Hathaway Preserve, which is the next stop on our Waterfalls Road Trip!
Visit the Acres Land Trust website to learn more about this stop on our Indiana waterfalls road trip.
5821 E 50 S, Lagro, IN 46941, USA
The Hathaway Preserve features an amazing gorge full of fossils, vertical limestone cliffs, and beautiful waterfalls!
Flickr / rsteup
The shallow Ross Run tributary flows over exposed bedrock and you can follow the creek along a two-mile hiking trail. In the winter, the falls ice over and turns the area into a winter wonderland. If you are lucky, you will see one of the park’s many bald eagles!
Visit the Acres Land Trust website to learn more about this waterfall.
1866 E Baumbauer Rd, Wabash, IN 46992, USA
Image: Facebook / France Park
France Park is just a few miles outside of Logansport. There are tons of activities (including camping, fishing, and even scuba diving) to do in the county park, which is located at an old quarry, and the France Park Falls are easy to access and make for a fun stop if you are in the area. If you want to stay a bit longer, there are several miles of trails in the area, but for our trip, we only made a quick visit so we could move on to our next stop.
Flickr / Valerie Everett
Visit the Cass County website to learn more about this Indiana waterfall.
4505 US-24, Logansport, IN 46947, USA
Image: WikiMedia Commons / Jim.buckley22
With a height of 90 feet, Williamsport Falls is the tallest free-falling and one of the best waterfalls in Indiana. This narrow plunging falls has cut a cool little spout in the sandstone ledge, and the pool it spills into was once a sandstone quarry that produced much of the rock used in the foundations of buildings in the town of Williamsport.
Image: WikiMedia / Huw Williams
In the 19th century, the falls flowed enough to support a mill, but the changing landscape of the area and the diversion of the creek for farm irrigation has left the water flow inconsistent, and at times the falls are entirely dry…but if you do catch them flowing, the view is quite beautiful. This waterfall rounds out Part 1 of our waterfall road trips, which are arguably the best road trips in Indiana to take!
25 N Monroe St, Williamsport, IN 47993, USA
Are you ready to take one of the best scenic drives in Indiana to see some of the best waterfalls? Let’s start this adventure on an Indiana waterfalls road trip! Don’t forget the snacks (and an excellent road trip playlist)!
Do you have a favorite Northern Indiana waterfall that wasn’t included here? Where should we check out next? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
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The OIYS Visitor Center
Waterfall Road Trip In Northern Indiana March 12, 2021 Melissa Mahoney What are the best waterfall hikes in Indiana? Here are some of the best waterfall hikes in Indiana:
Fall Creek Gorge Nature Preserve in Williamsport has a 1.1-mile hike that is ideal for families and leads to a small waterfall. Williamsport Falls Loop hike that leads to a larger waterfall. The trail is good for all skill levels and is 1.6 miles long.
Check out these additional waterfall hikes in Indiana. What are the best hikes with a view in Indiana? Some of the best hikes with a view in Indiana are the following:
Turkey Run State Park has a suspension bridge over the river that you can hike to and walk across for incredible views of the surrounding area. Hemlock Cliffs National Scenic Trail will lead to a beautiful waterfall, fascinating rock formations, and some gorgeous scenery.
Check out these out-of-this-world hiking spots in Indiana for more. What are the best road trips in Indiana? Some of the best road trips in Indiana are the following:
Lighthouse road trip to see all the lighthouses along Lake Michigan. Castle-themed road trip to discover some beautiful architecture.
Check out these 8 Quick Road Trips You Can Take In Indiana This Weekend.
The OIYS Visitor Center
Waterfall Road Trip In Northern Indiana
March 12, 2021
Melissa Mahoney
What are the best waterfall hikes in Indiana? Here are some of the best waterfall hikes in Indiana:
Fall Creek Gorge Nature Preserve in Williamsport has a 1.1-mile hike that is ideal for families and leads to a small waterfall. Williamsport Falls Loop hike that leads to a larger waterfall. The trail is good for all skill levels and is 1.6 miles long.
Check out these additional waterfall hikes in Indiana. What are the best hikes with a view in Indiana? Some of the best hikes with a view in Indiana are the following:
Turkey Run State Park has a suspension bridge over the river that you can hike to and walk across for incredible views of the surrounding area. Hemlock Cliffs National Scenic Trail will lead to a beautiful waterfall, fascinating rock formations, and some gorgeous scenery.
Check out these out-of-this-world hiking spots in Indiana for more. What are the best road trips in Indiana? Some of the best road trips in Indiana are the following:
Lighthouse road trip to see all the lighthouses along Lake Michigan. Castle-themed road trip to discover some beautiful architecture.
Check out these 8 Quick Road Trips You Can Take In Indiana This Weekend.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
Here are some of the best waterfall hikes in Indiana:
- Fall Creek Gorge Nature Preserve in Williamsport has a 1.1-mile hike that is ideal for families and leads to a small waterfall.
- Williamsport Falls Loop hike that leads to a larger waterfall. The trail is good for all skill levels and is 1.6 miles long.
Check out these additional waterfall hikes in Indiana.
What are the best hikes with a view in Indiana?
Some of the best hikes with a view in Indiana are the following:
- Turkey Run State Park has a suspension bridge over the river that you can hike to and walk across for incredible views of the surrounding area.
- Hemlock Cliffs National Scenic Trail will lead to a beautiful waterfall, fascinating rock formations, and some gorgeous scenery.
Check out these out-of-this-world hiking spots in Indiana for more.
What are the best road trips in Indiana?
Some of the best road trips in Indiana are the following:
- Lighthouse road trip to see all the lighthouses along Lake Michigan.
- Castle-themed road trip to discover some beautiful architecture.
Check out these 8 Quick Road Trips You Can Take In Indiana This Weekend.
