Clifty Falls State Park: Hiking to two amazing waterfalls
Clifty Falls State Park is located in southern Indiana, about an hour north of Louisville. The park is popular and attracts more than 360,000 people each year.
My wife and I visited on a particularly cold late January morning. If you want to avoid crowds, visit when the temperature is just above freezing, it’s overcast and looks like it is about to pour at any second. That’s what we did, and it certainly worked.
We entered the park through the north gate and drove through, getting a feel for it before parking. Along the way, we saw only a few cars scattered here and there.
Clifty Falls State Park has ten trails that vary in length and difficulty. We decided to hike Trail 7, which is 1.25 miles long and starts at Clifty Shelter in the northern section of the park.
Getting out of the car, it was windy and cold, and the air felt moist. The car thermostat read 38 degrees, and it felt it! “I’m going to need another layer. Hold on a second,” my wife said to me with a shiver.
After getting bundled up, we headed toward the trailhead. This was our first time visiting this park, and we were tight on time, so Trail 7 was the obvious choice for a hike. It features views of the park’s namesake waterfalls.
Hiking to Clifty Falls and Little Clifty Falls
“It sounds like the water is really flowing,” I said. “Makes sense. I think it dumped rain yesterday,” my wife responded. It was loud as we approached the Clifty Falls overlook. The muddy brown water was definitely raging as it plunged off the 60-foot waterfall.
After enjoying the view for a few minutes, we went down a steep set of very slippery wooden stairs. At the base, we crossed a bridge spanning Little Clifty Creek, with rock walls lined with icicles. The trail turned a bit muddy from here, but it was worth it. We got a great view of Little Clifty Falls. We snapped a few photos and returned to the trailhead, hiking through the Little Clifty Creek gorge.
Despite the less-than-ideal weather, Clifty Falls State Park was worth visiting. While you are in the area, make sure to check out Charlestown State Park. It’s located about 30 minutes south of Clifty Falls and is historic and beautiful.
Where is Clifty Falls located?
Clifty Falls State Park is located in southeastern Indiana, about 50 miles and a 1-hour drive from Louisville, Kentucky.
It’s about an hour and a half and 75 miles from Cincinnati and 2 hours from Lexington.
From Indianapolis, take I-65 south for most of the way. The park is about 101 miles from the city.
How long does it take to visit Clifty Falls State Park?
We spent about 2 hours visiting Clifty Falls State Park. If you are driving through and checking out the overlooks, you will not need that much time. If you plan on hiking a few trails, you can easily spend all day here.
Where to stay at Clifty Falls State Park?
The park has a campground with more than 160 sites, more than half of which have electricity available. If camping is not your thing, no worries. There are hotels less than 15 minutes away in Madison, Indiana.
