As campgrounds, inns, restaurants, park offices and nature centers reopen at Indiana State Parks, some other features that summer guests traditionally use at those and other DNR properties will open soon, while others will remain closed.
Rentable picnic shelters, recreation buildings and rally camps are tentatively scheduled to open on June 1 for groups of 100 or fewer people, with social distancing. Property offices have reopened to members of the public who want to purchase passes, permits and fishing licenses.
The DNR’s public outdoor swimming pools will remain closed for the 2020 summer season due to limitations in the ability to practice social distancing on the confined space of pool decks. Locations of those closed pools include Mounds, Prophetstown, Turkey Run, McCormick’s Creek, Spring Mill, Brown County, Versailles, Clifty Falls, O’Bannon Woods, Shakamak and Harmonie state parks, along with the pool at Cagles Mill Lake (Lieber State Recreation Area [SRA]).
Even with pools closed there are many other places at DNR properties across the state to cool off on a hot day.
Most beaches, which have adequate space for guests to practice social distancing on the sand and in grassy areas in most locations, opened Memorial Day weekend and are great places to enjoy the water. These are located at Pokagon, Potato Creek, Chain O’Lakes, Indiana Dunes, Ouabache, Lincoln, Whitewater Memorial and Summit Lake state parks, Cecil M. Harden (Raccoon SRA), Mississinewa, Monroe, Patoka, Brookville and Hardy lakes and Deam Lake and Starve Hollow SRAs and Ferdinand State Forest. The beaches at Cagles Mill (Lieber SRA) and Salamonie lakes will reopen when the currently high water returns to safe levels.
Kayaks, canoes and paddleboats provide an alternative option for water-based recreation. Some or all types of watercraft are available for rent at several park locations with lakes, including Pokagon State Park and Trine SRA, as well as Chain O’Lakes, Lincoln, Ouabache, Potato Creek, Shakamak, Spring Mill, Summit Lake, Versailles and Whitewater Memorial state parks, and at Cagles Mill Lake (Cataract Falls SRA.) Boat rentals are also available at Ferdinand and Yellowwood state forests, and Deam Lake and Starve Hollow, all of which are operated by the Division of Forestry. Marinas at Brookville, Cagles Mill (Lieber SRA), Cecil M. Harden (Raccoon SRA), Mississinewa, Monroe, Patoka and Salamonie lakes offer rental boats to explore the water.
For additional information about what is open or closed at DNR properties visit on.IN.gov/dnrcovid19.
