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Clifty Falls
Note: see the URL under directions to trailhead for a trail map. I started out at the park's north gate on Trail 8 and did a partial loop heading south to the observation tower and returning north on trails 3, 4, 5, and 2 (in that order) before rejoining trail 8 and retracing my steps for a few miles. One major advantage was that water is available at the north and south trail stations, so I didn't need to carry excessive amounts of water or my water purifier. This is a pretty nice hike. The scenery is quite lovely, with cliffs and small waterfalls. The trail is generally well-maintained and well-marked (I'll get to that in a minute). The trail footing is poor at times. I hiked on a very humid day, and the rocks on the trail were surprisingly slick. I went on a Tuesday morning and only saw a few people. It's also a pretty strenuous trail, with many up and downhills. The nature preserve area consists of a river running between two ridges and is pretty hilly. The trails are generally well-marked, but I lost the trail twice. Trail #2 is walking along the river bed, which can only be done later in the year. I definitely got my boots wet, but most of it was passable. The south end of trail 2 intersects with trail 8, and this intersection is well-marked with a sign strung across the river. However, the north end of the river intersects with trail 8 again and this turn-off is not well-marked. Even though "trail 2" is supposed to consist of the riverbed (and you're not supposed to go off the trails), the only sign I saw for trail 8 on the north end was small and located on a tree along a little footpath that followed the river on the west side of the bank. There is a giant upright hollowed tree trunk fifty feet north of the sign. Also, I missed the turn-off for north-bound trail 4. There is a large stone retaining wall (former building? it's pretty substantial) that marks the intersection of northbound 4 and east-west 4 but the structure is not on the map. The trail to go north actually goes up steps of the structure and is a six-inch-wide path that cuts around to the right (northeast, I think) of the building before widening out again. It took me awhile to figure that out because it looks as though the path is just for people who want to check out the old structure. Don't be fooled! I wish they had put it on the map because it is a really useful landmark. I took my (leashed) dog and spent four or five hours doing this hike. We both enjoyed ourselves. The observation tower gave a pretty good view in several directions. Just FYI, it's 5 bucks at the gate for out of state and 4 bucks for Indianans (?).
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