Shades State Park: Prospect Point & a Picnic

A ravine walk to a lookout high over Sugar Creek, a naturalist’s marker, and lunch under the trees.

Shades State Park is the quiet one of the two big Sugar Creek parks: deep ravines, sandstone cliffs, hemlocks, and lookouts high above Sugar Creek. This quest follows Trail 1 past the Devil's Punchbowl to Prospect Point, then visits a roadside marker to a local naturalist and ends with a picnic.

Best in the morning: cool air in the ravines, few people on the trails, and you can finish with an early picnic. The park also advertises one of the darkest skies in Indiana (after 11 p.m., stargazers need a permit from the office), but this quest is a daytime one.

Entrance fee: $7 per car with Indiana plates, $15 out of state. Picnicking is allowed at the Hemlock Picnic Area and the shelters. Leashed dogs are allowed. Trails close at dusk. Trail 1 runs partly in a creek bed and gets very muddy, and some Shades trails are impassable in high water, so check the trail board at the lot. Swimming and wading in Sugar Creek are prohibited. At Prospect Point, stay behind any railing and back from the edge.

Play safe: stay on public sidewalks and grounds, respect private property, and never read your phone while driving.

Quest details

• Where: Shades State Park, near Waveland
• Time: About 150 minutes
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Steps: 7
• Cost: State park entrance: $7 per car (Indiana plates), $15 out of state

Play it free on your phone. Go in daylight, stay on public ground and follow local rules.