The Ultimate Indiana Waterfalls Road Trip (Part 2: Southern Indiana)

Meg Archer

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!

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 featured six of our favorite ‘falls in the Northern half of the state, but here is PART 2… with seven awesome Southern Indiana waterfalls!

To make it easy-as-pie (Sugar Cream Pie, that is), we built you a Road Map through Google Maps! Let’s get this waterfall road trip in Southern Indiana started!

rsteup/Flickr

Cataract Falls in Lieber State Recreation Area is the largest waterfall in Indiana by volume and consists of two falls, roughly a half-mile apart on Mill Creek. The Upper Falls drops 20 feet and the Lower Falls drops about 18 feet.

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Paul/Flickr

There is a lovely short trail between the two, but you can also drive to either one. As it is a State Recreation Area, there is an entrance fee to the park, but it is well worth it to see these picturesque falls. The fall foliage is beautiful, but Mill Creek is fullest after snowmelt (or a particularly excellent thunderstorm), which bulks up the falls significantly.

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Cataract Falls, 1317 W Lieber Rd, Cloverdale, IN 46120

wplynn/Flickr

In the winter months, Cataract Falls can freeze over entirely, which is also pretty amazing to see.

See this stunning waterfall frozen in time in this quick video:

Joey Lax-Salinas/Flickr

Although not large, the McCormick's Creek Falls are worth checking out—McCormick's Creek State Park is the oldest state park in Indiana and was founded in 1916 in celebration of the 100th year of statehood!

Anna Hesser/Flickr

There is a campground on-site, as well as The Canyon Inn—a former sanitarium where brave guests can spend the night! Much of the limestone used to build the State Capitol building comes from McCormick's Creek State Park.

Nyttend via WikiMedia

Many of the buildings and structures in the park were built in the New Deal era, which landed the limestone arch bridge over the creek a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.

McCormick's Creek Falls, 250 McCormick Creek Park Rd, Spencer, IN 47460

Kat Rowland/Flickr

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Pioneers in the 1800’s settled in this area to take advantage of this flowing cave springs to power gristmills, a sawmill, a wool mill, and even a distillery!

Spring Mill State Park/Facebook

The village has been restored and offers interpretive tours, and the small falls created by the dam is worth a quick stop to see, but the coolest part of this park is the spring, which flows right out of River Cave.

Eric Bartholomew/Flickr

The many caves are a major draw to the area, especially since the Donaldson/Bronson Cave and others had been closed for several years to protect the bat population from an outbreak of White-nosed Syndrome.

The caves have since been reopened to the public, but require permission from the Department of Natural Resources through the Indiana Karst Conservancy to enter (which is totally worth the extra step, if you have time to prepare before embarking upon this epic road trip).

Spring Mill State Park, 3333 IN-60 E, Mitchell, IN 47446, USA

bob/Flickr

Find out why Spring Mills might be the most beautiful park in Indiana.

Be sure to watch this review of the Spring Mills State Park by the Hoosier Campers. Then, hop in a car and head out to explore it in person:

Ulrich Burkhalter/Flickr

The Hemlock Cliffs Trail is a 1.5 mile loop that leads you down into a narrow box canyon and offers lush green views, vertical sandstone cliffs, and hides some of the most beautiful seasonal waterfalls in the state.

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Ulrich Burkhalter/Flickr

There are spots to stop and see Hemlock Cliffs Falls from both the top and from the plunge pool below.

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Ulrich Burkhalter/Flickr

Messmore Falls drops an impressive 70 feet during high water flow times.

Hemlock Cliffs, Union Township, IN 47118, USA

Ulrich Burkhalter/Flickr

The trail is moderately difficult, steep, and can be slippery in some areas, but if you are looking for a peaceful escape, Hemlock Cliffs are one of the most beautiful areas in the state.

Clifty Falls State Park/Facebook

Clifty Falls State Park/Facebook

Clifty Falls State Park is a truly unique place. The park has four waterfalls; the largest, Tunnel Falls, drops 83 feet, however the other three-- Big Clifty Falls, Little Clifty Falls, and Hoffman Falls—aren’t much smaller (60 feet, 60 feet, and 78 feet, respectively).

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teamsnardy/TripAdvisor

Clifty Creek Canyon, which stretches the entire length of the park and empties into the Ohio River, has over 12 miles of walking and hiking trails (some of which are quite rugged) and has many other smaller falls to explore as well.

Clifty Falls State Park, 1501 Green Road, Madison, IN 47250

Shannon Tompkins/Flickr

Muscatatuck Park/Facebook

The Muscatatuck River flows along the southern end of this park and there are several waterfalls to see along the River Trail, which begins at the Vinegar Mill, where you can see Canyon Creek Falls.

Muscatatuck Park/Facebook

Muscatatuck Park/Facebook

The River Trail follows the river for roughly two miles. The small Muscatatuck Falls are fed by a limestone spring.

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Muscatatuck Park, 325 N State Highway 3, North Vernon, Indiana 47265

Muscatatuck Park/Facebook

Learn more about the Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge and all of the wonderful things you can see and do in its 8,000 acres of beauty.

John Hiker/AllTrails

Anderson Falls may not have the epic free-fall of other waterfalls, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful! While only 12" tall, the spillway is more than 100" wide and drops off of a rock ledge that creates a cave space behind the falls.

Anderson Falls, 3699 North 1140 County Rd E, Hartsville, IN 47244

Jennifer Harter/Flickr

Anderson Falls is easy to get to - it’s right along the road on CR 1140 and there are signs and a small parking area to guide you. The far side of the falls is part of the Anderson Falls Park State Nature Preserve, and you can find further hiking trails there if you cross Clifty Creek above the falls.

Let's go for a little hike to Anderson Falls in this quick video:

There are SO many waterfalls throughout Southern Indiana, it was hard to choose which ones to include on this list!

We left out a few favorites because we think they deserve their OWN special trip and not just a stop on this awesome waterfall loop, which is certainly one of the best road trips in Indiana!

Here are a couple of bonus photos of Turkey Run State Park, just because we think it’s pretty…and because you totally need to visit it (when you have plenty of time to explore)!

Image: Flickr / Michael Rollinger

Image: Flickr / David Wilson

Did you pack the snacks for this Southern Indiana waterfalls road trip? We’re ready to hit the road on one of the most scenic drives in Indiana!

If you really want to go all out, combine this loop with our Ultimate Waterfall Road Trip Part 1: Northern Indiana for an extended trip to see the best waterfalls in Indiana.

Where should we go next? Tell us in the comments section!