Fun fact: Indiana is now officially the home of 300 nature preserves. For a state of our size, that’s incredibly impressive; no matter where you live, you’re bound to be close to at least a few – and the others are absolutely worth traveling for. The preserve that earned the coveted 300th spot is known as Toothwort Woods Nature Preserve, and it’s wonderful. That being said, all of the nature preserves in Indiana are wonderful – and all of them are worthy of a road trip!

It's nice to be an outdoor enthusiast in Indiana, I'm just sayin'.
IN.gov
Quite literally, you can turn in any direction and be facing five different nature preserves - they're fairly evenly distributed around the state, and it's wonderful.
In late 2023, our 300th nature preserve was officially established.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources/Facebook
It's a big deal when a new park or preserve is dedicated, and this was a whole celebration - one worth having, if you ask me.
Our nature preserves are, to put it simply, the cream of the crop when it comes to our natural landscape.
Patrick Alexander/Flickr
Our most beautiful, most intriguing, and most historically significant zones are typically designated as parks or preserves, and this is exactly what makes them so special and worth traveling for. They're incredible - so much so that they got a special designation to protect them.

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There are so many nature preserves in Indiana that I can't possibly name them all in one, two or even three short articles.
David Cornwell/Flickr
But, of course, some of our preserves are more popular than others; some of these much-beloved nature preserves in Indiana include the Portland Arch Nature Preserve, Pine Hills Nature Preserve, Black Rock Nature Preserve, and Trevlac Bluffs Preserve.
The list, of course, goes on - I could go on for days.
rsetup/Flickr
This amazing number of preserves in our little state means something special, though: they all make for the perfect road trip.
The road trip can literally be as long or as short as you want, and in whatever region of the state (or maybe across it).
Tom Gill/Flickr

For a complete list of all the amazing nature preserves in the Hoosier State (and plenty of information on each as well), check out the official Indiana Department of Natural Resources website. If you plan on hiking at these preserves and want to amp up your hiking game, I can’t recommend AllTrails Plus enough.

Do you have plans to check out Toothwort Woods Nature Preserve? Or, well, any of the 300 preserves we’ve got? Let me know – and send pictures!

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