This Historic Park Is One Of Indiana's Best-Kept Secrets
By Tori Jane|Published March 24, 2021
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
When it comes to little-known parks in Indiana, few seem to be quite as underappreciated as Falls of the Ohio State Park, near Clarksville, in Clark County. You’ll hear everything, all day, about places like Brown County State Park, or any other super-popular Indiana travel destinations, but you just won’t hear much about Falls of the Ohio State Park – and that’s too bad because its history is rich and fascinating.
Nestled along the banks of the Ohio River, just off of Interstate 65 in Clarksville, Indiana, you will find Falls of the Ohio State Park.
When you arrive, we recommend that you first visit the Interpretive Center, which is essentially a museum dedicated to the history of the region as well as the intriguing limestone landscape.
Among the items on display are numerous fossils excavated from the area within and around the park.
In fact, the entire park (which is relatively small, at just 165 acres) is filled to the brim with strange and amazing fossils. It's the fossil beds themselves that draw in curious visitors from around the world - the ones who know it's there, anyway.
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The fossil beds are among the largest exposed fossil beds on earth, and they're around 386 million years old.
This dates all the way back to the Devonian period, which is also known as the Age of Fishes. During this time period, the oceans were teeming with life - some of which had begun coming onto land.
There's something incredible about looking at the fossilized remains of a creature from a world that existed so long ago, when the planet was very literally a totally different place.
It's very important to note, however, that collecting any fossils is strictly prohibited. Please do everything you can to preserve this incredible place for another few million years.
An interesting historic tidbit about Falls of the Ohio State Park, other than the fossils, is that historical figures Meriwether Lewis and William Clark met up here to begin the adventure that would come to be known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Also visible from the banks of the Ohio River in this area is the Louisville, Kentucky, skyline; it's interesting to see ancient history and modern society juxtaposed together in such a way.
The best months to visit are from August to October when water levels will be at their lowest, and the majority of the fossil beds will be visible.
However, they're open seven days a week, year-round, from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., and the Interpretive Center is open from Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The park requests that guests planning their visits call (812) 280-9970 for tour information like pricing and times.
