Outdoors: Lincoln State Park

Lake Lincoln Click to Enlarge Trail 3 Click to Enlarge Fire Tower Click to Enlarge View from Fire Tower Click to Enlarge Boat Rental Cabin Click to Enlarge Introduction Lincoln State Park is one of Indiana’s oldest state parks, and actually honors the President’s mother. Lincoln spent his youth in this area, and many of the trails pass sites that figured prominently in his early life. The park’s principal physiographic feature is Lake Lincoln, a rather pretty impoundment formed by damming several small streams. Trails Trail 3 gets my vote as the best in the park; it passes through the Sarah Lincoln's Woods Nature Preserve, which protects a rare example of oak barrens habitat. Its rather open tree canopy admits enough light to support prairie plants; late summer is best. Trail 1 circles the lake; it’s a pleasant hike as long as there isn’t much noisy activity on or around the water. Trail 1 also has a short spur to a CCC-era fire tower that (as of this writing) you can climb for superb views. Facilities Campground, beach house, boat rental, amphitheater, etc. Directions View Larger Map Spencer County. The entrance is on the south side of IN 162, 1.9 miles east of Gentryville and the intersection of IN 162 and US 231. North 38 06.666 West 86 59.890 DeLorme 62:C3/4 Nearby Natural Areas Hemmer Woods Nature Preserve References Bloom: Hiking Indiana; Page 184 Goll: Indiana State Parks; Page 116 Habeck: Wild Indiana; Page 116 Indiana Department of Natural Resources McPherson: Indiana Best Hikes; Page 451 McPherson: Nature Walks in Southern Indiana; Page 465