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Outdoors: Shades State Park Shades State Park Shades State Park lies along Sugar Creek within Montgomery and Parke Counties in west-central Indiana. The park was established in 1947 and comprises over 3,000 acres of wooded ravines and rolling hills. The spectacular Pine Hills Nature Preserve is located adjacent to the park, to the east. There are eleven hiking trails in the park, including a backpacking trail which leads to a separate hike-in campground. At 2.5 miles, the backpacking trail is the longest in the park. Other trails range in length from half a mile to 1.5 miles, and are described by DNR as ranging from "easy" to "very rugged". Most of the trails involve stair climbing and many include portions that follow streambeds, and these trails may be slippery or impassable during high water. Highlights of the trail system include the Devil's Punchbowl and Silver Cascade Falls (Trail 1) and Lover's Leap and Maidenhair Falls (Trail 2). Trail 10 connects the park trail system with the must-visit Pine Hills Nature Preserve. The Devil's Backbone, Slide, Honeycomb Rock, and Mill Cut Backbone formations await visitors to this preserve. There is an extensive flora and fauna in the park. Species you might expect to see during a visit depend on the time of year, but Bloodroot and May Apple are common spring wildflowers. Ferns include Maidenhair, Sensitive, and Bulbet Ferns. Wood Thrush, Pileated Woodpecker, Hooded Warbler, Northern Parula Warbler, and Northern Rough-winged Swallow all occur in the park. Park facilities include a campground, picnic areas and shelters and an airfield! There is also a public canoe lauch on the north side of Sugar Creek, just north of the park on Indiana 234. The launch is adjacent to the Deer's Mill Covered Bridge. Canoe camping is also available along Sugar Creek at a specially designated area (not accessible by vehicles) in the northwestern park of the park. To Get There: From Crawfordsville, follow Indiana 47 southwest about 8 miles to its intersection with Indiana 234. Turn west and follow the signs to the park. Contact Information: Shades State Park Route 1, Box 72 Waveland, Indiana 47989 765-435-2810