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Outdoors: Spring Mill State Park Spring Mill State Park Cool caves and towering trees are among the many attractions at Spring Mill State Park. Located just east of Mitchell in Lawrence County, the park is in the heart of Indiana's karst country, an area characterized by caves, sinkholes, disappearing rivers and massive limestone deposits. Caves on the property host bats, blind crayfish, and the endangered Northern blind cave fish. Also on the property is the Donaldson Woods Nature Preserve, named after an early owner who refused to allow any trees to be cut. His decision, regarded as eccentric at the time, has left us with one of the few remaining stands of never-cut timber in the state. Trail number three passes through the heart of the preserve. There are seven hiking trails in the park, altogether totaling more than eight miles. The trails range in difficulty from easy to rugged, and in length from one-quarter mile to 2.5 miles. Several of the trails include long staircases of a hundred or more steps. Trails 3 and 4 can take you to Donaldson Cave, a large cave that visitors are permitted to enter on foot. Parts of this cave were used in pioneering studies of underground ecosystems. There are also two miles of mountain bike trails, and mountain bikes are available for rental. Yet another attraction at the park is the Pioneer Village, a re-creation of an early 1800s settlement, complete with operating grist mill and blacksmith shop. Interpretive staff are on hand seasonally to operate and explain the mill and other exhibits. Additional features at the park include an Inn and restaurant, nature center, lake, Olympic-sized swimming pool (in season), campground and campstore, picnic areas and shelterhouses. Near the entrance is a memorial to Virgil "Gus" Grissom, an astronaut born in nearby Mitchell who was killed in the launch pad fire that consumed the Apollo I spacecraft on January 27, 1967. The memorial exhibits include the Gemini III space capsule that Grissom rode in for several orbits around the earth during March 1965. In short, this park is packed with things to see and do, and it deserves a spot on any short list of places to visit in Indiana. How to get there: Spring Mill State Park is about two miles east of Mitchell along Indiana 60. The entrance is on the north side of the road. Contact Information: Spring Mill State Park Box 376 Mitchell, IN 47446 812-849-4129