State Parks and Nature Preserves Beauty, Charm, and Adventure Indiana Nature Preserves Discovering the Outdoors

Indiana Parks Alliance

State Parks and Nature Preserves

Working to enhance the experiences of visitors, protect our natural and cultural resources and maintain a Hoosier legacy for generations to come.

Experience Our State Parks.

Beauty, Charm, and Adventure

Our state park system manages 36 properties, 7 state park inns and 170,000 acres of land and water.

Meet The Natural World.

Indiana Nature Preserves

Nature Preserves are the most widely distributed system of protected lands in Indiana, with preserves in 65 of Indiana’s 92 counties.

Indiana State Parks and Nature Preserves

Discovering the Outdoors

You can help make a difference in the lives of the 16 million people who visit Indiana’s state parks on an annual basis and the millions more who visit state nature preserves. Join IPA today!

The Indiana Parks Alliance (IPA) is a charitable organization that supports Indiana State Parks and
state owned Nature Preserves, the resources they steward and the people they serve.

We consider ourselves an organization of “doers” who advocate for and promote these public lands and the opportunities they provide. That’s why our partners are so important to us. IPA integrates their objectives into one agenda to create a unified network of action for the natural and cultural resources and facilities in our Indiana State Parks and Indiana Nature Preserves. Our partners include state parks, state-owned nature preserves, the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation, local friends groups and YOU as a member!


A Conversation With Dan Bortner
(2/12/24)

Hear the Latest News on Indiana’s Parks & Nature Preserves.


Trails for Tomorrow

Indiana Parks Alliance is announcing their Trails for Tomorrow campaign.
About 4 million people a year hike on state park trails.  In a recent survey, 70% of respondents said that hiking on trails was their #1 activity when visiting state parks. Indiana Parks Alliance is embarking on a major campaign to advocate with the governor’s office and legislature to restore trail maintenance funding and raise funds to supplement state funding to make trails at State Parks and Nature Preserves more sustainable and enhance the user’s experience.


President’s Message

Conservation Thoughts
By IPA President, Tom Hohman

Tom @ Prophetstown SP 2

As a child I was introduced to nature by my father, who was an avid fisherman.  However, even before he kindled that love of nature, I was fascinated by astronomy, and the unknown worlds awaiting our exploration.  I loved science fiction books, and their vision of the future in space.

I recently reread a classic science fiction novel called Caves of Steel, by Isaac Asimov.  The novel is essentially a murder mystery set on Earth in the distant future.  In this future Earth, all people live in domed, climate controlled cities.  The cities are connected by enclosed passageways.  Not only does no one ever need to venture outside these enclosures, no one would even think about doing so.  According to the book, humans living in the cities are incapable of going outside the domes.  


How You Can Help!

Join IPA Today!

You too can make a difference!
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Visit our News Center for current and past news articles.

News Center

State Parks Highlight: Civil War Re-enactors Engage and Entertain

By Teena Ligman, President, Friends of Spring Mill State Park The weekends when…

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News Center

Conservation Thoughts

As a child I was introduced to nature by my father, who was…

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News Center

Lilly Grants $50 Million to State Parks

At a special public meeting at Prophetstown State Park on Wednesday, Lilly Endowment…

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