Clifty Falls State Park Campground

Beautiful park with ten well-established hiking trails. The four spectacular waterfalls we were expecting to see were lacking water! We later discovered that the water runs only from December to June. Even with that disappointment, we enjoyed our visit. The drive through the park was lovely, and one of our hikes took us to an abandoned train tunnel that was open for exploring.

The Campsite was pretty sparse due to it being early spring and during the week (April 1-3). The restrooms on the electric loop were not open, but the new facilities on the primitive loop were open. There was water available at the gatehouse to the loop. The park was great and we had a very good time! There is a dump station with two sewer lines available, and water, but not something you could hook a hose to. Neither the entrance to the park or the campground shacks were staffed at this time.

This is a beautiful park with lots of scenic hiking trails of varying level of difficulty. Check in was easy. Park entrance fee for non-resident is $9.00 per vehicle. Bath houses are not heated, so a bit uncomfortable in cold weather. They were clean, but could use a little maintenance. Overall the campground was nice, with good spacing between sites. Saw 4 deer and could hear an owl nearby.

Stayed here so we could visit relatives. There are a lot of pull thrus for larger trailers. We were on the electric only side. There is a spigot on the restroom/ shower building for filling bladders/containers if you need water. Places seem mostly level with rock. Showers were clean and decent size. Had hot water. There is a pool there but it was closed. Lots of people riding bikes and walking. We were out in the open so we had signal for our dish. It was hot so we had all 3 AC’s running. Cell service was hit or miss, mostly one bar.

We arrived at the park and started the trip off with news that the pool had been closed for the season due to lack of lifeguard staffing. Now I realize it's not the parks fault, but an update on their website or Facebook would have been nice. They have a very nice pool that we were looking forward to utilizing due to the weather being blazing hot. After entering the campground we checked in and purchased firewood and ice, which was reasonably priced. We arrived around 3pm,check in was 2pm. As we arrived staff was cutting grass, unfortunately I guess we arrived too early and they were unable to cut the grass on our site. It wasn't outrageously long, but it was longer than it should have been. The site was clean and leveling was very simple. The restrooms and bathhouses were also both clean and well kept. Our first night we decided to try the Clifty Inn, which was located in the lodge. The lodge is nice, pretty dated, and gave me some Shinning vibes, which was cool. The Inn wasn't busy at all and we got a table very quickly. Both the wife and I ordered the nightly special which was The Beef Manhattan (roasted beef on Texas toast, covered in mashed potatoes and gravy.) and the salad bar. The salad bar was good and everything was fresh. The Beef Manhattan was good as well, I left very stuffed and the wife left with leftovers. We also decided to get breakfast here prior to checking out and it too was very good. The next day we decided to hit the trails. The trails are clearly marked and have wood rails all along them. You have to stay on the trails. Although the falls were nice and scenic, you can only see them from afar, you cannot get to the bottom of the falls what so ever. The tunnel trail was our favorite. Very basic hiking. We prefer more free range hiking where you can get close to things. After hiking we explored the town of Madison which has a lot of history. It's a nice old town with several good places and shops to check out. I recommend stopping in Shippley's for a burger. The next day the heat was almost unbearable. We called around in hopes of finding an open public pool with no luck. The town of Madison has a very unique public pool, dating back to The Great Depression, but it too was closed. After doing some digging we found another state park fairly close. We decided to spend the day at Hardy Lake State Park. It was only a 30 minute drive and well worth it. Staff was very friendly, even letting us in for free due to us camping at Clifty. The beach was very clean with soft sand, and the lake water was refreshing and surprisingly clear. It was a good time. All together I would most likely not return to Clifty Falls, although I'm glad we visited and got to see the falls. If you camp here call first to make sure their pool is open. If not, I'd go with Hardy Lake.

Campsites are gravel and NOT level. Be prepared to do some serious leveling. #40 2 sites down looked pretty level.
Lots of dumpsters that’s good unless it’s at your site, it was.
The shower houses are old and need some upgrading.
Quite a few water fill stations.
Stay away from the Clifty Inn for dining.
Campground is about 10 minutes from the North gate. All the stores you need (Walmart, Lowes, Kroger) are 4 miles east of the north gate. 10 minutes from the South Gate and a short drive to downtown Madison not a bad little downtown.
Hiking is great! Trail 7 is a lot of stairs. #8 is quite nice. #9 is easy. 1 is a little challenging.
Power seemed stable.

We enjoyed 2 nights at Clifty Falls State Park in mid October 2023. We're fairly new to camping and are finding that Indiana State parks are largely Electric only. We would prefer water or full hook up but it is what it is. Loading up with water seemed more difficult than necessary. I don't understand why they designed the water source as they did. It had a small concrete slab but the traffic pattern had caused a lot of mud in the area so you had to watch your step and clean your hose afterward. Site 76 was reasonably level. One night we used our Beech Teardrop devices and the next night we just parked without assistance. The site was on a corner and was large and grassy. I'd used this spot again. Most sites seemed to be a good size and grassy, The bathhouses were conveniently placed. The camp store had a decent amount of camping supplies. I was hoping for more picturesque falls but we enjoyed the park and also toured the nearby Rivertown of Madison. Keep in mind that there is a one time $7 fee to enter the park - after that your window ticket gets you free entry. We didn't eat at the Clifty Falls Inn as it was too far to walk from the campground. We saw a lot of people biking throughout the park.