The many lakes, rivers, creeks and streams that pepper Indiana's "Lake Country" offer a range of outdoor activities for staying fit and healthy while enjoying the beautiful landscape. Most lake and river areas feature fishing, canoeing and hiking opportunities while nearby parks often include full-service campgrounds. Lake beach areas are also available and some include whitewater paddling services.
Lake Beach Areas
Indiana lakes include numerous beaches which feature a range of outdoor recreational activities. Marquette Park Beach in Indiana's Lake Country offers swimming, boating and fishing. Hulman Beach also features these activities as well as whitewater paddling. The beach is flanked on one side by the McCormick's Creek State Park, which is possibly the oldest park in Indiana. Park attractions include eight numbered hiking trails, a small cave, ravine, waterfall and sinkhole formations.
Canoeing
The Iroquois River in Indiana is nearly 100 miles long with slow-moving, shallow, muddy water. The river runs through Indiana farmland where you likely will see raccoons, chipmunks, ducks and turtles. Canoeing is available year-round from east of Brook, Indiana, up to the state's border, a round-trip that covers about 16 miles and takes seven hours. You can also canoe Indiana's largest river, the Wabash, but note that there are remnants of old lock and dam structures with debris and rocks within the river.
Fishing
Fish for bass, catfish and panfish in Indiana's Tipsaw Lake, which includes a boat ramp and boat ramp parking lot that is open year round. Only boats with electric motors can be used. Enjoy overnight fishing excursions via the Tipsaw Lake Recreation Area, which offers campgrounds that feature surfaced pads, flush toilets, piped water and nearby showers as well as electrical hookups for trailers and motor homes. Carp and catfish can be found around the drifts of the Iroquois River and smallmouth bass and panfish in the river's downstream area.
Hiking
The Wabash and Erie Canal trails in Delphi, Indiana, pass over streams on an assortment of bridges and features sights of old canal warehouses and homes that used to be common in this area of Indiana. Serious hikers can enjoy the Three Lakes Loop Trail and Low Gap; each features 10 miles of rugged terrain, including edges, dips, vertical climbs and vegetation.
Cross-Country Skiing & Biking
Tippecanoe River State Park offers cross-country skiing in the winter months along the river. The park includes numerous picnic and camping facilities, but they do not offer ski rentals. Canoeing, hiking and fishing is also available at the park. Take a bike ride in Prophetstown State Park's designated bicycle trail and enjoy the surrounding wetlands, fens---wet slopes---and open woodlands. Camping facilities are also available and include 55 full hookup sites and a dumping station.
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