WAYNEDALE OUTDOORS Q & A

WELCOME BACK to the 2011 Great Outdoors at Indiana State Parks and Reservoirs!

The temperature’s rising, the fish are biting and the wildflowers along our hiking trails signal that we’re ready for you to enjoy a wide array of outdoor activities at our 24 state parks and eight reservoirs. This is the perfect time to plan for a weekend of wildlife watching, a night by a crackling campfire and a day or two to relax and escape a hectic world without traveling far from home.

Ben recommends Camping, fishing, boating, and picnicking at: Ouabache State Park, Roush Lake (Huntington Reservoir), Salamonie Reservoir, Mississinewa Reservoir, and Chain O’Lakes SP. They are the closest State owned places to Waynedale. All are within 50 – 60 miles.

Treasures in your Own Backyard: Save Gas and Visit a Park Close to Home.

We’re all watching gas prices and thinking about how we can manage some summer travel and still stay within our budgets. Every Hoosier can find a state park or reservoir within an hour of home, so check out the trails, campgrounds, nature centers and picnic areas in your own backyard this summer. Look for properties near you in the Indiana Recreation Guide or online with our DNR.
Firewood: Bring it Debarked, Buy it Stamped and Burn it All.

To help conserve the forest resources on DNR properties, we have developed a new firewood policy that requires you to remove the bark from any firewood that you bring from home. You can also purchase firewood bearing a state or federal compliance stamp, or bring scrap kiln-dried construction lumber. The emerald ash borer has now invaded at least five of our state parks and reservoirs, and is likely to be found in more. All of those infestations have come through firewood that carried EAB. Our goal with this policy is to work to keep out the NEXT bad bug before it reaches us.

Say “Cheese,” Enter our Photo Contest

Check out great photos taken in state parks and reservoirs and post your own on our Flickr page. See contest details on our photo contest page.

Happy Birthday, Indiana State Parks & Reservoirs

Indiana’s state park system was given to Hoosiers as a 100th birthday gift when Indiana celebrated its centennial in 1916. We’ll be 100 years old in 2016, and we’re already celebrating.

Remember Your Lake Permit if you are into boating on any of the state run waterways.

All privately owned, motorized and non-motorized boats moored or operating on state park, state forest or reservoir lakes in Indiana must have a lake permit displayed on the boat. You can pick up your permit ($20 motorized, $5 non-motorized) at any of our state park or reservoir offices, at the DNR Customer Service Center or online at innsgifts.com.