The Vigo County Parks Department manages a variety of parks, nature preserves and amenities.  You can find everything you need to get away within Vigo County!  For more information on a specific park, please select one of the links below: 

Fowler Park and Wilderness Area 

• 462.82 acre park with 55.9 acres of water;
• Located 7.2 miles south of I-70 on US 41, .8 miles east on Oregon Church Road;
• Fowler Park features two lakes, a campground, picnic shelters, playgrounds, trails, and a pioneer village;
• For more information, visit this park's website

Prairie Creek Park

• 282.75 acres with 16 acres of water;
• Situated 10 miles south of   I-70 on U.S. 41 and 4 miles west on West French Drive;
• Prairie Creek Park features a lake and two ponds, a campground, picnic shelters, playground, trails, baseball diamond, a multipurpose court with two tennis courts and basketball goals, a natural nature study woodland, and a Sugar Camp. 
• For more information, visit this park's website

Hawthorn Park and J I Case Wetland Wildlife Refuge

• 256.72 acres with 68.6 acres of water;
• Located on East Old Maple Avenue, .6 mile north of U.S. 40 off of Hunt Road (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on south border);
• Inside Hawthorn Park are a lake, campground, labyrinth, picnic shelters, playgrounds, archery range, and trails including a fully accessible trail with a wildlife observation shelter overlooking J I Case Wetland Wildlife Refuge. 
• For more information, visit this park's website

R. Kermit Flesher Memorial State Nature Preserve

• 36 acres with no water;
• Unique flood plain forest located in the bottom land of Prairie Creek Township, just west of the little town of Hutton and not far from the Wabash River. 
• Left in its natural state, it has an impressive number of pecan trees and other trees primarily restricted to southwest Indiana. 
• For more information, visit this nature preserve's website

Markle Mill Park

• 8 acres with no water;
• Situated on Mill Dam Road on Otter Creek in northern Vigo County.
• Historical site where only the dam and remnants of the 1816 Markle grist-sawmill foundation remain.
• For more information, visit this park's website.

Neighborhood Parks

• Lee Fields, South Seventh Street, and George & Ida Smith Parks
• 7.88 acres, 1 acre, and .5 acre respectively.
• For more information, visit the neighborhood parks website.

ANNUAL VIGO COUNTY EVENTS

• Maple Sugarin' Days - February 1-28, Prairie Creek Park
• Pancake Breakfast - Third weekend in February, Fowler Park
• Triathlon - Third Saturday in May, Hawthorn Park
• Pioneer Village - Open in summer, every 3rd weekend, Fowler Park
• Pioneer Days - First full weekend in October, Fowler Park
• Christmas Walk - First full weekend in December, Fowler Park

For a comprehensive list of events, see the

• Vigo County Parks Events Calendar
• Park's Dept FAQ's