Chain O'Lakes State Park, an Indiana State Park near Columbia City, Fort Wayne, Kendallville

USA

Indiana

Chain O'Lakes State Park

Photo Courtesy Tron Artavatkun

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Facilities and Activities:

Day-Use Fishing yes
Hiking Trail, miles yes
Picnicking yes
Picnic Shelters, # yes
Swimming Beach, feet yes
Nature Center yes
Nature Programs yes
Boating Boat Rental yes
Boating Limits -1
Launch Ramps, # 1
Camping Primative, # 82
Electric Sites, # 331
Flush Toilets yes
Dumpstation yes
Showers yes
Camp Commissary yes
Camper Cabins, # yes
Group Camp, capacity yes
Youth Group Camp, capacity yes
Winter Cross-Country Skiing yes
Ice Fishing yes

State Park Location Maps:

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State Park Photo Gallery:
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Photo Courtesy Tron Artavatkun

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State Park Link:
Chain O'Lakes State Park

Nearby Parks:
Gene Stratton Porter State Memorial
Tri-County State Fish And Game Area
Wawasee State Fish Hatchery

State Park Contact Information:
	Chain O'Lakes State Park 2355 E. 75 South Albion, Indiana 46701 Phone: 260-636-2654 Toll Free: 800-457-8283 Reservations: 866-622-6746	Area Accommodations
Adopt-A-Park Contacts:
	Photography: add your photos
State Park Reservations:
	Reservations:

State Park Overview:

This is lake country and a small boater's paradise. Eight connecting lakes will be the center of your adventures at Chain O'Lakes State Park in Noble County. Paddle through the chain, hike the trails, or attend a nature program in the park's 'old schoolhouse' nature center. At nearby Rome City, you can visit the Gene Stratton-Porter Home, State Historic Site.

Nature of the Area:

The land making up Chain O Lakes State Park is chiefly fresh waterbog over deep peat deposits. The river bluff areas and gently sloping morainal hills rise to 200 feet, and were deposited by Illinois' last glacier.

Chain O' Lakes has a mixture of oak and hickory hardwood timber. The park also contains cherry, elm, birch, sumac and spruce with rich colors that attract numerous visitors each fall, plus some scattered pine plantings.

Nature lovers will find a rich assortment of wildflowers in the spring, summer and fall.

Grass Lake once was almost entirely covered with American Lotus each summer, and attracted great crowds including tour boats, annually. The lake still contains some areas of lotus.

Two hundred acres of restored native prairie provide nesting habitat for grassland bird species.

Some of the wildlife you are likely to encounter within the park are white-tailed deer, rabbits, ground squirrels, chipmunks, mink, opossum, skunks, raccoons, gophers, fox, badgers, beaver, coyotes, and groundhogs. A check-list of the nearly 200 birds that have been identified in the park is available at the park office.

Reviews By Park Visitors:

visitor rating:

(8 votes) |Post Your Own Review

Great nature area, lots to see and do!

Services are very nice and a lot of great things to do!

(name not given) 22-May-2008

Favorite local park!

Great fishing, along with great times at this park.

(name not given) 23-May-2008

STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS

SO WE CAN GET A CAMPING SPOT WE LOVE THIS PARK WHETHER CAMPING OR IN ONE OF THE CABINS

Written by QUARK 18-Jun-2008

Our family loves this park! The cabiins rock and the lakes and streams are great to canoe on! Fishing is pretty good too!

(name not given) 14-Jul-2008

a retirement heaven

absolutely beautiful. relaxing and serene. If you love Bambi, you surely will love it here. I loved it so much that I am selling my home here in new mexico and moving to Albion Indiana so my husband and I can retire in peace and enjoy the rest of our lives by the lakes.

(name not given) 26-Jul-2008

Great childhood memories

The BEST memories I have of my childhood were camping here!

Written by yoderguy1 14-Feb-2009

Best fishing and awesome camping.

This is my favorite state park. Way better than Potato Creek.

Written by Charlie 30-Mar-2009

i was bit by a deer. i saw people from the YHCC peeing in the lake. i tried swimming in the lake, and got seaweed in my mouth. this park is inexcusable. there was a green truck, always using swear words and almost hit our campsite while driving. we left immediately.

(name not given) 1-Nov-2009

Camping:

* Electric / 331 sites * Non-Electric / 49 sites * Primitive / 33 sites * Rally Camp / 4 sites * Canoe Camp * Youth Tent Areas * Campground Reservations * Camp Store * Dumping Station

Trails:

Chain O Lakes has four trail systems. The Nature's Way hiking trail starts at Oak Grove Picnic Area and is 2 ? miles in length. The Pike Marsh North Picnic Area has a trail especially designed for disabled users that is ? mile long. The park also contains an equestrian trail with three loops and a total length of 8 miles. Visitors can bring in their own horses for enjoyment on the trail. A parking lot for horse trailers with access to the equestrian trails is located near the park entrance. A biking/hiking trail, 6 miles in length can be accessed at any picnic area between the concession stand and the park office. In the winter all trails can be used by cross-country skiers with the park office doubling as a warming house on weekends with 3" of snow; hours are 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Picnicking:

The park features seven picnic areas with tables, water fountains, grills and toilets. Oak Grove, Maple Grove and Oak Point have playground equipment. Oak Pont, Deer path, Oak Grove and Catfish Cove have picnic shelters. Reservations and a $25 fee are required for shelters. Groups of 25 or more must secure advanced written permission for picnics from the Park Office.

Boating:

There is no charge to launch boats at the park, nor is there any horsepower limitations on boats using any of the Chain O' Lakes. Electric trolling motors only are allowed on boats on Turner Lake, a 44 acre lake in the park. A user fee is required for all boats using the Chain O Lakes charged by the Fox Waterway Agency. Stickers are available at the park concession stand/boat launch.

History of the Area:

The Chain O Lakes area was inhabited by central Algonquian Tribes when Europeans first arrived in the Mid-1600's. The predominant tribes in the region at that time were the Miami, Mascouten and Potawatomi. These Native American groups led a semi-mobile lifestyle and grew corn, hunted, fished and gathered wild plant foods.

Joliet and Marquette passed through what today is Chain O Lakes State Park in 1673, as they traveled the Fox River during their Illinois explorations. French trappers and traders were the first Europeans to explore the area. The first European settlement was at Fort Hill, near Mundelein, a large mound rising out of the prairie, formerly a lookout point for the Indians.

Chain O Lakes became a state park in 1945, when the State of Illinois made an initial purchase of 840 acres. In the 1930's a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp became the Chain O Lakes Conservation Area. This land was incorporated into the state park in 1957. The farm at the park was purchased by the Department of Conservation in 1969. The property was originally owned by the Stevens family, farmers who received the land under a land grant in 1843.

Area Accommodations

Hotels/Motels

Suburban Extended Stay Hotel - South Bend, IN
The newly built Suburban Extended Stay? Hotel provides easy access to a number of local points of interest. This extended stay hotel offers features and amenities like: Well-equipped kitchens, Weekly housekeeping services, Free premium cable television with movie channels,On-site guest laundry facilities, Free wireless high-speed Internet access, Free local calls. Guests can also enjoy the indoor pool and fitness center. Give us a visit on the website or call us for reservations.
Web Site: http://www.suburbanhotels.com/hotel-south_bend-indiana-IN305?sid=Mhwci

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