Prophetstown State Park — Attraction in Lafayette

We enjoyed our stay. The water park is very fun. Great for kids, up to about 15, 16yrs old. Then they might be bored. The park is amazingly big! It was too hot or rainy for us to do trails. Fishing pond looked weed covered so we didn't get in any fishing there. The Native American Village is just sad. We understand preservation and restoration is costly and time consuming. However this part should remain listed as "a work in progress " until they do more with it. A couple buildings with nothing in them, a "meeting hall" with log seats falling apart and holes in walls was not what we expected. The Farm was very nice. The volunteers here were helpful and nice. They take great care of all the animals and really have a lot of information on them and the buildings. We were disappointed with the Footprints in History. Again, here, lack of care for the grounds is the biggest issue. The campsites are all gravel for your tent or trailer. Though we were told our site would fit our trailer and vehicle it was too short. Many sites were too short for travel trailers and a truck. They are very private in the front of the park where there is old growth. In the back the trees have not quite grown in so they are still pretty open. The bathhouse appeared clean until we got into the showers. The curtains were covered in mold and mildew. We did report this to the camp host. The camp as a whole is very quiet! Almost too quiet. It has nice playgrounds, the sites are well cleaned, as well as the firepits, and what trails we dis try were clear and nice. We will likely go back, just keeping in mind...

This is not a state park; it's an RV park in everything but the name. The campsites have been razed of all but small shade trees (none of which provides shade for long nor are close enough together or big enough for hammocks) and inlaid with large gravel pads on which you are required to camp. They are level and drain appropriately which I'm sure is awesome for people in campers but for the park to dictate that tent campers must also set up and sleep on the gravel is absurd, yet they do. It was windy yet I could not stake my tent down- I had to sit at the site and keep moving it back as the wind blew it around; I ruined 6 of my galvanized steel tent pegs attempting to pin it down through the gravel before I gave up. The "hiking trails" are just mowed paths through the grass- there's no woods or diversity offered, and unlike every other state park I've been to (I have camped and hiked all of them except for one), there is no nature center; here they call it a visitor's center and it lacks the bird viewing window and much of the educational displays available at all of the other parks in our state. There is no camp store so come prepared. The aquatic center is very cool if you visit with children; this would be a really affordable short vacation or long weekend to take with your kids, but for the diversity, nature, and peace sought by most people visiting our state parks, Prophetstown...

Have you ever seen Parks and Rec? If you have, there is a running commentary about Indiana's terrible history as it relates to the Native Americans. This state park is one of those stories.

As far as state parks go, it is what you'd expect. The aquatic center is definitely one of the best in the state park system. It has two water slides, a lazy river, and a second pool that has a beach type entry/splash area. It is great for everything but actually swimming. There is a working farm that is good to explore with kids. There are remnants of a Native American village. The bike trails seem to be plentiful. The hiking trails are sort of mid, though. The campground is nice, but books up. It is about half full-hookups and half traditional ones.

The down sides exist, but aren't that big of a deal. The first is that there is not much in the way of shade. I don't know if they are going for a natural prairie or the trees just haven't grown much since the park was established, but the sun is relentless. BRING SUNSCREEN! The other two negatives are the lack of a camp store and that people book sites way in advance and then don't show. You are close to town, so the camp store...