Indiana's State Park Hides A 100-Year-Old Abandoned Amusement Park With Hiking Trails

When deciding on what destination is right for their next outdoor adventure, people often choose national parks over state parks. The famous names and undoubted grandeur of places like Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Glacier National Parks are a huge draw, and there's no question that a backpacking trip to a U.S. national park is an exceptional experience. But ignoring state parks means missing out on some wonderful adventurous vacation destinations. One particularly fascinating example is Charlestown State Park, a delightful slice of Indiana wilderness with an abandoned amusement park hidden deep in the heart of its rugged, forested hills and craggy ravines.

Charlestown State Park is situated just outside Louisville, Indiana, on the banks of the Ohio River that borders Kentucky. It is just under two hours by car from Cincinnati and a similar distance from Indianapolis. The nearest airport is Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF), around 45 minutes' drive away, which serves domestic routes across the U.S. Alternatively, the nearest airport for international visitors is Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, which serves routes to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe.

In 1923, entrepreneur David Rose bought the recreational area in Charlestown State Park known as Fern Grove. Located on a peninsula of Fourteen Mile Creek known locally as the Devil's Backbone, this part of the park had been a popular picnicking spot for local residents since the 1880s. Rose built a hotel, a swimming pool, and a wooden roller coaster on the peninsula, as well as a small zoo, and started marketing it as Rose Island, a brand-new amusement park. It was immensely popular for several years and even managed to stay open during the Great Depression but was severely damaged in the Ohio River Flood of 1937, after which it was abandoned. 

Since then, the ghostly ruins of Rose Island have been reclaimed by the forest and now make a wonderfully spooky discovery for visitors exploring Charlestown State Park. Accessible only by a restored footbridge that crosses Fourteen Mile Creek, intrepid explorers will see the remains of the original suspension bridge, a swimming pool, and a crumbling fountain, marking out the site of this once-popular recreation spot. 

When Rose Island was a functioning amusement park, most visitors arrived by river, on ferries from Madison and Louisville. In fact, before David Rose bought the land, it was owned by the Louisville and Jeffersonville Ferry Company, which included a stop on the peaceful peninsula as part of its leisure cruises. These days, the state park is best accessed by car and offers plenty of parking. There is a boat launch on the Ohio River at Charlestown Landing, but this is primarily for canoes and kayaks. The abandoned amusement park is only accessible via the historic Portersville suspension bridge, a pedestrian crossing that connects the peninsula to the rest of the park.

Charlestown State Park boasts a variety of excellent and exceptionally well-marked hiking trails. Rose Island is best seen on Trail 7, a mile loop hike around the peninsula, complete with signage, displays, and somewhat spooky hand-crank-automated audio recordings which add to the ambiance. It is easy to reach by following the first 0.6 miles of Trail 3 south until you reach the suspension bridge.

The other six waymarked hiking routes in the park offer a great chance to explore the scenic hills, forests, and ravines, with over 14 miles of trails in total, ranging from moderate to rugged. Trail 4 is probably the most challenging, a nearly 3-mile loop that takes you through hardwood forests, past wildflower meadows, and over some rugged terrain with excellent views about halfway around. For a slightly less taxing stroll, Trail 5 starts at the campsite and offers a short loop to a platform overlooking Fourteenmile Creek.

Charlestown State Park is a paradise for birdwatchers, with over 72 species of birds, including bluebirds, prairie warblers, kingfishers, and bald eagles. The park is also littered with fascinating karst sinkholes and plenty of Devonian fossils to be discovered by sharp-eyed visitors, which makes hiking Charlestown State Park's trails a fantastic experience for anyone who loves the great outdoors. For more exploring, head an hour west to find one of Indiana's largest historic caves for an underground tour.