Get into the ‘Spooky Season’ with Indiana State Parks

FARMERSBURG, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — With the month of October just around the corner, the arrival of what many call “spooky season” is here.

For many of us, October brings with it some of our favorite elements of living in Indiana, the cooler temperatures, beautiful leaf colors, evening campfires, pumpkin spice everything, and skeletons, witches, and jack-o-lanterns adorning houses across the state!

While many cities, towns, and organizations will be holding numerous Halloween-themed events, the state’s Department of Natural Resources is also holding special events at state parks.

• Halloween Hound Hike
  • @ Ouabache State park on Oct. 7
    • Description: Celebrate the fall season with a doggy costume contest and a 1-mile hike around Kunkel Lake! Join us at Lakeside shelter at 1 p.m. Awards will be given out the cutest, spookiest, and most creative costume. Dog Treats will be provided.
• Monster Mash Bash
  • @ Starve-Hollow State Recreation Area on Oct. 13
    • Description: It’s Friday the 13th so come and celebrate the Halloween season with us at Starve Hollow SRA!  We will have games, face painting, and Live Music provided by Fifty and Firm. 
• Hoots and Howls Weekend
  • @ Mounds State Park on Oct. 20
    • Description:  Friday evening will have naturalist-led night hikes through the park.  Saturday the park will be in high “spirits” for our Historic Halloween Festival.  The event remembers Halloween days of old by having games that include sack races, cake walks, bobbing for apples, and much more.  The Bronnenberg Home will be decked out in Halloween themes to relate to how our modern-day traditions came into being.  A costume parade contest will top off the day, so wear your finest! 
• Clifty Falls of Fear Haunted House
  • @ Clifty Falls State Park on Oct. 20-21, 27-28
    • Description: Ready to be scared? Enter our Haunted House at Clifty Shelter if you dare! Admission is $10, cash only and all proceeds benefit our Friends Group. Click here for a full schedule of additional activities surrounding the haunted house.
• Halloween Happenings Round-Up
  • @ Potato Creek State Park on Oct. 20-21
    • Description: A fun event for the whole family including a slime-making “potion shop”, pumpkin carving, costume contest, trick-or-treat, cemetery hike, and nighttime owl prowl. More details are available here.
• Haunted Harmonie 2023
  • @ Harmonie State park on Oct. 21
    • Description: Join us for our annual Halloween bash at Harmonie State Park!  If you are overnight guests or the general public, join us for a scavenger hunt, pumpkin judging, a sasquatch stomp, trick-or-treating, hayrides, and music!  The gate fee applies at the park entrance, $7 for Indiana plates and $9 for out-of-state plated vehicles or use your Annual Entrance Permit.  Parking will be at the big lot and shuttle busses will be used.  Please limit what you carry in, but do bring your own drinks/snacks/picnic foods if you are not camping as there are no food trucks at this time.
• Holloween Spooktacular
  • @ Starve-Hollow State Recreation Center on Oct. 21 & 28
    • Description: Join us for our Holloween Spooktacular at Starve Hollow SRA!  We will have crafts, costume contests, campsite decorating, trick or treating, and a haunted house including kid-friendly hours. More details are available here.
• Halloween in the Hills
  • @ Brown County State park on Oct. 21
    • Description: A family-friendly event that includes an after-dark Halloween hike, a live raptor show, arts and crafts, pumpkin carving, and campsite decorating! More details are available here.
• Spooktacular 5K and Trick-or-Treating
  • @ Summit Lake State Park on Oct. 21
    • Description: Join us for this spooky fun run/walk while in your Halloween costume! The 5k will be a combination of moderate Trail 2 and pavement. Participants may opt to run a pavement-only route which will be shorter than a 5k. The routes include both campground loops. Maps will be available day of the event. There is no fee to participate in this event. It is open to anyone in the public. The event will also feature more Halloween activities, a detailed schedule is available here.
• All Hallows Eve
  • @ Chain O’Lakes State Park Oct. 25-28
    • Description: A full day of Halloween-themed fun including a scavenger hunt, hay rides, trick-or-treat, costume parade and contest, and more. Click here for a full schedule of activities.
• Halloween Campsite Walking Tour
  • @ Tippecanoe River State Park on Oct. 28
    • Description: Enjoy several Halloween games, crafts, and activities. Participate in the costume contest. Walk through the electric campground self-tour to see the Halloween decorations.
• Halloween Happenings
  • @ Pokagon State Park on Oct. 28
    • Description: Mark your calendars for Halloween Happenings at Pokagon State Park in 2023! There will be family-friendly activities throughout the day including pumpkin carving, a puppet show, storytelling, and trick-or-treating.
• Owl-O-Ween Weekend
  • @ Hardy Lake on Oct. 28
    • Description: Join us for our Annual Fall-themed weekend featuring Pumpkin Carving, Wagon Rides, Costume Contests, and more!
• Un-BOO-lievable Halloween Happenings
  • @ Racoon State Recreation Area (Cecil M. Harden Lake) on Oct. 28
    • Description: Join us for our annual Halloween camping weekend. Festivities start at 10 am with an egg hunt and end at 10 pm after the hayrides stop.
• Halloween Spooktacular II
  • @ Versailles State Park on Oct. 28
    • Description: Join us for our Annual Halloween Spooktakular II Event! As always we will have a costume contest taking place from 2-3 p.m., trick or treating will be from 4-7 p.m., and judging for the campsite decorating contest will be at 8 p.m.  

For a full list of events, including non-Halloween-related events, visit the DNR website here.