Chain O'Lakes State Park (Indiana)

Chain O'Lakes State Park, Indiana, USA
IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape)
Location of Chain O'Lakes State Park in Indiana
Location	Noble County, Indiana, USA
Nearest city	Albion, Indiana
Coordinates	41°19′59″N 85°22′50″W / 41.33306°N 85.38056°W / 41.33306; -85.38056Coordinates: 41°19′59″N 85°22′50″W / 41.33306°N 85.38056°W / 41.33306; -85.38056
Area	2,718 acres (11.00 km2)
Established	1960
Visitors	261,579 (in 2008-2009)
Governing body	Indiana Department of Natural Resources

For the similarly named state park in Illinois, see Chain O'Lakes State Park (Illinois).

Chain O' Lakes is an Indiana state park on 2,718 acres (11.00 km²) in Noble County, Indiana, in the United States. The park is 19 miles (31 km) northwest of Fort Wayne.

As the name suggests, it is a park for boaters, with eight connecting lakes, and eleven lakes total. The lakes are kettle lakes, formed by receding ice sheets of the Pleistocene Epoch, which also made the steeply rolling hills and bogs of the park. Bowen Lake is the deepest at 65 feet (20 m), and the shallowest is Dock Lake at 2 feet (1 m) deep. Outwash sediments, sediment from Canada, and muck/peat filled bogs caused by the glaciers are accessible by the several miles of hiking trails. Power boats on the lakes are restricted to electric motors only.

There are more than 10 miles of hiking trails. Cross-country skiing is available in the winter. There is one large campground as well as a Rally campground, a Youth Tent Area and a canoe camp. There are also 18 furnished cabins available for rental. There is one swimming area in the park.

Starting in 2011, Chain O' Lakes State Park will be the site of The HUFF 50K Trail Run and Relay, the twelfth largest ultramarathon in North America.

References

• "Chain O'Lakes State Park". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/2987.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-07.  (Official Site)

• "Statistics: Parks & Reservoirs Visitation". Indiana Department of Natural Resources. http://www.in.gov/dnr/parklake/about_stats.html. Retrieved 2007-04-02. 

• United States Geological Survey. "Chain O'Lakes State Park, USGS Merriam (IN) Topo Map". TopoQuest. http://www.topoquest.com/map.asp?lat=41.33306&lon=-85.38056&datum=nad27&u=6&layer=DRG&size=l&s=50. Retrieved 2008-06-29.