New book celebrates hiking & history of Indiana’s State Parks

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Indiana’s 24 state parks are immensely popular, hosting more than 12 million visitors each year according to the latest figures released by the Department of Natural Resources. Surveys reveal that hiking is visitors’ favorite activity, ranked No. 1 by 70 percent of respondents. Yet despite the popularity of this activity, there has never been a guidebook dedicated to the nearly 200 hiking trails that crisscross the park properties.

Fortunately, that information gap has been filled with an all-new book, Hike Indiana State Parks, written by Indianapolis author Don Gulbrandsen and published by RiverRock Publications. Packed with photographs, maps, and loads of useful information, this volume is sure to find a welcome place on the bookshelf – on in the daypack – of everyone who enjoys visiting the Hoosier State’s best outdoor resource.

Gulbrandsen first conceived the idea for the book back in 2018, but work commitments delayed the project until early 2025. Starting in March of that year, he made nearly weekly trips to revisit all the parks. By October, he had been to every park at least once, hiked hundreds of miles, and snapped thousands of photos. Writing as he traveled, Gulbrandsen recorded his impressions, describing and rating on a five-star scale every trail in every park, and compiling the most comprehensive guide ever written about Indiana state park hiking.

As he visited and researched the parks, Gulbrandsen soon realized that his book needed to be about a lot more than just hiking. All 24 parks are nature havens, filled with recreational resources, and have great stories to tell. For example, he discovered that three parks once contained coal mines, two had amusement parks, and one forested property was saved from logging with help from the owners of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gulbrandsen knew his book had to share this history, to tell hikers about the amazing people and events that led to each park’s founding.

“I worked to create a useful hiking and visitor’s guide, but I also wanted this to be an entertaining book filled with great stories,” Gulbrandsen said. “By reading about the history and my personal experiences in the parks, I think people are going to develop a greater affection for the properties. And that’s my goal: to encourage people to visit the parks, appreciate their beauty and history, and do what they can to support and protect them.”

Hike Indiana State Parks is available wherever you buy books, including bookstores and online retailers. You can also learn more and order directly from Don Gulbrandsen’s website, riverrockpublications.com.