Two glacier lakes, one refrigerated toboggan run, and a state park that never hits pause in Indiana

Pokagon’s 1,260 acres never slow down

Most state parks pick a season and stick with it. Pokagon State Park in northeast Indiana runs all year long and fills every month with something worth doing.

The park covers 1,260 acres near Angola, right off Interstate 69, and sits on the shores of two natural lakes that glaciers carved out 10,000 to 15,000 years ago.

Steuben County holds more lakes than any other county in the state. Nearly 640,000 people come through every year, and the reason changes with the weather.

Local residents bought the land and gave it away

Back in 1925, residents of Steuben County pooled their money, bought 580 acres along Lake James, and handed the whole thing over to the state.

It started as Lake James State Park but got a new name in 1927 to honor Leopold and Simon Pokagon, the last two well-known leaders of the Potawatomi people who once called this area home.

The Civilian Conservation Corps moved in from 1934 to 1942, building the stone and log structures you still see today, including the Gate House, Spring Shelter, and Saddle Barn.

The park and its CCC Shelter both sit on the National Register of Historic Places, and the whole place turned 100 in 2025.

Fly down a quarter-mile ice track at 42 mph

Indiana has exactly one refrigerated toboggan run, and it lives at Pokagon. About 90,000 riders line up for it each season.

The twin-track run stretches 1,780 feet with a 90-foot vertical drop, and you launch from a 30-foot tower. The ride lasts 20 to 30 seconds, and you can hit 42 mph on the way down.

Because the track is refrigerated, snow is optional.

The run opens the day after Thanksgiving and runs weekends through early March, with longer hours over winter break.

CCC workers built the first slide for fun in 1935

The toboggan run got its start when Civilian Conservation Corps workers stationed at the park built a wooden slide in 1935, just for something to do.

Over the decades, the park rebuilt and improved it several times.

The twin tracks got their first refrigeration system in 1971, and a newer one went in during the 1980s. Today, toboggans seat up to four people and rent for $20 per hour on a first-come, first-served basis.

A warming center nearby has restrooms and concessions, so you can thaw out between runs.

Nine trails cover 13.7 miles of forest and marsh

You can pick from nine trails spread across 13.7 miles, and they range from flat, easy walks to steep, rugged climbs. The paths cut through hardwood forests, marshlands, pine groves, and open meadows.

A 1.6-mile paved trail connects the campgrounds, Nature Center, Saddle Barn, and the inn, and it works for bikes and wheelchairs.

Most trails link to each other, so you can stretch a short walk into a longer one without doubling back. Boardwalks cross the wetland sections where you can spot birds and wildlife.

Climb 84 stairs to Hell’s Point for the big view

The park’s toughest route is an 8-mile loop that leads to Hell’s Point, the highest spot in Pokagon. You climb 84 stairs to reach a lookout with a wide view of the surrounding landscape.

The whole thing takes three to four hours and crosses parts of five different trails. Before you start, grab a map at the Nature Center.

You need to photograph six specific sites along the way to earn a souvenir.

The trail winds through the Potawatomi Nature Preserve, where marshland, deep hardwood forest, pines, and sand hills shift under your feet.

Swim, paddle, or fish on two glacier-carved lakes

Lake James sits along the park’s west and south sides, and Snow Lake fills in the north. Both were shaped by glaciers during the last ice age.

Two sand beaches give you a place to swim, and one of them has a bathhouse. If you want to get on the water, you can rent paddleboats, rowboats, kayaks, and pontoon boats.

Fishing on Lake James runs year-round, and the lake holds bass, bluegill, walleye, crappie, northern pike, and catfish.

Ride horses on a trail the CCC built in 1937

The Saddle Barn runs guided 45-minute horseback rides along a 2-mile bridle path that passes through the park’s rolling terrain and forested areas.

The CCC built the barn in 1937, and it still operates today. Younger kids can take short pony rides near the barn instead.

The Saddle Barn opens in early April and stays running through late fall, with hours that shift by season. You don’t need experience to ride, just a willingness to let the horse do most of the work.

Ski, skate, sled, and fish through the ice

Winter at Pokagon goes well past the toboggan run.

You can cross-country ski on groomed trails that wind through hardwood forests and along the shore of Lake James. Ski rentals run $5 per hour for youth and $8 per hour for adults at the Warming Center.

Snowshoe rentals cost $10 per hour. Sledding hills, ice skating, and ice fishing round out the cold-weather lineup.

You can fish through the ice on Lake James when conditions allow, but you need a state fishing license.

Tour the CCC museum and spot wildlife from the Nature Center

The Nature Center has wildlife exhibits, a woodland viewing window, and an auditorium where park naturalists run programs throughout the year.

A trail from the center leads to the former CCC camp site, where signs mark where the old buildings once stood.

The park’s former gatehouse now serves as a CCC Pocket Museum, which walks you through the history of the Corps at Pokagon. Stop in before you hit the trails to get a feel for the local plants, animals, and ecosystems.

Trine adds 200 more acres and a kettle lake next door

Right next to Pokagon, the Trine State Recreation Area adds nearly 200 acres of rolling hills, meadows, and wetlands.

The centerpiece is Gentian Lake, a 23-acre kettle lake where you can rent paddleboats, kayaks, and fishing boats with electric motors. A 2.5-mile Rolling Oaks Trail loops through woodlands, wetlands, and open fields.

The area also has 12 overnight cabins and the restored Swenson Lodge. The state took over the site in 2007 and now manages it as part of Pokagon.

Deer, owls, and migrating loons fill the park year-round

Deer, wild turkeys, beavers, coyotes, and foxes all live in and around the park.

If you bring binoculars, you can spot hawks, red-headed woodpeckers, barred owls, and great horned owls in any season. Autumn brings migrating loons, grebes, and double-crested cormorants through the area.

Warblers, bluebirds, Baltimore orioles, Carolina wrens, and pileated woodpeckers round out the list. The park’s mix of wetlands, forests, and meadows gives all of these species the range of habitat they need.

Visit Pokagon State Park in Indiana

You can find Pokagon State Park at 450 Lane 100 Lake James in Angola, Indiana. The park stays open year-round from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

Entrance costs $7 per vehicle with Indiana plates and $9 for out-of-state plates.

If you want to stay overnight, the Potawatomi Inn sits right on the shore of Lake James with 126 guest rooms, 12 cabins, an indoor pool, two restaurants, and a game room.

The park also has more than 270 campsites across five campground loops.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• Saving America’s most vulnerable national park in Indiana
• How glass companies stole an entire 200-foot Indiana mountain one boxcar at a time in the 1890s
• The unlikely alliance that saved Indiana’s ancient forest