Falls of the Ohio State Park

By America's State Parks Editorial TeamFebruary 5, 2026 · Updated May 14, 2026

Falls of the Ohio State Park is a public state park in Indiana near Clarksville in Clark County. It overlooks one of the largest exposed Devonian fossil beds in the world, uncovered whenever the Ohio River runs low.

Quick Facts

Location & Getting There

Falls of the Ohio State Park is located near Clarksville, Indiana. The park’s coordinates are 38.2667, -85.7667.

Things to Do

There are no falls at the Falls of the Ohio anymore — the McAlpine locks and dam tamed the river’s only real rapids a century ago — but what the low water exposes is stranger than any waterfall: 220 acres of Devonian seabed, about 390 million years old, “among the largest exposed Devonian fossil beds in the world” in the Indiana DNR’s words. More than 600 fossil species have been identified here, over 250 of them corals, and more than 250 are type specimens — the first of their kind ever described. The site has been a National Natural Landmark since 1966. You walk directly onto the bed; you do not take anything home. Collecting on the fossil beds is prohibited, so the park built “collecting piles” behind the Interpretive Center — heaps of 423-million-year-old Waldron Shale and Jeffersonville Limestone where picking up fossils is allowed and encouraged.

The Interpretive Center, rebuilt in 2016 for $6 million, walks through four galleries — Ancient Sea, A Changing Land, Converging Cultures, The Falls Today — and screens a film on Lewis and Clark’s return past the falls in 1806. The Lewis and Clark story starts here in fact: the two men met at George Rogers Clark’s home site in Clarksville in October 1803 and recruited the “Nine Young Men from Kentucky” before departing on October 26. (The reconstructed Clark cabin burned in May 2021; the chimney stands.) The half-mile Woodland Loop Trail, with over 230 flowering plant species, and the 7.5-mile paved Ohio River Greenway along the levee cover the land side, and birders have logged more than 270 species, including bald eagles, ospreys and peregrines, in what is the only National Wildlife Conservation Area in the country run by the Army Corps of Engineers.

Best Time to Visit

The fossil beds are a low-water show: the Ohio drops lowest from August through October, which the state’s own guidance names as the best window to walk the seabed. In spring and early summer high water can cover most of it entirely — come then for the birds, the center and the Greenway, not the fossils. The Interpretive Center runs Monday–Saturday 9–5 and Sunday 1–5, closed New Year’s Day, Thunder Over Louisville day, Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and Day; the grounds open daily 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Visitor Tips

Parking costs $2 at the gate (an Indiana State Parks annual pass covers it); the Interpretive Center is separate — $9 for ages 12 and up, $7 for ages 5–11, free under 5 — as of September 2026. This is a day-use park with no camping; the nearest campground is at Charlestown State Park, about 15 miles northeast, which also has a working boat ramp while the Clark Home Site ramp here stays closed for flood damage. Anglers can fish the main river on either an Indiana or a Kentucky license under the two states’ reciprocal agreement; tributaries like Cane Run need an Indiana license, bowfishing is banned under the conservation area’s federal rules, and paddlefish may not be kept. Picnic tables and grills are scattered through the park and are first come, first served.

The park is at 201 W. Riverside Drive, Clarksville, directly across the Ohio from downtown Louisville.

Fees, hours and site details verified against in.gov/dnr and fallsoftheohio.org on September 2, 2026. Water levels and hours change — confirm before you travel.

Explore More Indiana State Parks

Falls of the Ohio State Park is one of many outstanding state parks in Indiana. Discover more parks in our Best State Parks in Indiana guide, or use our Park Finder to search by activity, location, or features.

Wildlife & Nature

Falls of the Ohio SP — exposes 390-million-year-old Devonian fossil beds — one of the largest exposed Devonian fossil beds in the world. Over 600 species of fossils have been identified. The park’s Ohio River, fossil beds, and river islands support bald eagles, great blue herons, and diverse freshwater fish.

Nearby Attractions

Clarksville — adjacent. Louisville, KY — across the Ohio River. Ohio River Greenway — at the park.

Make it a road trip: Pair a visit with Charlestown State Park (a short drive away) or Deam Lake State Recreation Area (a short drive away).

About the Author

America's State Parks Editorial Team

America's State Parks is an independent online guide to the state parks of the United States. Our editorial team compiles and reviews each park profile from official state park agency sources and other primary references, and follows a published editorial and review methodology (see /editorial-review-methodology/). We update profiles and correct errors on an ongoing basis.

View All Articles by America's State Parks Editorial Team →