With more of our public lands being shut down and the continuing threat of additional closures the popularity of ORV parks is growing and the number of them as well. Indiana is home to a couple of parks, The Badlands and Redbird are two of the best known and most popular in the state. Having spent time at both and many other parks around the country I am truly impressed with what Indiana has to offer the off road community in the form of “The Badlands”.
With almost 800 acres of wooded, rolling hills, dunes, several trails filled with rocks of all sizes, trees, off camber sections, water holes and sand pits this park is an incredibly diverse place to get out and play. The name Badlands sounds like it should be a dry, desolate desert setting but it’s quite the contrary. There are areas of standing water that resemble a swampland that you would expect to see in the everglades, even water fording areas that can wash you downstream if you don’t know where to cross. The terrain and challenges continue to change as you make your way around the park which is guaranteed to keep you entertained while you’re there.
There are not many parks, trails or playgrounds where you can have so many types of wheeling to choose from in such a small area. The Badlands are a great place to go because of that ability to get out in different types of terrain and obstacles. This keeps visitors from getting bored quickly which kept us looking forward to what would be coming up next.
If you’re in the Midwest and haven’t taken the opportunity to get out and experience what The Heartland has to offer I suggest you check into this park and experience what the Badlands Off Road Park is all about.