Fall Creek Gorge (The Potholes)
Location:
Take St. Rd. 25 south from Lafayette, right on St. Rd. 28 to Attica, then north on 41 for 3 miles to Potholes Road (opposite an electric substation). Turn right and go 1.5 miles to park entrance. It's well hidden and poorly marked; if you come to a bridge followed immediately by another bridge (Twin Bridges), turn around, you've gone a hundred yards or so too far.
Description: Fall Creek Gorge is located along the course of Fall Creek as it passes through sandstone cliffs. The action of the water along the narrow bed it has cut deeply through these cliffs has created numerous small basins--the potholes--which range in size from a foot or two to more than six feet across. depths are as great as four or five feet. A short path through the woods leads from the tiny parking area down into the gorge itself. A small tributary stream enters the gorge at the point the parking lot path ends; a small chute of water in the bed of
this stream is always popular with children. Another path leads up to the top of the cliffs here, but the most popular way to view the gorge is by attempting to walk upstream on the slippery lips of the potholes. I have not yet determined if it is possible to take this path without falling in to one of the potholes; better be prepared for a dip. At the top of the pothole portion of the gorge the bed levels out and you can walk upstream through relatively shallow water for a way and reach a small waterfall. The clifftop trail also ends here. Downstream from the pothole portion is a pleasant walk along creek, where you'll find places where deep grooves many feet long have been carved in the bed.
Nearby Points of Interest: Portland Arch (see) is south of Attica. Wolf's Candies, on 41 going south out of Attica, has some really great chocolates. Mudlavia Lodge, a mud-bath health spa popular in the twenties with Chicago gangsters, was to the east and a bit south of here (in the area between Hwys. 41 and 55); drive around a bit and maybe you'll see the ruins of the old hotel. Also try taking the Independence Road (just north of the 55-41 junction) back toward West Lafayette; it's a pretty drive and eventually connects with Division/South River Road going toward the city.
Cautions: Due to past abuse of this property, the county is going to be enforcing the parking restrictions; you can only park in the parking lot, which means only about 6-8 cars in the lot at a time. There are also restrictions against swimming or wading that are likely to be enforced now; violations of any of these regs have a $90 price tag, and you could get your car towed into the bargain. So: A. Follow the regulations and B. help keep the place clean and report violations. This is one of the nicest preserves in the state.
Ownership: The Nature Conservancy owns this property.
National Forest
