We hit the trails again! This time we hit up a smaller option in terms of acreage, but certainly not in the amount of adventure. Here is our McCormicks Creek State Park review in all its silly and sassy glory. And trust me, my review isn’t the only thing that got a bit sassy on this trip!
McCormicks Creek State Park Review
Overview
Location
Located in Spencer, IN, McCormick’s Creek SP is just off of IN-46. It is about an hour southwest of downtown Indianapolis. It is midway between I-70 and I-69 and easy to get to from any direction. If you come from I-70 via US 231 through Cloverdale you’ll pass by a farm with llamas, obviously a perk in my opinion!
General information
The namesake of the park, McCormick’s Creek is a lovely slow-moving creek that features a very accessible waterfall. Which you can easily pick your way across the large rocks to get to when you aren’t hangry like a certain five-year-old and her mama. Just saying, take the time to see it when you aren’t tired, hot, and hungry.
As I mentioned in the intro, this park is compact. That is a good thing if you like to hike a lot but not have to drive to each trailhead. In fact, three separate trails are accessible from the campsites.
If camping is not your thing, the park has a lovely Inn with an outdoor pool and recreation area that includes a basketball/volleyball court. Added bonus, a permanent hopscotch board!
Trails
McCormick’s Creek SP boasts just under 11 miles of hiking trails. We did all of them except for Trail 3 since it was a rugged one. We actually didn’t intend to do any of Trail 10 but it helped us to access Trail 2. Many of the trails include hilly terrain, so a hiking pole might be a sound investment. It is on our “items to be purchased” list.
Watch out though, Trail 10 is rugged and not well marked. We inadvertently crossed the creek a few times more than necessary trying to stay on it. Should I mention that my child isn’t super gracefully and that I had to carry, toss (in a gentle, loving fashion), or prop her up a few times so she didn’t wind up in the creek? Yeah, I got a full-body workout on Trail 10.
Throughout all of our wandering around the MCSP we did a total of 13.2 miles of hiking and getting between trails. Good thing I snagged a new hiking backpack that had a hydration system!
Camping style
Just like Brown County, we camped in our tent. This time we didn’t need to use our pop-up soccer mom tent though since the forecast was clear skies for the entire trip. Click here to snag a similar set-up for your camping trip!
The main campground is broken into two sections, A and B. We opted for loop A since it was smaller and less crowded when we booked and had more options to not have a neighbor on either side of our campsite. I like privacy and not having everyone watch my misadventures.
Highlights
Hmmm… did the s’mores make the cut again at the highlight? Nope! Find out below what are key takeaways were from this adventure!
| The small human’s highlights | The Busy Llama highlights | |
|---|---|---|
| Favorite things | Watching her mama in the new hammock, enjoyed hiking all the trails except for #10 | Watching W play with the tennis-ball green colored caterpillar, the view from the mid-point of Trail 1. |
| Coolest thing seen | The waterfall, the tennis-ball green colored caterpillar and tiny spider | The waterfall, the spot we picked for our campsite (shhh… I won’t tell unless you message me) |
| Final thoughts | She wished she had seen a ladybug | I dislike barking dogs, pleasant staff, a bit crowded feeling with the number of other campers |
Lowlights
Want to know who got sassy on this trip? A squirrel! Some little critter was under the impression he or she could have my trail mix. But in all seriousness, the lowlight of this trip was barking dogs. That S at the end is because there was an abundance of dogs. Since the camping area and park were so compact the spaces were very close which means there was no escaping the barking of our neighbor’s German Shepard. He barked at anything and everything. He barked so much that I can tell you this dog’s name if you drop me a line. 😉 No need to put him on public blast.
Another thing I didn’t care for was the camp store was no where near the campground. So if you forgot anything essential you needed to load up into the car and drive over or take a very, very long walk.
Would we go back again?
Hmm… probably. The trails were lovely, the staff accommodating. The facilities were kept very clean. Overall, minus the barking dogs, it was a good trip. Also, it is really close to Cataract Falls in the Lieber State Recreation Area so it would make a very good week-long option between the two parks.
Let’s hit the road!
Live the life you love, y’all, and do the things that make your heart happy. If you need some tips, tools, and strategies to make your ‘work-life’ easier check out The Busy Llama Business Toolbox so that you can spend the rest of your time traveling and enjoying life!
Have a recommendation for a place for us to go camping or maybe a tip or two? Drop me a line or comment below!
