Most pools at state parks to open; lifeguards still needed at others

Most public swimming pools located in Indiana State Parks will open this weekend, as will all DNR swimming beaches.

For area swimmers, the list includes the pools at Cagles Mill Lake (Lieber SRA) and McCormick’s Creek, as well as the beaches at Cagles Mill Lake and Cecil M. Harden Lake.

The beaches will be open with no lifeguards on duty.

The public pool at Turkey Run State Park will remain closed this weekend due to lack of lifeguards but is expected to open the first weekend in June.

Applications are still being accepted for lifeguards. Positions are open to applicants age 15 and older. Contact the individual state park for more information. Phone numbers are at stateparks.IN.gov under “Find a park”.

For those perhaps traveling farther away, other state park pools set to open include Clifty Falls, O’Bannon Woods, Shakamak and Versailles state parks. In addition, the beach at Indiana Dunes State Park will open on Saturday with lifeguards on duty.

The water slides and lazy river at Prophetstown State Park’s aquatic center will open Saturday, but its leisure pool will be closed until mid-June. The public pool at Brown County State Park will open on Memorial Day, Monday, May 31; however, the wading pool will be not in operation. The delays are the result of supply chain issues.

The public pool at Spring Mill State Park will remain closed until lifeguard and pool staff positions are filled.

The public pools at Mounds and Harmonie state parks remain closed, as announced earlier this year.

Additional beaches that offer swimming with no lifeguards will open this weekend at Chain O’Lakes, Lincoln, Ouabache, Pokagon, Potato Creek, Summit Lake and Whitewater Memorial state parks; at Starve Hollow and Deam Lake SRAs; and at Brookville, Hardy, Mississinewa, Monroe, Patoka, and Salamonie lakes, as well as at Ferdinand State Forest.

The aquatic center at Abe Martin Lodge at Brown County State Park and the pools at Clifty Inn (Clifty Falls State Park), Potawatomi Inn (Pokagon State Park), Spring Mill Inn (Spring Mill State Park) and Turkey Run Inn (Turkey Run State Park) remain open for registered guests at each.