When you think of ancient fossil beds from millions of years ago, you wouldn’t naturally think they’d be just across from a central metropolitan area, like Louisville, Kentucky, but that’s precisely where the Falls of the Ohio State Park resides. It’s one of the world’s most enormous exposed Devonian-era fossil beds, estimated by scientists as over 387 million years old. Throughout the year, interpreters offer guided tours, or you can explore on your own.
The park also has a fantastic museum that tells how the area was formed through interactive exhibits and an award-winning film. Archaeology, Native American and early American history, including sections about Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark and his brother William, who famously explored America with Meriwether Lewis, are also covered.
The Falls of the Ohio State Park and Interpretive Center are easily reached by taking Highway 65 to Clarksville, Indiana, and exiting Exit 0 onto Court Avenue toward 6th street. Turn left on S Clark Blvd, then left on E Winbourne Ave. Turn right on Riverside Drive, and it will take you there.
On the banks of the Ohio River is a scarce and unique place for southern Indiana and the entire planet. Just across from Louisville, Kentucky, the Falls of the Ohio State Park presents one of the world’s enormous exposed Devonian area fossil beds. Scientists estimate that the Jefferson limestone bed is over 387 million years old.
Traveling through southern Indiana, you’ll see a great deal of limestone rock left behind by an ancient ocean. You’ll find fossils in it and the surrounding red clay, but this Devonian fossil bed is even older than that. You’ll find rock samples from the Silurian and Devonian periods in the parking lot. The Devonian period, also known as the Age of the Fish, boasts many fossils in the rock throughout the park. Note that the park has a strict ban on fossil and rock collecting. If you are found collecting, you will be arrested. Please stay out of the water or too close to the edge, as the Falls of the Ohio is home to violent rapids and has claimed many lives. Hold the little ones’ hands and keep the kids away.
If you hear a colossal siren, they’re lowering the floodgates, and a massive amount of water will flood the fossil beds. If you hear a siren, immediately head to the Visitor Center. There’s a handicapped-accessible ramp near the parking lot, allowing visitors with limited mobility to go down and view the fossil beds. Steep stairs next to the Visitor Center will take you directly to the river’s edge and the exposed Devonian fossil beds.
Throughout the year, you can join a guided tour with park interpreters pointing out fossils and features in the limestone. The constant floodwater over eons has eroded the limestone, creating small caves. You are walking past these gates in the parking lot to get further down the fossil beds more quickly. The gravel trail bypasses many rugged obstacles that can be treacherous. Many rock formations have crevices that drop ten feet or more straight down and can cause harm quickly. Be cautious and take your time.
An observation deck at the Visitor Center provides an excellent view of the upper fossil beds. You can use the on-site binoculars or admire the scenery from the benches.
Inside the interpretative center, visitors are provided with many exhibits about the origins and history of the Falls. A large map demonstrates the vast boundaries of the fossil beds, covering modern and ancient fossils. An award-winning movie tells the story of how the fossil bed was formed. Exhibits take visitors through the very beginning of time, including many kid-friendly interactive exhibits for both kids and adults. A section covers conservation and archaeology, Native American settlement, and artifacts.
You can even go inside a Native American tree bark dwelling. The center also covers the history of Revolutionary War hero George Rogers Clark, who called this area home and began his march to Vincennes to capture Fort Sackville. It also discusses his younger brother William, who, with fellow explorer Meriwether Lewis, began their expedition from here to the West Coast. A short film about Lewis and Clark is shown, and the display shows the incredible biodiversity in this area alone.
The Falls of the Ohio State Park interpretive center is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. General admission to the museum is nine dollars. However, if you want to park and hike the fossil beds, you can pay two dollars in the parking lot for a parking permit. Fill out an envelope describing your vehicle’s make, drop in two dollars, and put the parking pass on your dash.
If you care to explore further outside, you’ll see the statue of Lewis and Clark, the railroad bridge, and floodgates. If you drive further west past the museum and follow the signs into New Albany, you’ll find the last place George Rogers Clark lived in Indiana, a humble cabin overlooking Sand Island. This is also where Lewis and Clark started their expedition out West.
