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CANYON INN

NOTICE: McCormick's Creek State Park was severely damaged by a tornado on Friday, March 31, 2023. The park is now open for limited use: the Nature Center, Canyon Inn, cabins, most shelters, and some trails are open and operating. The campground and some park trails remain closed.

Canyon Inn :
Facilities | Reservations

low price guarantee Book a room at the Canyon Inn

Canyon InnOpen year round, Canyon Inn includes 76 rooms, a gift shop, common areas, and a full service restaurant that is open to the public. The recreation director and the naturalist staff can help you enjoy all of the programs and facilities in McCormick's Creek State Park.

The Canyon Inn's proximity to Indianapolis and central location for all of Indiana make it a frequent choice for statewide seminars and events. Group rates include lodging, meals and meeting space.

History of the Inn

The turning point in the McCormick's Creek history came in 1888 when part of the area was purchased by Frederick Denkewalter, a physician who was interested in the scenic and restful qualities of the site. Dr. Denkewalter felt the tranquil peace of the canyon and its surrounding cliffs would be the perfect location to build a sanitarium, a place for the wealthy and the weary to "get away from it all" and recuperate. The original sanitarium, built on the present-day Canyon Inn site, was a white-sided structure with long porches on every side. It offered guests plenty of access to the loveliness of the well-landscaped grounds where Denkewalter delighted in planting a variety of trees and shrubs. Meanwhile, local residents continued to picnic and hike along the canyon, making the spot a favorite of everyone for rest and relaxation.

With the death of Dr. Denkewalter in 1914, his estate went up for sale at a land auction. Both Owen County and the State of Indiana were interested in maintaining McCormick's Creek in its park-like setting, and so the land was purchased. McCormick's Creek State Park was dedicated as Indiana's first state park on July 4, 1916, as part of the state's centennial celebration.

Canyon Inn opened its doors in the old sanitarium building. A few years later in the early 1920's, the building was remodeled and new brick siding was added. Subsequent changes have brought new wings, a banquet room, swimming pool and recreation center, but the Inn today still rests on the original foundations of the Denkewalter sanitarium.


Interested in other State Park Inns or Cabins?
Check out this great Indiana State Parks Guide.

 

 

 
 


Note: This is not the official Park website. However, it is the most complete and easy-to-use site, with everything you need to plan a trip to McCormick's Creek State Park.