In 1928, three counties along the Indiana coal belt donated land to the state for a park. Much of it was abandoned strip mine. Through the 1930s, the Civil Works Administration, the Civilian Conservation Corps, and the Works Progress Administration built trails, shelters, cabins, an amphitheater, and the dam that holds Lake Shakamak. Shakamak State Park covers 1,766 acres across Clay, Greene, and Sullivan counties.
Three man-made lakes hold 400 acres of water between them: Lake Shakamak, Lake Lenape, and Lake Kickapoo. Boats are limited to electric trolling motors. Largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, and channel catfish are the regular catch.
Five moderate hiking trails loop through the park, from a 1.4-mile walk along the north shore of Lake Lenape to a 3.95-mile route around the Lake Shakamak shoreline. The trails cross oak woods, pine plantings, and old CCC bridges and stairs, with one path winding past an abandoned coal mine. Watch for white-tailed deer along the wooded sections and waterfowl and shorebirds along the water.
A family aquatic center runs through summer with a pool, a small slide, and a diving board. Two-thirds of the campsites sit in the wooded area. The campground holds full-hookup, electric, primitive, cabin, and group-camp options; reserve at the state parks reservation system. The Nature Center runs interpretive programs in season.
CCC- and WPA-built structures earned the park a place on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000 as the Shakamak State Park Historic District. The park office is at 6265 W. State Road 48 in Jasonville, north of Dugger.
