Trine State Recreation Area

This is the most wonderful little hidden gem. I graduated from Trine University (when it was Tri-State) so needless to say I wanted to check this place out. I was beyond thrilled with it. My cabin was spotless and adorable and the grounds and trails were very clean and well-groomed. I came during the week so I was the only one there. I literally felt all stress leave my body when I pulled into the Welcome Center. The staff were all wonderful and so helpful. This will be one of my regular getaways now. The only regret I have is not finding it sooner!!

The cabins are clean & comfortable. The fishing was good & it is so peaceful & breathtakingly beautiful. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We love spending time here & do so every chance we get.

We are a family of 4 couples, each couple stayed in a different cabin. We stayed in Towhee, Flicker both pet friendly one bedroom units with fold out couches, and Snipe and Redwing, studio units with pullout couches. We also rented the linens and towels. No one complained. These cabins are immaculate, equipped with kitchens, kitchen gadgets, heat, and screened in porches. The beds were comfortable, the towels fluffy and clean and the sheets soft. The windows opened, the doors and drawers opened and shut, the equipment was clean and worked. We used the refrigerators, the freezers, the range, microwave, toaster and coffee makers. We were pleasantly surprised to find kitchen towels and a dishrag along with dish soap. We used the grill located just outside the unit.

Upon arriving we were greeted by Ranger Mark who explained everything and helped us get our linens to the units.

There are lovely moderately difficult and very easy trails and walkways. The Rolling Oaks Trail is about a 3 mile off-the-grid trail. It has hills, grassy trails, flower fields and lots of twists and turns in the shade and sunshine. There’s also a multi-use blacktopped trail which could be manageable for bikes, wheelchairs, and baby strollers.

The Trine Recreation Area is part of the Indiana State Recreation Areas and it is smaller and more private than others we have visited. It’s wonderful. There’s the option of boating, hiking, biking and there’s a children’s playground. Just across the highway there is Pokagon State Recreation Area that is much larger with a more diverse trail system along with horseback riding and an Inn as well as cabins and camping. It also has a black topped bike trail. We tried the short hikes one day and the 8 mile Devils Challenge another day. Pokagon SRA was busy, everyone was respectful of social distancing when passing.

The hours for check-in 4 pm and it is 4 pm! Checkout is 11 am and they request you cleanup your cabin and pack up the linens and towels (if rented). It’s no big deal and as long as you’re respectful of the property the cleanup should be easy.

The cabins are 5 years old and in great shape. You can see they are well maintained.

My suggestions to further improve of the units: one more shelf in kitchen high up on the level of the cabinet above the refrigerator. I struggled to find off the ground places for non-refrigerated foods. A full length mirror for those of us who need to be sure we are ready for the public (perfect spot on short wall near the bed head to the right of the pocket door) and some clothing hooks in the bedroom. The dresser is great but without a closet coats, hats and clothes that are worn regularly need hanging. It looks like maybe a few people have tried hanging off the curtain rods?

We highly recommend Trine State Recreation Area and it’s lovely cabins.