The news was typically pretty grim from the tourism sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some local tourism partners, like Black Pine Animal Sanctuary, suffered significant losses of revenue. Even so, on the whole, Noble County prevailed better than many places in part because the great outdoors proved an ideal getaway for hundreds of thousands of people.
Noble County’s top tourist destination, Chain O’ Lakes State Park, highlighted the benefit of living where nature’s beauty abounds. A review of the 2020 year-end comparative report, issued by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of State Parks and Reservoirs, reveals that the park’s revenues were up over 36% compared to 2019.
Before becoming park manager at Chain O’ Lakes in Albion, Boggs served as assistant park manager at Angola’s Pokagon State Park.
“I always like to compare Chain (O’ Lakes) to Pokagon (State Park). It is my competitive nature,” Boggs explained. Proud of his team, he boasted about the 2020 season, noting “Chain made over $400,000 more than Pokagon in 2020.”
Boggs said the 413 campsites at Chain O’ Lakes were full every Friday and Saturday from the beginning of Memorial Day weekend through the end of October. Campsite revenues, as a result, were up by 28% over 2019. That trend is one that has continued at Chain O’ Lakes for several years. According to the report, combined gate entry fees, permit sales, cabin, and boat rentals, and camping revenues have nearly doubled since 2017.
Perhaps Governor Eric Holcomb, recognizing the potential popularity of Indiana’s State Parks as neighboring states took stricter shutdown measures, was wise to only order campgrounds to close for a short time early during the pandemic. Here, campgrounds were closed from early April until the beginning of Memorial Day weekend. That choice is one that likely contributed to seeing many first-time visitors to Indiana’s State Parks. Heather DeLorenzo, assistant manager at Chain O’ Lakes, noticed.
“We welcomed many new users who were visiting Chain O’ Lakes for the first time. For some folks I spoke with throughout the year, it was actually their first time in an Indiana State Park in general. It was definitely neat to witness people discovering these treasures as they looked for a way to get outdoors or find solace and respite during difficult times,” said DeLorenzo.
Local residents also appreciate Noble County’s many lakes and, especially, Chain O’ Lakes State Park. The Fort Wayne Reader’s Choice Awards revealed the park and its campground to be the “best” in the region in a 2020 poll.
While many other tourist destinations remained closed, Chain O’ Lakes welcomed well over 300,000 people through the main gate. Among them were:
• Nearly 6,000 people to the Historic Stanley Schoolhouse
• Nearly 5,000 people to the park’s Nature Center at Sand Lake beach
• Nearly 4,500 guests who attended at 162 park programs
• Volunteers who logged over 5,000 hours of service in 2020
A special “9 Lake Challenge” during 2020 encouraged visitors to spread out and enjoy Chain O’ Lakes’ more than 2,700 acres, trails, and nine connected kettle lakes. Over 600 paddlers took about two to three hours to travel through the Chain. They proved their ability to complete the challenge by taking photos of landmarks at each of the nine lakes along the way. Similar challenges were posed by other Indiana State Parks in 2020.
Noting that many visitors brought their own boats, kayaks, and canoes, DeLorenzo cited the sale of nearly 5,000 launch permits in 2020, up from 3,000 in 2019 and over 5,000 hours of volunteer time logged.
In addition to Chain O’ Lakes State Park, many of Noble County’s municipal parks, Noble Trails, ACRES Land Trust properties, and public access sites also provided safe and enjoyable ways for individuals and families to remain active in the region.
Visit Noble County’s website offers resources and information to plan a visit to Noble County and includes upcoming events, places to eat, stay, and things to do. For more information, go to www.visitnoblecounty.com.
