Welcome to Lake Etta County Park

4801 West 29th Avenue - Gary, Indiana 46406
Park open 7 a.m. - sunset year round

Lake Etta GPS coordinates: 41.566095,-87.396653

Exit 80/94 at Burr Street. Travel south to 29th Avenue, then east on 29th Avenue to Lake Etta.

Lake Etta County Park offers the following features:
  • barbeque facilities
  • banquet hall and wedding pergola overlooking the lake.  Seats 200.  See link below.
  • fishing (fee/stocked)
  • fishing pier
  • fitness trails
  • fitness trail (handicap)
  • hiking trails
  • jogging
  • large group pavilion (rental available)
  • open play fields
 
  • parking fee (when gatekeeper on duty)
  • picnic shelters
  • picnic tables
  • playground
  • recreational equipment rental
  • swimmers rinse
  • swimmers lake (open Fr, Sa, Su, Holidays 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 
  • toilets (flush)
  • toilets (pit)
  • volleyball standards
  • two waterslides (will not be open in 2010 due to budget constraints)
  • wedding pergola.  See link below with banquet hall.

 

CLICK  FOR FISHING INFORMATION

Lake Etta, like all parks, is a program unto itself. It is especially designed to serve various needs of park visitors through its many recreation choices. Special programs held at the park are often conducted on the weekdays because the park is filled to capacity on the weekends and especially during the summer months. Even summer weekdays are often busy, used by summer schools and church day camp programs. The accessible features at the expansive playground make it especially popular to groups who serve special needs populations. Fishing, swimming, the playground, and shelter rentals remain the most used features. Access to the Little Calumet River walking trail and canoe launch is located south of the fishing lake.  The perfect place for a wedding is the Lake Etta pergola that adjoins the banquet hall.  Call 219-949-6533 for reservations and menu selections.

 

LAKE ETTA BANQUET HALL

Click Here for 

BANQUET HALLS, WEDDINGS & PARTY PACKAGES

WELCOME TO LAKE ETTA COUNTY PARK

Lake Etta County Park is 98 acres of flood plain land located on the north side of the Little Calumet River in the Black Oak section of Gary.  The park is a partnership between the state of Indiana and the County Park system, as part of the park site is owned by the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission, an agency of the State of Indiana.

Lake Etta was planned as one of several recreational nodes of the proposed 4,300 acre corridor of public open space along the Little Calumet River.  The proposed corridor would ultimately stretch 22 miles from the Indiana/Illinois state line to Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan. 

Dedicated in 1981, Lake Etta offers a variety of educational and recreational opportunities.  Natural wetlands with its native vegetation attract numerous wildlife.  The accessible features at the expansive playground make it especially popular to groups who serve special needs populations. Other features include picnic shelters, a stocked fishing lake, swimming beach, water slides, a large picnic pavilion, barbeque grills, barrier free toilets, canoe access to the Little Calumet River, fishing piers, volleyball standards, hiking trails, open play fields, and a full service banquet facility overlooking the lake and adjoining the wedding gazebo.

It is truly one of the Lake County Parks’ busiest parks during the summer months.

Dates of importance at Lake Etta County Park

1975    Twenty acres purchased and added to Little Calumet River Recreational Corridor (Lake Etta).

1977    Department assumed management of Lake Etta under inter-local government agreement with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

1981    LCPRD entered into inter-local government agreement with the Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission for the management of Lake Etta County Park.

1982    Received 50/50 matching fund grant from LWCF for Lake Etta County Park.

1984    LWCF 50/50 matching funds grant awarded for improvements at Lake Etta.

1985    Additional 50/50 LWCF grand awarded for improvements at

1986    Third LWCF grant awarded for Lake Etta improvements including swimming beach, handicapped water ramp, improved fishing areas and additional parking.

1990    Multipurpose concession building constructed at Lake Etta.

1997    The Little Calumet River Basin Development Commission, the US Army Corps of Engineers-Chicago District, and the Lake County Parks, held groundbreaking ceremony for Lake Etta recreation enhancements.

1999    Dedication of new improvements at Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Stoney Run.

Large group pavilion, canoe launch, trail, multi-level playground added to Lake Etta.

2006    Banquet Hall and wedding pergola was added to Lake Etta County Park.

FOR SHELTER RESERVATIONS CALL

Phone:  219-769-PARK (7275)

Lake County Parks and Recreation Department Corporate Offices
8411 East Lincoln Highway, Crown Point, Indiana 46307 

Located just west of Deep River Waterpark   4.5 miles east of I-65 on Route 30

 HOME
Back to PARKS main page