Climate
Winters are chilly and snowy, Summers are hot and muggy near the lakes. Spring and Fall are moderate and pleasant!
Wildlife
Birds
Birding is very popular in the area with sightings of woodpeckers, wrens, warblers, veros, barred owls, woodcock, sparrows, pheasants, chats and more.Deer
Deer are heavily populated in the area. Once in the while, the park hosts controlled hunts to monitor the population.Raccoons
You are likely to encounter raccoons if you stay in one of the rental cabins. Do not feed them as they may become aggressive.Other Mammals
While hiking or canoing, you might encounter raccoons, squirrels, chipmunks, white-tailed deer, groundhogs, opossum, eastern cottontail rabbits, river otters, bats, and an occasional red fox or beaver at Chain-O-Lakes.
Flora and fauna
Locust and pine are just two of the many flora found in the park.
Landscape
Steep rolling hills and bogs surround the area consisting of 11 connected lakes of all shapes and sizes. Areas can get a little muddy near the lakes. Bowen Lake is the deepest lake at 65 feet deep, and the shallowest is Dock Lake at 22 feet deep.
History
Before being settled by pioneers, the Miami Indians lived in the area. The north shore of Bowen Lake was the home to about 30 wigwam homes. In the 1830's pioneers started settling in the area, and one of them, William Bowen, built a cabin in this area. The park was invited into the State Park system in 1960.
Prior to human habitation, the lakes in the chain are kettle lakes, formed 10,000 years ago from blocks of ice that melted, carving the channels that connect the 11 lakes.