This review is based just on the surprise of finding a clean playground in the middle of no-where…read moreto help give the kids a chance to stretch legs during a long road trip.... Surrounded by corn fields, this small-town community park is a very quaint little picnic area and playground, complete with a baseball field flanked by a tattered American flag waving in the late summer breeze. This was such a picturesque classic place of americana, reminiscent of that "field of dreams" magic. This was a great place to bring the littles (ages 6 and under). Don't forget to stop by the Lizton Dairy Bar at the corner to bring a delicious ice cream shake for that perfect touch. We didn't go into any buildings, as everything was closed/locked at 6 pm on a Saturday. It would likely be a good place for a summertime family gathering or birthday party. My husband said this location is also a Hendricks County voting precinct location.

This park is situated between the the high school and middle school for Tri-West and is supported…read moreby the local Lions Club. The park has multiple baseball diamonds with gravel parking lots where some folks stay in their cars to watch the game with better comfort than those braving the seating around the fields. Beyond the outfield of the southwestern field is a small playground, hopefully out of range of any homers headed that way. There are a variety of pieces for kids to play on, but it seems a bit odd that they are stretched out instead of clustered for easy transitions between pieces. There is also a basketball court that doubles as a parking surface during morning games where finding a spot to park is a challenge. Review #822

My husband and I took our grandchildren here for a picnic and hiking/exploring. The nature center…read morewas closed (I had not checked their hours), but we had a great time before incoming rain/storm sent us home. We'll return! The creek is beautiful and the kids enjoyed the bridge. We found deer and raccoon tracks, and some shells. Nature is wonderful

I don't get to this part of Central Indiana often, however, I had the chance to accompany a friend…read moreand we decided to do a bit of a detour and visit McCloud Nature Park in North Salem (Hendricks County). McCloud Nature Park is a 232-acre nature park established in 2003. It has over six miles of hiking trails, easy access to Big Walnut Creek, a nature center with year-round programs, and a pretty good chance you're going to see wildlife while here. The nature center has live reptiles, amphibians, insects, a bird-viewing room, a resource library, and interactive exhibits. In the late spring, summer, and early fall, you can observe live honeybee hives. There's a park pavilion available for rent (I believe it's only $50 a day). For a nature park, it's obvious much effort has been made to offer some contemporary amenities (modern restrooms/picnic facilities) and a surprising degree of accessibility including the availability of a GRIT Freedom Chair to borrow for two-hour increments (no charge). You can also rent a picnic pavilion with tables/grills. For those who don't know, GRIT chairs are capable of handling basic off-roading quite easily. They are manual chairs, but they have levers instead of the traditional wheel-push function. They're quite cool and ideal for hiking trails. While I was able to handle most of the ground here in my chair, a GRIT chair makes it MUCH easier. The trails are both gravel and natural surfaced trails - they are well marked. You can fish, wade, canoe, and kayak in Big Walnut Creek. The creek is known to have smallmouth bass, panfish, catfish, suckers, and carp (you do have to follow Indiana fishing laws and have an Indiana fishing license). As someone who loves bridges, I was in love with a restored iron truss bridge that is over 100 years old. There's also a swing set with belt, tire, infant, and ADA swings. The wetland habitat has a boardwalk and observation decks. While I'm impressed with how accessible Hendricks County has made this nature park, I'm also impressed with how much accessibility was actually just built into it. There was some clear thought. I sure wouldn't call all the trails accessible, though more advanced wheelchair users like myself can definitely have some fun here (and I did). The nature center admission is free. Hours for the nature center: November through March: Friday & Saturday only, 10am-4pm (closed noon to 1pm). April through October: Wednesday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm (closed noon to 1pm); Sundays, 1-5pm. This is definitely worth a visit to the westside to check out. I'd actually call it a destination nature park with enough features to keep folks happy. There's enough accessibility offerings to allow for all members of the family to enjoy the park. This is an absolute gem and I definitely recommend a visit.

Williams park is a great park with lots of open space as well as basketball courts and play areas…read moreincluding the newly fixed splash zone for kids. The wooden climbing structure for kids is nice in that it is a contained area. I do wish that there were some shaded awnings for the parents and caregivers to sit whilst kids play however because on a hot day parents will be hard pressed to keep out of the heat. Restrooms are located throughout the park. There are also some covered picnic areas, but they aren't close enough to the play structures to keep a close eye on the children. The kids that I Nanny love coming to Williams Park as one of their rotating play areas!

Great. Been about a month ago! It was a Super Time there with my Dog, Penny…read moreEven met a new "friend" with her 3 children! My pup really enjoyed the area

Very nice nature park. Loop trail is easy walking. Great place to take the kids or the dog for a…read morewalk. Several access points for fishing along the trail and near the bridge.

Just north of Crawfordsville on US-231 is a nature park with a wooded hike and lots of bench/tables…read morealong the path. The majority of the trail parallels the river, including the bend for the last third of the trail. Near the entrance are several board displays including a map and information about the wildlife in the area. The trail starts on the left of the parking lot and loops around a small pond to cover the majority of the park to the right. Most of the paths are dirt, though parts are sandy (near the bend) and rocky. Decent footing for walking, but not so good for jogging since there can be muddy stretches and uneven surfaces. Near the bend, the trail opens up to a "beach" area across from an old power plant. The river has a small dam that creates a murmuring that is relaxing. Fishing is allowed, but there are signs posted that the fish may not be healthy for eating. Sadly, after the rounding of the bend where the trail passes under US-231, a "camp" for homeless blocked the path. I didn't see anyone there, but felt uncomfortable going beyond that point. On the trail back, I found a bypass along the front of the park where the tall grasses had been cut straight to the parking lot. Overall, the park was a decent hike, but could use some attention. I kept running into cobwebs through the wooded area, so I wonder how much use the trail gets. Also, the trail got hard to follow beyond the bend. I wasn't sure if I was to continue along the river or if there was some woodland path that was obscured from view. Note: Access to the park is only available from the north bound lanes of US-231 near the Elston Park Softball Complex. Review #966

This is another great rail trail in Indiana that straddles Sugar Creek. Finding the trail is…read moretricky, winding pass farmland, through a golf course and around some tight curves. There is plenty of parking and a porta potty at the entrance we used. There was no phone connectivity, so I could not check in. This is wilderness! This was my third visit to the trail. There is short hike up a hill to access the trail. The tree lined trail is nicely paved with occasional benches and pet clean up stations. There are lots of wildflowers along the path and some picturesque views including and old train bridge across Sugar Creek. There were lots of birds chirping so a good place for bird watching. On the weekend, there are many people out walking, running, riding bikes and more. Rock hunters look for fossils under the bridge. The trail itself is accessible and navigable in a wheel chair but I don't know how a wheelchair could climb the hill to get on the trail. Perhaps there is another area with easier access. The trail closes at dusk.

This is a 4 and a half mile trail of wilderness on the outskirts of Crawfordsville. It's…read morewell-maintained and peaceful, great for walking, jogging, or biking. It's mostly paved with a short gravel section. Although it is technically part of the trail I would skip the section by Crawfordsville High School and start by Donnelly's, its more nature-y. I don't think there's any water fountains so definitely bring a water bottle. It's rural and seems very safe, I've never heard of any crime on it, but I would still recommend normal safety precautions because it is very isolated.

This park was a great place to get out and go for a walk. The sidewalk is oversized with plenty of…read moreroom for people to pass or go on opposing directions. On our walk we headed up a long winding sidewalk for a mile. We still hadn't reached the end before turning around and heading back. There were so many adorable dogs on the visit. We also saw several birds and squirrels. Plenty of parking and areas to get out. There is also a children play area and places to picnic. Recommended

My childhood park from 40 years ago... When visiting as an…read moreadult, I still see it as a wonderful park, well maintained etc., and definitely worth spending time at. The only downsides are, and this is comparing it to the 1980s..., is that there are many more people here, PAVED trails (not a fan), and the signs say that we can no longer explore off the trails... kind of a let down, but I understand.

I've secretly held off on reviewing this place to not make it as known to keep it quiet and less…read morecrowded like most of the other parks are around Indy nowadays. As of April 21, 2025, they'll be charging for entrance, so might as well review it! I've been coming here for years now. It's an amazing spot with one major trail (2.85 miles) and then a shorter out-and-back trail that leads to the water overlook. I frequented this place cause it's not as known, which means less people! One of my go-to places to hike in the city given its ease of access off of the interstate and free admission. Womp. Thanks for providing the free space while it lasted!

The Starling Nature Sanctuary is an 11-acre nature sanctuary within the boundaries of Eagle Creek…read morePark. The sanctuary is named after Scott Starling and is located at the north end of Eagle Creek Reservoir (Pike Township). Starling passed away at the age of 29 after being struck by lightning during a storm. He was a 1977 Pike High School graduate and a Purdue University graduate. At the time of his death, he was working toward a doctorate in marine aquaculture and had served in the Peace Corps. The area was purchased by Indianapolis in 1966 and was officially designated the Scott Starling Nature Sanctuary in 1992. It's managed by Indy Parks. The sanctuary is the setting for a wetlands restoration project led by the Center for Earth and Environmental Science along with Indy Parks, wetland restoration professionals from Spence Restoration Nursery, and IUPUI (now IU-I) students and faculty. The sanctuary has done a great job of maintaining its natural state while also becoming more accessible. The core of the sanctuary is a 2.4-mile trail that is moderately challenging. Initially not very accessible (and trails that branch off can be far less accessible), there's been much done to improve it. The boardwalk section, in particular, is kid-friendly and is a popular yet fairly isolated spot for hiking, walking, and running. In terms of wheelchair users, this is really only a trail for more experienced, independent wheelchair users. I grew up in Pike Township and visited this area a lot in my young adult years, however, now that I live in Lawrence Township I don't get over here as much as I should. Today's visit was a reminder of how much I enjoy it even though there were a couple spots that were pretty difficult to pass in the wheelchair. It's worth the extra effort for sure.

I'm really starting to appreciate nature and hiking. This park is a nice spot for a peaceful walk…read more I visited with my son to enjoy some quality time and nature, and it's conveniently close to our home. It wasn't very busy the day we came. The park has shelters and multiple walking trails, which gives you options depending on how far you want to go. I noticed people taking family pictures at this park. One of the highlights was the water along the trail which adds a really pretty, calming touch to the scenery. The weather was decent temperature but a bit gloomy the day we went, and there were a lot of leaves on the trail. We didn't check the map and just kind of winged it, so parts of the trail were hard to follow because the leaves covered the path, but it wasn't an issue. Overall, we enjoyed the walk, the quiet surroundings, and the chance to bond while taking in what nature has to offer.

Southeastway Park is a hidden 188 acre treasure in the southeast corner of Marion County. The Park…read morehas trails through sycamore filled woods, picnic areas, a large playground and a naturalist center. Best of all, the park is free. The park maintains several natural habitats including a pond, wetland, prairie and Buck Creek. The setting is perfect for bird watching, hiking, running, walking the dog or enjoying a sunset. The six shelters can be reserved (rented) for parties, meetings, picnics for $135 for residents of Marion County or $160 for non-residents. The naturalist center/classroom can also be reserved during certain months. There are lots of picnic tables available on first come basis. There is a bathroom facility available in the warmer months. The naturalists run special educational programs throughout the year including summer day camps for the kids, a bug festival, maple syrup tapping in late winter and hayrides in the fall. The Park will be hosting eclipse viewing on April 8. I was visiting the Master Naturalist Class, a but also took my dog on a nice walk. The park is open dawn til dusk and worth a visit. Plan on spending a couple hours. Be sure to bring your bug repellent.

Another amazing day at Eagle Creek Park! Couldn't ask for better weather. Nature was REALLY…read moreshowing off today.

I visited here get a little exercise while in town recently and was impressed with the quality of…read morethe trails and hiking paths around. Parking was easy to come by on a weekday but I can see it getting tough on a nice weekend day. I thought the $8/day was a little steep and wished they had a weekly pass

Highland Park is a huge community park in Kokomo with lots of green space, recreational spaces and…read morea historic covered bridge. What I like best about the park are the mature trees that provide lots of shade. Some of the trees are over 400 years old. There is a huge colorful playground with climbing structures, swings and slides. The base is a mix of mulch and soft matting. Benches line the area for parents to sit and watch kids . (The equipment could use a good cleaning from the trees.) There are two ball diamonds with bleachers within the park. A beautiful stream that meanders through the park attracts fisherman. Tree-covered picnic areas are scattered along the creek. The Vermont Covered Bridge spans the creek and is open to pedestrian traffic. There are restroom facilities near the playground. There are several parking areas throughout the park and you can drive along the creek. Highland Park is a great place to bring the family.

This is a large park in Kokomo that truly has something for everyone. We were originally drawn here…read moreby the largest sycamore tree stump that is on display and the largest steer that is not alive, but a stuffed version is on display. There is parking right next to these attractions and easy access for those who need it. They were both behind glass so the glare made it hard to see both, but they were amusing. Right next to the display was a playground suitable for all ages. The slide is a bit high, and it seemed old, but in good condition. There are also covered picnic tables in the area. Down the ways a bit in the park is a red covered bridge that was fun to walk through and take some photos with. Lastly, there is a large pavilion stage area what was having an orchestra concert, free to attend, and the audience was partially shaded with some picnic tables in the back as well.