If you like the Indy outdoor scene but want to avoid the crowds, Southwestway Park is a great place for it! I consider the hiking to be similar to Eagle Creek and Fort Harrison parks, but with the perks of no entry fee and thus, less crowds. I went on my hike on an early Saturday evening. There is pretty good shade coverage on the trails. They are rated for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Some spots can be muddy or slick, so good traction on your shoes is a must. I don't believe there is a bathroom on the premises. There's also not a ton of parking by the hiking trails either. However, there is some construction going on in the area, so they might be adding some extra facilities with this. read more

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This is a great park for mountain biking of all levels and hiking. Good free outdoor activity and a workout. We took some of our kids mountain biking for the first time here. Helmets are definitely a must. Even the beginner trail can be challenging if never mountain biked before. My kids really enjoyed it, one struggled with getting up the hills though so that caused some hardship when biking with multiple people in close proximity. The mountain biking trails also have hikers on them so beware and try to be as safe as you can. After mountain biking, we hiked a trail which was fun. Not sure how long the trail was, but we walked all the way down by the water which was very pretty. They have a paved path as well if that's more your speed. Parking areas are available which makes accessing the park easy. I didn't notice any restroom building, but they had a porta potty open for use. A playground was accessible near the area we parked at. read more

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We haven't been for a while, but we dropped by for a hike today. The trails are really nice. There's a huge number of them, they're clean and well marked, and there was lots of variety of flowering plants to enjoy along the way. Lots of mountain bikers, but they're very polite and it's easy to share the trails. The bathrooms were clean and well stocked with toilet paper. The playground is ok, but could use some landscaping love. The kids still enjoyed it. We picnicked and it was a beautiful morning to enjoy the great outdoors. read more

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Earth Day calls for a park review! Spent a lovely evening here hiking the trail and picking up trash with friends. This was my first time visiting Southwestway Park so I was surprised to find all that's available here- mountain biking trails, large children's playscape, beautiful hiking scenery along the river, a golf course, soccer fields and more. The highlight for me was the hiking trails weaving through meadows and along the river. It was much larger than I expected and we were able to easily get in a two mile loop during our visit. Parking is available throughout the property for different visitor needs. Overall, a lovely adventure and worth the 25 minute drive from downtown Indy. read more

Southwestway Park - Parks Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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It was a great place to watch the solar eclipse. Good facilities and nice grounds. A hidden gem on the Southwest Side.

Southwestway Park is a wonderful city park tucked away on the Southwest side of Indianapolis. I have been coming to this park for many years to enjoy hiking close to home. There are miles of Hiking and Biking trails along the White River. There are a variety of trails from easy to hard. This is a great place to hike any time of the year. They also offer a playground and several ballfields. The downside to this park is they only offer a porta potty when there is not a ball game going on. read more

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This park has two parts that are divided by a street. On one side are soccer fields and wide open space. They have ample parking over there as well. Outside of that there is not much to it. The soccer goals and small bleachers have definitely seen better days. The other side of the street is a bit bigger and that is where you will find baseball/softball fields, a playground, hiking/biking trails, picnic table pavilion and recycling receptacles. There is more than enough parking on this side of the park, at least for regular use. Not sure how parking would work for a large event such as a baseball tournament though. The baseball fields, which are home to Decatur Central Baseball, just like the soccer fields, these fields are in need of some upgrades and serious TLC. You must get a permit prior to using the fields. The playground is decent. It has a large tower with slides, the traditional swings, rock climbing and other playground equipment. There is also benches nearby to sit and watch the kiddos play. They trails are awesome. They are clearly marked and good in all types of weather. I was there with snow on the ground and people were fat tire bike riding, walking their 4-legged friend and hiking. The trails are color coded and are marked by colored posts. The pavilion is covered, has a couple of grills and a few picnic tables. It is right off of the baseball fields. In the back of the park, they have large receptacles for cardboard, newspaper and glass. It is not for trash or any other dumping. This is a nice wide open park that is easily accessible, family friendly and can be peaceful if you can make it away from the street. You can hike, mountain bike, hang out with your furry friend, picnic, play frisbee, play soccer or hit a couple of balls. read more

I came here after a large amount of snow had fallen, leaving a fresh blanket of newly-pressed snow. Thank goodness that people had already packed down parts of the trails because I would have been totally lost. There are two main parts to the park: you have the sports-focused area of the front of the park with a baseball field and more. The other part, where I spent my time, was the hiking and biking trails. I went on a longer 3-4ish mile trail that combined quite a few of the trails together and ended on top of the hill with a minimal lookout. Things to note about the trails: - marking is not the best. I used the AllTrails app and was fine as it led me in the right direction. - that being said, it's not like you can get majorly lost with the landmarks of the hill and the White River. - there are some major roads nearby that you can hear which disrupted some of the sounds of nature as I was hiking closer to those and near the northern part of the park. - it's FREE! - it's the 3rd largest park in Indy. I didn't see any bikers out while I was out and about luckily but it's used for biking and hiking so be alert. read more

Southwestway Park - Parks Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Me and my family went hiking here and it was rather peaceful and calm. Definitely recommend the trail and there is a small playground for the kids! read more

Ahhhhhhh I love this park!!! I am so grateful my sister came to visit from out of state. She always finds the coolest places to spend time outdoors and enjoy nature. This park is a mere few minutes drive from our new neighborhood. I love how I can pack the kids into the car and take everyone to this park to enjoy some fresh air and exploring. If you enjoy trail and mountain biking this is a great spot as there are so many various paths that lead into different areas of the forest. The animal is amazing. If you are an eco-friendly type this is a great spot for you as well. You can bring your recycling here to be recycled instead of just piling up more in landfills. read more

Southwestway Park - This is the playground. - Parks Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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Trail was cool to hike even though there were mostly bike riders. I just wish it was a little longer.

I wasn't impressed when we went. I didn't find the trail marking easy to follow. There was a disappointing amount of trash on the trail. We didn't realize the route we took was a mountain bike trail. Thankfully there were no bikes when we were out, there were several areas where it would not have been safe to pass. The playground area was very clean, with updated equipment that was very exciting for my kiddo - ropes to climb, rock walls, etc. Based on other reviews, I will have to go back and try some other trails, but our first impression was only ok. read more

A beautiful and quiet set of trails. The negative is no maps to be found. Give me a map and you get 5 stars. We ended up walking out the way we came in. A lot of nature sounds and very little humanity. Hikers and bikers. Try it. read more

Have you met my dog? The water dog, if you will. If there's a park along water we will get there eventually. And so this summer we visited Southwestway Park and had a great time. Of course the highlight for us is the access to the White River. The red trail goes from the bluff of the rest of the park down to the river. The northern part close to the Southport bridge has the best access to the water itself. In general the park is pretty secluded which is great for exploring so close to the city. But be on the watch for... horses! Yes several trails are horse friendly because why not. This is also one of only a few parks in the area that has mountain bike trails. Frankly it's kind of a weird setup in that some of the trails are for bikes and humans walking. Beware the trail directly off the south of the parking lot is one way coming towards the parking lot -- for bikes. At least that's what the signage appears to indicate but the biker we almost literally ran into thought it was one way for people too. You be the judge, but be warned those bikes move pretty fast! read more

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This is a great mountain biking park if that is something you are into! We come here with our pup to enjoy the trails but we see so many people biking that it's starting to make us want to buy bikes. The trails are super nice and clean/cleared out for easy walking. They do have some really hilly trails if you would like a little more of a workout. At the bottom of the park is a large creek/waterway that our dog loves to swim in. I see several dogs jumping in every time we are there. It is definitely one of our favorite spots to go when we are looking for a longer hike and escaping the city hussle. CHEERS! read more

Although a lot of people use the park for the baseball and soccer fields, the park is located next to a horse ranch that allows horse riders to use the park just like the hikers and bikers do. There are some different trails for the bikes and horses, but they do overlap in the easiest trails, so everyone just has to share those spaces. As far as hiking goes, the blue trails are supposed to be the easiest. However, there are a few stretches that the markers indicate blue that have some pretty sharp changes in elevation, so my advice on first visits is to take it slow and steady until you get familiar with the park. I read that the elevation changes roughly 80 feet on the trails so the green trails are rated as moderate. I personally like that I can get a good workout without having to head to one of the southern state parks. My only negative is that there are still quite a few intersections of trails that don't have markers, so you have to assume you proceed straight ahead. On my first visit, I couldn't find a marker for the green trails and got sidetracked to a blue trail which went an extra mile before returning to the starting place. I didn't mind the workout, but it would have been beneficial to help me plan my visit. If the parks department would simplify their maps with basic loops and place color coded markers for each loop at the intersections, I think this would make navigation easier. As it is now, the map at the kiosk shows all the possible paths and it is simply confusing. (Particularly the challenging section coded the same color as the easy made me question their system!) Now that I've been there, I have a better sense of the park and look forward to returning when the foliage is back. Review #713 read more

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I can't believe I am saying this but I may have a new favorite Indy Park. I've been meaning to check out Southwest Way for many moons now and I am not sure why it took me so long to get down there. We were initially confused about where to go then I realized we were pulling into the soccer fields. Just note the actual park and trails are across the street. There really is no main entrance as it is all unassuming with a small parking lot. There are a few different trail heads that you can access from the parking lot. Truth be told, I can't tell you which one we ventured out on, we just made sure it was marked for hiking. Keep your eye out because you will share the trail with bikers. All the bikers were encountered were super sweet and mindful that we're bopping around taking in nature as they're flying by. The entire time we were hiking was just amazed we were still in Indianapolis. Woods for dayssss. There were some parts of the trails that were near the water too which was a fun surprise! I love getting lost in the woods and we did just that. That's my kind of park magic. read more

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The whole 45-minute drive to this park, I kept asking my husband if we were still in Indianapolis. Shirley the answer was no. However, the map proved that yes, Southwestway Park is indeed in Indy...and I am so glad it is. This park is perfect for biking and hiking. The loops range from easy to moderate and are easy to complete within 90 minutes. My favorite part is that hikers have access to the White River to picnic or let your dogs go for a swim. It's a serene pit stop. I'd highly recommend this park to anyone who loves to be outside or is looking to take a break from Fort Harrison. read more

Feeling the need to unwind and escape the world around you? Longing for those days where you could take your mountain bike outside and hit the trails? Or are you an avid horseback rider and are just wishing for that wooded trail path to take your good old Mr. Ed on? South WestWay Park has all of those and more. Nestled on white River the trails go up and down a steep hill, giving the feeling you're in a state park, sort of like Eagle Creek. The trails are marked for hikers, horseback riders, bikes, and some off-road vehicles. If you go far into the woods, straight around, you will reach White River where you can get a tacklebox out and do some fishing or take a canoe or kayak out. The trails are the best part of this park. I actually saw a deer right in front of me! Unfortunately, the trails are marked great and where they go and there are no bathrooms nearby. Across the way there is a soccer field and a baseball diamond and there might be bathrooms there, but I don't know if they're open all the time. read more

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What a great place to play and have fun playing soccer. The park is clean and even has bathrooms.(port a potty's) plenary of parking spots and every body is always friendly at the park. read more

Southwestway Park - Soccer field! What a great place to play soccer! There is plenty of room to play and park. Is is very clean and plenty of parking play. - Parks Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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My dog loves coming to southwestway park! Living right down the road is such a perk of this park and there are great trails back in the woods! read more

Love this park! Most of the trails are meant for bikes and it's hard to walk with them on the small trails.

Living in an urban area, you don't expect to find a park full of deeply forested trails and quiet spaces. If you travel to the southwest side of Indianapolis, you'll be delighted to find a great offering of amenities at the Southwestway Park. The park includes your standard fare, playgrounds and ball parks, but the real gem of this park is its trails. The trails wind through the heavily forested areas and are open to hikers, bikers, and horseback riders. The trails vary in width, pitch, and roughness, but they weave through the hills & valleys of this park. The park is adjacent to the White River and several trails take you down to the river. Overall, the quiet landscape is a nice refreshing, peaceful change for this city girl. read more

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Wonderful park, absolutely beautiful, only complaint is I go to hike and the bikers are sometimes scary since they go so fast and the trails are winding. But overall lovely place, one of my go tos for a good hike read more

We were looking for a nice place to hike trials with our pup and boy did we find it! This park is a hidden gem just a few minutes from 37 and Southport Road. Pulling up it didn't look like much but once we made our way to the back parking lot we found several trials marked for biking, hiking, and horseback! The trails were took we in perfect condition and very well maintained. We'll definitely be making weekly visits to get our fill of nature walks with our dog. read more

I took my dog here for a walk on the trails and I will definitely keep this in mind for future walks. The trails were great for the most part. I wish they had been more clear and easy to navigate. Some of the signs were confusing. They were also more challenging than your typical park trails, there was a lot of incline (at least in the area that I went) but I liked that! We had a good little hike. I also liked that for a beautiful Saturday morning, the trails were not too crowded. I am not a biker, but I did notice that several of the trails seemed to be made for bikes by adding in some fancy curves (excuse my total lack of knowledge on how to explain these trails -- like I said, I'm no biker!) The park seemed to be a lot bigger than the section that I was in. I plan to come back and explore! read more

I love this park! There are several different mountain bike and hiking trails. They are not difficult to do by any means. I strapped my baby on my back and hit the road. This park has a big playground that is on the newer side. The hiking trails are not stroller friendly. read more

Love this Indy park - it has great woodsy areas and paved paths .. fields .. ponds .. all you want. We did our maternity photoshoot here and really liked what this location has to offer. Will be back for actual hiking! read more

AWESOME!!! FANTASTIC!!!! Apparently one of Indy's best kept secrets...and you are talking to an Indy native here. Like I knew it existed but have never gone thinking it out of my way or your typical park- baseball fields, playground, tennis courts, and maybe a trail or two. Dude. This place rocks. There are so many trails that wander through the woods that are perfect for trail running or mountain biking. I came here with my new trail running kicks to break them in, so I was just walking around with the husband and pooch for about an hour. It is fantastic. You can just get "lost" (meaning who cares about time) just walking through the woods enjoying the sounds and sights on a summer day. We let the dog off the leash, I know....against the law. But the only people on the trail were mountain bikers and they didn't seem to care. But Pongo was a big fan covering twice the distance we did and running around like the mad doggy he is. I know if he could give this place 6 stars, he would. It's really not far off 465 and perfect for getting out a bit without having to pay the price of Eagle Creek or deal with lots of people like Fort Ben. It was really quiet when we were here on a Saturday morning around 10. Perfect to take a walk through the woods and enjoy life. I will definitely be coming back here to practice my trail running and get in touch with nature. Keep it up Indy...and shhhh...let's keep this one a secret. read more

This is a GREAT park for trail running, hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding. Awesome trails for this area! Some updated, readable maps would be nice. They have places to post them, but the ones they have are sun faded and maybe not up to date. I wouldn't say getting lost is a concern but definitely hard to be confident that you know where you are out there depending on which turn you take. I was running yesterday and came across a biker who was flustered and asked "how do you get out of this place?!?!?" I recommend keeping your phone on you and pinning the location at the trailhead so you at least have some peace of mind that you know where you are and where you need to go to get back to your vehicle! read more

I absolutely love this park. We have been hiking here a couple of times a week for 2 weeks. I strap my 2 year old 30 lbs toddler on my back & we hike for a few hours! My fiancé & I absolutely love it. My toddler loves it as well! The mountain bikers are very nice & let you know if they're behind you if you don't hear or see them, also they let you know if there's any behind them! read more

The signage led me to some trails that were bike-horse-hike friendly. It was awkward getting out of the way for the bikes to come through. We navigated it ok, but it was a bit intimidating to be passed by 4 or 5 people on bikes speeding by us. I am not sure how hikers and horseback riders would navigate some of the more narrow sections of the trail. I am up for returning to the park and trying a different trail another time. (I don't live close to this. It was a random yelp find while traveling.) read more

Decided to go on a little drive and check out this park today. We ventured out a little ways into the trails but could go too far thanks to all the darn Mosquitos. Really wish I had brought some OFF! From what I did see the trails were awesome. Seemed to go back far into the woods. Lots of trees and hills. We didn't get to make it to the lake unfortunately. The only thing negative i can say is the playground equipment. There's only a couple swings and slides. Very basic. Other than that it was a very nice park. Can't wait to go back and explore the trails!!! read more

This place makes me happy. Southwestway park has Soccer fields and Baseball/Softball diamonds. Beyond that it has an incredible area for trail running. Hills, dips, creeks, little bridges, covered by trees, out in the open through fields, you'll run the gamut of it. You'll be sharing the trails with cyclists, sprinters, joggers, walkers, and teams, and there are occasional organized runs at this park. It's pretty windy and intricate and fairly large, so bring a map or a compass or you might get lost. Or, better yet, give yourself most of the day to explore and allow yourself to get lost. read more