This is a fantastic 4.9 mile loop trail for a day hike. I don't normally give much credence to…read moretrail difficulty ratings in the Midwest, but the "expert" trail definitely isn't easy on foot (I imagine it would be super challenging on a mountain bike). The trail weaves through old timber, dipping and diving between marshes that flank the White River. The trail actually divides at various points into easy, intermediate and expert legs. To get the full 4.9 miles, you have to take all of the expert loops, but they are the fun ones anyway. The trail was not heavily trafficked, even on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. The loop is one-way traffic, so you won't likely see anyone else unless you overtake them or vice-versa. That also means no turning back once you start. Take water and a snack. The full 4.9 will take over 2 hours to hike. Also, with all of the marshes, there are lots of bugs in the summer months. Make sure to apply plenty of deet.

I have been riding the Midland Trace trail for a few years. I continue to enjoy their new…read moreextensions. Today was no exception as I found a few extra miles that I hadn't ridden. While there were signs saying it was under construction, I didn't see real construction until HWY 32. This section had a beautiful winding path (rather than the straight as an arrow Monon). It also had a lot of shade which was greatly appreciated on this hot muggy July 1. Not sure how many miles are complete but my round trip from the Nora YMCA was just over 31 miles. My next trip I will clock the miles from Union Street.

The Midland Trace Trail is located in Hamilton County in Central Indiana. It's a 3.75 mile asphalt…read moretrail that is 12' wide. It continues to be under development and has several new sections planned for the future. I used the Midland Trace Trail during the 2022 Tenderness Tour event as I traveled by wheelchair from Indianapolis to Elwood. I caught the Midland Trace Trail after having taken the Monon Trail up to Westfield from Indy. Hamilton County tends to treat their trails better than Marion County, though I do find the signage on this trail just a bit lacking. Amenities include a drinking fountain, benches, dog drinking bowl, dog waste station, bike rack, and public restrooms. I continue to be amazed how often trails don't have public restrooms and I always appreciate it when they are available. Walking/running, bicycling, and rollerblading are allowed on the trail. Of course, it's pretty friendly to wheelchair users as well. I had no difficulty utilizing the trail. My only problem happened when I took a brief detour and ended up crashing in gravel. Major access points include Old Friends Cemetery Park, Quaker park, Kroger, and Simon Moon Park. You are kind of on the edge of rural here. However, it's fairly easy to find places to stop whether you need a break, a restroom, a meal, or even to do a little sightseeing here in Hamilton County. It's also worth noting that you can currently connect to the Monon Trail, Natalie Wheeler Trail, Monon Midland Loop, and Simon Moon Park. Future plans include connections to Grassy Branch Trail, Cool Creek Trail, and Little Eagle Creek Trail. The Midland Trace Trail is part of the Trail Ambassador Program and seemed like it is nurtured. I had no problem in terms of inclines or obstacles. Generally, I find Hamilton County drivers pretty friendly to trail users during those times when crossing is needed. This was my first time using the Midland Trace Trail. It won't be my last.

Our favorite state park in Indiana. My friends and I camp here for a four day weekend at least…read moreonce a year, and sometimes visit for just a day hiking trip and picnic. The campgrounds are excellent, especially Taylor Ridge. But be aware that you need to make reservations ahead of time, especially if you are planning a fall camping trip. Campsites sell out early. Shower rooms are decent, not wonderful. But satisfactory for a campground. Quiet hours are strictly observed, and the park rangers will pay a visit to your campsite if you aren't quiet after 10:00 pm Once we received a visit from a friendly park ranger when we were playing cards around 11 pm. We hadn't realized that we were being noisy at all but the ranger advised us that sound carries throughout the campground. Hiking trails range from easy to moderate. Trail maps are available are the trails are well marked. You will likely see deer and raccoons when hiking the trails. Some members of our group enjoy mountain biking too.

Brown county is a must go spot for Fall and beware everyone goes there for Fall! Last weekend was…read morevery crowded taking about 30 minutes just to cross the entrance. Past the crowd, the views were everything! It was eye candy and so worth the traffic, wait time and people. The park itself is very huge and has a couple entrance points and is well maintained. We hiked the Straul Lake hike and it's an easy 1 mile hike which had exceptional views- I just couldn't stop looking! The lookout points are another easy way to stop and click pictures, enjoy the views and just relax. Beware that internet depending on your provider can be hard to find. All in all brown county is a name for a reason. So worth the hype!

I bought a bike from another company online, but it was riding weird. Took it into Kirk's and they…read morefixed at a reasonable price. Ride lovely now. The customer service was excellent.

My wife and I were riding our ebikes today on the Cardinal Greenway in Muncie when I noticed her…read morerear wheel was REALLY wobbling back and forth (I may have clipped it SLIGHTLY with my Jeep.....) Anyway, we rode up to Kirks and one of the service guys was standing out on the sidewalk by the door. He asked what we needed and we showed him the wheel. He immediately took the bike in and pulled the wheel to true it up. He wasn't able to true it (okay, maybe I more than SLIGHTLY clipped it...). About 20 minutes later they had a new wheel installed and we were on our way. The price was very fair and it was great that they were able to fix it while we waited. They really took care of us!

It's a little bit rare that I discover a spot previously unknown to me, however, this was the case…read moretoday when I visited Oliver's Woods Nature Preserve. I was between tasks near Castleton and decided to do a Yelp search to see if I could snag a review or two during my free time. As is often the case for me, I searched for "parks" and Oliver's Woods popped up along with a review from the always dependable Nicole S. It's amazing to me that I've driven by this preserve many times without realizing its existence. In fact, even while looking for it today I drove by it a couple of times before realizing the place where I needed to turn. It's not particularly well marked from River Road. As it turns out, this is part of its charm. Oliver's Woods Nature Preserve is a 56-acre preserve owned by the Central Indiana Land Trust. It includes 16 acres of woods, 37 acres of prairie-savanna restoration, and a mile of White River frontage. As is true for most preserves under Central Indiana Land Trust, Oliver's Woods is fairly light in development but a fairly nice effort toward some ADA accessibility is noteworthy. It's not perfectly accessible but, let's be honest, nature seldom is perfectly accessible. As Nicole S. notes, this is a rather sublime weaving together of urban and nature. In fact, I really expected this to be more like a pocket park considering it's situated so close to an office park, apartments, and a nearby shopping center along with the highway. Remarkably, this is simply a well preserved area of nature amidst it all. In terms of accessibility, the accessible parking is by the Daugherty house. Oliver Daugherty, who passed away in 2009, donated the property to Central Indiana Land Trust and some unexpected funding received allowed for increased development of it in 2017. The accessible parking spot allowed for access to a .6 mile trail made of crushed gravel. I'm a wheelchair user and had no issues with it. However, it's worth noting that parking in the usual parking lot is more difficult because the gravel isn't quite as crushed. While the preserve is open daily, there are specific times when a volunteer docent is available to give a tour of the preserve. There is a canoe launch available for any craft legally allowed on the water in the city of Indianapolis that you can carry to/from the river from the drop-off area in front of the Daugherty House. The southern half of the Town Run Trail Park also runs through this property with an agreement that was made between Indy Parks and Daugherty himself. Volunteers have helped plant native trees and plants and to remove invasive species. "This special care is allowing native species like wild ginger, Virginia bluebells, waterleaf, wild hyacinth and trillium to flourish," according to the CILT website. Because this is so wooded and you are along White River, seeing wildlife is also a strong possibility. This is not a "recreational" preserve other than the ability to launch a canoe. This is a wonderful preserve for enjoying nature, appreciating White River, and enjoying a short but nicely done trail. There are signs around the preserve explaining the preserve (including at the Daugherty House). Quite honestly, I'd have loved living here. I saw one other vehicle while I was here, though I never saw the person associated with that vehicle. I did hear traffic and the highway, though on a warm and sunny Fall day it all felt really perfect. Now that I know this is here, there's no doubt I'll return!

Oliver's Woods Nature Preserve is truly an urban oasis. You can see and hear the vehicles roar by…read morefrom I-465, just a short distance away. You walk through tall grasses as you walk past billboard signs. I love the city and I tolerate nature, so this place is a great combination of both for me. There are hiking trails here, but they're not clearly marked, so as we were walking and enjoying nature, we encountered several mountain bikers who raced past us. There must have been some sort of mountain biking thing going on, because there were a lot of bikers at the park. We must have been on the biking trail, because we didn't see any other walkers, just bikers. The path is super slim, so we had to duck into the brush whenever we saw a bicycler, which was every three to five minutes. Eventually, we headed back and found an actual walking path. All this to say: If you find a dirt path that is jutted, it's probably not the walking path -- it's the biking path. Once we found the walking path, it was very pretty and peaceful. The hiking / walking path will take you to the boat launch, where you can take your boat out onto the White River. It will also take you to the Daugherty House, which is a house that belonged to the original owner of the property, Oliver Daugherty. You can't go inside the house, but you can look at the outside, and there are signs and QR codes that give you more information about it. We found a lot of native plants here, including wild raspberries that were ripe and ready for picking. We also saw a beaver (!) and trekked across a stream that fed into the White River. This is such a cool place, and it's a true Indianapolis hidden gem.

This is one of my new favorite places to go for a walk/ hike. There are so many trails to choose…read morefrom and when you enter the park on a sunny day, most of the trails to your right are shaded by the umbrella of trees. The trails to the left, on the other hand, are well- lit and sunny. On our most recent visit, my husband and I stumbled upon a very small cemetery. I thought that it might have been a pet cemetery due to its size, but after some quick research, my husband was able to find information regarding the family that it is believed to have belonged to. It was both creepy and cool at the same time. We walked a loop that was surprisingly dense at points and I was amazed at the fact that we didn't pop back out onto the main trail as quickly as I'd thought we would. There were some very steep slopes at points that were marked with cones that I found to be quite dangerous, but it's nature, so what are you going to do?! I love the preservation of this natural/ wild space. The sound of the birds in the forest canopy is calming and there are several places to stop, have s seat and just listen. There is also at least one of those tiny community libraries located there, as well as many other interesting features.

Growing up in the city of Danville, Illinois, there were always parks to enjoy nature. I would…read morenever expect that in the middle of Indianapolis, you could get lost in the wilderness. When me and my wife went hiking on these trails, I forgot we were in the city. It was so peaceful and pleasant and relaxing. This is definitely a place to go for a nice walk and tranquility. Even the squirrels, birds, dragonflies, and all of nature's creatures seem to enjoy the area. I can't wait for us to go back again.

Sargent Road Nature Park is one of Indy's newest nature parks and was the first acquisition of land…read moreby Indy non-profit Mud Creek Conservancy. Located on the Southeast corner of 82nd and Sargent Road, Sargent Road Nature Park was established with a mission of preservation, recreation, and education. In 2018, this 26-acre area was up for sale. Concerned about how such a sale might impact the area's nature, Mud Creek Conservancy worked with Sargent Road Association and in 2019 completed a purchase agreement. This fledgling non-profit with a small budget had two years to raise $500,000 to complete the purchase. Thanks to donations by 600 donors/families, they completed the task in 18 months and set out to honor one of their promises - the nature park. This nature park opened in June 2024 and includes a total trail system of just over a mile. It's a dirt trail, though relatively accessible for more active folks. The main trail is .46 miles long. There is signage indicating that the natural trails are NOT fully accessible and can become muddy depending on weather. There's definitely times I wouldn't try the trail, though on a good weather day I actually had very little difficulty. It should be noted that "recreation" in this case means hiking, jogging, bird-watching, wildlife viewing, and nature photography. There's no question this park is about nature preservation. Dogs are allowed here with an important disclaimer - The conservancy requires all canine visitors become Conservancy Canine Club members at a cost of $20/year per dog. The link is on the website - a membership includes three simple pledges: 1. Dogs will be controlled/leashed. 2. Dog waste will be cleaned up and removed from the park. 3. Dogs will not be allowed to harass other wildlife or trail users. Conservancy Canine Club fees cover MCC's habitat stewardship fund. Per their website, MCC notes "Even with the proper rules in place and adherence to them, having dogs on-site comes with ecological impacts. CCC funds will help us mitigate those impacts (traces of urine, feces, wildlife impacts, etc) by restoring native habitat on site to provide shelter for wildlife and improved water quality protection." CCC fees will cover some membership events/perks/swag. All CCC members will get a dog tag/leash medallion. This is a really cool nature park and indicates a wonderful non-profit/community partnership to make it all happen. Mud Creek Conservancy continues to be a relatively small non-profit, however, this park is a tremendously cool endeavor and I look forward to watching how it develops and is cared for moving forward.

Fall Creek Greenway is one of my favorite places in the city. I live right next to it and walk the…read moretrail almost every day with my dog. Being so close to the river is really nice, and I'm always spotting wildlife. Recently I've seen a big owl, deer, a beaver, and even a bald eagle! I also love riding my bike on the trail. People are usually very respectful, whether they're biking, running, or walking. You'll often see families out together, which makes it feel welcoming and safe. There could be a bit more lighting though. Other than that, it's an amazing trail to have right in the city.

Great bike trail! Well maintained and nice views of the creek along the way…read more Park your vehicle at fort Harrison park and ride your bike directly to the trail.

I took my dog here for a trail walk. Unfortunately, there was construction going on so we mostly…read moreended up on the Nickel Plate trail instead. Despite the unforeseen detour we enjoyed visiting the creek and the parts of the trail we could. There are lots of bugs in the woods near the creek but other than this I recommend visiting. It's very peaceful.

Cheeney Creek is a nice nature area just south of downtown Fishers. This area features paved and…read morenature trails with tall trees to keep things cool in the summer. If you prefer to walk/hike in the shade, Cheeney Creek is a good place to visit. The trails aren't particularly long, clocking in at around two miles. There is more to see with the nature trails since they run adjacent to a large pond. There are several spots and a dock that are ideal for fishing. Cheeney Creek was moderately busy during a weekend visit. I ran into a few folks here or there and some bikers, but that's about it. Afterwards you can take a short walk or drive to 116th street for some refreshments.

Who knew these trails were tucked behind the Riverside schools? Judging by the fact we were the…read moreonly people there, apparently no one. But there are in fact several trails on the property with a variety of settings: woods and hills, flat open prairie, and canopied trees. Nice to get some nature in on a nice day where there aren't a ton of people -- or in this case, any.

Tucked behind Riverside Intermediate and Riverside Junior High School is a little trail, next to…read morethe school tennis courts, that opens up into a larger park that Fishers recently established. The two baseball fields might need a little work to meet the standards our kids are used to, but it's ready for play! Get your hiking shoes on and come on out. There are also adjacent trails around the perimeter that are available for hiking.