Featured Trail: Central Canal Towpath

click to view Inter-Active Map [see Photo Ops below] Pros: Shady & Flat, wide path from Holcomb Gardens south. Mile markers, occasional benches. Eateries & shops at Broadripple Village. Holcomb Gardens. IMA. Cons: Congestion and narrow path most of the way from Broadripple to Holcomb Gardens. Speeding Cyclist. Adjacent traffic most of the way from Broadripple to Holcomb Gardens. No water. Scarce Trail Side Parking. Overall Path: 5.23 miles, Broad Ripple Village to 30th Street @ White River. connects to Monon Trail and White River Wapahani Trail and the IMA Art & Nature Trail Walk/Jog, cycling Destinations: Broad Ripple Village, Butler U. Holcomb Gardens, IMA and Riverside Regional Park.

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From the Monon Trail [Broadripple Village] going south is a nice, shady, and flat walk. On a busy day walking two abreast would be virtually impossible and at certain times the glare of the canal can be very distracting in one direction. Path is sometimes sandwiched between the Canal and street and sometimes is a little too close to traffic. Mile markers make it easy to time yourself and adjust your turnaround point for shorter walks. Occasional benches and less street crossings than I imagined. No skaters on the crushed gravel portion but path width makes bikers a little unnerving. Plenty of eateries and shops at the Broadripple end but sparingly along the route. The trail continues south passed the Butler campus and Holcomb Gardens. Nice neighborhoods, Butler campus, IMA and Holcomb Gardens, shade, geese and ducks. Recently [May,2010] walked the Canal Towpath with Kelly and we noticed some manmade features in the tree tops. We left the trail and discovered a hidden clearing were some type of manmade elevated obstacle course involving climbing walls, rope bridges, climbing nets, etc. Looked like fun but potentially hazardess. Couldn’t believed it wasn’t fenced off, you could walk right in under it. It was designed in a fashion that access to the platforms was restricted but not impossible. Someone needs to check their liability insurance and build a fence. From Butler to IMA bridge: continuing past Holcomb Gardens/Butler the paths width is wider and there is a little more shade, but because the path is so close to the canal the canal's width precludes any consistent shade except in the mornings and evenings. Less ducks and geese but turtles abound on the opposite bank and in the moss beds. Absolutely no street traffic and few crossings as the trail becomes almost totally secluded. Several access footbridges to Butler Campus and IMA as well as IMA's Art & Nature Trail. Holcomb Gardens is located along the Central Canal Towpath on the grounds of Butler University. The garden, pond, and other features are very scenic. To view a full sized slide show of Holcomb Gardens click this link. Indiana Museum of Art: Gardens like Holcomb Gardens is located along the Central Canal Towpath and is reached by crossing a footbridge. The grounds of the Museum features sculpture, foliage and landscaping from the Ely Lilly era. To view a full sized slide show of click this link.

Featured Trail: Pogue's Run

[Update Below]

Click to view Inter-Active Map Pros: Scenic: wildlife & art. Occasional benches. Parking. No skaters and bikers are rare. Little traffic. Cons: No restrooms or fountains. No concessions. Crushed gravel and uneven on the causeway. Goose droppings. No shade. Overall Path: 1 mile loop* .25 mile access path* 1.5 from parking lot, around loop and back to parking lot.* plans to connect Brookside Park & Spades Park with 3 mile extension. *Distances are not exact, actual distance in all cases is a little higher.

Pogue's Run is an urban creek that starts near the intersection of Massachusetts and Ritter avenues on the east side of Indianapolis, Indiana and empties into the White River south of the Kentucky Avenue bridge over that river. At the stream's intersection with New York Street just east of downtown Indianapolis it enters a double-box culvert conduit through which it flows underneath downtown Indianapolis.[1] It is named for George Pogue, who, along with John Wesley McCormick, were among the first settlers in what would become the city of Indianapolis.

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Artificial wetlands and walking trial maintained by Indy Parks Department. Three 'wet areas' with two encircled by a one mile path. Also has a reed encompassed pond on the upper level by the parking lot. Geese, Red Winged Blackbirds and ducks (some families) are abundant and have seen occasional Heron/Cranes. Path is a little rough in spots, slightly hilly, some benches and no shade. It is more like a hybrid of a walking and hiking trail. Love the wildlife and art. Can be seen from I-70. Your direction choice allows you to choose between a gradual downgrade with a steeper upgrade or the reverse, a steeper downgrade with a gradual upgrade. At one part of the loop you have a choice of a low path which goes down and then up to reconnect to the main path. When on the loop portion the entire loop is visible from anywhere on the loop. At the causeway which separates the two lower wetland areas the goose droppings can be plentiful and the geese slow to make way. Update: Walked Pogue’s Run today 5-23-2010, still plenty of ducks, geese and Red-winged Black Birds but Great Blue Herron population is more established. saw at least three and got within 30 feet of one. Unfortunately the closeness of the Basin to residential neighborhood or the upstream activities has made for unsightly litter both on the trail and in the water. Hopefully at some point soon the neighborhood or Parks Department will see the need for public clean-up activities.

Around iNDY: Indiana Museum Of Art [IMA]

Located along the Central Canal Walk [Michigan Road and 38th Street]. 

Wolf Park: Indiana

If you’ve never been to Wolf Park it is a must see. For my birthday Kelly got me a membership at Wolf Park and adopted me a Wolf: Wolfgang. We will be attending a fund raising event in September but hopefully will visit before then.

For a more spirited Wolf/Bison encounter look at our video and slide show from our 2007 visit. click here