Featured Trail: Ft. Harrison SRA

 

click to view Inter-Active Map Pros: Scenic and Shady Both flat and hilly portions. Wide & Paved portions. Occasional benches. Overlooks, shelters, & parking.   Cons: 4-5 dollar admission. Hilly. Parking at only one end [not at the Duck Pond]. Description of Hiking Trails***   [***from DNR literature ]

"Harrison Trace Trail: EASY — 2.5 mile loop via Duck Pond.This is an asphalt surface trail intended for walkers, bicyclists, and joggers. The trail begins at the Delaware Lake Picnic Area. After passing Delaware Lake, the trail follows the rolling upland above Fall Creek. Although the trail is graded and paved, it is not flat. Much of the trail is tree covered and wildflowers grow next to the walking surface all season long. This is the easiest route to Duck Pond. Fall Creek Trail: MODERATE — 1.1 miles to Duck Pond. Start this trail at the northeast corner of the Delaware Lake Picnic Area. The trail follows the lowlands along Fall Creek and then heads uphill as it nears Duck Pond. Overall distance can be shortened or varied by taking one of the three cut-off trails that connect to the Harrison Trace Trail. Excellent for birding, fishing access, wildflower and tree identification. Camp Creek Trail: MODERATE — 1.0 mile to Duck Pond. Pick up this trail at the northeast side of Delaware Lake as it branches from the Harrison Trace Trail. The trail follows a woodland ravine, then climbs to the upland forest. This is the choice for the earliest spring flowers, and a wide variety of trees." For other trails south of Schafter Rd. check back here regularly or be sure to get a map from the ranger when entering the park.

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Several well mapped trails and traces: all cross each other so you can choose an unpaved circular [hiking] route or a paved circular [walking] route or a combination of both. The first time out I say my first 'peleated woodpeckers', there were two of them and they were huge! I had never seen woodpeckers like these or this big but when I first saw them all of a sudden the cartoon character 'Woody Woodpecker' made since to me. If you take the paved Harrison Trace [blue] from the Cherry Tree parking lot around both the Delaware Lake and Duck Pond you have a 2.5 mile trek with an elevation of 75ft. By taking a counterclockwise direction you have a steeper rise with a slow decline; by going clockwise you have the opposite. You can add .91 miles to your distance each way if you start the Harrison Trace at its origin west [brown] of the lakes on Scafter Rd. This stretch is flat but with no shade. If you take the full unpaved Fall Creek Trail [red] from the Delaware Lake Picnic Area parking lot and connect to the Camp Creek Trail [green] you will end up on the lower portion of the Harrison Trace Trail [blue] where you can return to the starting point via the Harrison Trace Trail. This route is shady and has a long flat area with gradual inclines and is about 2.1+ miles. It has timber overlooks along Fall Creek but does not encounter Delaware Lake. Washouts or 'runoffs' demonstrate natural erosions all along the route. There are several other cutoff trails that connect the various trails. I haven't taken any of the trails south of Scafter Rd. yet, but these three are so nice it will be awhile before I finish exploring them. [SRA: State Recreation Area]

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.

Featured Trail: Northwest Way Park

 

View Inter-Active Map Pros: Varied Sun & Shady. Scenic, flat to rolling. Paved, not congested. Family oriented activities. Restrooms and parking. Cons: Lack of shade on larger loop Too many kids? Overall Path: 1.2 miles larger loop. plus .7 smaller loop. 1.6 combined outer path. or 1.9 doing figure 8.

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On 62nd Street between Georgetown & Moller Rd.  A large inner city park on the northwest side of Indy with no dissecting streets.  Most of the park is encircled by a walking path that forms a big loop with a smaller loop appended to one corner.  Mostly walkers with few bikers or skaters which is good because of the paths width, which is barely adequate for two-way pedestrian traffic.  The larger loop passes the aquatic center, basketball half-courts, soccer fields, parking lot and green space.  This loop is laid out over flat and rolling terrain and is mostly in the sun.  The smaller loop is a little more rolling than flat, and winds through shady areas that account for about 50% of the loop.  There are picnic shelters and playground along the intersection of the two loops.  The smaller loop and part of the larger loop are very oriented to a wildlife habitat layout, bird feeders, vegetation, and rabbits are plentiful.

Featured Trail: Southeast Way Park

5624 South Carroll Road, New Palestine, IN 46163 View Inter-Active Map Pros: Varied sun & mostly shady. Scenic, flat to rolling. Unpaved, not congested. Family oriented activities. Restrooms and parking. Cons: Trail has potential for getting muddy in damp weather Limited trail options [some small loops] Overall Path: Larger loop (biking/walking) = ??. Hiking loop = ??. Low traffic roadway = ??.

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A large suburban park on the southeast edge of Indy (Marion Co.) with no dissecting streets. Most of the park is encircled by a walking path (an old deteriorating bicycle path) and a large hiking path. I didn't do the walking path but the hiking trail was great. The paths were narrow foot trails, mostly flat to rolling with some dips and embankments. In spite of the 'flatness' there were dramatic examples of erosion from the trailhead to the creek that borders the park. The large loop that constitutes the hiking trail is not closed, it begins near the Park Center and ends near the picnic and parking lots. You complete the 'loop' using part of the old walking/bike path. This is the only portion of the 'loop' that is fully exposed to wind and sun. There are picnic shelters, playground and open grassy areas throughout the park. "Southeastway Park is a 188-acre nature park managed by the Indianapolis Parks and Recreation Department. The park is located in the southeast corner of Marion County at 5624 South Carroll Road easily accessible from I-74 at the Acton Road exit. There are a variety of natural habitats on the property including 80 acres of forest, a pond and wetland, open fields, a prairie and Buck Creek. The park also offers numerous environmental educational programs and special events throughout the year." from the Indy Parks website. The park is very oriented to a wildlife habitat layout, bird feeders, vegetation, creek, pond and rabbits are plentiful, but the most interesting aspect of the park is the Butterfly conservation program. They have literature on setting up your own 'migration' station, "Monarch Butterfly Waypoint', to attract butterflies and judging from the abundance of butterflies during my visit their program is a big success.

Around iNDY: The Monon Murals

I re-walked the Monon Trail on Memorial Day weekend [09] and covered the trail from 46th street south to the trailhead at 10th & Mass. Ave. for the first time. In the process I took some pictures of Murals that I hadn't seen before. Iplaced them at the beginning of the slide show.
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At several locations along the trail murals can be found on the back of buildings adjacent to the trail. There are over 40 murals painted on the back of a 400 foot long building between 52nd and 54th Street.

Featured Trail: The Monon Trail

View Inter-Active Map [see Photo Ops below] Pros: Scenic, Shady & Flat. Wide & Paved. Mile markers, occasional benches. Eateries & shops at Broadripple Village and Nora. Cons: Congestion. Speeding Cyclist Overall Path: 10miles plus 5.25 in Hamilton Co.  [96th Street to 10th Street. Connects to Fall Creek Trail and Central Canal Towpath. Walk/Jog, Cycling, Rollerblading. From Start to Fall Creek Junction: 2.76 miles From Fall Creek Junction to Broad Ripple: 3.49 miles Broad Ripple to Nora: 3 miles Nora to Carmel: 4.67 miles Destinations: Nora, Broad Ripple, Marott Park , Indianapolis Art Center, Canterbury Park, State Fairgrounds, Fall Creek Trail, Douglas Park, Central Canal Towpath.

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From 62nd street [Broadripple Village] going north to 86th street [Nora] is a nice shady 3 mile walk, with a slight elevation [The trail north of 86th Street to 96th Street is less shady and more prone to winds]. South of 62nd is also less shady. Mile markers [below 96th Street] make it easy to time yourself and adjust your turnaround point for shorter walks. The trail occasionally can be very busy with bikes, joggers, dog walkers and skaters. The path is wide and paved, has few street crossing points once you leave Broadripple Village, and has plenty of eateries and shops at both Nora and Broadripple.  Public restrooms only at 96th Street and Carmel City Hall. Occasional drinking fountain [including doggie fountains] and bench. It crosses the canal, White River, Fall Creek and Williams Creek and passes Marott Park. It also connects to the Central Canal Towpath in Broad Ripple and the Fall Creek Trail south of the Fairgrounds.  Nice neighborhoods, Indianapolis Art Center, wooded areas, and art adorn the walk. Besides the natural beauty of the neighborhoods and wooded area the Monon Trail passes through, there are also sculptors, buildings decorated with murals and the IAC: Monon Murals At several locations along the trail murals can be found on the back of buildings adjacent to the trail. There are over 40 murals painted on the back of a 400 foot long building between 52nd and 54th Street. To view a full sized slide-show of click this link. Indianapolis Arts Center is located along the Monon Trail on the banks of White River. The grounds of the Center features sculpture, foliage and landscaping. To view a full sized slide-show of click this link.