Best Hikes Near Indianapolis (Book)

[Jackson]

A couple years ago I picked up this book: The Best Hikes Near Indianapolis . I found out about a bunch of little parks and nature preserves I didn't know we had. They are not back country, overnight type deals. They are mostly little day hikes, usually less than a few miles. Most are pretty well-maintained tracks. The book shows 44 different trails. Some are at the same park. Two are at Turkey Run, for example. All of them are within an hour and a half, or so, of Indianapolis.

The year I got the book, my girlfriend and I started knocking them off the list one weekend at a time. We did about 20 of them that year but work got in the way and we didn't finish. We just picked it back up this weekend and started knocking them off the list again. Today we did two small trails at Big Walnut Nature Preserve near Bainbridge, IN. They were short, easy trails. 1.1 miles and 1.8 miles. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

If you're looking for some little day hikes around Indianapolis, this book does a pretty good job of showing you where to go. It includes a high-level trail map, narrative descriptions of the trails, and driving directions to the trail heads or parks. I'm sure we could find all the same info on the internet, but I think it was worth buying just to have the info in one place and get us off the couch on the weekends.

Some pics of the Big Walnut trails today:

 

[Baditude]

I have thought about getting into hiking small trips like this not over night stuff. Can you recommend what kind of stuff I should carry? I went to REI and bought some great shoes, but figured I should carry water, knife and ?

 

[Streck-Fu]

I have that book and it was a great source for finding stuff that may not appear on park and DNR websites. It's a great guide.

I have thought about getting into hiking small trips like this not over night stuff. Can you recommend what kind of stuff I should carry? I went to REI and bought some great shoes, but figured I should carry water, knife and ?

It all varies a little by where you will be but for the most part, for a few hour or less hike, you don't need much. Some water, snack, pocket knife, light jacket or poncho if there is a chance for rain, etc. By all means you won't be needing much for survival supplies as you are not going to be far from assistance/shelter or even out of cell range.

 

[bocefus78]

hiking list

I have thought about getting into hiking small trips like this not over night stuff. Can you recommend what kind of stuff I should carry? I went to REI and bought some great shoes, but figured I should carry water, knife and ?

GPS (if you have one) and/or maps
Small first aid kit
Water purification tabs or pump
Flashlight w/ extra batteries
Rain gear
Paracord
Small food items-energy bars, nuts, jerky, etc.
Fire starting items (lighter, tinder, etc)
Compass-(with mirror for signaling is my choice)
small folding saw
Backpack for all these items


This may seem like too much, but the first time you are lost in the woods in the dark, you are going to wish you had every one of these and more. JMO, ymmv.

 

[dvd1955]

How thorough is this? I can think of at least 10 trails around Kokomo, Peru and Wabash. I wonder how many of these it lists. All are short hikes, and we usually do these in conjunction with motorcycle rides. Ride a little, hike a little, ride a little more!

 

[Jackson]

I have thought about getting into hiking small trips like this not over night stuff. Can you recommend what kind of stuff I should carry? I went to REI and bought some great shoes, but figured I should carry water, knife and ?

For most of these you will want a bottle of water and some comfortable shoes. They are mostly in little parks and whatnot. So you drive up, park, and walk out to a trail that makes a few loops in the woods. For some of the bigger parks I might take a snack, or bring my lunch to eat at a picnic table, sun screen, something to clean my hands before I eat, that kind of thing. Most are, literally, a walk in the park. :-)

 

[Jackson]

How thorough is this? I can think of at least 10 trails around Kokomo, Peru and Wabash. I wonder how many of these it lists. All are short hikes, and we usually do these in conjunction with motorcycle rides. Ride a little, hike a little, ride a little more!

Its centered around Indy. Goes as far north as Muncie and south to Columbus or so. I would have to look at it again. You can probably pop in to a Barnes and noble and peruse it.

 

[Streck-Fu]

This may seem like too much, but the first time you are lost in the woods in the dark, you are going to wish you had every one of these and more. JMO, ymmv.

If you were going into Morgan-Monroe, Brown Co State Park, Hoosier National, etc, I can see that.....Most of the places near Indy are more park like and that seems like significant overkill.

 

[Jackson]

If you were going into Morgan-Monroe, Brown Co State Park, Hoosier National, etc, I can see that.....Most of the places near Indy are more park like and that seems like significant overkill.

I agree with this. Most of these parks have well-worn trails and clear markers. It would be difficult to get lost. They are still a fun way to spend a couple hrshas on the weekend though and get off the couch.

 

[1861navy]

If you were going into Morgan-Monroe, Brown Co State Park, Hoosier National, etc, I can see that.....Most of the places near Indy are more park like and that seems like significant overkill.

I can definitely agree with this. I can't think of many outdoor areas in Indy area that would require that many supplies for a small hike. Some snacks water knife phone and small bag is all I ever take to parks and such.

 

[Zoub]

City area hikes give you a chance to break your urban routine so take comfort items. Hats, binoculars, bug dope, water, plant and bird ID guides. Small hunting type stool to sit on or small casualty blanket (heavy duty space blanket) to sit on. When I lived in Indy area and my daughter was young the winter was a great time to have trails to yourself. Spring we chose trails that had some water and we took along break down fishing gear with us.

we also used them to train our Lab. Being "urban locked" with a bird dog you have to adapt. The only thing is, there are some nasty freaks in urban woods. I always carried but I avoided some of the worst areas when my Daughter was with me and avoided the worst of the worst 100% of the time.

If living in Indy and looking for a serious change of pace close to home, Martin State Forest is a big win and even offers comfortable car camping. They have one trail that is fairly short with a number of trees and plants marked with small signs so the novice can enjoy the hike and know what they are looking at.

 

[gamer]

I need to get me that book

 

[Indy317]

I have thought about getting into hiking small trips like this not over night stuff. Can you recommend what kind of stuff I should carry? I went to REI and bought some great shoes, but figured I should carry water, knife and ?

My suggestion for small hikes, in higher populated states like Indiana, is to not worry about covering it all. My wife has a Marmot Gunnison 25L pack. I have a much larger external frame pack (though it isn't all that big). After hiking a few times in Indiana and the Great Smoky Mtns., I usually will take her pack if she isn't going. The difference is that I keep a lot more survival related stuff in mine like signal mirrors, strobe lights, more fire starting stuff, etc.. For injuries such a broken bones, you can't do anything about those anyway. For bad bleeds, a tourniquet can be used and they are small enough one should be carried. Obviously for some smaller but heavy bleeding injuries, a handful of gauze pads with some good first aid tape. The more you carry out, the heavier the pack is. The 25L pack is big enough for extra water, extra food (protein, energy bars as emergency rations), and still has room for some basic first aid supplies. I wouldn't worry about water purification. Tell someone where you are going, tell them that if you aren't back by a certain time and/or date, to call the police and let them know. A compass and GPS unit are great, and there are so many roads in Indiana all one really has to do is hike a few miles in a certain direction and they will usually come to a road that leads somewhere. While there is always the possibility of running into something, having a few emergency ration bars and a few extra bottles of water will likely be enough for most situations. When I get back to Glacier and Yellowstone, I will be more likely to take my larger pack, as it is more desolate in some areas than most wilderness areas in Indiana.

The reality is that the most important item anyone could have is an emergency locator beacon. ACR makes a good unit. It will last around five or seven years (due to battery life). They do cost around $280.00. You could have the biggest pack filled with everything you can bring, but what good is water filtration stuff if your leg is snapped and you can't move? So long as you can hit the button on the locator beacon, you will have help coming in due time.