Hiking in Indiana? That’s right, Indiana!

Posted on by nativetrekker

I’m convinced that you can hike anywhere, even in the cities. The Irish call it “walking” and some walks are more like hikes and hikes more like walks.  Confusing?  Just put on your pack and get out there!  Ever walked in San Francisco? It’s harder than most hikes you can find in almost any National Park.  Whenever I travel to a new place, I usually get out a map and start looking for blank spaces or green spots near to where I’m traveling to.  On a recent trip to Indianapolis, I spent some time looking at a map and found some empty spaces and greenery south of the city in Brown County, near the small town of Nashville, Indiana that is.  Brown County State Park (Indiana’s largest), Hoosier National Forest, and Yellowwood State Forest all show up well on the map and roughly just and hour or so from Indy.

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The hills of Brown County State Park | Indiana

So let’s just start where I did, in Brown County State Park.  The park has about 20 miles of hiking trails and another 27 that are multi-use, which compared to some other places is not much. But I didn’t come to Indiana to hike, it was on the back-end of a business trip that I extended a couple of days to see family in the area (Bloomington) and I managed a little exploring on the side as well.  My hotel was in the quaint town of Nashville about a mile from the north entrance of the park and it turned out to be the perfect place to stretch my legs and get some fresh air.  My first hike was on the 2.2 mile Fire Tower Trail (aka Trail 10) which follows ridges and ravines as a loop.  The loop begins and ends at a 90’ converted fire lookout tower that now serves as an antenna tower open to visitors to climb.  Admittedly, I have a healthy fear of heights and my first climb at the beginning of the hike ended in me seizing up about halfway to the top and turning around.  After hiking the loop, I decided to try again and this time made it up to the top.  I am actually a bit surprised that you are legally allowed to climb this tower but I’m grateful that it was. Nearby is a small nature center that I enjoyed so much that I realized that I’m getting old.  Inside, there are living and non-living (taxidermy) fauna to view.  Live animals included snakes like the Timber Rattlesnake, Copperhead, Black Rat, and Milk (red on black, friend of Jack). There is also a two-way mirror looking out into a bird feeder and this was clearly (intended pun) were all of the action was.  Very fat squirrels battled it out for the primo spots and birds (including my favorite, the cardinal) tried to stay a safe distance away from them, while still managing a free meal.

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Male Cardinal

Another nice trail in Brown County State Park was the short but scenic Ogle Lake Trail.  At only 1.5 miles, the trail is really just a warmup to some of the other connected trails you can hike from this area.  I connected to the Taylor Ridge Trail, which can add another 5.5 miles onto your hike (I didn’t make it that far).

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Ogle Lake

All in all, there are plenty of shorter hiking options in southern Indiana that you might enjoy the next time you’re passing through.  If you’re looking for some decent comfort food, try the Nashville General Store and Bakery in Nashville.  For really good apres randonnee beers, try Upland Brewing Company in Columbus (I had more than one Modern Tart Kettle Sour Ale).  So if you happen to be in Central Indiana and you need a nature fix for a day or two, Brown County is a good place to be.

Boulder Colorado’s Mesa Trail

Posted on by nativetrekker

Some say that the Mount Sanitas Trail is Boulder’s quintessential hike.  The hike is 3.1 miles round trip and has an elevation gain of around 1,350 feet but to me, there are better hikes in Boulder and although the Mount Sanitas Trail is a great (short) workout, it is not the most scenic hike in the area, in my opinion.  To me, the hike that should be on everyone’s Boulder must do list is the Mesa Trail.

The Mesa Trail has almost the exact same elevation gain as the Mount Sanitas trail, but it spreads that elevation gain over a one way distance of about 6.8 miles.  It may actually be one of the flatest hikes you can do in Colorado since it parallels the mountains rather than climbing up them.

As far as scenery goes, there are few hikes anywhere in the country that can rival this one.  The Flatirons are the rock formation that you see in every tourist magazine that features an article on Boulder.  These five primary blocks of sandstone make for a spectacular backdrop for a day hike.  In additon to the Flatirons, this is one of just a few areas along the Front Range where the pine forest actually comes all the way down over the foothills and onto the prairie below.

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The trailhead at Chautauqua

Another great aspect of this trail is its accessabiity.  The trail has three primary trailheads: The South Mesa Trailhead, the Trailhead at the National Center for Atmospheric Reasearch (NCAR), and the Chautauqua Trailhead.  Of the three, only the South Mesa Trailhead has a fee to park ($5).  All three can be very crowded in the summer tourist season and on any weekend day when the weather is good.  Go to NCAR if you want free parking and moderate crowds.  The view here of the Flatirons is really good too but go to Chautauqua for the best view (the downside is the bigger crowds.) For a less crowded section of the trail, start at the South Mesa Trailhead.  It is the least scenic of the three trailheads but it still has some decent views of the Flatirons, Boulder and even Denver off to the southeast.

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Early summer flowers

The best part of hiking the Mesa Trail is that you have many options, and the hikes are all pretty accessible for most people.  If you start at Chautauqua and NCAR, you can walk right up to one of the Flatirons and touch them within about 20 minutes after leaving the parking lot.  Also of note is the many side trail options off of the main trail.  If you’re looking for a longer hike, the side trails heading into the hills are nearly endless and offer you the opportunity to get a workout as good or better than the one you can get on Mt. Sanitas.

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One of many trails that can be accessed from the Mesa Trail, the Mallory Cave Trail

In my opinion, the Mesa Trail pretty much has it all: great scenery, the option for longer hikes while all are within the close proximity of the city of Boulder. For a great après hike food/beer option, check out the Southern Sun for a laid back vibe and great beer just down the hill from the NCAR trailhead.

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For most of the winter, the trail is still accessible and can still be hiked (microspikes recommended though)