DePauw Nature Park

Spring arrived in Indy this past Saturday and that means another trek through the woods.  This time, we went to the DePauw Nature Park.  This park used to be a quarry and was acquired by the University and turned into a nature park back in 2004.  You can read about the history here.  Now it is 350 acres of preserved land with 10 miles of trails.  Most of the trails are crushed gravel, flat and easy to walk and the rim trail especially gives you a fantastic view of the quarry pond.  There are a few woodland trails too which are a bit more rugged, but still pretty easy to traverse.

• Parking: Easy to find, many spaces available
• Trail map: Easy to navigate
• Trail conditions: Well marked and maintained, no mud during our visit
• Amenities: Welcome center with bathrooms; two portajohns on trails

We walked the Quarry Trail Q2, and Rim Trail #3, 4, and 5.  After this we hiked two of the woodland trails – Rail Trail L1 and Creekside Trail.  Here is the view of the quarry pond:

As for wildlife, we saw numerous Turkey Vultures.  We’ve been to the park a few times before and every time we’ve gone, there always seem to be a bunch perched in the trees lining the quarry.  Here’s a closeup:

And since we were in Greencastle anyway, nothing hits the spot after 4 miles of hiking better than a nice cold one.  We stopped in at the Wasser Brewing Company.  Their Belgian Blond and Belgian Pale Ale were excellent!