Lower Cascades Park in Bloomington has been around awhile. The park is owned and operated by the Bloomington Park and Recreation Department.
The park dates back to 1921, when city officials, concerned about a nearby stone quarry’s expansion plans, voted to turn that “beautiful narrow strip of land” out on the “North Pike” into a park to prevent “further destruction of the beauty of the scenery.”
The park was dedicated in 1924 as the Bloomington’s first public park.
After the 1929 stock market crash and Great Depression left hoards of southern Indiana coal and limestone workers unemployed, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal started a work program called the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The workers built shelter houses and bridges on the original 68 acres on Bloomington’s north side.
Today, the Lower Cascades Park covers 93.9 acres and, in addition to the historic limestone features, has a playground, hiking trails, a waterfall and creek.
I decided to hike at this park on a recent Sunday when temperatures were in the upper 70s, with a sunny, blue sky above. I packed a picnic lunch, drove to the park and found a place to park in the parking lot.
I started my hike by heading up the trail to the waterfall. The Cascades waterfall trail is an in-and-out trail. The path led me along a raised, wooden boardwalk that paralleled Cascade Creek and ended at the falls.
The trail was in a wooded area, with green leaves offering shade and shades of green. Soon the leaves would change to their fall colors and fall to the ground. But not on this day.
I reached the waterfalls rather quickly and I have to say, it was a beautiful sight. The clear water was sparkling as it fell over the limestone cliff’s edge into the creek below. The sunlight shining on the falling water sparkled like diamonds. I spent a little time at the falls, taking photos and enjoying the conversations of other people who were visiting.
I soon finished my waterfall hike and decided to check out another trail in the park: the Cascades Park Trail, which officially opened May 17, 2012.
This trail is asphalt, 8 feet wide and parallels Old Ind. 37 North from Lower Cascades Park, past the Lower Cascades old baseball field to the traffic signal at the intersection of North College Avenue and Old Ind. 37. There are pedestrian crossing signals for both roads.
The 2.7-mile trail crosses Griffy Creek via a pedestrian bridge and continues along Old Ind. 37 before it turns, following next to Dunn Street, ending at the Griffy Lake Dam.
The Cascades Park Trail was constructed with state trail grant funds from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Outdoor Recreation.
This park has so much to offer with the old stone shelter houses, benches and picnic tables that were built in the 1930s. Add in the playground, trails, creek and waterfalls and it’s a wonderful place to visit, combining history and nature with hiking.
The address for the park is 2851 N. Old Ind. 37, Bloomington.
A quote for your week: “I see my path, but I don’t know where it leads. Not knowing where I’m going is what inspires me to travel it.” Rosalia de Castro, Galician romanticist writer and poet (1837-1885).
Until the next trail, Susan.
This article originally appeared on Evening World: Waterfall, wooden boardwalk, playground, creek, trails — Cascades Park has it all
Reporting by Susan Anderson / Evening World
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
