The temperatures have been hot in Indiana as of late. But we finally got a break in the weather for a few days, so I took advantage of it and did some hiking.
I decided on hiking at the DePauw Nature Park. The park once was the site of an active limestone quarry, from 1917 to 1977. Hanson Aggregates, who owned the quarry, donated most of the land for the park to DePauw University in 2003.
Additional land was purchased by DePauw during the past few years, so now the property is over 500 acres. There are 10.5 miles of walking trails at the park and some incredible scenery.
Most of the trails connect together sooner or later so you can walk as little or as far as you want. It’s not located directly on campus, but you can walk there if you want.
When I hiked this beautiful park, the weather was perfect: clear skies, sunny with the temperature in the 80s.
I drove up to Greencastle and found the trailhead. I decided to hike the trail that loops the quarry, known as the Quarry Rim Trail.
Not only does this trail follow the rim of the quarry along with other connecting trails, it has a trail that takes hikers across the bottom of the quarry. It’s considered moderate in ease of hiking.
Finding the trail was easy, as there’s lots of signs in this park. The path I followed was wide with big rocks lining the trail. On the other side of the rocks was a steep drop off. I took great care to stay on the trail.
There wasn’t much shade to be found, so wearing a sun hat was a good idea. I had brought mine along.
The trails are very well maintained.
There were many summer wildflowers growing along the path. After I followed the rim trail for a while, I came across the lower quarry trail, so I decided to hike down into it. There were lots of beautiful trees, plants and wildflowers growing at the base of the quarry.
I saw some beautiful cedar trees scattered about. Clumps of beautiful daisies were littered across the landscape with cattails and tall grasses to fill in the background.
As I walked along, I noticed many rock formations, both natural and manmade. I felt like I was walking through a deep canyon. There is usually a small lake at the bottom of the quarry — the size depends of the amount of rainfall. It was very scenic down inside of this big quarry.
I was kept company by the many vultures flying about the cliffs. Quite a few of birds of prey make their home at this park. They won’t bother you and they are fun to watch though it can be rather disconcerting to see them. Both turkey and black vultures can be found at the park. The turkey vultures are over 2 feet tall and have a 6-foot wing span. They have bald, featherless heads with reddish colored beaks. They roost in family groups. A group of vultures is called a committee. Black vultures are shorter and more compact and also have featherless heads with whitish-gray white tips. They prefer more wooded areas but often can be found near turkey vultures.
When I finally made my way back up and out of the quarry, I came to an overlook, where I could see a wonderful view of the quarry. Benches were strategically placed at this spot, providing a place to take a breather.
It was soon time to hike back to my car. I had a good hike at the nature park! Well worth the drive.
The summer hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free.
If you decide to visit this place, it’s better to go in the cool of the day during the summer or visit in the spring or fall. The quarry rock tends to hold the heat in, so on hot days it can be a little uncomfortable. Make sure to wear a sun hat and take lots of water.
To get to this park:
From Spencer, take Ind. 231 north to Greencastle. Make a left on to the Veterans Memorial Highway. Go one mile and turn left on to South Jackson Street, then turn right on West Walnut Street.
A quote for your week: ”Life is a journey with big rocks to climb, little ones to trip over, and milestones to mark where you’ve been.” — Unknown
Until the next trail! Susan.
This article originally appeared on Evening World: DePauw Nature Park near Greencastle offers trails with views of cedar trees, quarry
Reporting by Susan Anderson / Evening World
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