I love the fall. The cooler temperatures, the crisp leaves crunching underfoot, the beautiful colors all around. Jesse and I decided to explore a new state park that we have not been to yet and also experience some of the wonderful fall weather here in Indiana. We went to Turkey Run State Park. It is only about an hour drive from home on two back roads through… surprise… corn fields. It was only $7 to get in with our way out of state plates and we pulled into the first parking lot we found. It was actually the parking lot for the Turkey Run Inn which has been around since the invention of the automobile. It was made to help any travelers that were going more than 50 miles since back then cars weren’t very reliable and people often needed to stop somewhere overnight. It was a beautiful building with a very cool stained glass picture of a covered bridge over the main entrance. The county that the park is in is known for their covered bridges and they even have a 10 day festival dedicated to them in October.
We grabbed a map of the 10 trails from the ranger station and we were in the inn trying to figure out which trail to start out with and a guy was there and said, “oh you have to do trail 3, it is the best one. There are ladders and walking through the rocks is really cool.” Well that decided it for us; it was going to be trail 3 that we wanted to hike. This is not a place for running; it is much more a hiking kind of park. Each trail is described as either rugged or very rugged.
Thankfully from the inn we followed trail 6 to trail 1 to trail 3. This park is truly amazing. The sites just cannot be described which is why I took over 100 pictures. Weaving through all the rock formations is just amazing. They have been here for hundreds and some for thousands of years. We walked along stream beds where rocks towered over our heads. We climbed up three ladders and up and down hundreds of stairs. The people that built these decks and stairways were very impressive and dedicated people. The suspension bridge was the most impressive with its huge cables anchored into the rock across the water. The work that went into this park is part of what makes it so unique and very accessible to lots of people.
We even saw one of the many covered bridges. It was closed for repairs so we did not get to walk across it but it was still nice to see one of the things the county is known for here in Indiana. We made sure to stop in Gypsy Gulch and get a picture since Jess and I like to say that we are wandering gypsies with no permanent home.
The trails were very well marked and walking through the cool woods, smelling the crisp fall air and listened to the leaves crunch was just what I was looking for as we wandered through the woods for a few hours. It is so rejuvenating and it makes me realize how many great new places and parks we will get to explore while we travel this amazing country in which we live. As we were driving along the roads we had no idea that a park like this was just through the trees and I am sure there are unique fun finds hidden in all sorts of places. Enjoy the pictures from the park. If you are ever in Indianan you should really go to Turkey Run and see it for yourself. And if you are brave enough to try trail 3 be sure to pick up a Trail 3 Survivor shirt in the gift shop like Jesse and I did.
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