We don’t really know the Midwest for its hiking, but I’ve found exceptional trails in every central US state that I’ve been too. (For example, did you know that there is cool hiking in Kansas?). And Indiana is no exception! While I will admit that I am no expert on the trails here, I can say that if you don’t go anywhere else to experience nature, Turkey Run State Park and the Indiana Dunes will not disappoint. All in all, hiking in Indiana shouldn’t be missed.
Hiking in Indiana Thanks To Cool Geology
One thing I’ve learned as I’ve traveled through the Midwest over the years is that it isn’t the flat land it’s made out to be. Sure, the Midwest states don’t have the Rocky Mountains or the Appalachians, but powerful geological forces shaped the Great Plains just as well as anywhere else.
In the case of Indiana, the big, geological force that created the land that we see today was glaciers. They slowly scraped across the land, leaving behind the fertile place that feeds millions today. They also left behind magnificent fossils from the Ice Age. And they created the unimaginably large Great Lakes.
Turkey Run State Park (c) ABR 2022
North Indiana is notable for the series of dunes that stretch south from Lake Michigan. There are seven, in fact, and the series furthest from the lake is the oldest. This is an area where you can explore all kinds of ecosystems. Different plants colonize the sand and pave the way for more established species.
The middle of the state, which likely looks the way that you’d expect Indiana to, the plains seem to stretch on forever. And they are carpeted with oceans of agriculture. This was all scooped out by the glaciers that survive on as Lake Michigan now.
Continue traveling south, into the vicinity of Indianapolis, and you will see the land change again. Here, in the south, the plains give way to undulating hills covered in forests. They hint at the gorges and caves of Kentucky, with their own twisting rivers and narrow, stone canyons.
And you can explore it all by hiking in Indiana.
