Turkey Run State Park: The Best Hiking in Indiana
It's no surprise I live in Chicago, a concrete mecca of skyscrapers, traffic, and stress. There are so many times in my life when city life doesn't work for me. I look back to my childhood camping with my Girl Scout troop and I end up with the desire to head out to the wilderness for a weekend. But beautiful forests and hiking trails aren't that common near Chicago or much of Illinois. Even though we now have an actual designated National Park nearby: Indiana Dunes National Park, it's hard to find a time to visit when the crowds aren't overabundant. So as I started searching for a new hiking spot, I began doing research into nearby state parks. It was while planning one of these "get out of the city" missions that I learned about Turkey Run State Park. With over 2,300 acres of hiking trails, waterfalls, and awesome nature along Sugar Creek, it's an easy 3-hour drive from Chicago, located just north of Terre Haute, Indiana.
Hike the Ladders of Turkey Run State Park
Living in Illinois, hiking can get pretty monotonous. We don't have sprawling mountain ranges or exotic landscapes to explore...there's just a lot of fields of corn and soybeans. That's why there was one thing in particular that caught my eye while googling Turkey Run State Park: the use of ladders throughout the park's trail system. I'm a huge fan of hiking, but when a state park mixes it up a bit and throws in something like wood ladders leading you down the sides of cliffs and giving you access to different levels of waterfalls, I'm ALL ABOUT IT. The ladders made every trail more of an adventure, giving you views and perspectives of trails and streams that you wouldn't have had otherwise. We felt like little kids again, crawling around a massive jungle gym in the middle of the woods. The ladders proved to be a fun addition to a strenuous hike that added a bit of risk to our rainy day.
Choose Trail #3 for the Best Hiking in Turkey Run State Park
The trails in Turkey Run State Park aren't for the casual hiker, and I can promise you that you're going to get a workout. Only a 1/2 mile of the trail system is labeled as "easy." The other 10 trails range from "moderate" to "rugged" to "very rugged". If you want to climb those ladders, you want the very rugged Trail #3. This 1.7 trek trail will take you through a series of ladders, and have you hiking along a stream. With varying water levels throughout the year, make sure you wear waterproof hiking boots to keep your feet dry. Trail #3 will also take you in and out of crevasses and canyons in the sandstone cliffs carved by glaciers 100's of millions of years ago. As you trek Trail #3, make sure you keep an eye out for some of the more unique natural sites of the park, including the Punch Bowl and the Ice Box. On top of all the ladders, you'll have the chance to burn even more calories making your way through the 140 Steps, a massive amount of steps and stairs that weave over and around the hilly Indiana landscape.
All of the trails of Turkey Run State Park start once you cross the suspension bridge over Sugar Creek. Crossing this bridge separates you from the busy parking lot, park office and on-site hotel and leads you into a beautifully quiet yet stunning landscape made for exploring. It's easy to spend a whole day hiking Turkey Run, with each trail quickly leading into another and all eventually taking you back to the suspension bridge to get your bearings.
Turkey Run State Park is open year-round and provides varying hiking experiences depending on the season. Whether you see the lush greenery of the summer, the colors changing in the fall, or you're hiking in torrential rain like my first time there, you'll still have a fantastic time. It's a park that is easily revisited and a perfect temporary escape from Midwest life.