Hiking the Indiana State Parks

Name: Hardy Lake Indiana State Reservoir
Location: About 10 miles NE of Scottsburg IN
Established: 1970 with the Damming of Quick’s Creek
Size: 2,448 Acres
Known For: Boating, Fishing and Swimming. The beach and marina are both large. The beach area has a very large parking area capable of holding hundreds of cars.

My Day

After a very long break, it was good to hop in my car and head to yet another new adventure in the Indiana State Park system. Because of travel and colds I have not had time to enjoy my most favorite hobby. In fact, when I woke up this morning, I had no intention of going hiking, but the project I was working on came together very quickly, and I suddenly realized I had just enough time.

Hardy Lake is about 40 minutes from my home. The drive, most of which was on the freeway, was easy. In fact, once off the freeway, I made one turn east of Scottsburd and drove a few more miles directly into the park. Most of the 10-mile drive outside of Scottburg was through very flat farmland with few trees, but as I reached the park boundary, the trees filled both sides of the road and I was suddenly in the middle of a forest. It made me wonder if the whole area looked this way 200 years ago.

The gate attendant looked glad to actually see someone, and was very nice while handing me a map of the park and sending me on my way. I arrived around 11:30 and saw no one else in the park. I discovered a parking area called Trailhead parking which had no room for no more than 2 or 3 cars. Since I had the place to myself I had no problem parking there. What I noticed first were all the signs about hunting. The paperwork though was all dated last year. In theory, this year’s hunting season started a few days ago, but I doubted there were any hunters out and about.

The trees were a variety of colors from green to brown to vibrant oranges and reds. The trail was covered in a blanket of leaves that crunched as I walked. The very first thing I noticed was how wonderful the trail itself was. It was wide and well-maintained. Even covered in leaves, there was little doubt about the path the trail took through the woods. The second thing I noticed was how generally flat the trail was. There were small very gentle ups and downs, but in my 5-mile walk, there was only one 20-foot stretch where I had to think about my footing and change my standard gait.

The signage was amazing. There was never a doubt about which trail I was on or which direction to turn. I did a combination of trails 2 ,3,, and 4 with never a doubt of exactly where I was. With the trail being almost 2 meters wide, there were more than a dozen bridges just as wide. They were also clearly labeled with numbers representing the trail number and their order on the trail. As much as I complained about the signage at O’Bannon State Park, Hardy Lake was the complete opposite. Even the OCD hiker will be amazed at the clarity and regularity of the signage. ‘

The fall colors made for wonderful views around every corner. The beautiful wooden bridges were picturesque among the blanket of leaves everywhere. I could not have asked for a more perfect day or time to come here. The lake was peaceful with only a single boat out on the water. Trail 4 comes out to a peninsula with an unobstructed view of the lake and even a bench to sit on while enjoying it. There were parts of my walk which had a view of the lake through branches and bushes, but much of my day was just a casual winding walk through the beautiful fall forest.

The leave covered trail meant that I didn’t see much in the way of wildlife. The squirrels heard me coming from way off and scampered away long before I got close. I saw the tail of a deer before it too disappeared into the woods. Stopping occasionally I could hear a variety of birds and their unique calls. I even stopped and listened to a wood pecker rattle away at a hole in a distant tree.

I would highly recommend these trails to anyone, especially beginners, who simply want a nice walk in the woods. Of the parks I have visited to date, this is easily my new favorite. I hope the pictures do it justice. Perhaps though, you should come visit it yourself, and might I suggest a nice fall day in October for that visit.