The Franciscan Trail is one of Central Indiana's newest trails having opened in April 2022 and the…read morefirst trail inside the Beech Grove city limits. Fully paved, the 2.2 mile trail has end points of S. 13th Avenue and S. Emerson Avenue/Hornet Avenue. There's free parking available at Sarah Bolton Park and Don Challis Park. If it's not obvious, the Franciscan Trail is a partnership between the city of Beech Grove and Franciscan Health. Franciscan Health is a longtime presence in the Beech Grove area. While St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove is no more, Franciscan continues to have outpatient offices, IT offices, and home health offices in Beech Grove. As someone who is both a wheelchair user and an active trail user, the Franciscan Trail seemed like a great way for me to start off my 2023 Yelp reviews. The trail is 12' wide and considered wheelchair accessible. However, do note that there are some gentle inclines in places and those who don't handle inclines well may want to have a companion along. For those wheelchair users who are able to handle inclines and the usual trail terrain, the Franciscan Trail is an absolute delight. The trail winds along Lick Creek and Beech Creek and is quite scenic. I hesitate to use the word "urban" to describe the trail since Beech Grove is a smaller city, but it does go through the more urban parts of Beech Grove. A 1.1-mile second phase of the trail is already fully funded and expected to begin construction in 2024. It will pick up where the existing trail ends on Emerson Avenue. Because the trail is at times creek side, there is the risk of modest flooding during rainy periods. That said, the trail seems well designed and well cared for by the community. A trail has been a need in this area for quite some time and it's exciting to see it happen. Biking and walking are allowed on the trail. Wheelchairs are also encouraged. The usual trail rules apply. As Christina B. noted, this is not a looped trail and walkers should plan accordingly.

The Franciscan Trail just officially opened on April 15th and is the first greenway in Beech Grove…read more Part 2 is already in the works. The paved trail is 2.2 miles long and traverses between Sarah Bolton park and just past Don Challis park. It isn't a loop so be prepared to walk 2.2 miles back if you walk the full trail. We parked at Sarah Bolton park and walked just over 1/2 mile of the trail to check it out. The trailhead at the park features a map and the trail rules. The trail is freshly paved and boasts that it is pet friendly and handicap accessible. There are pet waste stations located every so often along the trail. Parts of the trail were a little hilly so I don't know just how accessible it would be but would probably vary by person. We didn't see them on this trip but I read that two officers patrol the trail on electric bicycles for safety. Even though it was in the city, it was super peaceful. We quickly entered into a woodsy area full of wildlife like birds and bunnies. The trail also runs along Lick Creek. We were there the morning after a thunderstorm so there was some flooding on parts of the trail, but it looked like some sort of drainage system was in the works. I'm looking forward to coming back to walk the full trail soon.

A solid nature park to walk my dogs. The trails are usually well-kept, and it's never overly packed…read morewhen I'm there. We're able to get a good amount of walking in without getting bored, which I really appreciate. A peaceful spot for a steady, enjoyable walk.

The Town of Plainfield has successfully recovered this land from The Indianapolis Airport Authority…read moreand are making some very welcome improvements. I love the new name, Echo Hollow. Perhaps it honors our precious endangered Brown Bats, who have taken up residency in our little forest? I am extremely excited to see all the changes being made in my favorite little spot to connect with nature and wear out my elderly dog. Watching the new walkway being built that will allow us to walk out over the marsh and the pond keeps bringing me back with amazement.

If you like the Indy outdoor scene but want to avoid the crowds, Southwestway Park is a great place…read morefor it! I consider the hiking to be similar to Eagle Creek and Fort Harrison parks, but with the perks of no entry fee and thus, less crowds. I went on my hike on an early Saturday evening. There is pretty good shade coverage on the trails. They are rated for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Some spots can be muddy or slick, so good traction on your shoes is a must. I don't believe there is a bathroom on the premises. There's also not a ton of parking by the hiking trails either. However, there is some construction going on in the area, so they might be adding some extra facilities with this.

This is a great park for mountain biking of all levels and hiking. Good free outdoor activity and a…read moreworkout. We took some of our kids mountain biking for the first time here. Helmets are definitely a must. Even the beginner trail can be challenging if never mountain biked before. My kids really enjoyed it, one struggled with getting up the hills though so that caused some hardship when biking with multiple people in close proximity. The mountain biking trails also have hikers on them so beware and try to be as safe as you can. After mountain biking, we hiked a trail which was fun. Not sure how long the trail was, but we walked all the way down by the water which was very pretty. They have a paved path as well if that's more your speed. Parking areas are available which makes accessing the park easy. I didn't notice any restroom building, but they had a porta potty open for use. A playground was accessible near the area we parked at.

This is a delightful park and almost living museum in the town of Waverly. There is a lot of great…read morehistorical information as you walk in the park as well as buildings that share history from the height of Waverly and commerce along the White River. We also took the trail along the river for a short walk and found it to be well maintained. It is a paved path but has lots of trees and nature along the way so you feel as if you are stepping into the woods. There are several spots along the path to stop and sit as well as take a picnic or fish. We will for sure come back in warmer weather! This is a wonderful spot with not a ton of traffic so you can have a nice picnic, walk and see some history all at the same time. Plus they even have spaces for bonfires which means s'mores! Highly recommend checking this lovely park out.

Old town wavery park has a nice wooded trail. After walking through the park (and reading about…read morehistoric Wavery), head across the street to the Greenway trail. Great place to walk you dog!

It's very nice I also like the monkey bars below the park it's really cool nice place to take your…read morekids and theirs another park across from it for smaller kids

This park is more than meets the eye. The front part, where you first enter, isn't much to see. I…read moremean, it's beautiful -- there's lots of grass and open fields, a lovely amphitheater, lots of flowers and benches under shady trees -- but kids don't care about that. Kids want playgrounds, and fortunately, University Park indeed has a playground. And the playground is pretty awesome. You need to drive a little through the park to get to it, but once you do, you'll see giant play structures with lots of slides, bridges, fireman poles, monkey bars, swings, rock walls and lots more. The playground area has wood chips on the ground for a soft landing. There's an indoor restroom right next to the playground too, and a water fountain. Just beyond the playground, you'll see signs pointing out different hiking paths. We walked into the woods and came across all kinds of beautiful nature, as well as bridges. This is a great place to take an easy walk or hike with kids. For the doggies, there's a little dog park here (Four Paws Dog Park), with some agility equipment and lots of room to run. The whole dog park is securely fenced and gated. University Park is another great park in Greenwood!

I found myself with some time to kill and stumbled across this park. This is a small pocket park…read morelocated behind LA Fitness. being that it is behind LA Fitness, it shares it huge parking lot, so their are more than ample spots to park. The park is relatively small and is purely a nature park. You will find a pond and a nature trail that runs along Little Buck Creek. There are also some benches, some having a more scenic view than others. A few are along the creek and one overlooks the pond, and another has a nice view of the parking lot. Talk about the short end of the stick. There are no restrooms, playground equipment or shelters here. There was a bunch of trash on the ground in the front of the park. I visited the park after a snow. It was nice because I could see all of the animal trails. The trails are not very long and either loop or end in a dead end. The trails are pretty well defined, at least during my visit. It may be a little different with spring blooms. The park is not very far off of busy Southport Road, but it still finds a way to provide a level of peace and tranquility. This is an interesting park that does not have much to offer outside of nature. I still found this a nice place to walk around and kill some time.

Please be careful my friends... I came here to walk my dog with my boyfriend and my walk ended very…read morequickly. The trail is pretty short but what looks like a the rest of trail is cut off. There was this very tall person with a mask and a hat behind me, once the trail ended I turned around and they also turned around and started to walk very quickly. They seemed to have different intentions if I had gone beyond the path... please don't go to parks by yourself. please be cautious of your surroundings. I'm not sure what would have happened if i wasnt walking with my boyfriend. this happened a couple of years ago but it still crosses my mind. I wonder if this has only happened to me or if someone else has experienced this.

This park is a Diamond in the rough. It is named after Sgt. Joseph E. Proctor, a Whitesland native…read moreArmy vet that lost his life in 2006 in the line of duty. located in the back of a housing development and is decent sized. It covers 11 acres. It has 2 covered pavilions with picnic tables (one in the front and one in the back), two playgrounds (also one in the front and one in the back), a huge lake, ample private parking and a memorial for service members at the front of the park and firefighters/policeman in the back. They allow fishing in the lake, but only catch a release. The pavilions are nice and were part of an Eagle Scout project. There are a few projects that are part of the park. The park is really nice and well maintained. There is a small paved walking/jogging/hiking trail that goes around the park. I The playgrounds are also nice. The smaller one is near the front of the park and the larger one is in the back. The playground has rocks for its floor, so you are guaranteed to bring some home in your shoes. They both consist of a jungle gym of sorts with slides and they also have swings at the playground in the back. The park doubles as a memorial for Service members and police/firefighters. It is very peaceful and serene. The city wants this to be a place where visitors reflect on the lives and sacrifices of those so honored and remembered and give thanks for all those who continue in their footsteps. The park does not have a bathroom structure, but they do have 2 port-a-potties by the parking lot. I really like this park and have spent a lot of time here. It is entertaining for the little ones and peacefully for the big ones.

We really enjoy this little simple park. The play equipment is small, but well maintained. There's…read morea nice picnic area, large lake with benches all around, walking path, and port-a-John if you're desperate. There are war memorials to observe also. We love to come with a picnic and our home school books. We alternate playing, eating, and learning.

Beautiful park with walking trails, playground, and sports fields. Walkers and bikers. Beware,…read morethere are steep grades, though they are marked.

Truly a hidden little gem in Greenwood - it's a little unnerving having a park right by one of the…read moremain roads in town, but most of the park is kept away from the street and is actually pretty quiet once you get deeper into the park. There's a nice playground area, baseball diamond, tennis courts, basketball court, dog park, and a short hiking trail in the woods by Pleasant Run Creek. I lived in Greenwood for nearly a decade before realizing how much was in this park, so don't make the same mistake and check this out!