This park was a great place to get out and go for a walk. The sidewalk is oversized with plenty of…read moreroom for people to pass or go on opposing directions. On our walk we headed up a long winding sidewalk for a mile. We still hadn't reached the end before turning around and heading back. There were so many adorable dogs on the visit. We also saw several birds and squirrels. Plenty of parking and areas to get out. There is also a children play area and places to picnic. Recommended

My childhood park from 40 years ago... When visiting as an…read moreadult, I still see it as a wonderful park, well maintained etc., and definitely worth spending time at. The only downsides are, and this is comparing it to the 1980s..., is that there are many more people here, PAVED trails (not a fan), and the signs say that we can no longer explore off the trails... kind of a let down, but I understand.

Columbian Park won me over when I saw that there is a section of the playground especially for…read moreteens. I love that! A lot of playgrounds are designed for kids 12 and younger, and older kids often get shafted, even though many of them still want to play. Whoever designed this park understands that, and there's a big area with playground equipment designed for teenagers. The rest of the playground is amazing, too. There are huge slides that go down a hill, lots of things to climb on, swings, a small playground for babies and toddlers, and most importantly: lots of shade! There is shade from trees and shade from canopies around the playground, and all of the shade makes this a very pleasant playground to visit. Lots of walking paths and open grassy areas are all throughout this huge park. Within the park is also a zoo (Colombian Park Zoo), which kind of tells you the size of this park.

This is an amazing park tucked away in a small suburb of Lafayette. It sits right in front of the…read morezoo and spans 40 acres. It is relatively well maintained and clean. There is tons of parking available, spread out between a couple of lots and some street parking. The park has lots of shelters with picnic tables under them and a grill just outside of them. I would say there are at least 18 of them that are available to be rented. The park also has a couple of shuffle boards that you can play and a loose picnic tables scattered on the grounds. The park is home to an amazing playground that has just about everything you would want in a playground. It's only negative is that it is on a bed of wood chips. The area is pretty large and divided into different areas for recommended age groups. There is a wide mix of equipment here including traditional and toddler swings, a saucer swing, sit-n-spins, slides, expression swings, and a teen area with a jungle gym that has a suspended pebble bridge and monkey rings. There is a huge jungle gym that sits a top a hill in the area that has a bunch of slides and some monkey bars. The equipment seems to be in pretty good repair and looks great, even though it is a bit older. You will find a share a book kiosk and a glider swing in the area as well. The park features a train depot that sits right across from the zoo entrance and it has an operational train that goes around the park. It was not running while I was there because it was out of season. I really liked the park's man-made lagoon that winds through it. It very picturesque and calming. It adds a nice touch to the park. They have a little pier on the lake where they do paddle boat rentals, in season. You will see little amphitheater at the park. It seems relatively new and is very nice. it has seating and a scenic little plaza area with picnic tables that over look the park's lagoon. There is also a trail, the Columbian Trail, that weaves in and around Columbian Park. It is well paved and has a very scenic view. What sets this park apart though is its veterans area. They have a large area, the Memorial Plaza, located along the water dedicated to memorials to veterans. They have the United Spanish War Memorial, Gold Star Family Memorial, Medal of Honor Memorial, Purple Heart Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial. There is also a bunch of flag waving from flags poles over there and a Howitzer gun on display. You will also see the Tippecanoe County Veterans Memorial, which is the oldest memorial in the park, dating back to 1949. I did not see a bathroom facility dedicated to the park, but I was able to use the one attached to the Zoo's entrance. It was very nice and well maintained. Also located on the water is the Rush Pavilion which serves as a clubhouse that can be rented for special events. It can hold up to 50 people and includes access to a full service kitchen. The wrap around porch can hold an additional 100 people. This is a destination park that you can easily spend a half of day without even going to the zoo or amphitheater. It has everything that I look for in a park and more. It is very picturesque and I really enjoyed my time there. I also like, that they included salutes to veterans in their planning. I highly recommend checking this place out. It checks off all the boxes and will not disappoint.

This place is surreal. A true blessing to have within 15 mins of Purdue…read more You can see Wolves, Bison, Foxes, turtles, you name it. Everybody who works here is super sweet and very knowledgeable. I am blown away with my experience and cannot wait to come back in the fall!

I guess I expected something different from Wolf Park, so I was slightly underwhelmed. But I think…read morethat's my own fault. My life motto is to approach everything with low expectations, and I think my expectations were very high for this animal sanctuary. That's not to say Wolf Park isn't cool. It is. The tour guides are very knowledgable and engaging, you learn a lot about wolves, there are some neat things in the gift shop, and it's nice to know that there's a sanctuary in Indiana that cares for these canine creatures. The wolves were mostly sleeping and behind fences, and we had to stand way far away from the fences, so it was difficult to see the wolves, most of the time. Mostly, it was a lot of walking and looking at the animal enclosures during the one-hour tour. But we did learn a lot about wolves and animal conservation, which was nice. There are also buffalo and fox here, but we didn't see those, either. I guess your mileage may vary depending on how active the animals are on the day that you visit. Because the tour is a lot of talking and walking and not a lot of seeing of wolves or touching things, I would say that this experience is better for adults and older kids. There was a young child in my group, and he was trying to climb the fence and then melting down by the end of the tour. Parking is in a gravel lot, but there seemed to be plenty of spaces. There are also restrooms on site.

How can you hate on a state park? It's like hating on a flower: It exists simply to bring pleasure…read moreto those around it. So, for that reason, Prophetstown State Park gets five stars from me, dawg. The visitor center is not much to see, though, to be honest. There are some displays, and a little area for young kids to play. But it's basically a one-room joint with a small parking lot. And I mean small! I think there are maybe a few parking spaces. This is a place to visit if you have questions or need a brochure, but I wouldn't plan on staying long. The rest of the park is very spread out, so you'll want to drive or bike around. There's an aquatic center that was closed when I visited, and also an interactive museum called The Farm at Prophetstown within the property. There is also a playground, a memorial to indigenous tribes of the area, and lots of walking paths. You can get a lot of steps in here at this park, mostly because there are lots of trails, but also because everything is so spread apart.

This is a calm beautiful and peaceful park. There's something for everyone from campgrounds,…read morefishing lake, biking trails, hiking trails and water slides for kids with playgrounds and other activities too. The campground was full when I went in today, possibly with end of summer and Labor Day weekend. The signage was pretty clear and there was plenty of directions. I hiked trails 2 and the loop, small trail in terms of width but well maintained. Lots of flies and bugs but that's to do with the weather though it was beautiful today. There's an entry fee although I didn't pay as I had my state park pass.

This is one of my favorite parks in the area! The park is beautifully landscaped and has multiple…read moresport activities available (3 baseball diamonds, a basketball court, and five tennis courts.) There is a hiking trail (2/3 mile) that loops a photo worthy lake with a fountain and numerous gardens lining the shores. There is also a small playground south of the sports complex that is a little distant, but keeps the little ones from any disturbance from the ball games. In the middle is a central building for concessions and restrooms. Near that is a rentable shelter. Oh, and though I didn't get a photo, there is a swimming pool on the west end of the complex, but I don't believe that entrance connects to the central part of the park. Review #1071

Nice community park with 3 baseball diamonds, concession stand, tennis and basketball courts,…read moreplayground, pond with walking trail, and swimming pool. I really like the park but docking a star for parking - it gets tight with multiple events ongoing.

I never knew this place existed until today. I was doing an online search for somewhere close to…read morehome and found it. It is a nice park and seems to be well maintained. There is a bathroom (outhouse style) and a path around a couple of the lakes. It would be an excellent place to have a gathering or just for fishing. Plenty of lakes and plenty of spots to throw in a line.

Beautiful place to go fishing or just for an easy walk after work to unwind...read more

This natural area is a great hidden gem in the Lafayette area. Located on the banks of the Wildcat…read moreCreek, this place has a good amount of trails to keep you busy for an afternoon hike. The trails are maintained very well and there is clear markers of where each trial goes. There is also some really good elevation changes that are approachable for everyone. The NICHS group that maintains the area does an excellent job keeping everything tidy. Being a natural area, many of the plant types and trees types are marked as well as the different geological features of the area.

One of the hidden gems of the Lafayette area, and it has only gotten better over time. Sometimes I…read moremiss the small check-in house with the doggy bags, but the modern updates are really wonderful. Great for a little hike or a short run around the main loop.

Southwest of Lafayette is the new town of Shadeland (it still has a Lafayette mailing address…read morethough). The folks who live there have a fairly new park that has a combination of sports and playground equipment for kids to use. There is a nice parking lot on the southwest corner. To the east is a fair sized shelter with a picnic table and a grill. Down the hill to the north are a basketball court and a baseball field. Between the basketball and the parking lot is a bright and unique playground. There are lots of large animal shapes and even a few dinosaurs for kids to climb on. The rest of the equipment serves the same function of lots of other playground equipment in other parks, but these pieces look unique and might make for a little bit more excitement from kids given the chance to play here. The negative is that there is very limited shade outside of the shelter probably due to the park being so new. Maybe they should plant a few trees around the playground to solve that problem down the road. Review #1070

Pickett Memorial Park is one of my favorite parks in West Lafayette. The park, though small,…read morecurrently has six public art sculptures, three picnic areas, and a small parking lot (hopefully, construction on Stadium will restore driving access soon!) There are a few trees for shade, but mostly, the park is away from the bustle of campus and provides a relaxing spot to enjoy fresh air and some interesting art, several with Hoosier ties. The park is named for a Purdue student who died in a hiking accident. His parents wanted to honor his love of the outdoors by donating funds for the park. The art pieces included the following: Kaikoo VI by Betty Gold (the red metallic one) Limits by Joey Manson (the light blue one) Man and Technology by Don Lawler (the limestone hand) Sycamore Arch by Ken Thompson (limestone arch) Zig by Ken Thompson (a blocky rust brown sculpture) and an untitled piece that looks like an elevated oblong shape with vertical rows wrapped by horizontal rows on the top. Review #1136

The best trail for running in the West Lafayette/Lafayette area. On the southernmost point, you can…read morepark at Fort Ouiatenon, take the sidewalk 3/4s of a mile to the trailhead then follow the dirt path along the Wabash River up to the pedestrian bridge, where you can cross over to the Lafayette side or continue up a bit more on paved surface toward a small park, restaurants and the edge of Purdue's campus. If you head over to the Lafayette side, the trail continues on paved surface for a while before returning to a dirt surface and concludes at the Tippecanoe Battlefield Park in Battle Ground, roughly 13 miles from Fort O. The trail is mostly flat and runnable from start to finish. After heavy rains, the river regularly floods the southern part of the trail.

The Wabash Heritage Trail is 13 miles long making it a perfect training ground for a mini marathon…read more However, today we were exploring nature with our granddaughter. We started on the north end at Battleground Memorial. At the head of the trail is a sweet little nature center (Wah-ba-shik-a Nature Center) filled with descriptions of wildlife and fauna that are native to the area. My granddaughter was delighted to see the big white owl that greeted us at the door. The volunteer at the Center was welcoming and admission was free. They had maps for the trail that you can take. There are also special programs offered throughout the year. The trail starts and Battleground and extends all the way to Fort Ouiatenon. We only toured a couple miles along a creek that eventually meets the Wabash River. The trail is mulch covered and easy to navigate by foot. It would be difficult to maneuver a stroller or wheelchair onto the trail. The trail is lined with very large sycamores, oaks, walnuts and other trees native to the area. Some of the trees were at least 300 years older. The creek is clear and suitable for a little stomping. There are occasional benches along the trail as well as informational markers. There were also picnic tables and a water fountain at the trail head. We did not see any restroom facilities, but there were probably some in the Battle Ground Museum. The hike is quiet during the week. You can enjoy the sounds of birds and squirrels. I can imagine how beautiful the trail is when the leaves are changing color. There is some highway traffic noise as you get closer to the highway. The trail does not loop, so you have to backtrack to return to your car. There was plenty of parking at the Memorial. The map indicated that there were about five parking lots along the trail. We enjoyed the hike and will return to do a different section soon. I highly recommend.