Happily, I found Happy Hollow Park after a quick search for places to hike in West Lafayette. I was…read morein a grouchy mood, and I was in West Lafayette, and I needed to touch grass, as it were. Happy Hollow Park came through! There are paved trails that go through the woods, which was perfect for me. I like enjoying nature, as long as my shoes don't get muddy and I don't encounter bears. (There are no bears in Indiana! Hallelujah.) The paved trails are also wide and smooth, so they are perfect for people who use wheelchairs or strollers. Signs all around the trail encourage you not to wander off the path, because the area is experiencing significant erosion. There are a couple of playgrounds here, as well as places to walk down to the creek to go creek stomping. My child enjoyed playing on the playground for a bit -- the playground structure is large and there are lots of things for big kids to climb. Next to the playground, there are some restrooms and a water station, and a map that tells you where you are and where you might possibly want to go.

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

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 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.

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.

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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

5 stars. Nice wide…read morepath. There are nice restrooms located at the education center. We saw lots of wildlife: squirrels, deer, raccoons, birds, etc. The raccoon was the fattest I've ever seen - and he crawled out of the garbage can at the education center. Scared me to death! Excellent for jogging, walking, biking, whatever.

The set of trails here runs by what I would call a lake through some woods, wetlands, and meadows…read more It isn't the most amazing environment I've ever seen by any means, but it offers a nice variety of sights, and perhaps moreso a distinctive soundscape. The infrastructure was quite well maintained, with signs apologizing that some trees had to be cut down due to parasites, but overall a clean set of trails, a visitor center with needed facilities, and a bike path running through. I did not see any celery; I'm not sure if I'm missing something or if this is just my own ignorance of what the actual plant looks like.

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.

Beautiful well kept park for sport and summer games and ice skating in the winter, there is easy…read moreand free parking, even more nearby at the mall, easy access right off State Street, good lookout points to the river, and excellent walking to downtown via the pedestrian bridge which also leads to the trails. Makes for a relaxing bit of green amidst downtown, campus, and a good stopping point on the Wabash Heritage Trail that runs all over for both running and biking.

Tapawingo Park is a small park in West Lafayette, but it's super interesting. There are outdoor…read moresculptures, a playground that's accessible for all ages, and a pathway that's a little over a mile that takes you through the park. I only saw a small part of it, but like all public park spaces, I'm glad that this park exists. Did you know: "Tapawingo" means "place of joy" in the indigenous Miami-Illinois language? Yes, yes it does. This park is on the banks of the Wabash River, and walkable to many fun things in West Lafayette and Lafayette. Be sure to visit Pearl of the Wabash, a sculpture in the park by the playground that looks like a mussel with a pearl in it. It's pretty cool.

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.