Nice place to fish, discovered it in the fall. Use heavy line and not your expensive lures unless…read moreyou have waders. There is a lot of line draped across waiting to snag your $10 lures or $50 swim baits. Maybe the county can clean it up. We lost 9 lures one day! Steelhead pictured was caught on a white grub jig.

Good fishing, caught four carp and a smallmouth. Then they let more water out of the dam and the…read morebite stopped

This park is gorgeous (even though there was a lot of construction going on along the south side of…read morethe park.) What makes this park on the low side of the river so stunning is the series of irregular shaped terrace steps that the millrace of the St Joe River flows over to head downstream. All along the park there are tiny waterfalls while appearing nearly flat. The area along the river has paved walkways and is landscaped with trees and a small hill. On the east end of the park is a large sculpture by Jan Martin (2004) called River Shards that makes for a cool accent to the plaza where you can relax and enjoy the sight and sound. This is a must see if you appreciate a marriage between art and nature. Review #3089

Family friends are important…read more There's family, of course, and no matter how much you may hate your family, they're ultimately all you've got. OK, that's kind of an overstatement, but as you grow older, you'll probably eventually either regret drifting apart from family members or wonder what kept you apart in the first place. If you're lucky, like I am, you'll recognize early just how important family is. There are friends. Good ones are like great books in that they're extremely rare and no matter how long it is between visits, you'll always feel comfortable, like you're right where you belong. Other friends are more situational. They serve a specific purpose at a specific time, and when that purpose is spent, you must decide whether to stay in touch or to allow time and circumstances to separate you. Family friends are different. They're not family, but you can't get rid of them like you can past-their-expiration-date friends. Yes, you can ignore them, but unlike family and friends, they don't usually hold grudges. They're connected to you, but they're not related to you. They were there before, and they'll be there in the future. If you don't invite them to your kids' weddings, they won't hold it against you. They'll still let you stay over when you're in town for an interview or some other such ridiculousness, and you'll stay up too late talking. Beutter Park is like a family friend. It doesn't feel as comfortable and magical and raw as childhood, but it sticks in your mind, not like regret, but like something or someone you miss and know or at least hope you'll visit again one day. Soon? Maybe. Family friends brought me and my dad here. It was warm and sunny but not humid. In other words, the weather was perfect, and that's so unlike Michiana in the summer. We strolled past sculptures and talked about first cars. I had heard many of the stories before, but that didn't bother me. I can stand repetition among family friends; I don't know why.

As a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, I always cringe when people refer to it as Notre…read moreDame University. That's kind of a personal peeve--although you'd be surprised at how many really well educated people in academia make this mistake--but it's also kind of ridiculous because (a) I'm normally not a pretentious person and (b) the official name of the school isn't the University of Notre Dame. The official name is the University of Notre Dame du Lac. For those of you whose French is rusty, that means "the University of Our Lady of the Lake." "The Lake"? Which lake? Well, despite the fact that the Golden Dome and Touchdown Jesus and the Grotto are far more famous landmarks, Notre Dame has two lakes at the far north end of campus. I'm not sure whether they were man-made or whether they used to be one lake (which would explain why it's not "Our Lady of the Lakes"), but I'm glad they exist and that there are two of them. This review is of St. Mary's Lake, which is the western one. It's a little bit smaller than St. Joseph's Lake, but the main differences between the lakes are that the terrain around St. Mary's Lake is flatter and has less foliage and that it freezes during the winter. (I'll explain in a future review why St. Joseph's Lake doesn't freeze.) I love this lake. When I first visited Notre Dame in 1993, I walked around it a few times, saw all these students jogging around it, and saw people playing chess at a bench on its north (?) side. Although I wanted to come to Notre Dame for many other reasons, that trip cemented my desire. Besides being spectacular in myriad ways, Notre Dame is a beautiful place. I say this as someone who hates most of its architecture. Despite some of the monstrosities that the university has erected, especially recently, the natural beauty of Northern Indiana shines through, and St. Mary's Lake is a good example of that. When I ended up here in grad school (having officially been denied admission three times so far--I would also be denied a fourth time), I walked around St. Mary's Lake a bunch of times. In fact, I bet I circled the lake more times in September and October 2001 than I did the rest of the time I was at Notre Dame. Grad school is busy, and I found so many other unique campus landmarks that reinforced my connection to this physical place. It's not that I began to dislike St. Mary's Lake; it's that I began to appreciate other things as well. I never did play chess with anyone on that bench, but I did have some pretty amazing conversations with people while walking around the lakes, and it was always fun each spring to watch the ducks and geese showing off their offspring.

Used to fish here when i was little and mom worked on campus. Great memories. Fishing ok. Campus…read morehas changed. More uptight.

Leeper Park always reminds me of Will. And kind of of Sheila, but mainly of Will. Will was sick…read more Esther and I visited him. Often. We got stuff from his apartment when he was in the hospital. This was long before Will moved to Philadelphia. This was long before Erin O. met Will. This was long before Erin O. told me about meeting Will, which wasn't long after Erin O. told me about meeting Aaron. I think Erin O. thought I was trying to set her up with Aaron, but I wasn't. Or maybe Aaron thought so. Aaron is Canadian and that's awesome. I was sort of trying to set Erin O. up with Will, but it didn't take, and that's fine. All of this was long before Erin O. married Jose. The park is spectacular. You can drive through it. You can feed ducks. It goes on and on, kind of like a September to remember, though not quite like a December to remember. Visit this park. Please. I will next time I visit South Bend with Esther, which could be in September. Or October. Hopefully, it will either be unseasonably warm or unseasonably cold. South Bend is best when the weather's not like it's supposed to be, either way. And when I lived in South Bend, I used to wonder whether Leeper park would have leepers if it had sand. You know, leepers, like in the Legend of Zelda? But those are leevers, and I made a mental fool of myself in my own mind for years.

Leeper is nice...the park os situated on either side of 31 on the south side of the bridge. There…read moreis a tennis complex on one side, where they offer an excellent and affordable childrens tennis program, as well as tennis for adults. It was recently remodeled and is in great shape. Near the tennis complex is a playground, a duck pond and some picnic tables. Across 31 there is park with a raceway island and a small beach. Its a nice place to take a walk and popular for salmon and steelhead fishing in the fall. Theres a garden and a log cabin replica on the east side of the park as well. The river in this location is fairly shallow wth rapids, my kids like to wade in the shallows when the water is low.

Pinhook finally got an update. They added a very nice blacktop path for walking, some dog…read moreamenities, a new boat launch, and some new fishing piers. New playground equipment as well. Theres been a little bit better landscaping/ lawncare, and they have added new signage for handicapped access/ parking.

Clean park. I was there for a wedding and it was a beautiful day. The park was clean. The river…read morewas delightful and peaceful. There was a small playground. There was also a building on the premise, but I did not go into the building.

This is a great park for beginning hikers or those short on time. The park, while beautiful is much…read moresmaller than State parks, with trails that are harder to get lost on. There is small playground, a "Sensory Garden" area that has a pond with running water & frogs (for sound), highly scented flowers (for smell) and even some safe to taste herbs (for taste). There is a covered picnic area that can be rented out for parties. It can also be used freely when no parties are booked. One could make a day of this place but it's not a requirement to see everything.

such a beautiful park, i love the trails available very pretty views and everyone that travels is…read morenice. good for walking and biking.

St. Joseph's Lake Recently a really cool nice Yelper John…read moreS. of San Francisco Communicated with me regarding my posts on places on and around the University of Notre Dame Campus. He is amazing with so much information that has helped me. He's an Encyclopedia of Notre Dame! I'm going by my senior citizen memories and old photos. He geared me to the St. Joseph's Lake page for my incorrectly posted Lake photos. That being said I love being out in nature and around bodies of water. When my daughter and I spent time together at the university a walk to the lake was a great escape. I'm sure during my many visits in four years I visited other lakes near the campus. If you live in South Bend, go to the university, or you are visiting like me then by all means take in the lake activities and spend time hiking or walking around St. Joseph's Lake. Highly recommended.

I'm not sure why I didn't realize this was a separate lake the first time I visited Notre Dame when…read moreI was in high school in 1993. Or maybe I did realize it, but St. Mary's Lake just held a particular sway for me. In any case, St. Joseph's Lake is probably more beautiful than its westerly cousin--er, (unconsummated) spouse? I say "probably" because it depends on what you like. If you'd rather walk around a mostly flat path without trees obstructing your view, then St. Mary's Lake is your girl. But if you like changing elevations, paths that sometimes take strange turns, and the wonder of a mysterious island with a locked gate, then St. Joseph's Lake is your boy. Yes, I know, both lakes have islands; and technically, St. Mary's Lake has more of them, but one of St. Joseph's Lake's islands is connected to the shore by a footpath, and there's this weird gate that's usually locked, although if you don't mind getting wet, it's pretty easy to get around. (Believe me, I know.) If the weather's particularly nice, you can rent a boat and sail around the lake. I never did this, but when my brother was in town for my graduation, he really wanted to. The lake is strange during the winter because it doesn't freeze. Why not? Well, Notre Dame has its own power plant (coal-fired, unfortunately), which is cooled by St. Joseph's Lake. After the water is used, it is pumped back into the lake, which ensures that the water is always too warm to freeze. This causes quite a lot of confusion for the local waterfowl. Normally, ducks and geese fly south for the winter, and this is largely the case for Notre Dame's ducks and geese. But even in the middle of winter, you'll find some ducks swimming around St. Joseph's Lake, and I often wonder whether this ruins their natural instincts. I'm not very athletic, but if I were, I would be one of those people who run around this lake and then St. Mary's Lake in what seems like a decently challenging but also relaxing jog. If you're a woman and you choose to run around St. Joseph's Lake, you should probably bring some mace along. I've never felt unsafe walking around the lake, even in the middle of the night in really cold weather, but it is kind of spooky, and there are a lot of places to hide.

This was one of our first state parks to visit as new campers and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay!…read more They were so welcoming! Our campsite was well equipped and perfect for our family. The dump site was brand new and especially user friendly! The scenery was gorgeous. We were there a little late in the season, but the lake was still beautiful and we enjoyed watching all the wildlife.

Staff is always friendly The park is well taken care of…read morewithout looking too groomed. I love to run the trails and just get away here. There are camp grounds and horse trails, lakes and running paths and lots to do here. This is one of my escapes.

What an absolutely stunning spot for an evening walk! My wife and I visited around sunset, and it…read morefelt like something out of a painting. The path was clean, peaceful, and perfectly maintained--ideal for a romantic stroll or just soaking in nature's beauty. The sunset views were magical. The colors in the sky reflected off the water (or landscape) so beautifully, it felt like time slowed down. We held hands, laughed, and just enjoyed being in the moment together. Benches were thoughtfully placed for relaxing and taking it all in, and the whole area felt incredibly safe and welcoming. Whether you're out for some quiet reflection or a sweet date night stroll like we were, this place delivers. Highly recommend it for couples, photographers, or anyone looking to unwind and enjoy nature's evening show. A perfect 5-star experience!

The Mishawaka Riverwalk is officially known as the "River St. Joseph of the Miamis Trail."…read more I'll call it the Mishawaka Riverwalk. It's a circular system of both pedestrian and bike trails that runs along both banks of the St. Joseph River in Mishawaka. There are pedestrian bridges that connect the Riverwalk at various points including Central Park, Kamm Island, and Riverfront Park. There's also a footbridge that connects Beutter Park with Battell Park. The Riverwalk has quarter-mile markers and a designated 5k path (which I have used). The Riverwalk has signage, landscaping, and a surprising amount of lighting to enhance the experience and safety. Of course, the river itself is the real feature. The trail is primarily used for walking and experiencing nature. It's for the most part friendly to wheelchairs and the bridge crossings are also wheelchair friendly. For the most part, one gets the feeling of safety on the trail. The lighting helps to enhance that safety during evenings. In decent weather, you may also experience an outdoor concert going on. While the trail is for the most part wheelchair friendly, there are places where you can detour to get closer to water that involve steps. This is less of an issue the closer you get to central Mishawaka. Mishawaka has long been one of my favorite unsung cities in Indiana. It's a beautiful area and the St. Joseph River is really well developed here. The times I've come to Mishawaka for outreach events I've been treated well and just loved the experience. While I find the journey from South Bend confusing at times, Mishawaka seems to have taken more care in making sure things are clearly marked in terms of trails. If you're ever in Northern Indiana, I definitely recommend a day trip to Mishawaka and spending time on the Riverwalk. Unlike some other Riverwalk features across the country, this is much more about nature than it is commercialization. That said, Mishawaka also offers lots to visit and great dining options.

Pretty park for families with a ton of facilities, but not so good for taking pictures.read more

Join the river in meandering through the variety of experiences at Central Park! Whether arriving…read moreon foot, bike, or auto, spend a while enjoying this newly renovated downtown Mishawaka gem. Stroll through taking in the sculpture scenery on your way to the giant riverside trees. Marvel at the mini stone house overlooking the stone waterway. Sidestep the suspicious waterfowl and ducklings, dancing around their "sidewalk decorations". Plenty of running paths will keep you busy for at least a 5K. Varying scenery will keep the boredom at bay. Play a little tennis or basketball on the park's outdoor courts. Parking is easy onsite, and more street parking all around the 13 acres. Those who live near downtown can head over with a quick stroll; the rest of us will find easy access like I will on my return visit.