I don't get to this part of Central Indiana often, however, I had the chance to accompany a friend…read moreand we decided to do a bit of a detour and visit McCloud Nature Park in North Salem (Hendricks County). McCloud Nature Park is a 232-acre nature park established in 2003. It has over six miles of hiking trails, easy access to Big Walnut Creek, a nature center with year-round programs, and a pretty good chance you're going to see wildlife while here. The nature center has live reptiles, amphibians, insects, a bird-viewing room, a resource library, and interactive exhibits. In the late spring, summer, and early fall, you can observe live honeybee hives. There's a park pavilion available for rent (I believe it's only $50 a day). For a nature park, it's obvious much effort has been made to offer some contemporary amenities (modern restrooms/picnic facilities) and a surprising degree of accessibility including the availability of a GRIT Freedom Chair to borrow for two-hour increments (no charge). You can also rent a picnic pavilion with tables/grills. For those who don't know, GRIT chairs are capable of handling basic off-roading quite easily. They are manual chairs, but they have levers instead of the traditional wheel-push function. They're quite cool and ideal for hiking trails. While I was able to handle most of the ground here in my chair, a GRIT chair makes it MUCH easier. The trails are both gravel and natural surfaced trails - they are well marked. You can fish, wade, canoe, and kayak in Big Walnut Creek. The creek is known to have smallmouth bass, panfish, catfish, suckers, and carp (you do have to follow Indiana fishing laws and have an Indiana fishing license). As someone who loves bridges, I was in love with a restored iron truss bridge that is over 100 years old. There's also a swing set with belt, tire, infant, and ADA swings. The wetland habitat has a boardwalk and observation decks. While I'm impressed with how accessible Hendricks County has made this nature park, I'm also impressed with how much accessibility was actually just built into it. There was some clear thought. I sure wouldn't call all the trails accessible, though more advanced wheelchair users like myself can definitely have some fun here (and I did). The nature center admission is free. Hours for the nature center: November through March: Friday & Saturday only, 10am-4pm (closed noon to 1pm). April through October: Wednesday - Saturday, 10am - 4pm (closed noon to 1pm); Sundays, 1-5pm. This is definitely worth a visit to the westside to check out. I'd actually call it a destination nature park with enough features to keep folks happy. There's enough accessibility offerings to allow for all members of the family to enjoy the park. This is an absolute gem and I definitely recommend a visit.

My husband and I took our grandchildren here for a picnic and hiking/exploring. The nature center…read morewas closed (I had not checked their hours), but we had a great time before incoming rain/storm sent us home. We'll return! The creek is beautiful and the kids enjoyed the bridge. We found deer and raccoon tracks, and some shells. Nature is wonderful

Fun for hiking with the family or just by yourself enjoying nature. We have visited the trails many…read moretimes over the years!

Unless you are a skilled hiker, I recommend going to this beautiful nature preserve when the…read moreweather has been dry. There is about 90 feet of elevation change on the 0.8 mile loop that can be a bit slippery if you pick a time when mud/rain can be a problem. I only explored the north end trail during my visit. After parking in a shaded lot, I went into the park where I had a choice of left or right. The right side has a steeper descent than the left. Fortunately, there is a hand rail for stability. I figured it easier to go down the steep side than up, so I stayed on the right hand path. There is a fairly level area before you reach the "stairs". The stairs are mostly natural, so they aren't evenly spaced. Just keep focused and you should be alright. Once the trail reaches the bottom of the gorge, there are places where elevated paths keep your feet from trekking through the mud. Depending upon how much rain has fallen, you may get some mud, but my feet stayed dry the entire loop. At the base, there are deep ravines where the trees catch the sunlight and light up in brilliant yellow greens. The rocks are layered and take on a rusty color that can make for some great photos. The highlight of the loop is finding the "arch" through the ridge of rock. It was just a bit taller than my head (I would say most folks won't need to duck going through.) After that, you will start working your way back. Although I traveled the same distance up, it was gradual and not nearly as challenging as climbing steps. I didn't see much wildlife there, but there were squirrels and butterflies that showed themselves. I like a short hike that features a destination and great scenes along the way. If you like that too, then seek out this park. Review #2840

We came here during a beautiful spring-like weekend in the summertime, during COVID 19. Over…read moreMemorial Day weekend, we had camped at Patoka Lake SRA and the staff were incessant about keeping things very clean in the bathrooms and the rules of no playing on the playgrounds, along with social distancing, seemed to be enforced overall. Sadly, this wasn't the case at Raccoon Lake SRA. I had never been before, and it was one of the only state areas in IN left so we went with it (that should've been a sign). For campers: this seems to be a perfect place for people that are bringing large groups of people together to share a universal campsite and have others surround them. The campsites are way too incredibly close to each other. We couldn't even tell which site was ours upon arrival cause it was basically running into ours with another site. Luckily, that family was concerned about social distancing like we were. The hiking trails are 2/5. They aren't really worth making a trek to this SRA for hiking alone. The focus of this is the lake, obviously. We checked into renting a boat, but it was a hefty $90+ per hour to rent, so find yourself a friend that has a boat and save yourself some money. The hiking trails are just relatively short and run near roads and campsites so it's hard to feel like you're distanced from anyone at any point. They do have an ADA "hike" though, which ventures through some nature. It's also great for strollers and bikers. The camp store is a bit out of the way for campers as they're trying to also get business from boaters as well. We purchased a small bag of ice and two bundles of wood for $15. The lake here is huge and the sunsets are gorgeous. Luckily, we never ran into any raccoons during our time, but our neighbors did briefly. The main issue with this place is the campsites. Ours was incredibly uneven, basically on top of our neighbor's spot. I'll admit it had a great view of the lake and sunset and stars, which is what camping is all about. Would I recommend this place? Yeah, but for boaters and people that are wanting to go camping in large groups of people/family.

Raccoon State Park in Parke County is a beautiful park with a nice campgound, but we will not be…read morereturning. All I can suggest is that if you go there and have a problem with a dog attack, that you 1. make sure you make a report with DNR when it happens, 2. you get the names of the OWNER(s) of the dog(s) and not just the name(s) of the person(s) who has control of the dog(s) at the time of the attack. I also suggest if you, a family member or your pet(s) are hurt, do go to the doctor or vet asap and retain a full report of the visit. The rules of keeping pets on a leach no longer than 6 foot long and/or keeping them securely tied up appeared not to be enforced and may not be a violation that would be deemed liable for the dog(s) owner if you are injured. This is not legal advise as I am not an attorney, just a word of advise. I am sure this can happen anywhere, but this is what we came across at Raccoon in Parke County, so this is our own story. Otherwise, this is a great state park and the staff has always been wonderful.

Great places for kids of all ages to hang out and play! Had a wonderful few hours with my nephews…read morewhen we needed an inside summer activity.

Always friendly at the counter! Today we got a chocolate muffin, which is good sized) and they…read morewarmed it. Big enough that I spit for both boys that I watch to have half. Today it was pretty quiet and calm.

I played The Trophy Club in late March and the greens, fairways, and tee boxes were in awesome…read morecondition despite having just opened for the year. If you have never played a links-style course, this is a great one to check out. Definitely call a few days in advance if you are wanting to make a tee time. They were jam packed on a 65 degree day in March.

Charged us for 3 golfers when we only had 2, no interest of refunding the group and was hostile…read moreabout it.

For a while now, I've meant to come back and update my review and give QFB 5 stars. I haven't done…read moreso till now because of all the awesome yoga classes I've been attending! Yoga practitioners, head on over to this gorgeous studio for a great yoga experience. They offer an expanded variety of classes, including vinyasa flow, yin, restorative, and more. There are also a number of specialty workshops for beginners, and specialty workshop topics as well. Another thing I really appreciate is how the owners, Jeanne and Wayne, have worked so hard to make this a welcoming community space for all kinds of yoga. They often offer herbal teas on Saturday after the morning class in a beautifully appointed main room, and it's so nice to sit there and relax after a yoga practice. There are yoga and alternative medicine books and magazines to peruse, and locally made crafts and yoga props for sale as well. I couldn't ask for a nicer studio!

Love this place so much. Jeanne and Wayne have created a warm and welcoming yoga studio with…read moreinviting decor and gorgeous vegetable gardens. The heated floor in the depths of winter makes my heart sing.

I love taking my beagle here to walk once in a while. She loves this place. It's big and clean and…read morepretty.

This is a great park! It has plenty of room and something for just about everybody! Some of the…read morefeatures are: - swimming pool and splash park - skate park - 2 playgrounds - baseball diamonds - horseshoe pits - 18 hole disc golf course Not only does it have the fun stuff, but it also has shelters, restrooms, and a memorial to the local infantry that fought in the War with Spain. The grounds are split by a flowing creek with several bridges for easy crossing. And the north end of the park is filled with mature trees that offer lots of shade for visitors. Review #965

This is a great place to shoot your rifles and handguns. I went there with my parents to fish and…read moreshoot and I want to go back. I tried to find other shooting ranges close to me that wasn't Crawfordsville. I will not deal with the Crawfordsville Gun Club or my town. I want to travel far from it to shoot. Linden is the only one around and close kinda. Others are either filled with rules,overpriced,and/or a joke. This place is the way to go and we need a lot more pistol/rifle ranges like this and less of the brick and mortar indoor ranges with steep fees and time limits. I believe you have to use their ammo in them brick and mortar corporations. Indiana isn't great when it comes to shooting ranges like the Linden Conservation Club. They do it right and we need a LOT more ranges/clubs like Linden. Keep up the solid work guys. I will be back when I get the funds. I highly recommend the Linden Conservation Club. Very helpful and nice folks there.

I have been to this location twice and loved it both times. The facility is nice and the people are…read morefriendly. The ranges have high banks to avoid the chance of ricochet.