After living in Northern Indiana for a couple months we finally took Sunny on her first adventure. It was a fairly close to home excursion, Bicentennial Woods in Huntertown, and one we’ll do again. Bicentennial Woods is part of the Acres Land Trust which is dedicated to protecting land in northeast Indiana, southern Michigan, and northwest Ohio. It is similar to the Sycamore Land Trust in southern Indiana.
Bicentennial Woods is part of the Cedar Creek Corridor which is the largest forested area in the region. It is open daily until sunset, has a gravel parking lot that accommodates several cars, and no restroom. There was only one other person there they day we visited, but I imagine it is a popular location on a warm, sunny weekend.
The trail reminded me of many of the ones we visited in the Bloomington area – a narrow trail winding through a forest of towering trees. It also had a creek with access to it in several areas and two bridges over it. The views of the creek from the trail and bridges was quite scenic. The trail is packed dirt with mostly gentle inclines and descents. Some of the trails to the creek are quite steep, but there are other ones that are easier to descend. There are many downed trees on the trail making for interesting photo and sniffing opportunities. It had recently rained so sections of the trail were a little muddy. We completed a 1.5M loop through the woods, however the website indicates its a 2M trail.
Our Rating
This trail reminded us so much of the many trails we love in Bloomington. On this day it rated 4 paws up since we had not been on a hike in quite some time, but under normal circumstances it would be 3.5 out of 4 paws up. It’s scenic, a fun trail through the woods, has access to the water, and great parking. Karlie would have loved this trail as it was so similar to some of our favorite Bloomington hikes.
How do I get there?
Getting there is fairly straight forward. From Coldwater Rd. turn onto Schoaff Rd. About half a mile down the road, there is a sign on the left for Bicentennial Woods. It’s a little hidden behind some vegetation, but leads to the gravel parking lot. The trail is just off the parking lot.
For more information check out the Acres Land Trust website.