Another beautiful summer-like fall day so we decided to get out in the woods. Today we ventured to Hamilton, IN to explore Douglas Woods Nature Preserve which comprises nearly 400 acres of mature hickory, oak, and silver maple trees. Fish Creek also runs through the preserve. The Nature Conservancy maintains the preserve which is dedicated to Ronald Hack. What we did not realize is that the only real trail is one through the field that leads to the forest. According to the Visit Steuben County website the preserve does not have any trails and is for advanced explorers.
Our Adventure
Our adventure started once we parked the car. As we approached the entrance we noticed it was pretty overgrown. We decided to walk through it to see if it improved and it did. Once we made it through the tall vegetation we found a grass trail with woods on both sides. The woods was pretty dense so we stayed on the grass trail. In one section we could see a pond quite a ways into the woods.
As we continued to hike we eventually came to an area leading into the woods with a sign indicating that hunting was allowed by permit only. Since there were no other cars in the parking lot we decided to continue on the trail. Thankfully we did not encounter any hunters. Although the Visit Steuben County website indicated that there were no trails through the woods, we found one to follow. It was not marked nor maintained, but we were able to follow it for a bit. The trail has some inclines and descents, but nothing very difficult. Despite that the trail would not be appropriate for anyone with stability or mobility issues. It also is not recommended for those not comfortable with walking through taller vegetation or over tree limbs. After about .8M our trail came to an end so we turned around and retraced our steps back to the car.
Sunny’s Perspective
This place has the BEST smells. I’m telling you there are a lot of critters in these woods. It would have been better if I could have run off leash, but that didn’t happen. The trail was kinda challenging since I have short legs and I didn’t like going through the tall vegetation, especially at the start, since it nearly came up to my head. I had fun, but there are other places I like better.
Our Rating
Sunny and I rate Douglas Woods Nature Preserve 2 out of 4 paws up. Although it’s quite scenic and peaceful we prefer areas with better marked and maintained trails. We also prefer creeks and other water that we can easily access. This could be a lovely place for a hike, but would require some effort to maintain and mark the trail.
How Do I Get There?
From 427N turn right onto County Road 4 and continue for a mile. Then turn left onto County Road 61 and after nearly a mile turn right onto IN-1S. Continue for 2 miles and then turn left onto County Road 4A. After about .4M look for a gravel driveway that leads to a parking area. The sign for the preserve is after the gravel driveway.
For more information about Douglas Woods Nature Preserve check out these websites: