outdoor recreation

The Kentucky valley is a rock-climber’s paradise, but if you know the ropes, you can enjoy the spectacular scenery without those skills.

Waterfalls are rushing in Indiana parks right now.

Payne has been meeting neighborhood leaders and well-heeled donors to raise $100 million to connect underserved areas to the Monon and other greenways.

Not ideal for distance at 1.5 miles, the Tracy is well suited to casual runners and quick-cardio seekers.

“It is very user-friendly and also a very sociable trail,” says Franklin College senior Michael Powell. “Everyone you pass waves and greets you.”

Training for a solo ride from Noblesville to San Francisco, Emma Fisher uses the greenway to head out of town and onto the rural roads of northern Hamilton County. “Potter’s Bridge is the beginning and end of my journey every time, so it’s special,” says Fisher, who likes to hang a hammock between trees and take a breather on the riverbank.

How popular is the Monon Greenway in Hamilton County (and Carmel in particular)? Some 450,000 people biked or walked it last year, so it’s no surprise that about $500 million in new development projects have broken ground—or will shortly—adjacent to the trail.

A path will lead from the Cultural Trail to the park, where people will be able to watch traffic merge from two interstates, sometimes harrowingly so.

With the leaves down, winter is a good time to see Hocking Hills State Park, when the water that seeps, drizzles, and cascades down the rock walls in warmer months freezes, frosting the landscape with fairytale-quality icicles

Ski Magazine proclaimed Crystal Mountain the “number one resort in the Midwest.” Nearly 60 trails offer a mix of downhill exhilaration for skiers of all skill levels.

Schooner Valley Stables is the only barn in the area that offers a “running ride.” The spread covers 130 acres and borders Yellowwood State Forest.