Lawrence Creek Trail - Fort Harrison State Park

We did one of our (the adults) favorite trails in Fort Harrison--Lawrence Creek. It's a mixed use trail, for hikers and mountain bikers. Part of why it's such a great trail is because of the mountain bikers--all the obstacles they set or leave for them also make great things for the kids to do too. Rocks, downed trees turned into wide balance beams or jumps, log mountains, curves, and more--it's a fun one to do. 

Here's Lawrence Creek Trail on All Trails. 

It's 4.5 miles, but we tacked on just a bit more to make it an even 5 miles. This was the longest single trail hike the kids have been on, so I was thrilled with their accomplishment. We've stacked hikes before--3 miles with 4 miles, etc.--but that usually involves a sitdown break and change of scenery. This was just, get on the trial and go, don't stop style, and they aced it. 

5 miles of hiking = 1 tired puppy. Hank did great on this hike, though he's got some leash learning to do. 

Short Recap: Spring Break 2022

We did our spring break in Chicago and Indiana Dunes National and State Parks, along with hikes in Fort Ben State park. We had a blast, and my foot survived. The weather cooperated NOT AT ALL. It didn't matter when we were in Chicago--we were inside at the Museum of Science and Industry--but it was either raining, sleeting, or outright snowing for the rest. 

Fort Ben hikes: Camp Creek, Harrison Trace, Walnut Grove trails. We often had to jump off the trails and onto the paved trails due to mud, and we were basically dancing in between raindrops. 

Indiana Dunes: We visited both the state and national parks, an it sleeted on us. We had to keep things short and sweet, which was a real bummer, because we LOVED it. We are planning a weekend return trip. Hikes included: West Beach Succession Trail, (national park), part of the Portage Riverwalk, part of trail 9 (state park), part of trail 10 (state park), part of trail 3 (state park), and part of trail 4 (state park). 

The Indiana Dunes National Park Visitors Center was GREAT. The kids loved it--they loved reading the information, getting brochures, talking to the ranger on duty, and watching the info movie. The movie got them very excited to come back and do more in the late spring/summer/fall, when the weather is better. They did the junior ranger program, and marched off with their books. The ranger on duty was just pleased anyone had tried any hiking at all in that weather, and thought the kids were troopers. 

Hike: Camp Creek Trail

It was a beautiful, sunny day, and Grams was scheduled to pick up both kids. By 2:00 pm, I'd already worked a full day and thought I had more to do, I decided to take a quick break, leave my downtown office, grab the dog, and do a solo hike. 

Park: Fort Harrison State Park
Trail: Camp Creek Trail
Distance: 3 miles (full trail is a bit less, but I added on some other areas)

Gosh, what a muddy mess. I knew it might be, given our hike over the weekend, but I had hoped that a few days with no rain and decent temperatures would make it tolerably muddy, not "sloppy wet mess that makes you fall on your ass" level of muddy. That's what hiking boots and dog towels are for, though, so on we went. There were a couple sections where I turned back or took a connecting trail because it was such a mess that I didn't want to do more damage to the trail than what was already done. 

Finn and I had a blast--the sun was shining, there were so many things to smell, the crowd was super light, and the birds were singing. Finn did a great job of sitting prettily and waiting for other hikers with dogs to pass. He didn't bark or try to play with them at all, and he hiked along with a slight amount of slack in the lead. He's becoming a good hiking dog, despite his lazy nature. 

It was much easier to settle into a few more hours of work with some peaceful time outdoors under my belt. It's also easier with an exhausted puppy.

Hike: Lawrence Creek Trail

I've been spending a ton of time on my rowing machine and stretching and icing, and it's paid off. My foot was feeling like it might be ready for hike, so we hit the trail. 

Park: Fort Harrison State Park

Trail: Lawrence Creek

Distance: 2.5 miles (full trail is 4 miles)

We've had a constant stream of rain and snow the past month or more. It rains, then it all freezes and turns to ice, we get anywhere from a light dusting of snow to several inches, then it melts, and the process repeats. Even if my foot was fine, it would have made hiking difficult--you either get ice, or you get mud. There is no in between. 

When we started, the trial was ice. We did not have our microspikes, which probably would have been good to have, but it ended up being fine. We crunched along at pretty good speed despite the ice. Every minute we hiked, it got warmer--and it began to melt and expose the mud underneath. We had to stop at every creek crossing and carry JD across, then give Finn enough leeway to get a running start and jump over. 

We were all a happy, muddy mess by 2 miles in, which is when JD decided it was going to be a great idea to jump into the creek.

Since we were now in possession of a soaked 4 year old in 32 degrees Fahrenheit, we decided to call it quits and headed back. It was probably best for my foot to not test it too much--it was sore later but not too bad. JD was stripped down to skivies and bundled up, and medicinal hot chocolate was applied to both children.

The trees were really something to behold--they were all still coated in ice, so with the sun shining through them, it was like walking through a crystal forest. There was glinting and glistening everywhere, and tiny faint rainbows would dance fleetingly in and out of your line of vision. 

Fort Harrison State Park

Indiana is our home base, and we consider Fort Harrison State Park--or as everyone around here calls it, Fort Ben--our home park.

Why To Go

It's just dang pretty, and its right there, in Indianapolis. There's creeks, and some decent hills (for central Indiana, that is). There's great spots to rest and picnic. There's trails for road biking, and trails for mountain biking. There's golf, too, and the old Garrison is now a restaurant with delicious food, with an Inn nearby. There's sledding in winter, and fishing and canoeing in summer (with permits). There's horseback riding, and there's history--so much history to this park. 

It used to be part of an army post--the former Citizen's Military Training Camp has been preserved around the park office in what used to be known as Camp Glenn. There are the park offices and even a Museum of 20th Century Warfare, which has exhibits about the soldiers that served at Fort Harrison. There are often reenactments and other history related events.

Favorite Trails

I could try to pick my favorite trails, but I can't. I won't. I shan't. You can't make me, I love them all. It's very common to people to have their leashed dogs on the trail, kids are a common trail sighting, and you get casual hikers to brisk and intense hikers to trail runners. Some of the trials are mixed use, meaning, they are also used for mountain bikers. Personally, when I am hiking with kids, I prefer to have the mountain bikers coming at me head on--I can see them in advance, with time to pull the kids off the trail. The mountain bikers have almost exclusively been fantastic and polite, but hey, they are on a bike, balancing, and we are on our own two feet, so I like to move for them rather than make them work for it. Team work makes the dream work.

Schoen Creek--This was the trail that had me falling in love with Fort Ben. It's up, it's down, there are tight turns, a steep drop off, it winds back and forth. Along the way, you'll pass over bits of frames of old buildings--remnants of the military fort, or get glimpses of Lawton Loop, where the officers lived, and are now private houses. 

Lawrence Creek--This trail is longer, and one that JK and I typically do together, without the kids, though we do parts of the trails with the kids. They can certainly handle the distance, it's more that we just like saving this one for just us. It has one of my favorite section of the entire park, where the trail narrows and is cut into the side of the hill but wraps back in on itself. I often let JK and kids, if they are with us, get far ahead, just so I can be amused by the view. So close, but so far. 

Camp Creek and Fall Creek--although these are/can be two separate trails, we often do them together and combine them in new and different ways. These are the two trails we prefer to have the kids on, because there are no bikers--it's a hiking only trail. This is a trail where, at the beginning, you often see people finding little sandy beach spots and floating along in the creek. It's honestly delightful to see families come camp out for the day, floating, picnicking, and having fun. This trail will take you along the creek, through trees, through tall grasses, up stairs, over gravel and sometimes  quick pavement crossing, down hills, and more. It can be kind of a choose your adventure hike, because you can cut it very short and exit on to the paved path back to the parking lot at several spots, or you can keep tacking on the dirt miles. 

There are some paved paths and a shorter Tree Line Trail, but they are more of a walk (though a delightful one) than a hike.

Favorite Spots to Be

Millennium Grove Picnic Area is such a great spot. There are places and spots to pull off and park your car and when the grasses are tall, you are isolated from each other. Schoen Creek Trail runs all around the area, so you could pick it up and hike a bit, or you can just hang. 

The top of the big sledding hill is another major favorite. It's a nice view from a high point, and I love sitting up there in summer and fall and just enjoying the sun and breeze. This hill is where I do my "training" when I know I am going to hike bigger hills/mountains--I run up the hill and walk down, over and over. 

Other Things to Do

There are stables, so you can sign yourself up for a nice horseback ride. Our daughter did it when she was five, and it was easy enough and fun. In the winter, it's a popular place for sledding--that big hill is a great ride. There's a golf course that's part of the park, so if golfing is your jam, it's a beautiful course. I see many families in the summer load up a cooler and  go find a spot along the creeks, park themselves there, and wade in, floating along the creek. 

Last, but certainly not least, is the history. In Fort Ben is the museum of 20th Century Warfare. they have reenactments, displays, special exhibits, and special guest series.

Eats and Sleeps

Nearby, you have deliciousness. Porter Books and Brews is a delightful coffee shop with some baked goods. Cafe Audrey is delicious, as is Chef Suzanne's little drive up hut. There's some chains--Panera, Culver's--but I generally prefer the local places I mentioned. The Garrison is a more old-fashioned eating place, but they do a great brunch on weekends. 

The Fort Harrison Inn is fantastic. I've stayed there, despite being close to my house and it is just neat.