Winter hikes planned at state park
A series of winter hikes is planned at Brown County State Park. All hikes will begin at 11 a.m. and will cover between two and four miles over rugged or sloppy terrain.
Leashed, friendly dogs are welcome. All hikes meet at 11 a.m. on Saturdays at the Nature Center.
- Jan. 19 — Deserter’s Cave: Hike south along park road about one mile to off-woods rugged, steep trail to Deserter’s Cave; about two miles total lasting about an hour.
- Feb. 9 — Curious quarry: Carpool to trailhead at Horse Trail A; hike about a mile-and-a-half to Trail 17 for half a mile; total about four miles with some sloppy, some rugged areas and time to explore quarry area.
- Feb. 16 and March 30 — Lake That Never Was: Carpool to trailhead at Horse Trail B, descend on rugged trail and cross several creeks to Hidden Valley and to dam site; about two miles total lasting about 90 minutes.
- March 2 — Boulder in tree: Carpool to Horse Trail A, hike a short distance and continue on rugged off-trail trek for majority of hike; total about two miles lasting about 90 minutes.
- March 9 — Ten O’Clock Line Nature Preserve: Carpool to a fire trail, hike about one mile to Horse Trail B, then around nature preserve; total distance about two and a half miles for about two hours.
With questions, visit in.gov/dnr/parklake/2988.htm or Brown County State Park on Facebook, email [email protected], or call 812-988-5240.
Register for Frosty Trails 5-Mile
The Brown County YMCA will sponsor the eighth annual Frosty Trails scenic trail walk/run. Participants can choose the challenging 5.2-mile run (or walk) or the 5K road run/walk through Brown County State Park. Starting at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 19 (at 1:10 p.m. for the 5K), the race will begin and end at its new headquarters, the Recreation Building at the end of the Rally Campground parking lot. (It is labeled F on the park map “Shelters” legend.) The event will include trails 4, 7 and 8. All trails will be clearly marked.
After the race, fires, warm soup from Abe Martin Lodge, cookies and beverages will be available to participants. Extra food will be sold for family members. ID is required for drinks from the Quaff ON! beer truck. Awards will be given at 3 pm.
Online registration, $30, ends at noon Friday, Jan. 18. Packet pickup is from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. before the race on Saturday.
Registration on race day, $35, is from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Jan 19.
For more information, email kimrobinson@browncounty ymca.org, visit browncountyymca.org or call812-988-9622. To register, visit browncounty.com/event/frosty-trails-5-mile; click on “Get your tickets here!”
Guided tour of walking trail offered Jan. 21
From 9 to 10:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 21, David Rupp will lead a winter morning walking tour of Nashville’s Salt Creek Trail. Participants will meet at the Brown County Visitors Center, 211 S. Van Buren St., where coffee and breakfast pastries will be available.
The tour costs $5 per person. Rupp, owner of Indigo Birding Nature Tours, will talk about birds and wildlife inhabiting the area. All ages are welcome. For reservations, visit browncounty.com/store or call 812-988-7303.
Winter dog hike, scavenger hunt set Feb. 2
From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 2, the Brown County State Park Nature Center will host the third annual winter dog hike.
Bring your leashed dog and sign up between 9 and 11 a.m. to get a map and score card. Explore the woods and collect codes to earn points during the dog hike/scavenger hunt. First-, second- and third-place prizes will be awarded for the canine/human duo that collects the most points, turning score cards back to the Nature Center by 3 p.m.
Park rules must be followed, including keeping your dog on a 6-foot leash and cleaning up after your pet. Anyone caught not keeping park rules will be disqualified. Winners will be announced by 4 p.m.
For more information, call 812-988-5240 or visit in.gov/dnr/parklake/2988.htm and click on “2/2 — Winter Dog Hike”.
State park passes, permits, tags available
Annual entrance permits, horse tags, off-road cycling permits and lake permits for 2019 are for sale at DNR Division of State Parks property offices.
Permits can be purchased online or at state parks. They are good through Dec. 31. Without a pass, daily entrance to the parks for in-state visitors costs $7 per car. The types of permits are:
- $50 annual entrance permit
- $25 Golden Hoosier Passport: For Indiana residents who are at least 65 or eligible for Social Security disability payments under 42 U.S.C. 401.
- $70 non-resident annual entrance permit
- $20 annual horse tag: Entitles one horse access and the use of DNR properties where horse use is allowed. Vehicle admission is not included.
- $20 off-road cycling permit: Required for cyclists wishing to access and use mountain bike trails on state park, reservoir and state forest properties with trail ratings above beginner. A daily bicycle pass costs $5. It is not required for park roads and paved biking trails.
- Lake permits ($25 annual motorized; $5 annual non-motorized): Required for all private watercraft using a state park lake, state-managed lake, state forest lake or Division of Outdoor Recreation lake.
For more information on annual entrance permits, visit stateparks.IN.gov/5062.htm. To buy permits online, visit stores.innsgifts.com/permits.
