Southern Indiana Trails

* By Steve Ford * October 25, 2009 at 12:39 a.m. Fishing and the real estate business have this much in common: It all starts with location, location, location. Sure, once you get to a location with plenty of fish it helps to know how to extract them, but even the best anglers can't score where there's nothing in the water. That's why the most-frequently-asked question I get is: "Where can I go catch some fish?" Dwinn Carbone, a recent transplant to the Evansville area from Florida, recently sent an e-mail wanting some spots to fish for bass, crappie and bluegill. "Do bluegill even exist up here?" he asked, then continued. "Lakes and ponds were in surplus where I came from and I don't know where to begin here. I don't have a boat, so I'm guessing the (Ohio) river is out." Here's my reply. "Yes, there are plenty of bluegill in Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois. It happens to be my favorite eating fish, at least ...

Hemlock Cliffs is a valley of special beauty in southern Indiana. A cool climate, created by the box canyon shape, sandstone rock formations, and seasonal waterfalls is responsible for the unique trees and plants that grow here. Hemlock Cliffs has long been a popular destination for people seeking tranquility, and a chance for reflection from within a cool rock shelter or along the shady stream. hemlock cliffs trail The area features, sandstone rock outcrops, overhangs, cliffs, rock shelters, and ravines. The rock you see is sandstone of the Tar Springs Formation. Much of the sandstone is "Honeycombed" by weathering of iron ores. Springs, small caves, and subterranean drainage conduits are in the underlying Glen Dean Limestone. Lush vegetation is found along the cliffs, waterfalls and canyon floor. Hemlock, a tall evergreen with short needles and small cones, thrives in the canyon's cool climate. Wintergreen, a rare plant, is also found here. Wild geranium, French's ...

As the modern-day equivalent of the old explorers, the backpacker will be exposed to all kinds of climatic conditions on many different types of terrain. He or she must be self-sufficient and prepared for the worst at all times. And preparedness starts before leaving home, with the selection of backpacking gear. Of particular importance is your backpacking sleeping bag. Not getting a good nights rest can lead to mistakes that can mean the difference between enjoying that view of the sunset from a mountain ridge and seeing that same sunset from a Search and Rescue helicopter. 1. The Backpacking Sleeping Bag - All Sleeping Bags Are Not Created Equal Before choosing a sleeping bag, it can be helpful to know what some of the key differences are between the backpacking sleeping bag and other sleeping bags. The needs of a backpacker lead to special considerations that the backpacker must address: The backpacking sleeping bag must be light. A typical backpacker will already be carrying food, ...

O'Bannon Woods State Park 7234 Old Forest Rd. SW Corydon, IN 47112 The current status of the AHT remains rough and extremely difficult to traverse for mountain bikers and hikers. Storm damage suffered from Sept 2009 to the current arriving storms have left large portions of the trail with down trees and extremely muddy conditions. We have managed to get a State Park skid steer and chainsaw crew to remove down trees from about 2/3's of the trail. 1/3 of the trail remains untouched and has many trees crossing the trail (Indian Creek Section - East Side) HMBA has concentrated their efforts in building a bike/hike trail on our old Rocky Ridge Trail (Class A Campground) and an access trail from our fire tower to the Rocky Ridge Trail. If you begin at the fire tower and ride the access trail to and thru Rocky Ridgeback and back you can have a 6 mile ride. To date this is the best ride we can offer. As additional information, a portion(s) of the Adventure Hiking Trail will be cl...

My son and took a hike at Angel Mounds today and much to our surprise hundreds of monarch butterflies were making their way along the river front south to Mexico. It was fun to see so many at one time. We watched them fly by for about 20 minutes and it was a nice experience for us. Something we may never get to see again.

FRENCH LICK, Ind. — You can gamble here, dine or shop inside a dazzling domed hotel from a century ago, be pampered at a spa or hunt for souvenirs of Larry Bird, the "hick from French Lick" basketball sensation who grew up here. And now you can go mountain biking in this back-country tourist mecca 90 miles northeast of Evansville. A five-mile single track loop — just the beginning of a trail system being developed on the French Lick Resort's 3,000 acres — will open early Saturday afternoon. Designer Alex Stewart, known for his work on mountain bike trails in Brown County, Ind., is quoted in a press release as saying he was trying to create one of the state's best downhills, what he calls "a Zen-like feeling of flying downhill immersed in a forest." According to Stewart, the new Buffalo Trace trail has a mix of dips, rollers and turns that take full advantage of the terrain's rock outcroppings, quarries and caves. Stewart said he hopes to bring a mountai...