Turkey Run, Indiana (State #14)-Turkey Run State Park

Originally, we were unable to get a reservation here but fortunately with a change in our itinerary, we were able to arrive midweek and stay until Sunday. And we are so glad it worked out that way because this was an awesome place to visit!

While we did not have the best campsite, we chose that one for internet reasons. The rest were nice and just like in Illinois the campground was separated from the main park.

It had a nice little playground.  And unfortunately for the rest of the campers, this little teeter totter thing could be heard from far away ;)

We really enjoyed the Nature Center! The park interpreter, Mandy, did a great planetarium program and Feed the Birds program. The kids were able to help feed the birds and squirrels and learn some interesting facts about them.

There were also some animal exhibits in the center and we were able to choose a video to watch. We chose the City of Bees, which was very informative. I am even more amazed by them but I still dislike them immensely.

After several programs and some other activities, including volunteer work, the kids earned a pin for Turkey Run State Park :)

We also went out one evening and took one of the covered bridge driving tours. SOMEHOW we missed a couple of the bridges even though we were following the map, but here are two that we did find:

And I saved the best for last! The hiking trails were A LOT of fun! Per the recommendation of our friend, Tammy, we headed for trail #3.

First we had, to cross this beautiful bridge. Just look at the fall colors beginning to show!

The kids took a brief rest in this carved out area.

And then we followed the trail alongside the creek, which was barely flowing, and through canyons. It was a challenge to keep our feet dry though because of the trail path through rocky and muddy areas. But it was fun!

And how cool is this???!!! We have done a lot of hiking but we have never had to climb a ladder to get from one part of the trail to the other (actually there were 3 or 4)!

This trail was truly unique.  There was something different every time you turned the corner from cliffs and crevices to potholes formed by glaciers and waterfalls.  It was just so beautiful and exciting and we had a blast traversing all of these different terrains.

We practiced our barred owl call as one overhead repeatedly called out “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you aaaalllllll?” And we caught a quick glimpse of it.

So the next night, it rained non-stop! I believe they said it rained 5 inches. Jacob begged to go back to trail 3 to see the falls flowing. And we all decided to accept the challenge.

And it was definitely a challenge to keep our feet dry, because not only was it wet and muddy, it was quite cold. The areas where we were able to walk before were now filled with water!

We made incredible leaps and hugged against the rocks to make it through water filled crevices. And it was so worth it.

Here is an area called the Punch Bowl before the rain (top) and after (bottom).

The kids had a wonderful time on their “adventure hike”.

We made it out with only one wet shoe (Jordan) that happened at the very end. It did start raining on us but with the tree cover we were okay and we booked it back to the truck.

Before we left Turkey Run, we also checked out trails 7 and 10. They were fun, but it's hard to beat trail 3!

Thank you to all of our Indiana friends that recommended this park!

Next stop: Brown County, Indiana