The 260-acre Trevlac Bluffs Nature Preserve features rare Eastern Hemlocks and the namesake 200-foot bluffs.
In southwestern Brown County, forest lovers can visit the Laura Hare Nature Preserve at Downey Hill off of Valley Branch Road. The Hoosier Hikers Council is currently building a trail through the rugged nearly one square mile preserve,“ part of a huge block of contiguous forest habitat, protected forever for the benefit of songbirds, raptors, and box turtles.”
Near Bean Blossom, the 350-acre Hitz-Rhodehamel Nature Preserve, located off of Freeman Ridge Road, features a three-mile trail through the oak covered ridges and ravines.
There’ s a relatively new way to touch the face of the great forest— the zipline.
“ The dense hardwood forest of Brown County and the Hoosier National Forest provide a true canopy style adventure flying tree to tree top over a lake and
photo by Cindy Steele
Also near Story lies the Charles Deem Wilderness, the state’ s only federally designated wilderness in a 13,000 acre area. According to their literature it“ managed to preserve a natural condition and provide opportunities for solitude.”
There it is. Opportunities for solitude in a pristine natural setting. It may not seem like a big thing, but in today’ s hustling and bustling world, it can be a rare and precious commodity.
The 4.9-mile Sycamore Trail is the only one in the Deem Wilderness Area exclusively for hikers. Horse riders share the other 37 miles of trails.
The latest trend in wilderness preservation and access is land trusts like The Nature Conservancy Project and the Sycamore Land Trust which both manage properties you can visit and enjoy in Brown County.
One of the newest is the 46-acre Stafford Family Preserve located at the end of Upper Schooner Road, which will be open to the public once a parking lot and hiking trail are built. deep wooded ravines,” states promotions from eXplore Brown County, located on Valley Branch Road in southeastern Brown County.
Don’ t worry, you’ ll be“ wearing a harness and tethered to a safety cable” while you walk across the 68-foot“ Walking on Air Sky Bridge” or fly“ across the lake over 395 feet of cable, reaching heights of 50 feet before finally landing in a tree platform 18 feet above ground.”
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