Monthly Hiking Tours
Organized and led by John Garner, the Putnam Parks & Pathways Education Committee Chair, the Monthly Hiking Tour series takes visitors on an adventure through a number of Putnam County nature preserves, pathways, and unique outdoor attractions. John’s knowledge of nature is a wonderful tool to leverage on these hikes and his experience of being a public educator for decades shines through. Ask questions, take your time and talk to those around you.
The series was created to enjoy the outdoors at a leisurely pace. Free and open to any age or experience, the “hikes” as we call them, are really just a casual walk through the forest. Beginners can keep up with no problems, there is no registration and you are free to turn around and leave at any time. Or, stay a while after the hike and take some photos or speak with one of the other professionals that John recruits to assist with the hikes. Local leaders, DePauw staff and even “Nature Celebrities” like Michael A. Homoya author of multiple books including “Wildflowers of the Midwest” participate as guest leaders.
Often hosted on the second Saturday each month, the series began in January of 2022 and will continue indefinitely. Support for this series is simple. Become a Friend of the Park. By joining Friends of the Park of Putnam County, your membership helps to build the Putnam County Outdoor Recreation Endowment that fuels projects and events such as this. To do so, please click the link below to learn more about Friends.
John has started scheduling free, family-friendly hikes for 2026. You can find the information about those hikes below. Details for additional hikes will be added as they are scheduled. Each starting time is 9:00 a.m. unless otherwise stated.
Putnam Parks & Pathways will join the Lieber State Recreation Park staff for a hike on New Years Day. Join us for a First Day Hike at Lieber SRA. Meet at the Nature Center at 12:00pm for a stroll on the Trout Lily Trail. This will be a moderate hike on a dirt surface trail. The hike will begin and end at the Nature Center. Warm up after the hike with hot chocolate and cookies. This hike is sponsored by the Friends of Lieber and will be led by park staff.
The 2nd hike of 2026 will be at the DePauw Nature Park on February 14 at 9:00 AM. We will meet in the parking lot and hike to the quarry. We will highlight history of the quarry and the operations and the geologic history of the rocks found there. Then the hike will switch to what lives in the quarry and the effect visitors can have when they visit. DePauw staff will be there to share their interests and knowledge about this unique habitat.
The 3rd hike of 2026 will take place on March 14, 2026. The hike will start at 9:00 AM. We will check out hot spots for spring breeding amphibians. There are many spring ephemeral ponds in the park. We will scope out some egg masses for everyone to see! The nature park is an ideal spot for frogs, toads and salamanders who all breed in the spring.
The fourth hike for PutnamParks and Pathways will be at Lieber State Recreation Area on Saturday, April 4, 2026 at 9:00 AM. We will hike the new Trout Lilly trail which should be in early bloom with spring ephemerals.
The 4b hike will be at the Fern Cliff Nature Preserve on April 11, 2026 at 9:00 AM. The hike will be led by Cathy Meyer. Cathy was a longtime naturalist for Monroe County Parks and Recreation. We try to have several hikes in April when Spring ephemerals are blooming. Cathy will share her knowledge of spring wildflowers and plants. Fern Cliff was designated as a National Natural Landmark in 1980 and dedicated in parts as a State Nature Preserve in 1988 and 1996. From Greencastle: From the southeast corner of the Courthouse Square, go south on Jackson one block to Walnut Street. Go west (right) on Walnut (which becomes County Rd. 125 South) approximately four miles. Turn south on County Rd. 500 West (which will become 525 West, 550 West, and 600 West) approximately three miles to County Rd. 375 South. Turn west (right) to the Fern Cliff entrance, which is approximately one mile further.
The 4c hike of 2026 will be at Hall Woods on April 18
, 2026 at 9:00 AM. Hikers can expect to learn how to identify native spring ephemeral wildflowers at Hall Woods and discover the connections between these unique plants and their environment. Ashley Adair will lead the hike. Ashley, a Putnam County native, has spent her professional career working in the Purdue Extension system. Ashley has found opportunities to spread the joy of spring ephemeral wildflowers to all who would listen.
The 5th hike of Holly Cook will be leading the May 9, 2026 at 9 AM hike at Big Walnut Nature Preserve. It is located between Roachdale and Bainbridge. Holly is an enthusiastic nature lover and enjoys learning everything about her environment. An interest since a young child in wild edibles, now includes mushrooms. She began her interest in mushrooms around 2020. First learning about the ones used in cooking, but just as important, the ones that can do a person harm. Mushrooms can be found in all seasons in Indiana, even the winter. In May, it will be hit or miss on what we find. Hopefully there will be a good rain before the hike. We will explore some of the different types of caps, stems and types of pore producers such as the gills and pores that are used in identification. Mycology is the study of mushrooms. Mushrooms play an essential role in breaking down organic matter. Without them we would be buried in our own debris! Even if we don’t see many mushrooms, it is a beautiful preserve of old growth woods and abundant wild flowers. Depending on rain, it will either be a mushroom hike or a wild edible hike.
Go to Bainbridge and turn North at the light onto N Washington street. Follow for 3.9 miles past North Putnam HS and turn right on East CR 950 north. Drive 1.5 miles and the parking lot and trailhead will be on the right. 9498 N Co Rd 425 E
Bainbridge, IN 46105
Putnam Parks & Pathways is sponsoring a hike on Owl Trail on June 13, 2026 at 9 AM The hike will pass through a large grove of trees that were planted 20+ years ago. Plants along the trail will be identified. We will stop at a seasonal pond and view a large pollinator planting. Several more trails have been added. We will discuss future plans for the trail. Owl Trail(Glenn Flint Lake Woodland) is owned by the Little Walnut Creek Conservancy District. The entrance to OWL Trail is straight across from 5306 West County Road 375 North.
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In addition to holding the Education Committee Chair position for Putnam Parks & Pathways, John leads a Facebook Group called “Putnam County Families In Nature.” This group is open to anyone and John regularly posts information about upcoming events and fun factoids about nature, please, feel free to join the group!