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 begun scheduling free, family-friendly hikes in 2025. So far, only a few hikes have been scheduled. You can find the information for those hikes below. Details about additional hikes will be added as they are scheduled.