Squeezing Through the Canyon

A Squeeze In the Canyon Immediately after climbing the small waterfall on trail 3, the canyon narrows. Depending upon the amount of recent rainfall, the stream could be a bit too deep to walk through (or in cold weather, even 3 inches of water is too much), so small stairs and hand-holds have been carved into the canyon walls. These "stairs" are about six inches wide and four inches deep, and barely have enough room for the tips of your shoes, but they are handy if you wish to keep your feet dry. We decided to stay on the ground and risk getting our feet wet because the recent snowfall made the canyon walls and "stairs" a bit too slippery. When the park is crowded this is usually a bottle neck as people wait their turn to navigate the small carved stairs. A Walk Through the Canyon Soon after these two tight areas of the canyon, you reach the turn toward the Punch Bowl, a small waterfall with some very interesting canyon features. Heading forward, the canyon begins to open up, and with the person walking along the trail, you get the idea of just how large this part of the canyon is.

The Last Light of the Day

Last Light of the Day With the short days of Fall and Winter, we found ourselves in the canyons of Turkey Run State Park late in the day, and after sunset. The park was open until 11 PM, but signs warned visitors to return to the suspension bridge before dark. I imagine it can be quite difficult to find your way around the canyons in the dark. Our pace increased a bit as we noticed the last of the sunlight hitting the treetops. Trail 3 brings visitors through deep canyons, narrows, and up on the surface through dense woods, so it has a bit of everything - even ladders to climb. The First Freeze The recent snowfall added a pretty contrast to the dark sandstone canyon and the tall trees. The low temperatures froze the ground water seeping through the walls of the canyons, turning it to decorative icicles all along the trail. This part of the trail takes you up a small waterfall into a narrow canyon. You need to walk through the shallow, flowing stream, and on this cold day, the edges of the stream were icy, making the trek up the waterfall a bit difficult. I found it best to walk through the water rather than try to keep out of it, at least the stream bed wasn't icy and dangerous.

Wedge Rock in Winter

Wedge Rock in Winter The first prominent feature along Turkey Run's trail 3 is the famous Wedge Rock, a large chunk of rock that fell away from the canyon wall long ago. This rock is much larger than it looks, allowing hikers to walk beneath, and until recently, they were "able" to climb up to the top to take in the view of the entire canyon. On this visit to the park, we noticed a few new fences keeping people away from the back of Wedge Rock. In summer, this trail is lush with ferns, moss, and the trees above, and it stays well below the outside temperature, making the hike through this area very comfortable, and almost otherworldly. On this day in December, the temperatures were above normal, so it was difficult to determine if the opposite happens, if the temperature is warmer than the rest of the park. Heading Toward Wedge Rock From this angle, Wedge Rock appears so small in contrast to the canyon walls, and the towering tulip poplar trees on top of the canyon. Usually there are plenty of visitors on this trail, helping to give the formations scale, but on this day, we encountered only three other people on our three hour hike. This is another great benefit of visiting this park in winter, it's not crowded, and the snow and ice bring a whole new look to the landscape. When visiting in winter - even if the snow melts, wear ice cleats. The sun doesn't make it down to the canyon floor, so the packed snow and ice remain in place for quite a while, and some areas of the icy trail could lead to dangerous falls.

Frozen Narrows

Frozen Narrows The Narrows Covered Bridge spans the frozen Sugar Creek which runs through Indiana's Turkey Run State Park. It spans a narrow spot in the creek, and seems to collect quite a bit of ice in the early winter. I estimate 5 to 6 inches of snow fell on the park last week, and on our visit, the snow was still looking fresh. I think the cold weather keeps most visitors away from parks. It was easy to see where the visitors roamed by their footprints. In high traffic areas, the snow had already turned to hard, slippery ice, so it might have been best for us to bring our ice cleats, but we managed fine without them. I wouldn't go without them on any future visits this winter - it's only going to get worse. narrowsbridgesm Built in 1883 by J. Britton, a popular bridge builder in this part of the country, the bridge has stood the test of time. Located in Parke County, Indiana, this is one of 31 covered bridges in the county - far more than the famous Madison County of movie fame (which has only 6). This is certainly the place to visit if you wish to see beautiful covered bridges - they even have an annual covered bridge festival in October. Narrows in Winter The park has so much to see in addition to the covered bridges. Canyons, waterfalls, woods, hiking, and even a beautiful inn for dining and lodging.