State Parks
When the weather allows, my family enjoys going to State Parks for picnics, hiking, and camping. These are areas that the state government has chosen to regulate and protect the natural beauty of. Though the landscapes can vary immensely from place to place all parks usually include an area to camp, a nature center, shelters, and trails of varying difficulty. We typically visit state parks in the summer and fall as these have the best temperature, though in Indiana the weather can be unpredictable most days. The trails lead to areas that have either ecological importance or are simply aesthetically beautiful. In Indiana, there is a lot of limestone that creates really cool rock formations as it is eroded over time. These formations on the trails often get called "punch bowls" as they form large basins in the rockface. I really enjoy hiking for the wildlife as you can often see animals and their dens. While hiking we often bring our dogs and a picnic to eat on the trail. Sometimes we go to the parks for park sponsored events. These events usually have a DNR (department of natural resources) officer that leads a talk, nature walk, or charity event that is informational. My favorites are a birds of prey talk that had live owls and hawks, and river stomp allowed us to wade into the river to look for invertebrates on the bottoms of rocks and discussed river foodchains.
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