Hiker's Path: A southern Indiana favorite - Versailles State Park

The latent fall colors in the Indiana forests are finally beginning to appear. The weather has been a little unpredictable, but we have had quite a few nice Autumn days.

The Fallen Timber Creek on trail 3 at Versailles State Park.
The Fallen Timber Creek on trail 3 at Versailles State Park.

I recently made a road trip down to the Southern part of our beautiful state. Destination?

Versailles State Park! The area has a deep history rooted in both the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, and the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Before getting into my column too far, I wanted to share a note about the pronunciation of the name, “Versailles”. Originally named for the French city, the name is properly pronounced “ver-sigh”. Most Hoosiers pronounce the name as “Ver-sales”. It’s believed that the town was named by one of the three men that chose the site for the town, who also was a Frenchman: John DePauw. DePauw University was also named after him. A town by any other name is still a town!

In any case, it’s a very scenic representation of the Indiana hills in the Ohio Valley area. The land that the park sits on was once owned by the National Park Service back in the 1930s. It was later turned over to the State of Indiana and was established as a state park in 1943. It's Indiana's second-largest state park with 5,988 acres. The beautiful 234 acre Versailles Lake that sits within the park, was formed in 1954.

It was a gorgeous day with mild temperatures in the low 60’s on the day I visited the park.

I had decided to hike my favorite trail for my chosen hike of the day. The Fallen Timber Creek trail, (trail 3), is a loop trail and is 1.5 miles in length. This historic trail was once an old horse and buggy road that passed by an early settler’s cabin. Around 1837, Leander Webster settled on land near the trail and built a sawmill there. He later became a leading citizen in the town of Versailles. The trail also offers a view of fossil beds along the Fallen Timbers creek that must be crossed several times on the path. I drove to the parking area near the trailhead and set out on the wooded, well-worn, dirt path. The forest on both sides of the trail and the light breeze that was blowing the leaves onto the ground set the stage for a beautiful hike.

The trail was covered in the leaves and made a crunching sound under my feet with each step I took.

The filtered light from the sun shone through the leaves scattered little shadows across the forest floor.

The scent of fall in the air was familiar to me. It always lent to a little touch of nostalgia. I grew up exploring and spending countless hours in the Indiana forests. The woods will always feel like home to me.

Getting back to my hike, I soon encountered my first creek crossing. The water level of the creek made for an easy cross. I could see fossils in the rocks under my feet. If there are any kinds of fossils around, you can bet on me taking time to view them. In this park, if you are lucky, you can see brachiopods, crinoids, and corals embedded in the rocks along the creeks and elsewhere.

Trail 3 pretty much follows a straight line (with hills) and is well marked. It intersects with trails 1 and 2, for a total of 6 miles. But I could hike as much as I wanted. There were beautiful ravines and big hills. I passed by sinkholes and bluffs. And there were numerous creek crossings. It was a wonderful autumn day in Indiana.

The sun was making a slow descent into the Western horizon as witnessed by the deepening shadows on the ground. The time had passed quickly and it was time for me to start back to my car. I wish that I could write about all of the thoughts that crossed my mind and every detail of the forest that I saw on the time spent on this trail.

Some thoughts are for me to keep and time doesn’t allow in the space of this column to share every detail.

I can just say, it was a good hike and an even better day!

To find this place, from Columbus, Indiana drive south on I-65 South towards Louisville. Drive 15.9 miles and turn off of exit 50 A, onto US 52 E. Drive approximately 35 miles on US 50. Follow signs for the park. It's located at 1387 East U.S.50, Versailles, Indiana.

A quote for your week: “There's a certain nostalgia and romance in a place you left.” - David Guterson - American Novelist

Until the next trail,

Susan

This article originally appeared on Evening World: Hiker's Path: A southern Indiana favorite - Versailles State Park