Indian Lake State Park: Pew Island Trail (Blog Hike #179)

Trail: Pew Island Trail

Hike Location: Indian Lake State Park

Geographic Location: northwest of Bellefontaine, OH (40.49374, -83.87533)

Length: 0.75 miles

Difficulty: 0/10 (Easy)

Dates Hiked: June 2005, June 2013

Overview: A flat, short loop with excellent lake views.

Park Information: https://ohiodnr.gov/wps/portal/gov/odnr/go-and-do/plan-a-visit/find-a-property/indian-lake-state-park

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=720090
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: In northwest Logan County, take US 33 to SR 366.  Go east on SR 366.  Take SR 366 to SR 368 and turn left on SR 368.  Where SR 368 ends, bear left and follow signs for Crane Town Island.  Immediately after arriving on Crane Town Island, look to the right for a gravel parking area for Pew Island.  There is a sign, but it is not obvious.  Park in this parking lot.

The hike: Located at the headwaters of the Great Miami River and next to some of the highest land in Ohio, Indian Lake dates back to Ohio’s canal era in the middle 1850’s.  With the Miami-Erie Canal came the need for a constant and reliable water supply to keep boats afloat.  The solution was to build a series of lakes in western Ohio’s highlands.  Indian Lake was one of these lakes.  When the canal closed, alternative uses for the lake emerged.  In 1898, the state of Ohio declared the lake a recreation area, and the lake became a popular resort area.  This history can still be seen in some of the buildings that line the lake’s shore.

            In 1949 when the Ohio Department of Natural Resources was formed, Indian Lake was dedicated as Indian Lake State Park.  Although the park is 6452 acres large, 5800 of these acres consists of the lake itself.  The remaining 652 acres contains a 443-site campground, 5 picnic shelters, a 1400 foot swimming beach, and several boat launch ramps.

            Two nature trails traverse the shorelines of Indian Lake.  The 3-mile Cherokee Trail lies on the north shore of the lake and provides an easy walk through young forest.  To get closer to the lake, you will need to hike the Pew Island Trail described here.  Though not as long as its northern cousin, the Pew Island Trail offers the best lake views, excellent bird viewing, and takes you right beside some nice water lily fields.           

Trailhead: Pew Island Trail

            Begin by following the wide gravel path into the woods along a narrow strip of land that connects Pew Island to Crane Town Island.  In only 0.05 miles, you reach a fork that forms the loop.  I chose to turn right here and use the left trail as the return portion of the loop.

            The trail proceeds north along the lake’s edge with a shallow portion of the lake on the right and young forest on the left.  A large colony of water lilies inhabits the lake on the right.  Come in late July or early August to see the lilies in full bloom.  This is one of the largest water lily colonies in Ohio that I am aware of.  The colony in the shallow end of Cowan Lake in Clinton County used to dwarf all others in the state, but a chemical spill just upstream has significantly damaged the Cowan Lake colony.  Let us hope more accidents do not happen in the future.           

Lotus colony-Indian Lake

            As the trail curves to the left, the lake view to the right opens up to see the larger portion of the lake.  This is one of the few lakes in Ohio that allow open horsepower, so you will see lots of boats zooming by just out from the island.  A number of large rocks placed near openings in the trees give places to sit and watch the lake activity.  As I looked to the northeast at one such location, I could see some dark thunderstorm clouds closing in on me.  Hearing some thunder, I proceeded quickly to finish this hike before I got drenched.           

Ducks on Indian Lake

            At 0.3 miles, the trail curves left and crosses a boardwalk over the marshy northern portion of the island.  The marsh is covered with cattails and other swamp plants.  Once across the boardwalk, the trail curves left again and begins heading south back toward the trailhead.  Fewer trees impede your westward view of the lake to your right.

            Just before the dirt trail turns back to gravel, look to your left and see some mounds of dirt near the center of the island.  How did these clumps of dirt end up on an otherwise flat island?  Well, in order to keep the lake deep enough to be navigable, the lake must periodically be dredged.  The silt that gets dredged up must be deposited somewhere, and a convenient place to deposit the silt is right beside the lake.  In fact, this entire island consists of silt that has, from time to time, been dredged from the bottom of the lake and deposited here.  So all along you have been walking on what used to be the bottom of Indian Lake and what used to be the surrounding fields and forests before that.           

Dredge mounds on Pew Island

            Some rocks placed by man for aesthetic purposes come into view along the lake on the right as the trail turns back to gravel.  At 0.65 miles, return to the southern end of the island and close the loop.  Only a short hike remains to return you to your car and complete the hike.