Clegg Memorial Garden: Lookout Point and Oak Savanna Trails (Blog Hike #741)

Trails: Lookout Point and Oak Savanna Trails

Hike Location: Clegg Memorial Garden

Geographic Location: east of Lafayette, IN (40.44485, -86.82840)

Length: 0.7 miles

Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)

Date Hiked: May 2019

Overview: A short lollipop loop passing several blufftop overlooks of Wildcat Creek.

Garden Information: https://www.nicheslandtrust.org/

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=747923
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: Near Lafayette, take I-65 to SR 25 (exit 175).  Exit and go east on SR 25.  Where SR 25 turns right at a traffic circle, take the second exit from the traffic circle to continue straight.  At the next traffic light, turn right on CR 300N.  Drive CR 300N back across SR 25 on a bridge, then immediately turn right on CR 400E.  Drive CR 400E 1.2 miles to the garden.  The garden entrance is on the right, but the parking lot is on the left.

The hike: Owned and maintained by the not-for-profit NICHES Land Trust, tiny Clegg Memorial Garden protects 16.5 acres on the north side of Wildcat Creek.  When it opened to the public in 1965, the property was owned by Harold and Ruth Clegg.  The garden is named for the Clegg’s only son Jerry, who died at an early age.  Ownership was transferred to the NICHES Land Trust in 2014, and the property currently houses NICHES’ administrative offices.

            The garden contains a nice mixture of creekside and blufftop terrain, but it offers no amenities except a small native garden and a short system of hiking trails.  On my visit, the trails along the creek were closed due to erosion problems, so the hike described here features only the two blufftop trails.  While this garden may be too small to be a major hiking destination, it makes a nice contrasting add-on to a Wabash River-side hike at nearby Prophetstown State Park.

Trailhead at NICHES administrative building

            From the parking area, carefully cross CR 400E, walk up the driveway for the NICHES administrative building, then walk around the left side of the building as directed by a sign that says “Trail.”  A trail to Peter’s Mill and Wildcat Creek exiting left was closed on my visit.  The Lookout Point Trail immediately begins descending wooden steps to reach the first of three wooden observation platforms.  This platform contains a bench and overlooks a nice patch of forest but no points of interest.

            More wooden steps drop you deeper into the ravine, and the ravine’s stream is crossed on a wooden bridge.  Notice some stone steps that exit left here; they lead to a rough trail that follows this creekbed down to Wildcat Creek.  Our trail embarks on a sidehill course as it climbs gradually to reach Lookout Point at 0.15 miles.  Lookout Point is another wooden observation platform, but trees largely block the view of Wildcat Creek during the warmer months.

Climbing toward Lookout Point

            Just past Lookout Point, the trail forks to form the Oak Savanna Loop Trail.  A post labeled as Node 3 marks this point.  To get to the best view of Wildcat Creek quickly, this description turns left here and uses the right trail as its return route, thus hiking the loop clockwise.  The maple, beech, and hickory trees that dominated the ravine are now replaced by oaks in this sunnier and drier landscape.  Large numbers of wildflowers including Virginia bluebells and nodding onion were in bloom on my visit.

Virginia bluebells in bloom

            Quickly you reach the third and final observation platform.  This platform gives the best blufftop view of Wildcat Creek, which was high and muddy when I hiked here.  Exit the platform by taking the trail closest to the edge of the bluff; a gravel trail that heads uphill provides an opportunity to short-cut the loop.

Wildcat Creek, as seen from 3rd observation platform

            At 0.25 miles, the Wildcat Creek Trail (as I mentioned before, closed on my visit) enters from the left.  The trail curves right and climbs slightly while passing several benches to reach a major trail intersection.  Angle left to stay on the Oak Savanna Loop Trail.  Private property comes very close on the left before the trail curves right to tread along the rim of the ravine you hiked through earlier.  Just past 0.5 miles, you close the loop.  Angle right and retrace your steps to the parking lot to complete the hike.