Ouabache State Park: Trail #5 (Blog Hike #904)

Trail: Ouabache Trail (Trail #5)
Hike Location: Ouabache State Park
Geographic Location: south of Fort Wayne, IN (40.72077, -85.11477)
Length: 5.6 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Easy/Moderate)
Date Hiked: October 2022
Overview: A mostly flat loop around the state park's perimeter.
Park Information: https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/ouabache-state-park/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=923692
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: On the south side of Fort Wayne, take I-469 to SR 1 (exit 6).  Exit and go south on SR 1.  Drive SR 1 south 14.5 miles to the town of Bluffton and turn left on SR 124 in Bluffton.  Drive SR 124 east 1.5 miles to SR 201 and turn right on SR 201.  SR 201 dead-ends at the park.  Pay the park entrance fee and drive the main park road 1 mile to the gravel trailhead parking lot below the dam for Kunkel Lake on the left.  Park here.

The hike: Perched on the north bank of the Wabash River less than 60 miles from its source, the 1104 acres that comprise today's Ouabache State Park (pronounced like oh-BAH-chee per the park rangers) began its life as public land during the 1930's as the Wells County State Forest and Game Preserve.  In 1962, the name changed to Ouabache State Recreation Area, and the land gained state park status only in 1983.  Despite the pronunciation, Ouabache is the French spelling of Wabash; both names come from the Miami people's language and translate to "water over white stones."

            Like most Indiana state parks, Ouabache State Park is well-amenitied, and it features a 124-site developed campground, a paved bike path, several athletic fields and courts, a bison exhibit, and 5 hiking trails.  All of the trails make for good hiking, and due to the park's relatively flat terrain none of them are too strenuous.  The park's most famous trail is its around-the-park Trail #5, which is also known as the Ouabache Trail.  Such is the trail described here.

Trailhead at Kunkel Lake dam

            There are several places from which you could start this hike, but I chose to start at Kunkel Lake's dam because it is easy to find and has a large parking area.  Begin a clockwise journey around Trail #5 by heading west into the woods with the dam to your right.  Soon Trail #4 joins from the right.  All trail intersections at this park are well-marked, and the route-finding on this hike is simple: just follow Trail #5.

Heading into a pine planting

            Soon the trail enters a pine planting, a product of the work the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) did here in the 1930's.  The western part of this loop stays close to roads, first the park road and then CR 100 South, so noise from vehicle traffic will be your near-constant companion on the first part of this hike.  A couple of bridges carry you over a small stream, which was dry on my mid-October visit.

Crossing a dry stream

            At 1.8 miles, Trail #4 exits right.  Angle left to soon cross a seldom-used park road.  Some large oak trees live in this area, and the hiking remains flat and easy.

            2.6 miles into the hike, you reach the park's bison exhibit and an intersection with Trail #1, which circles the exhibit.  Turn left as Trails #5 and #1 run conjointly along the north side of the exhibit.  A double wire fence encloses the American bison, so your chances of getting a good view of the bison depends on where the bison are in the large enclosure.  One of the bison had recently given birth when I came here, but all of the bison stayed near the center of the pen, precluding a good view.

Peering into the bison enclosure

            At the northeast corner of the bison enclosure, Trail #1 exits right to continue around the enclosure.  Our hike turns left to head into the northeast corner of the park on Trail #5.  Next the trail surface turns to grass as the trail meanders through a brushy area with a dense understory.  The fall colors were particularly brilliant when I hiked here on the second weekend in October.

Hiking through brushy area

            After crossing another footbridge, the trail curves right to reach an intersection with Trail #3 at 3.8 miles.  If you are getting tired or running out of daylight, you could turn right here and use Trail #3 as a shortcut.  To hike the full Trail #5, turn left to head into the easternmost corner of the park.

Crossing another bridge

            The next 0.7 miles are my favorite part of this hike.  The trail curves through an isolated corner of the park accessible only by this trail.  Maple, sweetgum, and hickory dominate the forest here, and the maple tree leaves were a brilliant orange color when I hiked here.  Interpretive signs with QR codes identify and tell you about some of the common plants in this forest.

Eastern corner of park

            After Trail #3 rejoins from the right, the trail traces around the campground before crossing a campground road.  The last mile of the hike passes through young shrubby forest that does not make for the most inspiring hiking.  Crossing the main park road and the outflow of Kunkel Lake returns you to the parking lot to complete the hike.