Trails: #3 and #2
Hike Location: Prophetstown State Park
Geographic Location: north of Lafayette, IN (40.51341, -86.80383)
Length: 5.6 miles
Difficulty: 4/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: October 2024
Overview: A double loop along 2 rivers and through large prairies.
Park Information:
https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/prophetstown-state-park/
Hike Route Map:
https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=974284Photo Highlight:
Hike Video: (coming date TBD)
Directions to the trailhead: Near Lafayette, take I-65 to SR 43 (exit 178). Exit, go south on SR 43 for 0.3 miles, then turn left on Burnetts Road. Drive Burnetts Road its entire length of 0.4 miles to 9th Street and turn right on 9th Street. Drive 9th Street south 0.5 miles to Swisher Road and turn left on Swisher Road. Swisher Rd. deadends at the park entrance. Pay the entrance fee, then drive the main park road to the parking lot at its very end, a total of 5 miles from 9th Street. Park here.
The hike: Established only in 2004, Prophetstown State Park is the newest state park in Indiana. The park occupies 2000 acres at the confluence of the Tippecanoe and Wabash Rivers near Lafayette, and it protects a nice combination of restored prairie and woodland habitats. The park is named for 2 Shawnee brothers, Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh, who founded a Shawnee village here in 1808. Tenskwatawa, also known as The Prophet, was the spiritual leader of the village, while Tecumseh was the military leader. The circumstances that led to the destruction of their village will be described later in this blog entry.
Like most new state parks, Prophetstown State Park has new and fantastic amenities, which include a 100-site developed campground, numerous picnic areas, a 2.4 mile paved bike trail, and 4 hiking trails totaling 10.8 miles. The park also features The Farm at Prophetstown, a living history museum that demonstrates how farming was done in the 1920's, and a Native American Village that replicates a Shawnee council house and medicine lodge. The hike described here is a double loop that combines two of this park's trails, Trail #3 and Trail #2, each of which forms an independent loop. These loops explore both the prairie and woodland habitats, and thus they offer a good overview of this park's natural scenery.
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Circle of Stones Monument |
Before hitting the trail, take a detour to the south (far) side of the parking lot to view the Circle of Stones Monument, which is also known as the Monument to the Confederated Tribes. This monument is a circle of 15 large rocks, each of which bears the name of an ancient people that lived in Indiana. Shawnee are among the peoples represented here, and this park is the perfect place for this kind of monument.
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Trailhead at rear parking lot |
Begin by heading east on the concrete trail marked as Trail #2, but turn sharply left to begin a narrow dirt trail as an overlook platform comes in sight; we will visit the overlook platform at the end of this hike. When you reach a gravel road, turn right to cross the dam that forms the park's fishing pond and quickly intersect Trail #3. Turn left to stay on the gravel road and begin a clockwise journey around Trail #3.
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Hiking along the wooded hillside |
Just shy of 0.5 miles, Trail #3 leaves the gravel road to the right. Intersections such as this one are marked by wooden posts bearing trail numbers. Turn right to stay on Trail #3. For the next 1.1 miles the trail heads east through a narrow wooded corridor along a low but steep hillside. Oak and hickory trees dominate this hillside. A golf course and subdivision lie uphill to the left, while a wetland sits downhill to the right. Numerous steep but shallow ravines need to be dropped into and climbed out of, and this section of trail is one of the hilliest sections in the entire park.
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Crossing a ravine |
After curving right to descend the hillside, you intersect an asphalt bike trail at 1.6 miles. Dirt Trail #3 continues straight, and we will go that way after taking a quick detour to the left to reach a bench overlooking the Tippecanoe River. Less than 2500 feet from its mouth at the Wabash River, the Tippecanoe flows deep and slow here. This bench is perched atop the steep river bank, and it makes a nice place to stop, rehydrate, and have a snack near the quarter-point of this hike.
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Tippecanoe River |
Back on Trail #3, the trail enters a riverside forest that features some large sycamore trees and a dense understory of honeysuckle. At 2.2 miles, take a short spur trail that exits left and leads to the sandy bank of the Wabash River. The old Prophetstown founded by Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh was located just upstream from here, but the village lasted only about 3 years. In 1811, Indiana Territory Governor William Henry Harrison became concerned about the number of people settling at Prophetstown and led 1050 troops toward the village. Worried about an attack, the villagers at Prophetstown decided to strike first, and on November 7, 1811 they engaged Harrison's troops in the Battle of Tippecanoe. The battle lasted just 2 hours. The villagers were forced to retreat and abandon Prophetstown, after which Harrison's troops burned the village to the ground. |
Wabash River |
The trail parallels the Wabash River for 0.6 miles before curving right to head through a prairie, where a large number of butterflies greeted me. A spur trail exits left to a wetland, but you will get a better view of that wetland at the end of this hike. At 3.1 miles, you intersect the asphalt bike trail again. Turn left to quickly close Trail #3's loop, then turn left to walk back across the dam that forms the fishing pond, then turn right to begin a counterclockwise journey around Trail #2. Some benches overlook the fishing pond, and I enjoyed a rest and water break here while watching a heron across the pond.
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Heron at fishing pond |
Trail #2 continues west through fantastic restored tallgrass prairie. 4.2 miles into the hike, you reach an intersection with Trail #1, which forms a loop around the park's developed campground. You could also hike Trail #1 if you wanted to add more distance to this hike, but I chose to turn left and stay on Trail #2.
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Hiking Trail #2 through the prairie |
The campground comes into view on the right as the trail climbs moderately to cross the main park road you drove in on. You pass through a picnic area to reach another trail intersection at 4.6 miles. Turn left to begin the final leg of Trail #2.
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View at wetland overlook platform |
The mowed-grass trail heads east through more excellent prairie before angling right to enter the woods just past 5 miles. The trail surface turns to dirt and the trail narrows before it climbs to reach a wetland overlook platform at 5.5 miles. This platform offers a fantastic view over the wetlands to the east, and I saw at least 30 mallard ducks in this wetland. This platform is also the one you saw at the beginning of this hike, so walking up the concrete path that exits this platform returns you to the parking lot to complete the hike.
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