O'Bannon Woods State Park: Ohio River Bluff Trail (Blog Hike #1014)

Trail: Ohio River Bluff Trail
Hike Location: O'Bannon Woods State Park
Geographic Location: west of Corydon, IN (38.17047, -86.30716)
Length: 1.5 miles
Difficulty: 6/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: April 2024
Overview: A loop hike below and above rocky bluffs overlooking the Ohio River.
Park Information: https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/obannon-woods-state-park/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=961959
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video:

Directions to the trailhead: From the intersection of SR 135 and SR 62 in Corydon, take SR 62 west 7 miles to SR 462 and turn left on SR 462.  SR 462 dead-ends at the park entrance in another 3 miles.  Pay the park entrance fee, then follow the main park road 3.5 miles to the Ohio River picnic area, where this hike begins.

The hike: Formerly known as Wyandotte Woods State Recreation Area, 2000-acre O'Bannon Woods State Park may be the most rustic and remote state park in Indiana.  The area's most famous attraction is Wyandotte Caves, a pair of caves that comprise the 5th largest cave system in southern Indiana.  The caves are accessible only by guided tour, and I still remember the excellent tour I took of Little Wyandotte Cave almost 30 years ago.  The area became a state park in 2004, and its name was changed to honor former Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon, who died in office in 2003.

            Despite the park's remote location, it boasts a long list of amenities including a 281-site developed campground, a nature center with live animal exhibits, some picnic areas, and a family aquatic center.  The park has many hiking options, the most famous of which is the 25-mile Adventure Trail, one of the hardest and best backpacking trails in Indiana.  For dayhikers, the park offers 10 trails totaling 21 miles.  Each of these trails offers an interesting experience, but this hike features the Ohio River Bluff Trail, which is neither this park's shortest and easiest nor longest and hardest trail.  As its name implies, the Ohio River Bluff Trail explores the rocky limestone cliffs that tower over the Ohio River while leading to this park's best blufftop river view.

Trailhead at Ohio River picnic area

            From the rear of the Ohio River picnic area parking lot, walk around the vehicle gate to begin the Ohio River Bluff Trail; a single wooden sign marks this trailhead.  The single-track dirt trail heads west in a flat narrow strip of land between the Ohio River through the trees to the left and a steep bluff with vertical cliffs rising to the right.  Some areas were quite muddy when I hiked here the day after a heavy rain.  For the most part the river stays out of sight, but a few gaps in the trees offer nice river-level views south into Kentucky.  Wildlife can be abundant here, and I saw 2 box turtles and a blue jay while I was hiking along the river.

River-level Ohio River view

            After 0.6 miles of level riverside hiking, you reach a trail intersection marked by a brown carsonite post.  A horse trail called the Blue River Bluff Trail (not to be confused with the similarly named hiking trail you are on) goes straight and right here.  If you wanted to lengthen this hike to more than 3 miles, you could continue straight and hike the Blue River Bluff Trail's loop, but that trail is muddier and harder to follow than the hiking trail.  To stay on the Ohio River Bluff Trail, turn right, then quickly turn right again at the next brown carsonite post to begin heading uphill toward the bluff.

Turn right to climb to bluff

            The moderately steep climb up to the bluff uses narrow, eroded, and somewhat overgrown trail that will need to be re-cleared in a few years.  Upon reaching the blufftop, the trail undulates somewhat as you tread atop the cliffs you looked up at a few minutes ago.  The forest up here is a nice broadleaf forest dominated by tulip, hickory, and oak trees.  Enjoy the trees, but take care not to slide off of the cliff: a fall from these heights would be injurious if not fatal.

Blufftop picnic area

Blufftop Ohio River view

            At 1.1 miles, you come out at the blufftop picnic area that gives this hike's best view.  The bluff stands about 200 feet above the river, and a gap in the trees provides a perfect view of the river and Kentucky beyond.  A wooden overlook platform with picnic tables makes a great place to sit, rest, rehydrate, and watch barges navigate the river.

CCC-built stone stairway

            To continue the Ohio River Bluff Trail, walk across the grassy picnic area and angle right to find where the trail reenters the woods.  The descent back to the parking area is just as steep as the ascent you did earlier, but the descent uses an old stone stairway built by the Civilian Conservation Corps.  Some of these stones are not in the best of shape, so you have to watch where you step.  The stairway comes out at the park entrance road, where a right turn quickly returns you to the riverside parking area to complete the hike.

Falls of the Ohio State Park: Woodland Loop Trail (Blog Hike #1013)

Trail: Woodland Loop Trail
Hike Location: Falls of the Ohio State Park
Geographic Location: Clarksville, IN (38.27661, -85.76355)
Length: 0.7 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: April 2024
Overview: A short loop past fossil beds along the Ohio River.
Park Information: https://www.in.gov/dnr/state-parks/parks-lakes/falls-of-the-ohio-state-park/
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=961878
Photo Highlight:

Mini Video:

Directions to the trailhead: In extreme southern Indiana, take I-65 to Clark Boulevard (exit 0 northbound or exit 1 southbound).  Exit and go west on Clark Blvd.  Drive Clark Blvd. west 0.4 miles to Winbourne Avenue, which is reached just after passing under a railroad overpass.  Turn left on Winbourne Ave.  Winbourne Ave. deadends at the Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center after crossing over the Ohio River's levee.  Park in the large blacktop parking lot behind the Interpretive Center.

The hike: Long before airports, interstates, roadways, railroads, or even wagon trails existed, the Ohio River was the main artery of transportation through the lower Midwest.  One of the great natural barriers to boats navigating the river was the Falls of the Ohio, where the river drops 26 feet over a 2-mile stretch via a series of rocky rapids.  Louisville, Kentucky was founded in 1778 on the south bank of these rapids, and between 1825 and 1830 the first locks on the Ohio River were built to get boats over the rapids.  The locks and dams at the Falls of the Ohio were upgraded many times, and the current iteration known as McAlpine Locks and Dam was built in the 1960's by the Army Corps of Engineers.

            The Falls of the Ohio hold other things of historical interest.  In October 1803, Lewis and Clark met here as they prepared for their famous exploration of what would become the American west.  Also, the rocks that formed the river's rapids contain many fossils, and the Falls of the Ohio remain one of the best fossil viewing sites in the Midwest.

            In 1981, Falls of the Ohio garnered federal protection via the Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area, and the State of Indiana's Falls of the Ohio State Park is a subset of the Conservation Area.  The park is most famous for its Interpretive Center, which has many exhibits that focus on the famous fossil beds.  For hikers, the 165-acre park has only 1 short trail: the Woodland Loop Trail described here.  The trail forms a true loop along the north bank of the Ohio River, and it is a nice add-on if you come to Falls of the Ohio to see the fossils.

Trailhead for Woodland Loop Trail

            The Woodland Loop Trail starts at the northwest corner of the parking lot, i.e. the opposite end from the Interpretive Center.  A bench, information sign, and boulder mark the trailhead.  The single-track dirt trail heads north with the levee rising to your right and the Ohio River hidden by the trees downhill to your left.  This floodplain forest features some large basswood and oak trees with a shrubby and grassy understory.

Ohio River levee

Deadwood-filled drainage

            For the most part the trail stays in the edge of the woods, but occasionally it wanders onto the base of the sunny grassy levee.  At 0.35 miles, you reach the north end of the loop and a drainage filled with deadwood.  The trail curves sharply left here and begins heading upstream with the river just to your right.  Depending on river levels, this part of the trail may be underwater or covered with flood debris.  In that case, you can simply retrace your steps back to the trailhead on the levee side of the loop.

Louisville skyline across Ohio River

McAlpine Locks and Dam

            The river stays close on the right, and at 0.6 miles you arrive at the fossil beds that make this park famous.  Look carefully in the rocks below your feet for fossils, but the Louisville skyline across the river will also draw your attention.  Climb the hill to the left to return to the parking lot and complete the hike.