Spring Hike at Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab
Behind Marian University in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, sits the Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab. In this gorgeous area you can hike the trails, explore old stone abandoned buildings, sit upon old stone bridges, and view the wildlife that inhabits the area. I have lived in Indianapolis for about 10 years and up until now I had not known that this beautiful place existed. Once I came across pictures of this whimsical location on pinterest, I knew that my husband and I had to visit.
To get to the EcoLab you have to travel down Cold Spring Rd past Marian University. Just behind the University is a little tiny gravel road that can be easily missed as it sits in the middle of a ton of green foliage. There is a small sign right at the entrance of the gravel road and had I not been looking for this entrance, we would have never found it.
After pulling onto the gravel path and parking off to the
side of the road, you are immediately greeted by this beautiful pond area. The pond view is really amazing with its clear to murky water, lily pads, and wildlife. As you can see in the picture the Nature Center building sits at the top of this hill and has the prettiest curved staircase enticing you to the entrance.
As we followed the winding gravel pathway along the water we stumbled upon a sweet surprise. Out on the water we could see hundreds of turtles enjoying the spring sunshine. I had really never seen so many turtles all in one place before, especially out in the open. Just look at these pictures of all of the turtles laying out in the sun!
At this point on your hike you can continue on the gravel pathway that loops around the pond or turn off onto many other paths. We decided to go off on the first hiking path we came across to the right to continue exploring, knowing that we would eventually make our way back around the last half of the pond.
The trails at this point started going through the wetlands with lots of little stone pathways and wooden bridges over the areas. I definitely could not tell that we were still in the downtown area of Indianapolis. I especially loved the third stone path pictured here with the stones placed on top of the water. I have never seen a more beautiful hiking path before.
To our enjoyment on the path we heard and saw many frogs that as we approached their vicinity plopped themselves back into the water. There was even one adorable little seating area near a wetland drop off where you could sit and enjoy the sounds and views of nature. We made time to sit down here, relax, and enjoy the beauty of the warm spring day.
Continuing on we came upon a wooden outdoor building that is used as an outdoor classroom. Little did I know that the EcoLab is an educational adventure for children and that they often have student field trips here. I mean there were some educational signs and maps that we had encountered but we were too busy enjoying the nature views to really read them. The building is absolutely stunning and has plenty of room and fresh air so that you are able to have an open classroom vibe while being surrounded by nature.
After passing through the wetlands and the outdoor classroom there is a lot of regular hiking paths through the woods. Follow these through some gorgeous areas and you will stumble upon Crooked Creek. The best part of this hike are the old stone bridges that you come across while hiking along the creek. I can't remember the last time I saw a stone bridge, let alone one as beautiful as we found along this hike. This would be the perfect place to study or bring your lunch to in between classes while attending Marian University. The views, water, and architecture are just majestic. There is even a tiny waterfall beneath one of the bridges where the creek drops off.
While the bridges and Crooked Creek were the highlight of the hike there was also some other cool abandoned stone structures along the pathways and interesting art pieces as well. The old abandoned buildings and cisterns were magical but had a creepiness to them as well.
Overall to hike the entire loop takes only about 2-3 hours. It is a beautiful and magical hike with some fascinating architecture and art. Because of the wildlife, this is the perfect family educational hike. It would be fun to take your school age children and explore the area while reading the educational information or signage along the way. The hiking trails are easy to walk along and are well kept. My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our time spent here and will most certainly return, possibly with children in tow. We also didn't have enough time to explore the Nature Center and I would love to do that.
As always here is some more photos of my husband and I enjoying the EcoLab:
To see more beautiful photos from our trip make sure to check out my gallery page.
I love being able to find new and exciting places to explore like this. So stay tuned for more family fun and new places to visit in the Indianapolis area in my future posts.