CENTRAL TILL PLAIN-BEECH MAPLE DIVISION

COUNTIES LOCATED WITHIN REGION:                                                                            -Wayne, Parke, Delaware, Fountain, Montgomery, Putnam (portion) , Wabash (portion), Hamilton, Allen, Grant, Randolph, Jay , Wells, Warren (portion), Fayette (portion), Shelby, Tippecanoe, Howard, Huntington, Vermillion, Hendricks, and Boone  

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:                                                                                                              The Central Till Plain-Beech and Maple Division is the largest division of the state.  The land is mostly flat, however stream dissection is common in the west and has created rocky gorges such as those seen in Turkey Run State Park.  The original vegetation was largely beech and maple forest with small tracts of prairie, especially in the west.  Today, oak and hickory trees dominate most woodlots, and prairie tracts have mostly been eliminated.  Most of the original habitat has been lost due to agricultural use or urban development.

PROTECTED AREAS:

-Turkey Run State Park

This park is 2,382 acres large and was established in 1916, thus making it Indiana’s second state park. Here you can see anything from deep canyons, sandstone cliffs, and hemlock groves to former coal mines that can be viewed along many of the trails.  Also, Sugar Creek flows throughout the park, and this has become one of the favorite spots in the state for canoeing.  Animals such as deer, beaver, woodpeckers, and turkey vultures call this park their home.  You can see plants such as tiny mosses, ferns, walnut trees and sycamores throughout the park.  Activities that are available include hiking trails, campgrounds and cabins, picnic areas, horseback riding, canoeing, fishing, swimming pool, as well as historical sites.  

-Salamonie River State Forest

This forest is located eight miles east of Wabash.  The word “salamonie” comes from a Native American word that means “yellow paint”.  The Native Americans named this river this because they made yellow paint from the bloodroot plant, which grew plentifully along the banks of the river.  This forest was established in the mid 1930’s when local people aided the state buy this land along the Salamonie River.  The forest is now 850 acres large.  It is very hilly with bluffs, ravines, rocky gorges, and waterfalls.  Activities that are available here include camping, fishing for fish like largemouth bass, bluegill, redear, catfish, and the walleye pike, hunting for animals like the Whitetail deer, ruffed grouse, turkey, squirrel, fox and raccoon, horseback riding, hiking, and picnicking.  

-Fort Harrison State Park

Photo of Gene B. Glick Nature Preserve in Indianapolis, IN (courtesy of USFWS)

Located in Indianapolis over about 1700 acres, this park was established in 1991 when the army base was decommissioned.  In the spring one can see several woodland flowers, warblers flying north for the breeding season, and woodpeckers among the trees.  Visitors to the park can enjoy biking, fishing, hiking, the Nature Center, picnicking, and horseback riding.  The park is also home to an 18 hole golf course and driving range and a Conference Center.

-Mounds State Park

This park is located in Anderson, IN and covers only 288 acres.  Established in 1930, it is one of the smaller parks in Indiana.  However, within this area is the “Great Mound, almost a quarter of a mile in circumference, along with nine other mounds.  The White River forms a western boundary to the park and some the park’s activities include camping, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, a Nature Center, swimming, and picnicking.