The Little-Known Bicentennial Woods Preserve Is Practically A Sanctuary For Indiana Nature Lovers
By Tori Jane|Published June 22, 2022
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
So, problem-solving time: it’s nice outside and you want to go enjoy it, but you’d rather not deal with the hustle and bustle of the crowds at some of Indiana’s more famous attractions. Sure, the state parks in Indiana are wonderful and definitely worth an adventure or two, but sometimes you’re just not in the mood for lots of people. Well, we found a nature preserve in Indiana that’s seldom – if ever – crowded. In fact, somehow, despite its outrageous natural beauty, it’s one of Indiana’s lesser-known nature preserves, and if you’re anything like us, you’re going to wonder how this gorgeous little nature preserve was able to fly under the radar for so long. Check it out:
The Bicentennial Woods Nature Preserve was established in 1994 as part of Fort Wayne's Bicentennial celebration.
It's a remarkable place not just for its beauty; it's also home to oak, hickory, and sycamore trees that are well over 200 years old, making them some of the oldest growth in the Hoosier State.
These trees - and this forest - were here long before us, having originally sprouted at some point during the Civil War.
Nature lovers will find it hard to leave this beautiful place. There's so much to admire simply from a natural perspective that it's almost overwhelming at first (despite the park being 79.8 acres in size - not overly large).
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Willow Creek runs right through it, complete with a couple delightful bridges, adding more layers of lovely to this naturally-perfect layer cake of natural awesomeness.
Trees one might spot in the area include several species of hickory, oak, maple, walnut, basswood, blackwood, and cherrywood. In the spring, wildflowers litter the area, adding extra magic to an already-spellbinding secret paradise.
We're not sure exactly what it is, but there's something really cool about meandering around a forest that was here when (and before) Fort Wayne was originally founded.
Other points of interest within the preserve include its delightful hiking opportunities, like the Bicentennial Woods Eagle Trail, a 1.8-mile easy loop trail that'll lead you through the best the preserve has to offer, and there are also wetlands worth exploring on the grounds as well. This nature preserve in Indiana makes for the perfect day trip!
Well over 10,000 years ago, this area was created by rushing water rapidly melting from glaciers in the area.
Within the water was some sandy sediment, which it deposited along its journey, creating the beautiful, sandy hills in the preserve we all know and love.
The beauty of this place is truly exceptional, and we think you might just wonder how you never knew about it before today, either!
