Note: Since this column was published, we have hiked and biked extensively on this trail.  Though plans continue to expand the trail, the gate mentioned below in the story has been reinforced significantly and will not permit further travel.

Bridge over Sugar Creek on Crawfordsville Rail-Trail

Our journey of the week was a pleasant day spent on one of the better yet lesser-known rails-to-trails segments of our state. On a recent cloudless but chilly January day, I hiked the Sugar Creek Trail in Crawfordsville.

The trail is a 4.5-mile multi-use path along the scenic southwestern edge of Crawfordsville to Sugar Creek along the abandoned Big Four Railroad right of way. It opened in 2001 under the supervision of the Crawfordsville Parks Department.

Starting behind Crawfordsville High School, the first segment travels west using bike lanes along the street until reaching the R.R. Donnelley printing plant where it takes off northward into the woods. Emerging at a parking area on Big Four Arch Road, the trail takes a short road walk to Schenck road, where it picks up the railroad path.

After a short segment of gravel, the trail is then paved for 2.2 miles to the Nucor Bridge over Sugar Creek.

Our first stop was at the trailhead park on Rock River Road, the closest such area to Sugar Creek. After parking in the ample lot, we ascended the elevated rail bed and began moving west.

Quite frankly, I was a little put off that the route was so civilized. Walking on a 10-foot-wide, well-paved trail wasn’t exactly the rough-hewn goal for the day. However, after the one-mile walk to the bridge the brisk air, bright sunshine and stick of jerky I was gnawing upon had improved my disposition considerable.

The bridge over Sugar Creek was wonderful. With high wooden rails and a sturdy, stable deck, it is quite safe for even young children and offers a great vantage point to enjoy the creek. On this day I stood on the bridge, deciding which of the clearly visible fish we would swoop upon if we were an osprey.

After snapping a couple of pictures and practicing contemplation for a few minutes, I pondered the gate at the west end of the bridge.

The wooden gate was not shut and the gravel trail beyond beckoned. Seeing no sign of “No Trespassing” signs and clear evidence that others had walked the route, I headed west. Shortly, I found a yellow sign giving mileage. Concluding that this meant the trail indeed continued, I did likewise.

The gravel path is well graded and level but had just enough muddy spots to make erstwhile hikers feel like they were doing something worthwhile. As I sauntered through wooded ravines, a small raucous creek twisted and turned alongside the trail like a snapped cable.

After a mobile lunch of more jerky and a granola bar, I tried something. Reaching into my coat pocket, I removed my Christmas-gift MP3 player and popped in the earphones.

As a confirmed music fanatic I had previously tried listening to music in the outdoors but with limited success. The biggest quandary is that the earphones cut you off from the outside world, even though mine were turned down enough to hear the sounds of gravel crunching under my boots. Secondly, the logistics of dealing with CD players or radios makes the experience fiddlesome rather than relaxing.

However, the simple solid-state player was so easy to use that soon I forgot about the hardware and just listened as scenery flowed past my eyes. As a bushy-tailed fox ran away down the trail, the classical music floating in my head provided a transcendent subtext for the encounter. Later, when I had grown a tad tired of walking, a few bouncy country songs provided a needed lift. Though I still decry excessive technology that removes man from the outdoors, I must admit these little music machines aren’t so bad in every case.

One of the attractions of such rail-trails is the fact that they are easy walking. Thus unburdened, I cruised along almost effortlessly. With music in my ears serving as a sensory disconnect, it was almost as if I were riding a slow moving train through the countryside.

From this point onward, I am forced to rewrite the first draft of this column. After speaking with Crawfordsville Parks Director Cheryl Keim, I learned that my hike had actually carried me significantly past the city-owned portion of the trail and onto private land. Potential hikers and mountain bikers should keep in mind that this division is not clearly marked. Thus, we have now learned the purpose of the aforementioned gate.

Keim did mention that a deal is in the works to develop a 40-acre mountain bike park at the western terminus of the trail that would undoubtedly turn it into a more regional-type of attraction.

All in all, the Sugar Creek trail is a hidden gem for residents or visitors to west-central Indiana. If you are looking for a historic, nature-filled but ultimately easy walk, consider the Sugar Creek Trail.

Just don’t go too far.

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