With summer here it’s time to enjoy the outdoors, starting right here at home!
Kokomo and Howard County Indiana are fortunate to have beautiful recreation areas and family fun venues.
Within walking distance of most Kokomo neighborhoods, Kokomo Parks have something for everyone including playgrounds, historic sites, sports facilities and a spectacular aquatic park, Kokomo Beach!
Walking and biking trails include the Industrial Heritage Trail, and the Walk of Excellence. Along the way, you can enjoy the wildlife identified with your own Wildlife Pocket Guide by the Kokomo Parks & Recreation Department,
or enjoy the trees native to this area by checking out the City of Kokomo's Native Trees of Kokomo page.
A little further from home, you can enjoy Indiana State Parks and Recreation areas. KHCPL has Indiana State Parks 2017 Annual Entrance Permits which may be checked out free for one week at a time from Main, South or Russiaville (call for availability). With over 35 state parks, plus Fish and Wildlife areas, Nature preserves and state forests, Indiana is overflowing with outdoor fun opportunities.
Nearby parks include:
Bryan Memorial Nature Preserve in Clinton County, about 7 miles northwest of Frankfort. Take SR 38 west. Turn north on CR 450W to a marked parking lot on the right. A self -guiding nature trail with long and short loops traverses the preserve with woods that stand like an oasis surrounded by farmland. The forest canopy is tall, dense and even, compared to woodlots which have been more heavily grazed and timbered.
Mississinewa Lake, one of the three Upper Wabash flood-control reservoirs, offers excellent fishing, hunting and boating opportunities in the heart of north-central Indiana. In addition to featuring a 400-plus-site campground and family cabins,. The expanses of forests, prairies and farmland surrounding the lake provide attractive habitat to a wide variety of wildlife, exhibiting exceptional viewing opportunities for hikers, bird watchers and touring bicyclists. Click here for your map and information.
Mounds State Park, located off I-69 east of Anderson, features 10 unique earthworks built by prehistoric Indians known as the Adena-Hopewell people. The largest earthwork, the Great Mound, is believed to have been constructed around 160 B.C. Go on a GPS History Adventure by borrowing a Garmin Etrex 10 unit from the Nature Center, bringing your own, or downloading a GPS app on your smartphone. You can also borrow an Adventure Backpack complete with all the gadgets, gizmos & tools you need to complete an Animal Adventure, Insect Investigation or to be a Plant Explorer.
Some books to help you get started on your adventures are:
