Parks & Recreation

Photo by Keith James Photography

LaGrange County, along with its towns and communities, offers a tremendous variety of outdoor sports and recreation opportunities.

Town Park in LaGrange offers a playground, softball diamond, skateboarding, basketball and tennis courts. Adjacent to Town Park at the corner of N. Mountain Street and W. Lake St. is the all-new LaGrange Splash Park. In Shipshewana, kids are kept busy at Wolfe Park with modern playground equipment, including a large wooden train and a couple of basketball courts.

Topeka offers three parks, East Park, West Park and Little League Park, which offer everything from picnic pavilions and playgrounds to hiking paths and ponds. Taylor Square in Wolcottville provides a playground, basketball courts and a ball diamond. Wolcott Park located on SR 9 offers a nature walk and sledding in the wintertime. Martin Park located behind Taylor Park offers 3 baseball/softball diamonds and a football field.

The unincorporated communities in LaGrange County also take pride in their parks and playgrounds. A park, complete with a playground and picnic areas, is located in the heart of Howe, at the town square. Ontario, Mongo, Stroh and South Milford also have excellent parks and playgrounds conveniently located in their communities.

LaGrange County Department of Parks and Recreation encompasses 570 acres of land. • Dallas Lake Park includes 140 acres on the south shore of Dallas Lake, wetland, and open lawn areas. A public beach is the largest attraction with lifeguards on duty during the summer months.

Enjoy an observation deck for wildlife and bird watching. A lodge with modern amenities is available for group meetings. • Delt Church Park is bordered by the Little Elkhart

River and contains 119 acres with three picnic pavilions available for group reservation. On one side of a grass playing field is the Mega Tower

Playground, a handicapped accessible facility and zones divided for 2-5 years and 5-12 years of age.

Throughout the park is a Frisbee golf course. There are wooded hiking trails and restored prairie. Picnic tables and grills are provided. • Maple Wood Nature Center provides a variety of environmental and nature related programs at the 131-acre wooded property. There are miles of hiking trails and excellent habitat for wildflowers, birds and trees. The third weekend of March, see maple syrup made by touring the 500-tap working sugar camp.

There is also a pancake meal served all day. • David Rogers Park is most notable for its authentic pioneer log homes relocated to the park. It also is the gravesite and memorial to pioneer philanthropist, Dr. David Rogers. David Rogers

Country Fair Pioneer Living History Festival is the fourth Saturday of August, celebrating the work and play of 1845. • Pine Knob Park offers 99 acres of oaks, pines and soft maples, high quality marsh and Meteer Lake.

Many outdoor recreational activities including a 3-D archery trail with life-sized game targets, trails

and fishing dock. There is a $5.00 fee for the 3-D trail. Picnic tables and grills are provided and a program center is available for rental. • Scott Mill Park boasts a pedestrian bridge over the Pigeon River to a 100-acre island. For anglers, canoeists, hunters and naturalists, one of the county’s biggest draws is the 12,600-acre Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Preserve, located near Mongo.

Two conveniently located, award-winning 18-hole golf courses provide golfers with a choice. Heron Creek Golf Course is centrally located in LaGrange and Cedar Lake Golf Course is near Howe in the northern part of the county.

Some of the best camping in northern Indiana is right here in LaGrange County. You will find primitive campsites, pick-your-own sites, tent camping, RV’s, motor homes, and even log cabin rentals. If you enjoy the water, you have a choice of numerous lake accesses for swimming, fishing and boating. Some campgrounds offer a pool and miniature golf — something for all ages. The chamber can provide you with locations available for your vacation or getaway weekend.

The 18-mile Hawpatch Hiking/Biking Trail will soon be under construction. The trail will begin in Millersburg, Indiana and end in Wolcottville, Indiana. The Pumpkin Vine Trail is one of 3 trails in a 25-mile network connecting Elkhart, Goshen, Middlebury and Shipshewana together.