Family Fun + Traditions

by Mike Petrucelli photo by Rebekah Bova + courtesy of Kosciusko County CVB

The past year or so has meant spending a lot

of time indoors for most of us, and coming out of winter into the spring (soon to be summer) sun is no doubt feeling pretty good. One can be forgiven for just sitting in that sun and decompressing, but at some point, everyone needs to get up and be active. Luckily, LAKElife Country has plenty of offerings when it’s time to come off the water or get up out of that deck chair. Here are just a few:

Outdoor Offerings For The Fam’Camping

If camping is in the offing for Mother’s Day, or any other day, Kosciusko County offers plenty of opportunities for that. Stacie Johnson, who (with her family) runs Hoffman Lake Campground (which her grandparents founded in 1964), is already in the midst of what is already shaping up to be a busy season. Hoffman Lake offers a variety of camping options, from tent camping to larger RVs, as well as two cabins for rent. And there’s a full slate of fun for Marvelous Moms Mother’s Day weekend. Family-friendly movies will be shown on Friday nights, including that weekend. Muffins with Mom (free muffins for the moms out there), and a wine and cheese bingo for women 21 and older are also planned (dads: be on the lookout for Dads and Doughnuts, and Beer and Chips Bingo in June). Early reservations are recommended at hoffmanlakecamp1964.com. The Warsaw Parks Department offers RV camping almost right in downtown at Pike Lake Campground. The park has more than 40 sites with full hookups for electric, water, and sewer right on the east shore of the lake. Once you’ve taken advantage of the beach and the fishing, downtown is a decent walk or short bike ride away. The campground is open April 15 through October 1. Most sites are seasonal, but the city keeps some sites in reserve for weekend or short-term stay campers (there are no tent camping sites). Also, on the west shore of Pike Lake, Lucerne Park offers a nine-hole disc golf course.

See a full list of camping options at visitkosciuskocounty.org/ sleep/campgrounds for locations around the county.

Whether you want to go on two legs or two wheels, fast, slow, or in-between, the Winona Lake Trails offer nine miles of scenic trails that should suit your motivation, whether it’s fitness, mountain biking, peace and quiet, or your weekly “nature bath.” The trails wind their way through wooded sections, along Cherry Creek, as well as through the former Chicago Boys Club Camp. It also isn’t very far from town, so you can take that new bike for a quick spin (via the Heritage Trail), and get something to eat to satisfy the appetite you’ll no doubt work up. The Winona Lake Trails are also part of the county’s Greenway system, as well as Ride + Walk Warsaw + Winona Lake. Find maps, trail etiquette and up-to-date trail conditions at winonalaketrails.com and ridewalk.com.

Outdoor Offerings For The Fam’

Nature Preserves

Kosciusko County has a number of nature preserves. ACRES Land Trust manages four preserves, three of which are open for public hiking. Bock Nature Preserve, near Akron, offers an easy hiking trail of just over a mile. Its 47 acres include beech and maple woods, but also include tulip (Indiana’s state tree), sycamore, black cherry, and blue ash (a rarity in these parts for you tree spotters). A tall grass prairie field has been established with grasses and flowers; spring is a great time to see the trilliums that grow there. A little further north in Etna Green is Glennwood Nature Preserve, which also features an easy, one-mile trail. Glennwood features one of Indiana’s 15 circumneutral bogs: a former pond that is now filled with “a springy mat of mosses, ferns, and sedges resting on a bed of peat,” according to their website. It also notes the forest around the bog is filled with Canadian mayflower, shiny club moss, sarsaparilla, cinnamon, crested shield, and royal ferns. ACRES recommends coming back in the fall for an amazing color display. If you want a bit more of a hiking challenge, or are a birder, head south near Silver Lake, where you’ll find Wildwood, which boasts 4.5 miles of trails through 255 acres. Trees and flowers are varied throughout, from waterfowl to woodpeckers (if you’ve never seen a pileated woodpecker before, and you’re lucky enough to spy one, you are in for a treat).

The Bock and Glennwood trails are slated for retirement in 2024, so see them now while you can. More information, as well as trail rules (take only pictures, leave only footprints, etc.) can be found at acreslandtrust.org.

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Greider’s Woods Nature Preserve

covers 10 acres in the Tri-County Fish and Wildlife Area in Syracuse and is known for its spring carpet of wildflowers. For more information, visit in.gov/dnr/ naturepreserve and click on the Greider’s Woods link. It is open for hunting inseason, so if you plan to go, check with the Tri-County property manager ahead of your visit.