Updated Feb 7, 2022  

Over 50% of our land mass is state and federal-owned. This includes Brown County State Park which attracts over a million visitors a year. It also attracts and retains residents that value “country.”  The “One Thing?:  Part 2:   Trails, Parks, Culture, Brown County, IN

• • State land includes Brown County State Park, and Yellowood State Forest.
    • And, residents can also opt to put forested land into a Classified Forest category that restricts development and reduces their property taxes.
  • Federal Land includes Hoosier National Forest.
    • The USDA also offers cash incentives for land use and conversation.
  • Brown County also owns land.
  • Private/ Non-Profits:
    • Non-Profits include:  Nature Conservancy, Sycamore Land Trust, and other non-profits that manage private land via a public organization (501c3) that allows access by the public such as Stone Head.

I am not aware of a “master map,”  website, or Facebook page (?)  that provides a one-stop-shop for information on all our trails and parks (government, private/non-profits) that the public can access.

In promoting hiking opportunities,  it also may be good that in addition to residents, identify other stakeholder groups – Hiking and Biking groups for example.  The Knobstone/Tecumseh Trail has been recognized nationally.

More visibility about our Trails and Parks could help expand the narrative in the county that reinforces a focus on the Quality of Life in the county. Very few residents want to see Nashville/Brown County turn into a Gatlinburg-Light.

Inventory?  A start – Master List of Public Trails. To do –  develop an  “inventory” of existing trails and hiking associations.  Would also be good to develop a “digital (GIS) map.”  For example – mountain bikers have trails that can be downloaded to a phone or another device.  

 Master List of Trails, Parks, and Preserves Open to the Public 

Regional Visibility – Indiana Uplands – Brown County. Known as the “Art Colony of the Midwest,” Brown County and the town of Nashville have attracted visitors for generations with spectacular views of rolling hills and forested land. Today, this popular destination is known for award-winning schools, eclectic art studios, distinctive restaurants and shops, and endless outdoor activities. Experience natural beauty, warm hospitality, and adventure in Brown County.

• • The Story of Brown  County Art Colony – indiana University

Stakeholder Groups:

• • County Residents
  • Visitors/Tourists
  • Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
  • Knobstone Hiking Trail Association (KHTA)
  • Hoosier Hiker Council
  • Do INdiana Off-Road (DINO) Trail Run Series
  • Indiana Trail Running Association
  • AllTrails.com
  • Midwest Mountain Bikers Facebook

Private – Non-Profits

• • Stone head Nature Preserve 
  • Nature Conservancy – Brown County Hills Project Office
    • Hitz-Rhodehamel Nature Preserve: The Nature Conservancy
  • Sycamore Land Trust – Preserve and Trails – Brown County:

• • • The Laura Hare Nature Preserve at Downey Hill
    • Trevlac Bluffs Nature Preserve
      • HIKE A BIT OF HISTORY: NEW (OLD) TRAIL OPENS AT TREVLAC BLUFFS NATURE PRESERVE
    • Newsletter – The new trail at Sycamore’s Laura Hare Nature Preserve at Downey Hill in Brown County Twig_Winter16_web 2016 – 

• Federal

• • Hoosier National Forest – Charles C. Deem Wilderness. As Indiana’s only officially designated Wilderness Area, the Charles C Deam Wilderness is special by definition. Discover what Wilderness means and how you can do your part to keep up the area’s untrammeled spirits. Location: Monroe, Brown / Jackson / Lawrence counties, Indiana, USA Nearest city Bloomington, Indiana

State

• • Brown County SP ranks 6th in country for beauty 

    • PDF Brown County SP ranks 6th in country for beauty – State of Indiana

  • Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Indiana Trails Program

    • Gov. Holcomb Announces $65 million in Trails Grants for Communities Across Indiana

    • TRAILS INVENTORY INTERACTIVE MAP: Indiana has over 5,000 miles of trail and more than 95% of Hoosiers are within five miles of one! The Indiana Trails Finder interactive map has every trail the DNR is aware of in the state, including off-roading, paved, natural surface, mountain biking, and more! New trails are constantly being added too. View the Indiana Trails Finder at https://arcg.is/0yLHnr.
      • Indiana Trail Finder with MAP
  • Brown County State Park

    • Brown County State Park named one of the top 10 most beautiful state parks in America  – WRTV

    • Mountain Biking Trails

    • AllTrails.com Best Trails in Brown County State Park

    • Geologic story of Brown County State Park (2017) | Indiana …
      • Yellowwood State Forest
        • Tulip Trace Trail – Hiker’s Path: Old trails, new trails and remnants of the past
      • Mountain Tea State Forest

      • Tecumseh and Knobstone Trails and Maps 

        • Current Status: Brown County – Part 3. Closure RR Xing at Indian Hill Rd that included pedestrian access to the Tecumseh Trail.

      • New?  Connector Trail (3+ miles) to the Brown County State Park trail system?

Indiana University

• • Explore the Lilly-Dickey Woods

    • “That is not where our story starts, however. The Lilly-Dickey woods have been important to many people and its history is an integral part of Brown County lore. Lilly’s land was called “Hamblen Forest” after Jesse Hamblen, who settled in Brown County in 1825 and lent his name to nearby Hamblen Township.”
    • “With Tuxhorn’s passing there was increased interest in the future of the Lilly-Dickey woods. In 2001 Indiana University established the Research and Teaching Preserve with the purpose of providing field-based formats for environmental research and experiential education.”
    • “In 2003 the Lilly-Dickey woods were incorporated into the preserve. The pristine land provided a unique opportunity for research, and in 2009 it became a part of the Smithsonian Institute’s Center for Tropical Forest Science database that provides models for understanding carbon storage and regeneration dynamics. Such research is made possible by one factor—the advanced age of the forest.” 

• • The Indiana University Research and Teaching Preserve comprises nearly 1,600 acres.
  • THE GEOLOGIC STORY HILLS, RIDGES, AND RAVINES The Brown County landscape formed in the past few million years through the erosive power of streams and glacial meltwater on ancient deltaic rocks.
  • Topographic Trail Map—Brown County SP and Yellowwood …
     

Other DNR – Division of Forestry  High Conservation Value Forests (HCVF)

• • Yellowwood Conservation Area
  • “Back Country Area High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF) Proposal Morgan-Monroe
    State Forest” IFA_HCVF_KHTA-Comment
  • Monroe / Brown. fo-MMSF-BCA

County

• • Salt Creek Trail – Phase I
  • Deer Run Park
  • County GIS Map – Search by Name, Entity, Organization
    • For county-owned land – Search:  “Brown County Board of Comm”, and “Brown County Parks and Rec”
    • Can also search: Sycamore Land Trust, Indiana University, DNR, Department of Natural Resources, Nature Conservancy, United States of America,
    • There is a “layer” for Hoosier National Forest
  • Tecumseh Trail
    • Backpacker Magazine The 50 Best Hikes in the U.S. – Indiana Tecumseh Trail. [Editor’s Note: Indiana’s Tecumseh Trail has been closed since May 2020 from State Road 45 to the parking area south of Beanblossom Creek. The trail is bisected by a railroad crossing. Hikers who cross the tracks or divert to an adjacent road will be trespassing. The Knobstone Hiking Trail Association is working on a solution to reopen the trail.

Other: Tourism

• • Brown County Convention Visitors Bureau
    • Information: Trails, Parks, Tourist Rentals, Camping, Private Resorts, Campgrounds, RV Parks, et.al.

Other – Fed, State, Pvt

Feb 7, 2023. BC Democrat, Meeting to focus on new federal sentinel landscape area

Other – History.