Miles

86.6
29.7
31.0
66.9
109.0
63.5
123.0
113.0
37.3

Hours

1.5
.8
.8
1.5
2.4
1.25
2.5
2.0
.75

Since this is a new endeavor, we’re going to start with the basics. What we’re planning to do on the “Wander Here and There” page is to feature a “Wander” or route that we think will engage you with its beauty, interesting features, or fun activities. Warren County does indeed have a lot of interesting things to see. This countryside is beautiful in its own way. It’s not breathtakingly splendid like the Smokey Mountains, but more heartachingly familiar like an old hymn in a sunwashed country church. When you’ve wound up your visit to Warren County, you’ll feel like you just finished a great (but inexpensive!) bottle of mellow merlot. So pull out the cork and enjoy.

Editor’s note: I am in a quandry about whether or not to include photos on this page. So I’m asking you, the visitors to WanderWarrenCounty.com, what you think. Would seeing photos of the features on the Wander routes entice you to go visit? Would it make the various places easier to spot? Or, like me, would it ruin the surprise for you? Let me know if you would find photos helpful by emailing me at jeannie@jeanniebyers.com. Thanks for your input . . . I aim to please!
- Jeannie B

Go to Google Maps

Warren County 101
Our first Wander will touch on a few highlights right around Williamsport, the county seat. Plan an hour or two for the trip. Time depends on how far you hike into the woods at the preserve. The total driving distance is 18.5 miles. There are no gas stations, convenience stores or fast food joints on this route. Just so you’ll know.

Feature 1:
At the intersection of SR 28 and North Monroe Street, you’ll see the Warren County Courthouse. This building, the third courthouse for our county, is over 100 years old. If you are here on a weekday, be sure to drop in and see the stately architecture and the historic Warren County map right inside the west entrance. More information about the courthouse will be included on our historic buildings Wander, coming up in the near future.

Across the street is the Williamsport-Washington Township Public Library, which is the second new library on the site. The first was completed in 2002 then destroyed by a fire in 2006. It was rebuilt and the current building was dedicated in January 2008. Visit the library web site for a long list of very helpful and valuable resources available online and at the library.

Feature 2:
Your next stop is south through the downtown area following Monroe Street to just across the tracks. On the left you will see the gazebo that marks the Williamsport Falls overlook. Park on the street* and walk to the back of the gazebo and down the stairs and you’ll see the observation deck. Step right up! From the deck you’ll get a clear view of the highest falls in Indiana. If there has been lots of rain, you’ll be able to experience it in its full glory! If the falls is dry, you will be able to see the formation of rock created by the billions of gallons of water that have poured over the edge into the gorge below for thousands of years. There is also a trail that takes you back along the bluff for more views of the gorge and creek. And watch out for poison ivy!

*If stairs are a problem, don’t park by the gazebo but proceed to the Twin Bridges. Just before you cross the bridge, turn left onto the lane behind the fire station. This lane takes you right back to the observation deck. There is parking for several cars.

Feature 3:
From the gazebo, go south to the Twin Bridges and take the right-hand bridge onto Fall Street. Go to the end of the street and take a right at the stop sign onto West Washington Street. From there go about a block to the very next stop sign and turn left onto Grant Street. Follow Grant out of town for .7 miles and turn left onto County Road 100E. This takes you to the New Bridge, an iron suspension bridge built in 1932 (we’ll confirm that date). It was recently closed for inspection and repairs, and is now re-opened with new weight and height restrictions. Drive across the bridge and take a peak at the Wabash River as it meanders between Warren and Fountain counties. But when you get across the bridge, turn around and come back, there’s lots more to see!

When you drive back across the bridge and up the hill to the intersection, be sure to notice the roadside banks. These layers of sandstone go back millions of years to the time when all of Indiana was under an inland sea. You’ll also see one of our local native shrubs, viburnum, growing out of the rockface; it’s finished flowering, but will set small berries as autumn progresses. The dense woods along the road are a great place to spot dogwoods and redbuds in the spring, and colorful wildflowers and foliage in the next few weeks. Check the Nature page for more information on our native plants.

Editor’s note: We’ll keep adding information to the Nature page as time goes on. As a horticulturist, native plants, from the tiny ground covers to the huge oak and sycamore trees, are something I treasure, and have enjoyed studying throughout my life. The wildflowers are of particular interest.

Feature 4:
When you reach the intersection of CR 100E and Grant Street, turn left and proceed on the gravel road. Right where the blacktop turns to gravel, you’ll catch your first glance of the Wabash Valley. This road also marks the Potowatomi Trail of Death. This trail notes the journey of three chiefs and their many followers who were forced to leave their homes and travel to Kansas in 1838. Learn more about the history of the trail at the Trail of Courage web site. Follow the gravel road as it takes a 90-degree right turn and becomes 400S. Follow 400S past Meridian Road then make a left turn onto Gillespie Road where you will see more scenic views of the river valley. Gillespie Road winds around a bit until it intersects with South 100W. Turn left, then n roughly a quarter mile make a right onto West 550S. Go until you reach a yield sign at the intersection with Carlisle Road (the north turn) and South 175W. Go a very short distance and take a right onto 575S, if you go straight you will hit a dead end. As you follow along 575S you will pass Nob Hill Farm. You’ll understand the name when you see it! Follow this road to Indiana Highway 263, better known around here as Old 63. Turn right or north toward West Lebanon for about 1.7 miles to a right turn onto 400S. If you go past the old West Lebanon Gym you went too far.

Feature 5:
Once on 400s, you are going east now, you will go about a half mile past the West Lebanon cemetery. At the corner of the cemetery the blacktop turns right onto Frey Hill Road, but you will proceed straight ahead onto the gravel, staying on 400S. Watch for Carlisle Road on your right. Just past that intersection, on the left side of the road, is a small, grassy parking area. That marks the entrance to the Al and Gladys Wright Rock Creek Nature Preserve. This is part of the neighborhood where I spent my childhood, including what is now the Wright Nature Preserve. There is a “marked” trail in the woods, which is marked with colored ribbons the last time I was there for a hike. If there have been visitors lately, you will be able to see a path through the undergrowth. There are parts of the trail that are easy to follow, other parts are more difficult to find. The site is the home of a wide range of native plants including trillium, ladyslipper, and a number of hardwood trees. Rock Creek literally cuts through the area, exposing several feet of bedrock including layers of sandstone and shale. This preserve is owned and managed by Northern Indiana Citizens Helping Ecosystems Survive, better known as NICHES Land Trust. Visit their web site for more information on this and other Warren County properties the trust maintains. If you don’t have your hiking boots with you, you can get a look at Rock Creek from the bridge. There is a good view to the left of one of the rock faces with the layers of various stone types.

Back to the beginning:
As you leave the preserve, turn left and head east. Stay on this road and it takes you back to Williamsport, ending up on Grant Street again. But before you get back to town, you’ll pass the former location of McKenzie’s Riding Rancho, on the right side of the road at the top of the hill as you leave the creek valley. I can remember attending a rodeo there as a kid. The grandstand is still visible back behind the farmhouse and through the trees. There was also an apple orchard on the grounds at one time. Next you’ll pass through Ghost Hollow, a winding stretch of road that crosses a small creek. I don’t know why it’s known as Ghost Hollow but I always got a chill when we rode our bikes down that twisty hill to the little bridge! As you follow CR 400S up out of the hollow, there is a stand of bottlebrush buckeye, best viewed in the late spring when it blooms. As you proceed back to Williamsport and the end of your first Wander, you’ll see some lovely countryside that tells the story of why we love it here in the fields and hollows and woods of Warren County.

Thanks for visiting us. Come back...we’ll have more “Wanders” to share soon!

Jeannie B