Tales from the Trail: Jasper Parklands Urban Hike

It was a beautiful Saturday morning in Jasper and a perfect day for the Sierra Club’s urban hike at the Parklands.

Five people in a parking lot with a park behind them with trails and trees and a hazy blue sky. The three folks in the middle are holding a green Sierra Club banner. In the foreground is the person taking the photo, selfie-style. She has a baseball cap and sunglasses and is smiling.
Attendees at the Jasper Parklands outing holding a Sierra Club banner.  Photo: Nicole Chandler.

The hike was led by Hoosier Chapter Outings Leader and Indiana Beyond Coal Campaign Organizer, Nicole Chandler.

The Parklands of Jasper is a 75-acre urban renewal endeavor which turned a 9-hole golf course and surrounding woodlands into an urban oasis with two miles of walking trails, a wetlands area for nature studies, 25-acres of woods and a large variety  of all native plants, wildflowers and pollinators.

Five people on a boardwalk looking over a wetland area. The sky is blue and there are green trees scattered in the background.
Attendees of the outing observing the wetland area. Photo: Nicole Chandler.

The group walked the 1.5 mile outer loop stopping at several locations to observe the many wonders of the park.

Three people looking over a wetland area. There are tall and short grasses, with trees and a blue sky in the background
Attendees of the outing observing the wetland area. Photo: Nicole Chandler.

Nicole: “We had a fantastic time at the Jasper Parklands, exploring the beauty of this relatively new urban trail. We saw many beautiful flowering plants and stopped to enjoy the wetland area and enjoyed spending time outside in community. “

Mark Nowotarski
Volunteer Leader