Hiker's Path: Trevlac Bluffs Nature Preserve

Located in Brown County, just off of State Road 45, Trevlac Bluffs Nature Preserve is named for its towering 200-foot bluff over Beanblossom Creek that features a rare stand of native eastern hemlock trees. 

The property is dedicated as an Indiana State Nature Preserve by the Department of Natural Resources, in recognition of the statewide significance of the natural communities preserved here.

The preserve also protects over 100 acres of forested wetlands in the floodplain of Beanblossom Creek and over a mile of the creek itself, which is the main input for Lake Lemon about a mile and a half downstream. 

National research identifies the preserve as one of three critical forest blocks in the Midwest for breeding migratory songbirds. It is a part of the Sycamore Land Trust. There are two hiking trails on the property, the Yellowwood Trail which is 2.6 miles roundtrip, and the Bottomland trail, which is 0.7 miles in length. I love Hemlock trees, and make a point to visit places where they are known to grow. 

This past Sunday, I traveled out past Unionville to visit this Nature preserve. It was a beautiful day, sunny, blue skies, with a temperature in the sixties. Light jacket required. 

I found the first trailhead of the preserve where the Yellowwood trail is located. I turned off of State Road 45 onto a small, dead-end, road. Parking is limited and care had to be taken as to not block the gate. There, I found the nature preserve sign and I also found my chosen path for the day. 

I soon found myself hiking up a hill in a woods, full of mature hardwood trees.  There were white blazes painted on the trees to mark the trail. I am always glad to see these trail markers.  It makes me feel like the trail is leading me somewhere. I was in search of the Hemlocks which I knew to be at the top of the hill I was climbing. I followed a few switchbacks on my trek up the steep hillside. I heard Spring songbirds singing in the trees around me. What a welcome sound that was. 

When I finally reached the top of the bluff, I found that the trail leading up to the edge of the steep bluff overlooked Bean-Blossom Creek below it.  The bluff itself was covered with Hemlock trees. 

The view from the edge was spectacular with the creek a couple of hundred feet below me and all of the beautiful Hemlock trees of various heights and sizes, scattered all over the sides of the bluff. The picture was completed by the backdrop of the blue sky and with the late morning sun casting shadows upon the ground around my feet. 

Hemlock trees are graceful evergreens.  They can grow up to 70 feet tall, sometimes taller. The Eastern Hemlock, (or Canadian Hemlock), is a slow-growing, long-lived tree. They can take up to 250-300 years to grow to maturity and may live as long as 800 years. They grow best in shady areas. 

I never get tired of this beautiful place where a stand of majestic Hemlocks meet the sky. It is one of my favorite trees. After taking a lot of photos, I decided to turn around so that I could visit the other part of this nature preserve, the bottomland section. 

I was soon back in my car and after a very short drive, I arrived at the next trailhead where the bottomland portion of the preserve was located. Again I found a gate but this time I could park in front of it. This trail was a smaller, loop trail. The path was easy to walk. I walked over a small,  man-made bridge that crossed a small stream. The trail was well marked. Before long I found my way to the banks of Beanblossom Creek and with a spectacular view of the Hemlocks along the Bluffs. What a treat to view them from two different perspectives. Now I was at the bottom of the bluff looking up. From below, I could see how very steep the bluff really was. It was an amazing hike and is an amazing preserve.

Indiana is a beautiful state and I am so happy that these nature preserves and our state parks and forests exist so that we all can enjoy the beauty they afford. Another great hike for the books! 

To get to this place: 

From Unionville, follow SR 45 east for 6.5 mi to Old SR 45, which is on the right just before the Beanblossom Creek bridge. For the Yellowwood Trail, turn right onto Old SR 45 and go 0.2 mi to the marked trailhead. The gated lane past the trailhead is private.

For the bottomland trail, continue on SR 45 for 0.7 mi, crossing the bridge. The trailhead is on the right by a gate, where SR 45 takes a 90-degree turn to the left. Parking is limited to roadside pull-offs at both locations.

A quote for your week: ”There is an old deep magic in these woods which has seeped into my bones” - Jon Nakapalau - Poet

Until the next trail,

Susan