Indianfields Township Park: Outdoor Adventure for the Beginner

Are you looking for an outdoor adventure, but have less than an hour to adventure in?  Need somewhere new to walk the dog?  Want your kids to get dirty?  And you want all of these things, plus toilets and garbage cans?  Me too!

Helpful signage!

For your outdoor adventuring consideration, I offer Indianfields Township Park.  The park is just south of Caro on M-81 (that’s Thumb country, my friends).  The official township website has a lovely blurb about the history of the park and some of its features, which you can find here.  I advise you to give it a look—good park data is so novel!—but check it out on your own time, because we're going to skip to the fun stuff:

The Trail

Indianfields has a nice rustic pathway through the woods that I’m going to refer to as a Goldilocks Trail: not too short, not too long, not too hard, not too easy.  It usually takes me a half hour or so to walk the main loop, depending on how sniffy the dog wants to be.  A good chunk of the trail follows the west bank of the Cass River and feels pretty isolated and wildernessy.  There’s a stairway down to the river (I’m talking to you, kayakers!), streams to cross on wooden bridges, loads of wildflowers in the spring, changing leaves in the fall, a decent hill for you sicko runners and endurance people, and several smaller loops you can link to if you just aren’t ready to stop walking yet.  And bathrooms!  Did I mention bathrooms?  They’re not the prettiest, and they aren’t always open (used to be they were only open when the park was officially open, but they were open earlier this year…not sure if this is a trend or an anomaly), but they are plumbing and I am a fan.

The Pros and Cons

Pro: An easily accessible parking lot with multiple parking areas

Con: The parking lot is only open when the park is officially open (April through October); during the winter the drive is gated closed, but parking is possible, with a little ingenuity, outside the fence.  Have no fear!  You won’t be the only one using the park during the off season.  It’s so popular that the unofficial parking lot gets plowed during the winter. 

Pro: A scenic river walk along the mighty Cass, with possibility of duck, goose, heron and eagle sightings

Con: The scenic river walk becomes a flooded river walk almost every spring.  The flooding jacks up the trail for a few weeks (or longer) and drops all sorts of interesting debris (ok, mostly just sticks, logs, large trees, etc.) and some mud with a pretty delightful aroma.  The dedicated outdoor adventurer will not be daunted by these challenges and will happily off-road around obstacles until the trail is cleared by maintenance crews, but others may want to stick to the smaller loops on higher ground.

Pro:  The trail is largely wooded (I think this is a pro, others may find it too enclosed or view-inhibiting), providing plenty of shade and shelter from wind and weather.  And it’s just pretty, darn it.  One of my favorite trees, the Eastern Hemlock, is abundant in the park, so I admit to being partial.

Con: Trees fall.  Sometimes really big trees.  Sometimes across the trail.  Sometimes they bring a friend or two with them, and you have a truly tangled mess that requires some creative navigation.  Personally, I like the challenge.  I feel daring and liberated when I climb over trunks and under limbs—I am a wild jungle beast!  Fear me!  But others may not have the mobility to make that appealing.  During the winter, these trees tend to stay where they fall.  Don’t worry—crews will come through in the spring (or after a storm during the open season) and do some cleanup; and until then, someone will blaze a detour.

The Nitty Gritty Details

Park Rules and Information 

• No Firearms
• No motorized vehicles on trails
• No Hunting
• No Camping
• No Fireworks
• Fires only in designated areas
• All dogs must be on a leash
• Please remain on the trails
• Pavilions can be reserved for a $25 fee. Call (989) 673-3416 and leave a message.
• The ball diamond, horseshoes and volleyball court are also available for reservation at no additional fee.
• Use of the park is at your own risk.

Indianfields Township Park

2229 W. Caro Rd. (M-81)

Caro, MI 48723

This is all taken directly from the Indianfields Township website I linked to above—go there!  Read!

The Wrap-up

Indianfields Township Park is one of my absolute local favorites.  Take your kids!  Take your dog!  Take your canoe or kayak!  Take some charcoal and cook something over a fire!  Take your camera!  And take care of your dog poop!  Because seriously, this is what decent human beings (and outdoor adventurers) do.

The Mighty Cass