Camp Creek Trail (Fort Harrison State Park) Hiking Guide
Fort Harrison is the state park inside Indianapolis, and the DNR calls it the last forested corner left in Marion County. Camp Creek Trail makes a good short hike: a winding path that leaves the paved Harrison Trace near Delaware Lake, climbs onto the bluffs above the Camp Creek valley and swings past Duck Pond, all within the city.
Permit: Fort Harrison is an Indiana state park, so a day pass costs $7 per vehicle with Indiana plates or $15 with out-of-state plates. Arriving on foot or by bike costs $2 per person age 5 and up. Regular visitors can buy the $50 resident or $120 nonresident annual pass, valid at every DNR gate for the calendar year.
Distance and Route
The DNR lists Camp Creek Trail at 2 miles and rates it Moderate. Hiking Project maps it at 2.1 miles with about 150 feet of climbing, and onX lists a 2.7-mile loop that starts and ends at the Delaware Lake picnic area. The trail begins off Harrison Trace near the eastern bank of Delaware Lake, and the apex of its bend passes Duck Pond. Hiking Project notes that it twists a lot and runs beside or over other trails in places, so carry a map or app.
Making a Loop With Fall Creek Trail
To vary the return, the Fall Creek Trail starts at the northeast corner of the Delaware Lake picnic area and follows the Fall Creek lowlands 1.1 miles to Duck Pond; the park map lists the whole trail at 1.3 miles. Hiking Project describes an elevated boardwalk overlooking the creek and a short staircase midway. Three cutoffs connect Fall Creek Trail to Harrison Trace, the 3.4-mile paved path that the park calls the easiest way to Duck Pond. Stick to signed routes: Hiking Project warns that an old Camp Creek alignment in the area has been closed by the DNR.
Army History in the Woods
The War Department bought this land in 1904 for Fort Benjamin Harrison. Along Camp Creek the trail passes an old army rubble pile, and elsewhere the park preserves the former Citizens' Military Training Camp around Camp Glenn. During World War II a prisoner-of-war camp here held German and Italian soldiers. The Fort Harrison State Park Inn occupies the former Post Hospital, built in 1908, and the Museum of 20th Century Warfare tells the story of the soldiers who once marched these grounds.
Dogs, Bikes and Seasons
Leashed dogs are welcome on the trail under the state's six-foot leash rule, and the park also has an 11-acre dog park with water stations that requires its own membership. Bicycles are prohibited on the hiking trails, including Camp Creek and Fall Creek; riders use Harrison Trace and the multi-use Lawrence Creek and Schoen Creek trails. Spring brings woodland wildflowers, autumn color is strong, and the sledding hill opens in winter.
Fees and Hunt Closures
Being inside the city doesn't waive the gate fee: $7 per day for Indiana plates and $15 for out-of-state plates. Fort Harrison is one of the parks the DNR closes for archery deer-management hunts, two closures in the second half of November that each run from a Sunday evening to a Wednesday morning, the later one into early December. The park's mapping address is 6000 N. Post Road.
Hiking tips for Camp Creek Trail (Fort Harrison State Park)
- Park at the Delaware Lake picnic area, where both Camp Creek and Fall Creek trails begin.
- Return along Fall Creek for floodplain woods and creek views.
- Carry a map; the trail crosses and parallels other routes several times.
- Bring binoculars during migration; the park calls itself an important stop for warblers and other forest birds.
- Check the DNR's hunt calendar before a late-November visit.
Nearby trails to explore
- Red Trail (Eagle Creek Park)
- McCormick's Creek Trail 3 (Falls and Canyon)
- Ogle Lake Trail 7 (Brown County State Park)
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Camp Creek fits into a weeknight or a Saturday morning without leaving town. Start an Indianapolis hike on TrailMates, set the time and meeting spot in the event's group chat, and gather at the Delaware Lake picnic area. Download TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.