Fall is a welcomed season to many nature lovers because the cool crisp air and relatively low amount of precipitation means it’s time to take to the trails to celebrate the season.

Bob Dispenza of Allen County Parks and the Trailblazers community hiking program said fall is the optimal time of the year to enjoy the outdoors. “We being a relatively level area, we tend to get a lot of rain and snow melt in the spring, so that tends to be pretty wet, but this time of year we get the advantage of drier trails, fewer insects, and fall color. We even continue to have the summer wildflowers such as all the prairie plants like the goldenrods, asters and things like that,” Dispenza said.

To celebrate the new season and appreciate the developing foliage, The News-Sentinel decided to welcome the autumn by highlighting the region’s best hiking trails. This guide will feature the trail, distance, level of difficulty as well as feature a year-round synopsis highlighting the unique features of the park.

Experience the autumn outdoors with these five Indiana trails and parks: