Ritchey Woods Nature Preserve

This is a nice and quiet wooded area with quite a few different trails to add some movement to your days! The area is relatively flat, so it’s not a struggle to walk here, but if you’re looking for exercise and nice scenery, this is a great place to visit!

I was looking for a good spot to walk my dog while visiting Indy this week, and I found this random nature preserve sitting within a mile of my hotel. It’s nothing fancy but has perfect trails for walking. The main trail is actually gravel so you can even walk on a wet day. Check it out! Perfect for the fur babies!

Located between 96^th and 106^th street off of Hague Road, this park is the perfect place to wonder around and forget for a moment that you are still within the city limits. This park as several trails that lead you through a meadow, a swamp area, and into the woods. It is the perfect place to enjoy a nice day and take in all that nature has to offer. The trails are also nice for dog walking, but keep in mind that these are natural trails and they can get quite muddy after a rainy day. Bikes are not allowed on the trails, so keep this in mind. Parking is a large gravel lot and Fishers’s Parks Dept hosts several different nature events at the park throughout the year. They also have some nice picnic spots and public restrooms. If you are in the Fisher’s area this is definitely one of the places to check out to enjoy some peaceful nature views.

This is very close to 96^th and I-​69, where many stores and restaurants are located. The trails here are well maintained and scenic. We only encountered road noise once, along the north edge of the park. My kids came here in kindergarten for a monarch butterfly tagging program and it looks like they have grown and offer even more programs for kids in the summer. A newly built restroom had all the conveniences needed. Even though this park is on the small side, its close proximity makes it easy to hike around in the woods and experience nature away from the noise of the city.

Such lovely nature preserve hidden away in Fishers. The paths are nicely marked and well tended. A shelter is large enough to accommodate a good sized group and there are even a few fire pits for s’mores or camp-​style cooking. Never crowded and other than the small aircraft that pass overhead from the neighboring airport, you’d never know you were in the armpit of Allisonville Road, 96^th St., and 69. We always see tons of wildlife!
Such a great tucked away place.

A short drive from our house is this wonderful nature preserve. We occasionally bring our dog here for a quick hike.
Located south of 106^th and Hague, the nature preserve has plenty of parking in their gravel lot. There are also maps available at the cabin at the end of the parking lot. The trails are well marked and maintained and while they are on the short side, combining several of the trails makes for a nice hike.
For those wanting to send more time here, there are picnic tables, a covered shelter and restrooms. It is also a great place to either practice your photography skills or have some family photos taken.
Check this place out!

Nice park in fishers, clean, restrooms, nice trails. We came here thinking though it would be so much bigger and being someone that likes long walks for fitness it did lack in that area. We like to walk hour or longer And had to walk in circles to get hour in. Nice park if you live close by in fishers and only want casual walk. I Live near broadripple so will not go back.

So I spent a long part of my teenage years in Hamilton county and have finally returned. I don’t know how I did not know this place existed! I only stumbled upon it while searching for parks to take photos for my blog in, via Unilocal (of course)
It is a nature preserve so yes, expect a ton of warning signs. And signs telling you that you will be fined if you do a number of behaviors. There is even a special document online that they tell all photographers to read prior to entering the trails (they tell you this on another sign)
After reading the document on my phone I headed out. Ran into a trail runner. These would be easy trails to run. Smooth. Interesting views. Bathrooms. If that becomes my thing again as it was in my St Louis past, this would likely be my go to place, provided I coated myself in mosquito repellant.
The trails vary from fields to the swamp trail which has a boardwalk. Some trails loop. Others do not. There are tons of signs telling you where to go. Lots of bridges and other fun things as well.
Four stars, because yes, there is a lot of red tape.

The people giving Ritchey Woods such glowing reviews must not spend a lot of time in well-​designed parks. Yes, the trees are pretty and a few trails are interesting/​different (e.g., the Swamp Trail), but being a nature preserve, you’re going to face rules, signs, and barricades everywhere you turn here. I get that «Nature Preserve» is a special classification, but I don’t understand why you’d keep people from the most interesting natural features of this area. See the creek on the map (Cheeney Creek — don’t bother dreaming about Hare Creek being impressive as it’s usually dry) — well there’s no official trail that goes near it save for the paved trail out by the road. Try to visit it off trail and you’ll be met with all the signage denigrating your actions as tantamount to clubbing baby birds and polluting the watersheds. And don’t you dare think about picking up a dead leaf, bit of fungus, or stray flower, as you’ll obviously create a collapse of the entire ecosystem. Look, this place is pretty and has a good distance of trail, but the poor trail design and «red tape» will leave many nature lovers looking elsewhere.

This has to go on my «favorite things in Indy» list. The amount of hidden gems in this city is astonishing. Yeah, I said astonishing. Nestled in the middle of a fairly industrial area is a nature preserve. Drive down a long path, park in a gravel lot and set off on your adventure. The park is dog-​friendly so strap your pup on a leash and take off for a hike. There are various paths that lead you to different experiences. Some are open fields while others are serene and wooded. Birds galore! If you are a bird-​watcher, get your binoculars and your camera ready. But please, do me a favor and don’t tell TOO many people about this. Save it for your best friends or your super-​secret romantic date so it stays a hidden gem :)

Great place to bring the family or just hike in solitude. Please remember that bikes must be parked and cannot be ridden on the trails.

Fantastic find in Fishers, IN! I’m frequently here on business and wanted to find a park close to my hotel. Ritchey Woods is less than a mile away! The sign off Hague Road is not obvious. The parking lot is not paved and it’s actually quite small for the size of the park. However, the park’s trail system is done really well! There was a ton of trails that were interwoven. It’s hard to get lost here, since all the trails sync up with each other. There were a variety of trails, some were on the grass, some were on gravel, and the swamp trail had a boardwalk. There were also some picnic spots. It’s dog friendly, but there were no off-​leash areas, but poop bags were provided. The days I went (not weekends), it was not busy at all. It’s such a great hidden gem in this Indy suburbia!

Super nice bathrooms, clean trails. Haven’t noticed any play equipment, but then that’s not what it’s about anyways ;)

Richie Woods is one of my favorite places to do a short hike. The nature is absolutely beautiful, and the trails are good to hike on. This is a great way to do something free and fun with your whole family. They keep this park very clean as well. They allow dogs to walk around also, so if you want to give your dog a little adventure, go here! This is just one of the examples why I love living here. If your lucky, you might even see a few deer. They don’t allow any hunting here, so you can see nature at its best! Overall, great place to soak in all of this beautiful weather.

It doesn’t get much more beautiful than this!
This has been my secret spot to go when I need some me-​time during nice weather. I came by to share it with a friend last week during the beautiful weather, and was once again reminded of how much of a hidden gem this place it.
The walking paths are fantastic for running or walking, and it’s pet friendly! Make sure to go on all of the different paths because each one has something different to offer.

This place a hidden gem right off I69. Went here with a friend the other day after a busy day at work. Such a great place to walk through. Lots of cool areas for alone time if you need to get away. I also noticed how clean their bathrooms and picnic areas are. Great place to bring friends, have a quick lunch, or get your fitness on!

I love love love love Parks!
This was such a delight to find. I am glad other Unilocalers found this first. I would like to say Unilocal pointed me in the right direction however, I ended up driving by this wonderful little nature preserve and then promising Mrs. F that we would have to make visit.
The trails are well kept with a variety of terrain from grassy fields, to low wetlands, to rolling wooded hills with creeks running in between. This a great little nature escape for all those Northlanders for a lunch break or a quiet Sunday afternoon.
The shelters are very new and very well kept. And it looks as though there are many community activities that this wonderful little gem hosts. When Mrs. F and I walked through the trails were lined with
Also don’t miss the historical cemetery at the top of one of the wooded hills.
If you are runner this would be a wonderful little trail run I am sure you could get in at least a 10K.

Great little park in the middle of Fishers. Nice dirt/​grassy paths, gravel parking lot, and dog friendly complete with poop bags. Sign says no bikes though. There are bathrooms towards the front, which are clean, in a small building, but compost toilets (basically port-​a-​pots). there is a nice shelter and picnic tables. Trails take you over a marsh, near a creek, and through beautiful trees! There is a «preschool trail» but didn’t check that out. nice visit with nature :0)

Nice quiet short walk in the woods on a cold day. Look forward to seeing in the spring