Maurice and Nina Ragsdale Photo by Rich Janzaruk

» More: Hiking Spring Mill State Park

» Photo gallery: Spring Mill Trails

Maurice and Nina Ragsdale liked everything about their house when they moved in five years ago. But they admit the big selling point was living beside Spring Mill State Park east of Mitchell.

The park has eight hiking trails and the Ragsdales walk at the park nearly every day.

“We love it. You don’t have to worry about cars and dogs when you walk on a trail,” said Maurice. “You can enjoy the scenery, birds singing and all the natural things you get when walking through woods. It’s breathtaking.”

It’s almost a spiritual, if not humbling, experience to walk beneath oaks more than 400 years old, watch a Great Blue Heron glide across the wetlands or pause to watch turtles sunning themselves on a log — all trail features at Spring Mill.

The trails at Spring Mill were laid out by Civilian Conservation Corps workers in the 1930s.

“When you’re walking a trail at Spring Mill, you’re walking on what people who had the biggest role in creating the park wanted you to see and appreciate,” said Jill Vance, park naturalist.

A few additions have been made to the trails, but they are mostly original to the 1930s layout. Two trails are considered easily accessible; Trail 6 is a paved trail.

Plenty of parking is located near all the trail heads. Trail maps are available at the gate, inn, park office or DNR Web site.

Vance said each trail is unique, but her favorite is Trail 5, which loops around the lake and goes over the dam and spillway.

“You will see the most wildlife on that trail,” she said.

Besides turtles, geese and Great Blue Herons, Vance said she once saw a Great Egret on Trail 5.

“They are one of the more rare birds,” she said.

Vance said Trail 4 is probably the most popular trail and Trail 3 one of the more rugged trails.

One-third of Trail 3 takes walkers through Donaldson Woods, which is a virgin forest of towering tulip poplar and white oak.

“It has a real different feel from the rest of the park,” Vance said. “The trees there are ancient, 300 to 500 years old. Donaldson Woods feels primeval. Even if you don’t know much about an old growth forest, you still get a sense of what it feels like to walk in that older forest.”

Even though the tallest trees have been there hundreds of years, the virgin forest is in transition.

“The little trees in the understory are beech, sugar maple and papaw. Those little trees are waiting on those big oaks to fall. If you were to come back in a couple hundred years it would probably be a beech-maple forest,” Vance said.

What the Ragsdales enjoy about the Spring Mill trails is the variety and challenge. The rugged Trail 3 is their favorite.

“When we walk, it’s a fast walk. We go at least three miles, and most of our walks are between three and five miles,” Maurice said.

Other state parks also have trails, of course, including McCormick’s Creek in Spencer, which has 10 mostly in the moderate-to-easy range.

Trail 3, which takes visitors to the falls, is the most popular.

“It’s a huge attraction that people love,” said assistant property manager Corey Rieman. “It’s only a couple of feet deep, so people love to get in and splash around.”

Trail 5, which goes to Wolf Cave Nature Preserve, is popular, too.

Many visitors to McCormick’s Creek come just for the trails.

“We have regulars that jog the roads and trails every day,” he said. “Many cross country teams rent out our cabins and campground in the summer and have organized practices. They will stay for a week and run every day.”

Since it’s southern Indiana, hikers can expect to encounter at least a couple of steep hills.

From season to season, the Ragsdales walk in Spring Mill State Park.

“We enjoy hiking in the winter just as much. It can be snowing and we still walk the trails. It’s really nice because almost nobody is there. The only time it’s bad is when it’s rained and it gets muddy.”

Ragsdale, 59, who ran competitively for years and coached high school cross country, said Spring Mill is an ideal place for runners to train or anyone who wants to get in shape.

“I still do a little jogging when I’m there, but I walk up the hills,” he said. “Nina and I have lost 20 or 25 pounds in the last year. We changed our diet, but we also increased our walking.”

Now that Ragsdale has retired from education, he and Nina have discussed moving to Florida. But it won’t be easy.

“That’s one thing we talk about: if we ever move, we will really miss the park.”