Note: For trail locations, view the property map under the MAPS tab.
1. LAKE TRAIL (1.5 miles) EASY—Starts at the boat rental building (CCC ranger cabin) and goes around the south shore of the lake. This is one of the oldest remaining CCC ranger cabins in Indiana. A short-side loop leads to the fire tower (CCC built, 1935). The trail returns via the dam, back to the beach area.
2. JOHN CARTER TRAIL (2.1 miles) MODERATE—John Carter was a Lincoln family neighbor. This trail starts east of the gatehouse and proceeds through beautiful pines, past an old strip mine area before connecting with Trail 1 (Lake Trail) east of the campground. A short hop across S.R. 162 from the start of this trail is the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial. Stop in and talk with the interpretive staff and tour the visitors center and “living farm.” Fee required.
3. SARAH LINCOLN GRIGSBY TRAIL (1.7 miles) Moderate—Running through the Sarah Lincoln Woods Nature Preserve, this is the park’s most pristine and unusual area. You may find many prairie plants unusual to the area. The dry upland forest has many steep slopes. Sarah, Abe’s older sister died at an early age during childbirth at a nearby homestead.
4. JAMES GENTRY TRAIL (3.7 miles) MODERATE— Takes you across (north of) S.R. 162 along the northern border of the property to the site of the James Gentry home. Abraham Lincoln worked at the Gentry store as a young man and the Lincolns slept their last night in Indiana at this location. A historical marker designates the site. Passing through mature forest, the trail returns south of S.R. 162 to the Howell Shelter. A short side trail takes you to the Weber Lake trail.
5. MR LINCOLN’S NEIGHBORHOOD WALK (1.7 miles) MODERATE—Young Abe spent many hours at the Gorden Mill waiting to mill grain. This trail branches off of Trail 1 at the picnic shelter just west of the beach. You will pass the Little Pigeon Primitive Baptist Church and the gravesite of Sarah Lincoln Grigsby, the Gorden Home, and Mill sites. By connecting with Trail 1 on the south shore, you can continue around the lake. (Brochures available at the park office, Nature Center, or box office.)
6. WEBER LAKE TRAIL (1.8 miles) EASY—This light to moderate hike takes you along the remnant of the Troy-Gentryville Road to Weber Lake. The 1.8-mile hike consists of old field succession stands of trees, a CCC pine grove, and the newly reclaimed Weber Lake. The lake is testimony to the reclamation efforts of the DNR and federal government. Weber Lake went from a “dead” lake to one that purifies water and supports a variety of wetland plant and animal species. You may walk the levee, scale the “high wall”, and look for reminders of the old mining days while viewing wildlife species.
