Mississinewa Park Awakens After a Rain
Published: Friday, June 27, 2025
The property in Peru owned by Acres Land Trust was alive with the sounds of rushing water, birdsongs and squirrel chatter, and the wind pushing through the trees. Is there a better time to view wildlife than in the cool of the morning after a rain?
After last week's storms, I headed over to the Seven Pillars Nature Preserve in Miami County to view the post-rain scenery and wildlife offered there, and I was not disappointed.
A winding drive in the Mississinewa State Park area opened into a steep incline that glided right down to the river's edge, giving way to the rushing water and age-old stone that rises out of the water to form seven large pillars.
The enchanting riverside is an ancient landmark of the Miami Nation of Indians of Indiana. Currently, Acres Land Trust and the Miami Nation are partnering to preserve and enhance the area. Due to the work that is being done, some of the areas were off limits when I visited, including a seating area facing the seven pillars of limestone along the opposite river shoreline.
The Mississinewa River's strong current swirled around each pillar, leaped along the edge of the land and danced down the riverway. The scene was so beautiful, I found myself trying to memorize it, tantalized by vibrant trees, majestic limestone and frivolous current. Just a little down the road, someone else was painting the landscape, making his own attempt to immortalize the awe-inspiring sight.
An adjacent parking lot faced a mysteriously inviting footpath that disappeared into the emerald woods. Without much prompting, my feet seemed to follow it by themselves, leading me down a winding, muddy trail that followed the flow of the land.
The deeper into the woods I went, the livelier it became. Within minutes, I came across flowers and forest floor fungus that seemed to pop up on sight following the previous day's rain. Bouncing from flower to flower was a bumble bee, followed by a boldly colored damselfly.
As the sun beamed through the trees, the forest glowed like a translucent emerald stone, and I could smell the fresh growth. The trail rose and fell over hills and into ravines, still showing fresh runoff marks from the storms. Some of the trail was even under water near a creek that spilled over.
Along the way, a couple of bridges stretched across the ravine, and I clomped across them like the Billy Goats Gruff, half expecting a troll to pop out and proclaim his hunger.
I trekked up and down, following around the outskirts of an even larger hill that marked the halfway point of the hike. Here I paused and watched a slug inch across a lichen-filled tree, blending in with the sun-spotted bark.
When I started up again, a cluster of birds burst from their perches, crying out in warning. They darted around overhead, feathers flashing in the beams of sunlight. I picked my way to the top of the hill through submerged and slippery trails, then started down around the other side, eager to see more.
A flash of white bounded through the lowest bushes a couple hundred yards away, and as I tried to decide if it was a beagle's tail, the cry of a fawn sounded out. I stopped short and surveyed the area. Given my proximity, I could be in some real trouble if I was between the fawn and its mother. There, past the area where the fawn was now hiding, a doe darted through the woods, ears back and head low, its body moving like an arrow.
I watched the doe beeline toward its young and slowly backed along the trail in the direction I had come. To continue forward would risk threatening the deer, and I did not want that. As soon as it was safe, I quickened my pace, putting distance between me and the two deer and avoiding any trouble with the doe.
The trail back was peaceful, and I finished the day by sitting by the river, observing the scenery. Areas like this can't help but connect people with creation. It was one of those spots that is so tranquil I felt I could stay forever.
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