What is there to do at the EcoLab?
- The public is welcome to be our guests in the Marian College EcoLab. Please observe the Trail Rules and Regulations listed in the side bar on the right.
- School groups, church groups, garden clubs, girl scouts, homeschool groups, and others can schedule a guided group activity in the EcoLab.
- EcoLab staff and volunteers also lead activities for the general public such as weekly bird walks, monthly natural and/or cultural history programs, and activities that allow the public to get involved in an on-going historical and ecological restoration project. (See calendar)
- Birding is excellent in the EcoLab! The Crooked Creek corridor acts as an oasis within the city, drawing migrants to stop at the EcoLab, making warbler and other migrant watching especially exciting in the spring and fall. The EcoLab also attracts several species of sparrows, making it a great place to practice your identification skills. Interesting breeding birds include Great Horned Owl, American Woodcock, Common Yellowthroat, Wood Duck, Baltimore Oriole, and many, many more. (See birds for more detailed information and checklists and see calendar for the times of guided birdwalks.)
- The EcoLab contains a self-guided interpretive trail with stops that explore both the cultural and natural history of the property. (See trail map [PDF] for details.)
- The flowers are spectacular along the trails in the EcoLab, especially in the late summer. The first flower to open is the skunk cabbage in February in the fen along the south shore trail, but there is interesting color in the EcoLab year round. Take a walk, check it out!
- Beaver watching is great at dawn and dusk in the main pond. Beaver are farmers, so vegetation along wetland trails such as the Rustic and the East Barkchip Trails can be different every time you visit. Lucky visitors can see other mammals such as deer, fox, and mink wandering the EcoLab.
- The EcoLab is also just a nice place to take a walk and enjoy being outdoors.
Directions:
We are located on the near west side of Indianapolis, Indiana, on Cold Spring Road between 30th and 38th Street. Take the northern-most entrance into Marian College (near Allison Mansion). You may either park in the big lot in front of Marian Hall and use the stairs behind Allison Mansion or the stairs next to the St. Francis Colonnade, or park further back, behind the gym and follow the signs to "EcoLab Trailhead."
Directions to Marian College.
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