Trails

Pedestrian, Bike, and Nature Trails

USI boasts many miles of multi-use trails on its scenic 1,400-acre campus open to the University community and to the public. Trails are open at dawn and close at dusk.

USI Bent Twig Trails (1 mile)

The USI Bent Twig Trails, founded by the Westwood Garden Club in 1971, are located in the northwest corner of campus. Club members created the trails by following deer paths through the woods, streams and bluffs on the University property. They found the woods to be full of pecan, hickory and walnut trees, with a rich diversity of birds and small animals. There was also a natural lake used for swimming by local farm kids. Today, Reflection Lake is managed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, and fishing is allowed with an Indiana Fishing License.

The pedestrian only Bent Twig Trails have several geological points of interest, including sandstone-lined stream beds and two small waterfalls. In warm weather, the trails boast various wildflowers, mushrooms, mosses and lichen. Today, the USI Geology Department uses the trails as a starting point for research and field experiences; physical education students learn how to use a compass in hiking classes; education students look to the woods as inspiration for science teaching; and biology students conduct research in and around the woods and lake. You can find several letterboxes and geocaches along the trails.

USI Disc Golf Trails (1.25 miles)

The Disc Golf Trails begin at the USI's Screaming Eagles Valley Complex and Disc Golf Course, located on the southwest side of the main campus. Most of the year, the 18-hole course is busy with recreational disc golf players. The upper trail skirts along the woods where you will find multiflora roses, autumn olive bushes and wild blackberries. You may also see many types of pollinators. As the lower trail enters the woods and moves past the disc golf course, it follows old cross country trails through the woods and into the Broadway Recreational Complex. Keep a lookout for the cross country/track and field shoe tree. At the end of their running season, local student athletes fling their old shoes over the branches. Parking is available at both ends of this trail: on USI's campus in Lot F, and at the Broadway Recreational Complex.

USI South Tails (2.25 miles)

The USI South Trails are a network of rustic pedestrian trails with four major trailheads along the USI-Burdette Trail. You can also enter the South Trails at the Bent Twig Outdoor Education Center behind Eicher Barn.

The trails converge deep in a valley where two streams meet in a limestone stream bed. If you look carefully, you can see many small fossils embedded in the hard rock. Wild turkey and white-tailed deer are often seen along the South Trials. Spring and summer wildflowers bloom along the trails and a large un-mowed pollinator field can be found south of the lake.

The longer main trails, Oak, Beech and Maple, are wide and easy to traverse. Ancillary trails, including Eicher and Hickory, are more steep and rugged.

Located on the west side of the paved USI-Burdette Trail, Oak Trail winds behind USI’s residence halls and Fountain Lake. Picnic tables can be found at points along the trail.

Parking is available near the USI Baseball Field and at the Broadway Recreational Complex

USI-Burdette Trail (3 miles)

The USI-Burdette Trail, completed in 2012, is a three-mile multipurpose paved trail built in partnership with nearby Burdette Park. It is a diverse, interesting and educational route for hikers, bicyclists and runners that showcases southwestern Indiana’s natural beauty.

The trail is a key connection to an area of river bottom land, where an additional 37 miles of marked routes along gravel and paved roads can be found. The USI-Burdette Park Trail is a designated destination point of the American Discovery Trail, which passes through Southern Indiana. The trail also has been named a National Recreation Trail by the Secretary of the Interior.

The trail begins at University Boulevard between the Aquatic Center and Liberty Arena and is accessible at trailheads near the USI Baseball Field and at Lot M behind Ruston Hall. Parking is also available at the trailhead in Burdette Park near Discovery Lodge.

Beatitudes Trail (Bert Miller Meditation Path) (.10 miles)

Located between the main campus parking Lot B and O’Daniel South campus apartments, the Beatitudes Trail was established May 1996 by Eagle Scout Brian Knapp in honor of his grandfather, long scoutmaster, Bert Miller. The trail has several benches and meditation signage as well as a statue of St. Francis of Assisi. The statue, which stands under a shelter, is located along a creek. Carved by out of catalpa wood by a local craftsman, Knapp thought was it was an appropriate addition to the path given the wild life that is found in USI's many trails.

Campus Flow Trail (1 mile)

The Campus Flow Trail, completed in 2023, includes three downhill runs complete with dirt jumps and bermed corners. Located in a small, wooded area behind the USI Ceramics Center along University Blvd, the mountain bike only trails are rated for beginner, intermediate and expert level riders. Construction was funded through a grant from the CenterPoint Energy Foundation and constructed by local trail builder Trelcru Inc. Proper safety equipment is required when riding these trails.