While my brother was home for the summer, we took a couple day trips to check out a few places that have been on my list for a while. We decided to drive to Portland Arch Preserve near Covington, Indiana.

There is actually two separate areas to this nature preserve. The first, the north trail, is where the iconic arch is. So much beauty is packed into this short trail. From the parking lot, we hiked the loop counterclockwise. Very quickly the trail descends between two rocky bluffs and into what feels like a small shelter cave.

A wooden bridge crosses Bear Creek and the trail rounds a large bluff.

All of a sudden, Portland Arch comes into view!

The trail continues on, now on the backside of the bluffs. The trail climbs high above the creek below.

The trail leads down to the creek. We let the pups splash around in the creek. Adlai kept chasing Ellie hoping she would play with him, but she wanted nothing to do with that LOL.

The trail flattens out and follows the creek. The trail eventually begins to climb back up to the top of the bluffs and leads back to the parking lot.

We then checked out the south trail, but compared to the north trail there wasn’t much to note. There were a couple views of the creek, but I did love the trees on this trail.

From here, we started to make our way back home. On the way, we stopped at two covered bridges! Be sure to check out my post HERE! We also stopped in Montezuma at the Tasty Freeze and had a great hamburger and ice cream. Even the pups enjoyed a bit of ice cream after a long drive and hike!

Portland Arch Nature Preserve was worth the drive! Thanks for reading! Adventure on!