The list of things to do in Zionsville just keeps growing. Carpenter Nature Preserve brings 215 acres of trails, wildlife habitat, and creative outdoor play to Boone County. Located on the former Wolf Run Golf Club property in Zionsville, the preserve is open to the public. It is the first park in Union Township and the largest nature preserve in Boone County. It’s going to be one of the best parks Indianapolis and the surrounding areas have to offer.
I visited Carpenter Nature Preserve with my family, and we found that it is much more than a place to take a walk. My kids played on the nature playground, climbed across enormous logs, and experimented with the water features before we headed out to explore the trails together. The first phase combines outdoor play, a spacious pavilion and opportunities to experience ponds, prairies, woodlands and Eagle Creek.
A Golf Course Returned to Nature
One of the most interesting parts of Carpenter Nature Preserve is the land’s transformation. This property was once a carefully maintained golf course, with short fairways, sand bunkers and ponds designed for play. Now, the 215 acres are being managed for the benefit of wildlife and the people who come to experience it.
The former fairways are gradually becoming meadows filled with native grasses and wildflowers. Ponds that once served the golf course are welcoming frogs, turtles, and ducks. Deer, foxes, songbirds and pollinators are finding food and shelter as the landscape grows wilder.
Restoration is still in progress, so families will get to watch the preserve change from season to season and year to year. The view in early summer will look completely different when prairie flowers bloom, leaves change color, or migrating birds arrive.
The Nature Playground at Carpenter Nature Preserve
The Nature Playground was the first place my kids wanted to explore. It is designed to blend into the landscape instead of competing with it. There’s no towering plastic play structure here. Instead, the space invites children to use natural materials, test their balance, and invent their own games.
Large tree trunks form climbing and balancing routes across a bed of wood chips. Some logs rest low to the ground, while others angle upward and create a more challenging scramble for older or more confident kids. Smaller tree-stump stepping stones give younger children another way to practice balance.
A low, wide slide is built into the gentle slope beyond the logs. The design keeps the playground visually connected to the prairie and surrounding trees, with no fence or brightly colored equipment separating play from nature.
The hands-on water-play area kept my family busy, too. My kids used the wooden channels, troughs, and moveable pieces to direct the water and experiment with how it traveled. The nearby play table kitchen included metal bowls, pots and other loose parts for scooping, pouring and creating. It is the kind of open-ended setup that can become a pretend kitchen, a construction site or a miniature engineering project, depending on the child.
Because the playground includes water, wood chips and natural surfaces, bring clothes and shoes that can handle a little dirt or dampness. Families with children of different ages should also plan to stay close, especially around the elevated climbing logs.
Trails, Overlooks and Wildlife Watching
Phase 1 includes approximately one mile of asphalt and crushed-limestone trails. The park map identifies a paved accessible trail, a stone accessible trail, and a mowed path, with grades ranging from easy to moderate. Bicycles are restricted to the paved paths and trails.
After playing, we left the playground area and explored the trails as a family. The paths wind through open meadow areas and connect visitors with the preserve’s ponds, wooded sections and Eagle Creek corridor. Two scenic overlooks create places to pause and take in the landscape. Families can also visit an outdoor classroom and wildlife blind, where patient young explorers may spot birds and other animals without getting too close.
The aerial views show just how large and varied this property is. Curving trails move through broad grasslands, around ponds and toward dense woods surrounding Eagle Creek. Even in its early stages, the preserve feels expansive and removed from busy suburban life.
Interpretive signs help visitors understand what they are seeing. Children can learn how streambanks are stabilized, why native plants matter, and how former golf-course land can become healthy habitat again. Carpenter Nature Preserve is not simply displaying a finished conservation project. It lets families see restoration in motion.
Prairie Pavilion and Other Amenities
The Prairie Pavilion sits beside the Nature Playground and serves as the main gathering place for this phase of the preserve. Its broad roof provides welcome shade, and the surrounding native plantings make the modern structure feel connected to the park.
The preserve map also identifies parking, an amphitheater, an outdoor classroom, scenic overlooks, and event parking. With the playground and pavilion located near the main parking area, families can begin their visit there before deciding how far they want to explore.
Based on our visit, I recommend allowing plenty of time for the playground before beginning your walk. Families with younger children can take a shorter route, while those with older kids may want to follow more of the trail network, stop at an overlook, and spend time looking for wildlife. Bring water, sunscreen, and insect repellent, and consider binoculars for birdwatching.
Future Plans for Carpenter Nature Preserve
The opening of Phase 1 is only the beginning. Plans include a nature center, enhanced wetlands, prairies and woodlands, a canopy walk, additional boardwalks and overlooks along Eagle Creek. These additions will expand both the recreational and educational opportunities available to families.
The first phase was made possible through state, local and private support. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources awarded $3 million through the Next Level Conservation Trust and another $500,000 through the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Indiana Stream and Wetland Mitigation Program plans to restore as much as 10,000 linear feet of Eagle Creek and its tributaries within the property. The Zionsville Parks Foundation also raised more than $800,000 in private and corporate donations.
Plan Your Visit
Carpenter Nature Preserve is located at 601 S. 900 E. in Zionsville. Before visiting, check with Zionsville Parks and Recreation for current park hours, rules, trail conditions, and any weather-related updates.
Our family visit to Carpenter Nature Preserve gave us a little of everything we enjoy about a day outside. My kids could climb, balance, build, and get their hands into the water features, and then we could explore the trails together. It is a beautiful new place for Central Indiana families to combine outdoor play with a genuine nature experience. Come for the giant climbing logs and water channels, then stay for a walk through a landscape that is slowly being reclaimed by wildflowers, wildlife, and water.
Address
601 S. 900 E.
Zionsville
in
Visit Carpenter Nature Preserve: A New Place to Play and Explore in Zionsville
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