MARSHALL, Ind.

After hiking at Turkey Run State Park for just a few minutes, it is as if we have been transported to another time.

Large rock formations jut skyward on each side, some extending overhead. Moss covers large segments. Small trees poke out of cracks.

The roots of large trees are 40 feet above. Sunlight pokes through the canopy of leaves like a collection of high-powered flashlights. The only sound is water running down the rocks, spreading out in a sheet at our feet.

Even though it is a warm July day, the air and sandstone are cool as we make our way through one of Turkey Run’s historic trails.

The 1.7-mile trail we chose to hike is one of hundreds in Indiana. The state has 1,440 miles of open trails for hiking, and 702 additional miles under development for non-motorized use, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

More than 1,000 miles of those trails are geared specifically toward hiking. In short, no matter where you live in Indiana, a hike is no more than a short drive away.

Trails range from less than a mile to the 58-mile Knobstone Trail in Southern Indiana.

“Whether it’s day hiking or overnight, there’s a lot of opportunity in Indiana,” said Skip Hubbs of the Hoosier Hikers Council, a volunteer organization that helps procure and preserve land for hiking.

The 14 miles of trails in Turkey Run, located in west central Indiana, are among the state’s most popular, along with Brown County State Park in Nashville and Clifty Falls State Park in Madison.

Besides Knobstone, other popular longer trails in Indiana are the Adena Trace Loop in Brookville and the Tecumseh Trail in Yellowwood State Forest in Nashville.

Standing on a bed of leaves surrounded by eastern hemlocks at Turkey Run, it’s difficult to believe Indiana’s forests were nearly destroyed a little more than a century ago.

Indiana had 23 million acres of forestland, but that was reduced to less than 2 million by commercial use in 1900, according to the DNR.

Richard Lieber, a businessman and conservationist living in Indianapolis, led the effort to create a system of state parks. Turkey Run was to be the first state park, but Lieber’s group lost the initial bid for the land to a lumber company. Public pressure contributed to the lumber company’s decision to sell the land, and Turkey Run became the second state park, following McCormick’s Creek.

The first parcel of the 2,382 acres that is now Turkey Run State Park was purchased for $40,200 on Nov. 11, 1916.

“Turkey Run is unique in its geological rock formations and the trail segments going to those formations,” said Barbara Cummings, whose job as interpretive naturalist is to explain the park’s significance to visitors.

The “punch bowl” is an area carved out by rock carried by glaciers that once covered much of Indiana.

The “ice bowl,” another geologically preserved area, is refrigerator-cool even on hot days. Some trees are more than 400 years old.

The trails range from easy to rugged, including one that has a ladder up a 70-foot cliff. Despite having cerebral palsy, Dustin Herrmann, 19, was able to navigate a trail listed as “very rugged” with help from his brother, Patrick, and family friend Sonny Richardson, 62.

Turkey Run draws visitors from around the Midwest. A count 10 years ago put annual visitors at 750,000.

“It’s always been one of our favorite places,” said Jan Rice, visiting with her husband, Rich, and son, Matt, from the Chicago suburbs. “It has hiking, canoeing, camping, everything, all in one place.”

There are concerns. One sign along the path notes the erosion rate is spiraling out of control due to “Illegal foot traffic: Hiking off the marked trails and climbing over the rocks.”

After more than two hours on the trails, the calves are weary. The body is a little fatigued, but the soul is refreshed.

“The physical health benefits are obvious, but what we’ve always found is that you’ll experience unique events, whether it’s viewing animals or other unusual things,” Hubbs said. “There is something called trail magic. Trail magic is when something happens out of the blue.”

He experienced trail magic. He met his wife, Marsha, while hiking in Morgan Monroe State Forest. They were married in 2002 in the same spot they met.