Eagle Trail in Bicentennial Woods

This is a short loop along a wooded trail by a quiet creek, with a side trek to a secluded marsh. Although this hike is not exactly in “lake country,” it is close enough, and it is certainly worthwhile. As the city of Fort Wayne approached its 200th anniversary in 1994, a local land preservation group—Allen County Reserves (ACRES)—set about looking for an appropriate property to commemorate the historic occasion. This 80-acre tract is what the group selected, because the gigantic trees growing here are representative of what much of the area looked like before it was settled. Only a few trees were ever removed from the property, which is believed to be the last stand of virgin timber in the county. Stately oak trees with trunks 4 feet in diameter, and huge sycamores dominate a small, heavily wooded area that is bisected by Willow Creek, a quiet tributary of scenic Cedar Creek. Special Attractions: several gigantic oak, maple, and sycamore trees, some estimated to be 200 to 250 years old.