The Nature Conservancy - Green’s Bluff

Green’s Bluff Preserve

Why You Should Visit
Green’s Bluff is a large wooded riparian habitat with uplands, ravines, tributary valleys, steep cliffs, karst features, hemlock forest and floodplain forest. The preserve also features a great blue heron rookery as well as an old grist mill whose remnants can be found in a bend of Raccoon Creek.

Location
Owen County

Ecoregion
Interior Low Plateau

Size
563 Acres

Dedicated
State Nature Preserve, 1986

Owned & Managed By
The Nature Conservancy

Partners
Department of Nature Preserves & Indiana Heritage Trust

How to Prepare for Your Visit
The preserve is open for visitation. The trails have not been developed and is quite rugged, but there is an old road through the preserve that can be used for hiking. Rock climbing and rappelling are not allowed For more information please consult the Conservancy’s Preserve Visitation Guidelines.

Directions
From Bloomington, travel on S.R. 48 west for about eight miles to the junction with S.R. 43 where S.R. 48 ends. Take S.R. 43 north about five miles to the village of Freeman. About 1.5 miles past Freeman turn left onto Sherfield Road. This road comes to a "T" after about a mile. Turn left and go about 0.4 mile to where the road ends. You’ll see a Green’s Bluff Nature Preserve sign. Walk along the old road into the preserve.

From Spencer, travel on S.R. 46 east. Just past McCormick’s Creek State Park turn right on S.R. 43. After about five miles turn right on Sherfield Road. This road comes to a "T" after about a mile. Turn left and go about 0.4 mile to where the road ends. You’ll see a Green’s Bluff Nature Preserve sign. Walk along the old road into the preserve.

What to See: Plants and Animals
Several dense stands of hemlock trees cover the steep slopes and cliffs along the south side of the valley. Thick beech-maple woods grow in the rugged ravines while sycamore trees tower over the scouring rush (horsetails) which flourish along the creek. Green’s Bluff is one of two Indiana sites where mountain spleenwort (Asplenium montanum) can be found. Other rare plants include hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula), goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) and spotted wintergreen (Chimaphila maculata). Spring is a great time to view the vast array of stunning wildflowers, and the view from atop the sandstone bluff reveals a wooded landscape that feels like true wilderness.

What The Nature Conservancy is Doing/has Done
A recent addition to Green’s Bluff Preserve added important acreage and protected the site from imminent development. Ongoing stewardship tasks include trash removal, boundary posting, interior fence removal, and tree planting.