Ron Rodgers loves to ride the trails at city parks on his e-bike. The 69-year old lives in the northwest part of the city, but says he likes to sample the sites his tax dollars have helped pay for.
He likes aspects of Garfield Park and other parks around the city, but his favorite is Riverside Regional Park.
“My dad used to live down the street when he was a little tyke,” Rodgers said. “Plus, it’s good parking for when I take the Indy trails.”
Rodgers believes Indianapolis needs more parks that contain picnic areas and green space where people can enjoy their natural surroundings — especially without paying an admission fee to enter.
That’s why Rodgers is excited about a new, free option being built on the west side: The Riverside Adventure Park.
What is the Riverside Adventure Park?
Riverside Adventure Park is a new 180-acre park under construction on the former Riverside Golf Course between 30th Street and Crooked Creek.
The park will be a part of the larger Riverside Regional Park and will include dozens of acres of prairies with native plants and wetlands, wilderness trails, skating trails, playgrounds, art installations, an archery range, a dog park and a race track for radio-control cars.
The adventure park will connect the west side with a wider network of trails and facilities across the city.
“When the 30th Street Bridge is completed, you’ll be able to walk the length of the Riverside Promenade Trail, cross the bridge and connect all these trails that are out here,” Indy Parks spokesman Alex Cortwright said. “The White River Trail is also nearby, so you really have unlimited hiking, biking and walking trails once it’s all completed.”
Embracing nature in Riverside
The park aims to embrace the natural areas and wildlife that exist on the west side.
“We like to remind people that there’s some really beautiful natural areas right here towards the middle of the city,” Cortwright said.
Tracks from deer and other animals are visible in the mud along the park trails, and the bark from newly planted trees is stripped away from deer rubbing their antlers to remove the velvet coating that grows on them during the summer.
A variety of tree species and other vegetation can be found throughout the park. Invasive plants were inventoried, removed and replaced with native plants.
Structures at the park, such as playgrounds and pavilions, were selected to imitate nature. The playgrounds are timber structures that emulate treehouses. Steel pavilions throughout the park are shaped like birds and river bends.
“Everything was done with nature in mind, so that it doesn’t stick out, and blends in with the natural environment,” Indy Parks construction administration Cory Kranek said.
When will the Riverside Adventure Park open?
The first phase of the park — which includes the trails, playground and shelters — is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The park will open to the public in spring 2025.
The first phase cost $13 million and was funded by the city’s Circle City Forward Initiative and a Lilly Endowment grant.
“Being able to bring this to an area that doesn’t have that type of programming is going to be a really neat opportunity,” Cortwright said.
Rodgers agrees. He said the project will benefit everyone, including neighbors who have limited means.
“It should be great,” he said, “and I think a lot of people will use it.”
When is future construction?
Indy Parks is finalizing a $6.8 million Department of Natural Resources grant to begin the second phase of the project: construction of an archery range. Work is expected to begin late 2025 or early 2026. The range is expected to open by fall 2026.
The third phase of park construction will be for the Riverside Nature Center. Indy Parks wants the nature center to include indoor and outdoor segments where people can learn about nature and commune with it. The center is still being designed and will be open for public comment once the design is completed. The construction date will be set once the design is finalized.
For more information about the project, head to the Riverside Regional Park Master Plan site.
Mirror Indy reporter Enrique Saenz covers west Indianapolis. Contact him at 317-983-4203 or enrique.saenz@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @heyEnriqueSaenz.
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