Visit the EcoLab at Marian University

What is there to do at the Nina Mason Pulliam EcoLab?

• The public is welcome to be our guests in the NMP EcoLab dawn to dusk. Please no bikes on the trails, dogs must be on a leash, and clean up after yourselves.
• School groups, church groups, garden clubs, scout troops, homeschool groups, and others can schedule a guided group activity in the NMP EcoLab. See our program page for more information on educational programs, and contact Sarah Downing, sdowning1@marian.edu, if your adult group is interested in a tour.
• NMP EcoLab staff and student interns also lead activities for the general public such as weekly bird walks, monthly natural and/or cultural history programs, and activities that allow the public to get involved in an on-going historical and ecological restoration project. Visit our main page for scheduled events and check back often.
• Birding is excellent in the NMP EcoLab! The Crooked Creek corridor acts as an oasis within the city, drawing migrants to stop at the NMP EcoLab, making warbler and other migrant watching especially exciting in the spring and fall. The NMP EcoLab also attracts several species of sparrows, making it a great place to practice your identification skills. Interesting breeding birds include Great Horned Owl, American Woodcock, Common Yellowthroat, Wood Duck, Baltimore Oriole, and many more.
• The flowers are spectacular along the trails in the NMP EcoLab, especially in the late summer. The first flower to open is the skunk cabbage in February in the fen along the south shore trail, but there is interesting color in the NMP EcoLab year round.
• Beaver watching is great at dawn and dusk in the main pond. Beaver are farmers, so vegetation along wetland trails such as the Rustic and the East Barkchip Trails can be different every time you visit. Lucky visitors can see other mammals such as deer, fox, and mink wandering the NMP EcoLab.
• The NMP EcoLab is also just a nice place to take a walk and enjoy being outdoors.

Directions

We are located on the near west side of Indianapolis, Indiana, on Cold Spring Road between 30th and 38th Street. Take the northern-most entrance into Marian University (near Allison Mansion). You may either park in the big lot in front of Marian Hall and use the stairs behind Allison Mansion or park further back, behind the gym and enter from the mulched trail leading behind the Overlook at Riverdale apartment building. The main entrance stairs to the EcoLab are located behind Allison Mansion. 

Hours: Dawn to Dusk Daily

Rules:

• Foot Traffic Only - no bikes on trails
• Pets are allowed on leash. Clean up after your pet.
• No swimming in the ponds.
• Clean up after yourself.