Did you know: Flowing Well Park was the first park that Carmel Clay Park & Recreation opened to the public? Located off of 116th Street and Gray Road, this 15-acre park has a long history in Carmel as being a great place for water enthusiasts, whether it’s water for gathering, drinking, playing or fishing.
Water Gathering
Like the name of the park suggests, Flowing Well Park is unique because of the artesian well that sits on the property. The well was accidentally discovered in 1904 by drillers looking for natural gas. However, the drillers didn’t find natural gas. Instead, they found an artesian well!
The well sat for many years as a pipe sticking out of the ground. Then in 1926, the well was donated for public use, and a concrete structure was built around the well.
Now, people come from all over Hamilton County, with empty jugs in hand, to collect the water that springs forth from the “Old Faithful” artesian well. Because the water is untreated groundwater, Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation suggests first boiling the water for one minute, and then letting it cool, before consuming it.
Creek Stomping at Flowing Well Park
Cool Creek winds its way through Flowing Well, making this a great park for creek stomping. There are lots of shallow areas that are great for young kids to splash and wade, and also some deeper areas of the creek for older kids to swim. There are lots of little rocks and shells along the bank of the creek to find and examine, and many opportunities to cool off on a hot day among the trickling water.
One of the improvements that was made to Flowing Well Park included reinforcing the creek banks. Because of this, there are signs along the creek that ask visitors to not move the rocks and make dams in the creek. As tempting as it is to build dams when creek stomping, this is to prevent the creek from further erosion.
Nature Exploring
Flowing Well Park is a great place to visit for a non-strenuous hike through nature. The park features a 1-mile-long trail that winds through the park woods and along the creek. There are interpretive signs all along the trail, with educational facts to help visitors learn about the natural world that is all around them.
In the spring, Flowing Well Park is a must-visit to spot wildflowers. Some of the native flowers and plants you might see include bloodroots, Great Waterleaf, PawPaw flowers, Virginia bluebells, yellow trout lily and lots of others.
The creek that runs through the park is also a great place to go fishing. Visitors will find creek chub, large and smallmouth bass, and sunfish in the water.
More Info
Flowing Well Park is located at 5100 E. 116th Street in Carmel. The park is open from sunrise to sunset. Find more info at carmelclayparks.com.
