This past week, I traveled to Mitchel to visit Spring Mill State Park.

The park was established in 1927 and is sometimes called "a window" into Indiana's pioneer past. An original pioneer village still stands with a working grist mill that was constructed back in 1817. The park itself consists of 1,358 acres.There are other features of this park worth mentioning, including a memorial to Virgil Gus Grissom, who was the second U.S. astronaut in space.

Some of the special things that interest me about the park are its natural areas. Inside the state park are several caves and sinkholes, as well as three nature preserves : Donaldson Cave, Donaldson Woods and Mitchell Karst Plain.

George Donaldson came from Scotland and purchased the tract of forest in 1865. He would not allow cutting of timber or hunting. Thanks to his efforts, there are now native trees more than 300 years old in Donaldson Woods.

I hiked there on a late, summer day with temperatures in the low 80s. The sky was partly sunny, with no rain in the forecast. My chosen path for the day: Trail 4.

The trail is a loop trail two miles in length. It goes past Donaldson Cave, the Wilson monument, the pioneer village and Hamer Cemetery. It's considered rugged in ease of hiking.

I parked in the lot near the trailhead, and was soon descending lots of stairs. I didn't count them, but there were many, trust me. Good exercise.

I followed the trail, to the right, on the ramp that paralleled the creek until I came to the entrance of the cave.

Donaldson Cave, also known as the Shawnee Cave, is the last in the Shawnee drainage system. The water, which begins at the southeast portion of the park, travels through the cave system. When it enters Bronson Cave, the stream flows through 8,000 feet of underground passage before discharging out of the entrance of Donaldson Cave.

It's a beautiful and inspiring area. I made my way downstream along Trail 4 enjoying the beautiful forest with a quick stop at Wilson Memorial. The stone monument, erected in 1866, honors Scottish born Alexander Wilson, known as the father of ornithology.

Upon leaving the monument, I continued along the path until I arrived at the restored 1800s Pioneer Village. All of the shops are open and functioning, much as they were back in the 1800s.

The grist mill is the village's centerpiece. It was recently restored using poplar trees from McCormick's Creek State Park that were downed in the tornado three years ago. The wood was milled and dried and used for the flume that carries water from Hamer Cave to the mill's water wheel. I was pleasantly surprised that the water wheel was up and running and all the new parts on the inside of the mill intact and working. I felt a small bit of sentiment over the loss of the trees at one park, that benefited another. Something good had come out of the great loss. I was happy to see the mill restored.

I enjoyed walking through the shops and the pioneer garden. The late summer flowers were in rare form on this day. I had almost finished walking the trail when I passed by the old Hamer Cemetery. Some of the graves date back to the early 1800s. Most graves are for the pioneers who settled in the original village. A black wrought iron fence surrounds three sides of the cemetery with a beautiful, stone wall and arch on the other side. It's worth a look.

Finally, I arrived at the parking lot. I had a great day and a good hike -- so much to do and see at this wonderful park.

To get to this place: The park is located an hour south of Bloomington, three miles east of Mitchell on Ind. 60.

A quote for your week: "It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit." -- Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish novelist (1850-1894).

Until the next trail, Susan.

This article originally appeared on Evening World: Caves pioneer village Spring Mill State Park grist mill hiking