Free Hike & Learn program set for Jasper Farmers Market on June 6
Families can drop in at Jasper Farmers Market for free trail hikes, plant ID, and watershed activities, plus a chance at a $50 state park gift card.
Jasper will turn its farmers market and Riverwalk into a hands-on outdoor classroom on Saturday, June 6, when the Patoka Lake Watershed Steering Committee and its partners host a free Hike & Learn program from 8 a.m. to noon at 100 Third Ave.
Timed to National Trails Day, the morning is built for families, students and anyone who wants an easy way to spend part of the weekend outside. The U.S. Forest Service has marked June 6, 2026, as an additional recreation fee-free day in celebration of National Trails Day, and the event is designed to pair trail use with education about water quality and forest health.
Activities will be set up at the east end of the Jasper Farmers Market by the schoolhouse, with informational booths, educational activities and guided hikes. Two walks are planned during the morning: the Riverwalk Ramble at 8:30 a.m., led by Carla Striegel-Winner of the Dubois County Solid Waste Management District, and a Plant Identification Walk at 9:30 a.m., led by Marion Mason of Hoosier National Forest.
Participants in the guided hikes will receive a free prize and be entered into a same-day drawing for a $50 Indiana State Park gift card. No registration is required.
The setting is part of the draw. Jasper officials describe the Riverwalk as a 2.1-mile scenic paved walking path along the Patoka River, while TrailLink lists it at 3.4 miles and identifies it as a greenway trail in Dubois County. The nearby Dave Buehler Plaza area includes restrooms, four shelter houses, fishing, boat access, a grill, a playground, cornhole boards and other amenities, making it one of the easiest places in Jasper to bring children, stop for a short walk and stay as long as the morning allows.
That combination of recreation and education reflects the work of the Patoka Lake Watershed Steering Committee, which says it is dedicated to protecting water quality in the Patoka Lake Watershed and brings together invested individuals along with local, state and federal agency members. Hoosier National Forest, one of the partners in the event, says it offers a wide mix of recreation opportunities in southern Indiana, underscoring how local trails can do double duty as both public amenities and teaching tools.
A 2025 version of the event added birding and stormwater-themed walks, showing how the program has grown around the same National Trails Day idea. This year’s version keeps the focus on a simple payoff for Dubois County residents: a free Saturday morning, a short walk on a familiar trail and a closer look at the natural systems that shape daily life around Jasper and the Patoka River.
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