Enjoy the outdoors during finals at nearby parks and trails

Bust out the shorts and T-shirts - spring has finally arrived and it's a great time to go outside to have some fun in the sun.

Indiana County is home to many fine parks and trails to experience. Most of them are in walking or biking distance, and some are not too far to drive to.

One park that is right in our backyard is Memorial Park. It is located on the corner of South Sixth Street and Wayne Avenue.

The park is one of the smaller parks in Indiana County, but there is still enough room to throw a Frisbee or read a book on a bench in the shade.

Visiting the park would also get your historical site seeing out of the way for the day. Memorial Park was once a hiding place for travelers of the Underground Railroad, according to indianacountyparks.org.

Not too far from Memorial Park is Mack Park, located between Carter Avenue and North Sixth Street.

The park, which is known to many as the fairgrounds, features an outdoor swimming pool with diving area, a 90-foot figure-eight water slide, five ball parks, three tennis courts and an enclosed picnic pavilion, according to visitindianacounty.org.

For more information on Mack Park, call 724-465-7769.

Feel like stretching out the legs for a 10-mile jaunt? Hoodlebug Trail starts in Indiana and extends to just south of Homer City. The trail offers beautiful sites for those choosing to walk, jog or bike.

The trail entrance is located behind Hoss's on Wayne Avenue.

Blue Spruce Park is located approximately 15 to 20 minutes north from downtown Indiana, on Blue Spruce Road. According to visitindianacounty.org, the park contains a 12-acre lake stocked with trout, six miles of hiking and cross-country-skiing trails, four pavilions and two lodges available for public rental. In addition, there is a volleyball court, horseshoe court and areas for games and sports.

Visitors can view the Indiana County Master Gardener's Trial Garden, which displays the latest floral and plant selections from the Penn State Gardener's Select program.

Another trail that offers great scenic views is the Ghost Town Trail. This trail is 36 miles long and extends from Indiana County to Cambria County.

The trail is named after all of the abandoned coal-mining towns along the railroad corridor, according to the Indiana County Parks and Trails Web site. Two of the closest access points to the trail would be Ebensburg and Nanty Glo.

Two Lick Reservoir, located in the Brush Valley area in Indiana County, provides people the opportunity to fish, swim or take a boat out on the water for the day.

According to fishingworks.com, anyone interested in fishing at the reservoir should contact local guides and resources before heading out.

Yellow Creek State Park is another park that is located just outside of Indiana. Just 15 miles outside of Indiana, Yellow Creek can be reached by driving eastbound on route 422 for about 11 miles.

The two creeks of Yellow and Little Yellow create a lake where you can boat, fish or just relax by. There are three trails, from as short as a half-mile loop to as long as a two-and-a-half-mile trail.

The views from the trails offer spring wild flowers and the Yellow Creek dam, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Web site.

Get out of the dorm and experience what Indiana County has to offer in terms of parks and trails.