Registration opens for Happy Little (virtual) 5K run

Registration is open for the Happy Little (Virtual) 5K, which the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation (INRF) will welcome back for the fourth year in 2026.

In 2025, the virtual run raised more than $41,000 for tree plantings and healthy forest initiatives in Indiana State Parks, with more than 2,300 participants.

The event is open to everyone, and registrants can complete their 5K anywhere outdoors - on foot, by bike, skate or paddle, or using a mobility device - anytime between April 18-26, 2026, to encompass Earth Day (April 22) and Arbor Day (April 24).

For $36 per person, each participant will receive a keepsake Happy Little T-shirt, a commemorative bib number, and a finisher's medal. Proceeds support tree planting and forest protection efforts in state parks.

"The Happy Little 5K is a great way to celebrate Indiana State Parks and Indiana's special connection to Bob Ross, while getting healthy outdoor exercise at the same time," said Brandt Baughman, director of Indiana State Parks. "We are thankful to all who sign up and support the management of our parks' natural resources."

Ross filmed his iconic television show, The Joy of Painting, in Muncie for more than a decade. The program aired on public television stations around the world.

The virtual event was first created by the Michigan DNR in partnership with Bob Ross, Inc. in 2020. Thirteen states, including Indiana, have since then. Participants from Indiana should select Indiana on their registration to support Indiana State Parks.

For more information and to sign up for the race, visit runsignup.com/happylittletrees.

To view more DNR news releases, please see dnr.IN.gov.