Into the Wild

Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve

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Porter County, IN

COFFEE CREEK WATERSHED PRESERVE in Chesterton, Indiana, offers five miles of easy to moderate trails that wind through 167 acres of woodland, upland prairie, savanna, and wetland. While natural habitats comprise roughly 130 acres of the property, they mix with built structures and more manicured greenery on about 40 acres, making Coffee Creek a noteworthy experiment in the integration of nature with modern human uses. The combination of boardwalk, brick, woodchip, and granite trails make Coffee Creek comfortable to hike in all seasons.

Donated as a green space conservancy by developers of surrounding Coffee Creek Center, the preserve opened to the public in 1999 and remains under the stewardship of five environmental organizations. Hundreds of native plant species inhabit the preserve’s natural acreage, including woodland species such as false Solomon’s seal, wild ginger, wild geranium, and bloodroot.

Meandering the length of this acreage, Coffee Creek is the preserve’s centerpiece. Seven bridges cross the creek at various spots, creating popular stopping points like the Creek Overlook, Trellis Overlook, and Weir Bridge. Hikers can head onto an elongated three-mile loop trail along the creek corridor by crossing Bridge 1 and choosing the granite path that heads left through an open field. Or they can walk around the pavilion toward Bridge 3, where sounds of spring peepers from the marsh pond ahead catch the ear. The land rises steeply at a right fork, affording at its peak an overview of rolling tallgrass prairie and the distant woods. Look for signs of skunk cabbage along the path that skims the creek. Bridge 4 marks an exceptional spot to pause by spring-melt rapids. Around the bend on the lowland trail, look for signs of beaver at the edge of woodlands. Stands of old oak host a palette of unusual fungi formations.

Birders have identified 90 species within the preserve’s diverse ecological habitat. Yellow-rumped and Nashville warblers, American woodcocks, marsh wrens, and dickcissels all stop over in the spring. Bridges 2, 4, and 5 have gained a reputation as particularly good birding spots. Try Bridge 2, south of the pavilion, for a chance to see Baltimore orioles and warbling vireos.

A natural amphitheater and a large rental pavilion provide open-air venues for summer events. Atop the preserve’s comfort station, a green roof supports prickly pear, bluestem grasses, hens, and chicks. Behind the amphitheater, a stream of water cascades steeply into Phillips Pond, issuing from an innovative system that recycles stormwater runoff, filtering most of it back through the ground.

The preserve is open from dawn until 10 p.m. (After dusk, lights along boardwalks encourage walkers to stay out to see the bats, owls, and other night animals.) Kiosks and maps are located at the Sidewalk Road parking entrance and on Village Point Drive at the north end of Phillips Pond. To make reservations for a guided hike with preserve director Steve Barker, or to volunteer, call (219) 926–1842.

— Paula McHugh