|
by Ron Trigg
"It sure doesn't seem like Indiana," said the lone hiker as I approached him on a high dune ridge. Indeed it did not. Before us shimmered the blue waters of a great freshwater sea; behind us towered a deep green forest. Not a single Hoosier cornfield in sight.
| |
 |
|
|
| |
Indiana Dunes blowout. Photo by Rich Witkiewicz. |
|
|
Great views are just one of the attractions awaiting those who visit the Indiana Dunes. Its sandy beaches have drawn Chicagoans for decades, but this is far more than just a playground for city dwellers. The 15,000 acres of natural and recreational land comprising Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and Indiana Dunes State Park offer an astonishing diversity of landscapes and natural communities. Plant ecologist Noel Pavlovic, who has been studying the Dunes for 20 years, says it is one of the richest places for plant diversity in the Midwest. "Indiana Dunes ranks seventh of all National Parks in native plant species richness," he says. "About 1,135 native plants have been identified, including 26 percent of all plants considered rare in Indiana." And with almost 45 miles of hiking trails, all this is within easy reach of most visitors. Where else can a short stroll take one past cactus, birch trees, and prairie grasses, all in their natural settings?
Miller Woods in Gary is the western gateway to the National Lakeshore. It may be the purest bit of duneland topography in the park, featuring rolling oak savanna with interspersed ponds. Waterfowl, herons, and egrets regularly visit the ponds, and visitors may see signs of beaver and muskrat activity.
The prickly pear cacti bloom in June, and prairie wildflowers — blazing star, goldenrod, aster, ironweed — take over in late summer. The most enchanting time to visit, however, may be September, when the gentians and ladies' tresses orchids put on their annual show.
Visitors can find some of the National Lakeshore's best trails at Cowles Bog, located near the town of Dune Acres. The main loop includes plenty of ups and downs as it leads past wetlands, through heavy forest of maple, birch, and pine trees, and over high dunes to a secluded beach. Turk's cap lily, wild bergamot, and butterfly weed are among the summer beauties to be found here, and the woods are filled with a great variety of colorful mushrooms — puffball, sulphur shelf, death angel. Visitors may also happen across a hognose snake, a fascinating nonvenomous serpent that hoods its head like a cobra when disturbed.
One can easily spend an entire afternoon hiking Dunes Nature Preserve, the wild heart of Indiana Dunes State Park. Trails 2, 9, and 10 feature a terrific variety of landscapes: high dunes, beach, blowouts, deep woods, and wetlands. The dune ridge on Trail 9 offers the best lake views. Look for bank swallows nesting in holes on the steep sides of blowouts, and six-lined racerunner lizards skittering across the sand. Pileated woodpeckers — generally accepted as North America's largest woodpecker — also famously inhabit these woods.
Roaming
Why not take a refreshing dip in Lake Michigan while in the area? The Dunes parks offer swimming at eight public beaches. West Beach and Dunes State Park are the most popular, but both charge access fees. The six lesser-known beaches have limited facilities, but, with free parking, they offer a better deal.
Perhaps the best summer wildflower display in the area is at Chesterton's Coffee Creek Watershed Preserve, a privately owned 167-acre natural area that is open to the public. Its three-mile loop trail meanders through a shady woodland, along the banks of a swift-flowing creek, and through a restored prairie where visitors might count more than 30 species in bloom in midsummer.
Pinhook Bog, located several miles southeast of the rest of the National Lakeshore, features quaking earth (dense mats of vegetation floating on water) and rare carnivorous plants like sundew and pitcher plant. Visits to this fragile environment are limited to guided tours, scheduled throughout the summer at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. on Sundays. Call (219) 926-7561 for reservations.
Many bicycling opportunities exist in the area. The nine-mile Calumet Trail parallels the southern boundary of the Dunes parks from Cowles Bog to Mount Baldy. A little farther south is the Prairie Duneland Trail, 11 paved miles from Chesterton westward to Hobart. For information on other trails, pick up a bicycling and hiking brochure at the Porter County Visitor Center, (800) 283-8687, at 800 Indian Boundary Road in Chesterton.
For local history, visit Bailly Homestead, the restored 1830s home of fur trader Joseph Bailly. Or tour Chellberg Farm, a late-19th-century Swedish farm that now operates as a working museum. Both facilities are within the National Lakeshore and have an open house every Sunday afternoon.
Foraging
After a day of exploration, head to historic downtown Chesterton for al fresco dining. Lucrezia Café at 428 S. Calumet Road, (219) 926-5829, offers authentic Italian cuisine, and Popolano's Restaurant at 225 S. Calumet Road, (219) 926-5552, has good family fare. If you come on a Saturday morning, stop at the outdoor European Market on Broadway for gourmet treats and fresh produce.
The Miller section of Gary features fine dining at Miller Bakery Café at 555 Lake Street, (219) 938-2229. Another nearby option is Café 444 at 444 Lake Street, (219) 939-0444; its eclectic menu, with French, Asian, and Mexican influences, is offered in a casual setting.
Bedding Down
Comfortable lodging options include Indian Oak Resort & Spa, at 558 Indian Boundary Road in Chesterton, (800) 552-4232, $70–120 per night, and Spring House Inn, 303 Mineral Springs Road in Porter, (219) 929-4600, $79-109 per night. For the local bed-and-breakfast experience, try Dunes Shore Inn in Beverly Shores, (219) 879-9029, $42–75 per night, or Gray Goose Inn in Chesterton, (800) 521-5127, $90–185 per night.
With the State Park campground closed for renovation all summer, camping opportunities will be limited in the Dunes this year, but Dunewood Campground at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore has 79 sites. Call (219) 926-7561, ext. 225, for reservations.
Events
- Gaelic Festival. June 19, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. at Sunset Hill Farm County Park in Valparaiso. $5 fee (children 8 and under free). Call (219) 465-3586.
- Swedish Midsummer Festival. June 27, 12–4 p.m. at Chellberg Farm. Free. Call the National Lakeshore at (219) 926-7561.
- Sand Sculpture Contest. July 10 at Indiana Dunes State Park. Registration begins at 9 a.m. Free with park admission ($8 per out-of-state car, $4 in-state). Call (219) 926-1390.
- Chesterton Art Fair. August 7-8, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. at Hawthorne Park in Porter. $5 admission. Call (219) 926-4711.
- Owl Night Hike. August 14, 7 p.m. at Indiana Dunes State Park. Free with park admission. Call (219) 926-1390.
- See also the Indiana State Parks Special Event Calendar.
More Articles About the Indiana Dunes
What
is Chicago Wilderness? | Store | Donations | Contact
Us | Home
Copyright
2008 Chicago Wilderness Magazine, Inc.
Revised .
|
