Lake County, IN

Nature and industry at Wolf Lake in Lake County, IN (photo by Justyna Frank)

“Largest freshwater sand dunes in the world line the southern shores of Lake Michigan” —reads the inscription on the historical marker at the Southernmost point of Lake Michigan in Marquette Park located in Gary, IN.

It’s hard to believe that this much-maligned area serves as a gateway to some of the most breathtakingly beautiful, uniquely midwestern natural wonders which are easily accessible to anyone from Chicago who craves solitude, serenity, wildlife and contact with nature.

Although the area is ravaged with heavy industry, including steel mills and refineries, it is precisely the contrast with this dystopic, man-made lanscape that highlights the power of nature to regenerate both itself, and our human spirit.

Lake Co, IN: the gateway to Indiana Dunes National Park

The National Park

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore officially became a National Park in 2019. Its western entry point —closest to Chicago— is in the Miller Beach community of Gary in Lake County, IN at the Paul Douglas Center for Environmental Education, from which you can access the Miller Woods Trail (now called the Paul Douglas Trail).

The trail starts at the Nature Center and ends at Lake Michigan beach. It leads out on paths and boardwalks along a wetland, with good opportunities for birdwatching. It then skirts the edge of the black oak savanna along an old, overgrown railroad bed, and then veers north toward the lake following edges of interdunal ponds, where you may be able to see beaver (or at least their structures), deer, waterfowl, turtles and occasionally a coyote. During warm months, these ponds may be explored by kayak if you put in and paddle over from the nearby Marquette Park.

This trail offers wonderfully intimate views of both the dunes and Lake Michigan. The oak savanna's native grasses and wildflowers, including lupine, thrive in the sunlight and open forest floor. May is usually peak lupine season, when they carpet the woodland floor in a stunning, lavender-colored display.

As tempting as it is to clamber over the steep dunes, stay on the narrow trail to protect yourself from poison ivy along the trail edges, and to help preserve this fragile habitat.

Interdunal Ponds at Miller Woods (photo by J. Frank)

Abandoned roads outside Miller Woods (photo by J. Frank)

Local Parks

In addition to typical family and recreation activities, local parks offer unique opportunities to to explore the county’s natural beauty. Lake County Parks and Rec Department oversees over 7,000 acres of land, with over 100 miles of trails. Nearby township parks steward pockets of nature tucked into urban and industrial spaces.

• Deep River County Park features Wood’s Historic Grist Mill in its southern section, Maple Lake with surrounding trails on the north end, and a canoe launch for paddling on the river.

• Gibson Woods Nature Preserve. This is a 179-acre state dedicated nature preserve with over 3 miles of trails through its globally rare dune and swale ecosystem, and another example of black oak savanna.

• Grand Kankakee Marsh. Along the southern border of the country is a natural area managed by Lake County that has been referred to as “the Everglades of the north” (minus alligators). Once a magnificent natural wonder, the marsh is now a shadow of its former self. The area is currently under ecological restoration, and together with the nearby Kankakee National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area comprises acres of habitat for migrating waterfowl and other wildlife.

• Hammond Bird Sanctuary. Just south of the Chicago border, along 1800 feet of Hammond shoreline, is a serene, wooded wildlife refuge. Surrounded by industry, the sanctuary is welcome spot for local bird species as well as an important stopover for birds migrating over long distances over the American continents during spring and fall. More info here.

State Park

Dedicated as both a State Nature Preserve and a National Natural Landmark in 1977, Hoosier Prairie in Lake County, IN is home to a stunning array of prairie plants and great ecological diversity, especially given its proximity to the ubiquitous industry of Northwest Indiana.

This preserve is a large remnant of the prairie landscape that was once covered huge swaths of the region. Situated north of the Valparaiso Moraine, it features rolling topography, and exceptionally diverse flora, with over 350 native species of plans which thrive in the wide range of moisture conditions that occur here. Hoosier Prairie an ideal spot to observe native birds and other animals in their natural surroundings.

Bike Trails

Lake County, IN features the trailheads and connectors to the extensive Northwest Indiana bike path network, including the following trails, which may be connected together for a variety of day-long trips:

• Pennsy Greenway starts in Calumet City IL, but the most scenic and relaxed sections, with some rolling hills, can be found heading south from Centennial Park in Munster, IN.

• Erie Lackawana Trail is the longest off-street bike trail in this region, spanning 17 miles between Hammond and Crown Point. Along the way, it connects to several other trails, Including Oak Savannah and Little Calumet Levy Trail.

• Oak Savanna Trail runs from Griffin to Hobart, where it joins the Prairie Duneland Trail, which travels beyond Lake County borders into neighboring Porter County.

Between those trails, which form the framework of the NW Indiana trail system, are various connecting trails, spurs and on-street connections that allow you to design a route for a long day’s outing, or as part of a longer tour. The east-west running trails connect —over the Illinois border— with the south portion of the Grand Illinois Trail, which takes cyclists (almost seamlessly) to the Great River Trail along the Mississippi.

Currently under construction through sections of Lake County, the Marquette Greenway will eventually connect Chicago to New Buffalo, MI, over 60 miles of dedicated off-street bike trail.

Calumet River at Seidner Preserve (photo J. Frank)

Sea of wild hibiscus at Lake George (photo Connie Vann)

Must Do

• Miller Woods Trail, mentioned above, is not to be missed. Despite its proximity to highways, railroads and industry, it will let you get lost among the dunes, and reward you with a sense of wonder and discovery.

• Paddle Lake County, IN! Coastlines, dunes, trails, and water are everywhere. Lake Michigan shoreline, Calumet River, Deep River, inland lakes and other waterways, make this a paddler’s paradise, with tons of options for quiet explorations, away from crowds and motorcraft.

  Northwest Indiana Paddling Association holds classes and paddling events, and also maintains an up-to-date resource page for local water trails and their conditions, including Marquette Park, Kankakee River, Little Calumet, Portage Lakefront, and more.

• Bike the trails around Wolf Lake, and to Whihala Beach in Whiting, IN. In mid-summer, the native hibiscus display along the banks of Lake George is like nothing you’ve ever seen. If you follow the (somewhat discontinuous) lakefront trail north from there, you can access the Hammond Bird Sanctuary mentioned earlier.

And, though this is not a nature preserve, don’t miss the town famous for its murals: Rensselaer in Jasper County, IN. This art initiative was the brainchild of people who wanted to give a forgotten town a sense of identity and community, and spur some tourism. The result is breathtaking: over 40 official large-scale murals adorn buildings and alleys throughout the small downtown, but the “unofficial” surprise murals keep popping up on anything from garage doors, to utility poles, to manhole covers. A gorgeous day trip from Chicago, and the perfect little town to explore by bike.