LaPorte County, IN
Lake Michigan Beach at Mt. Baldy
Lying a bit outside of the Indiana Dunes spectacle, LaPorte county is full of tucked away nature places that create a sense of discovery.
The whole area is full of best kept secrets, starting with the county seat town of Laporte itself. Hidden in plain sight in the middle of Northwest Indiana, La Porte is a quaint, historic city with a small-town feel. Over the last few years, the town has taken steps to develop its 850 acres of parkland which surround nearly half a dozen lakes all within town limits, and interconnect the historic downtown to the natural surroundings via a network of scenic trails.
LaPorte County Parks
Sebert Woods. Sebert Woods is a boreal forest relic, and it is virtually impossible to find on Google maps. It is tucked up near the Michigan border off Highway 39 on county road 925 North. This state-dedicated nature preserve shelters plants and habitat that would normally occur much farther north. The combination of its location near Lake Michigan, the wet sandy soils, hirtoric land disturbances, and cooler weather have allowed this small slice of land to foster a unique ecosystem. The park has a short half-mile loop dirt trail through the forest, which includes species such as wintergreens, paper birch, winterberry, high bush blueberry, orchids, Starflower, many ferns and more.
Bluhm County Park. Alongside the usual recreational facilities, including an off-leash dog park, Bluhm Park, near the town of Westville, includes 96 acres of spring wildflowers, upland forest, wetland, prairie and a pond. The east side of the park is quite well known in the area as being one of the best places to see a profusion of wildflowers. The west side features a large wetland area, and multi-use trails for cycling, horseback riding, cross country skiing and hiking.
Creek Ridge County Park encompasses 112 acres and is located just south of Michigan City. The main natural attraction here is the annual steelhead migration from Lake Michigan which occurs along Trail Creek. This can be viewed from Steelheaders Boardwalk. More boardwalk trails throughout make it possible for all visitors to enjoy park’s open field prairies, wetlands, and hardwoods with glimpses of deer, rabbits, and (with luck) even foxes who make their home here.
Luhr County Park is situated on 94 acres just south of La Porte. It contains a small network of trails through four distinct ecosystems: upland forest, wetland, prairie, and a pond (with an accessible fishing pier). It is also home to a Nature Center with a variety of hands-on environmental displays.
Headwaters of Little Calumet River…
…and rare wintertime sandhill cranes at Red Mill Park.
Must Do
Red Mill County Park. This park is the jewel of LaPorte County park system, and includes a large state-dedicated nature preserve which is home to the headwaters of Little Calumet River. Just south of Michigan City, this park has over 3 miles stunning trails through its 160 acres, featuring gravelly climbs, views of open water and and a “floating trail” over wetlands. Waterfowl abound here, and we’ve even spied and unusual sight here: sandhill cranes, which normally migrate to warmer regions, in the middle of winter.
LaPorte Couty houses a relatively small, but possibly the most famous part of Indiana Dunes National Park: Mount Baldy. Once a popular scrambling destination, the huge dune is now off-limits to hikers due to its extreme fragility, and sinkhole hazards that were discovered in 2013 when a 6-year-old was trapped for over three hours beneath 11 feet of sand when a sinkhole opened up.
Rising 126 feet above Lake Michigan, Mt. Baldy is a "wandering dune" moving as much as 5 feet per year, which may not seem like a lot, until you see how much of the parking area has been swallowed up.
There’s currently a 3/4 mile trail to the beach which is open to the public. The short but very steep Summit Trail to the top of the dune is restricted and can be accessed only via ranger-led tours. Daytime and sunset hikes are scheduled throughout the summer and at other times of the year. This is not to be missed for anyone who wants to experience the magnitude of a living dune, and incomparable views from its peak.
Michigan City Lighthouse. This iconic red and white beacon, situated at the end of the long pier in Washington Park, is the only public operating lighthouse in Indiana. The historic catwalk, once used by lighthouse keepers to access the structure, has been preserved, and runs the length of the pier. Just a short distance south of the lighthouse is the 1858 Michigan City Lighthouse, the current home to the Old Lighthouse Museum. This photogenic building is worth a look any time of the year, but if you visit in season, be sure to step inside for a wealth of insights into local history.
Friendship Botanic Gardens. If you’re cruising east on Route 12 on your way to Michigan, you might just miss it. But don’t! The towering second-growth forests and wetlands that surround the gardens form the perfect natural backdrop for winding trails and cultivated exhibits inside, along the banks or Trail Creek. While here, you can visit the historic Heritage Gardens commemorating cultures around the world, and take a self-guided tour over the Pottawatamie and Wilderness Trails.
Ambler Flatwoods tunnel of trees…
…and creek reflections.
Best Kept Secrets
As noted, many things in LaPorte County are relatively unknown, affording visitors intimate glimpses at unique bits of nature, away from noise and crowds.
Barker Woods Nature Preserve is managed by Shirley Heinz Land Trust, and sits on a 30-acre protected parcel in the middle of Michigan City, IN. In addition to housing the headquarters of Save The Dunes, a local organization working to advance land preservation, habitat restoration, and public access, this nature preserve is a rare urban island of old growth forest. Though the trail is less than a mile long, it creates a satisfying and peaceful escape from city busyness, or an enjoyable place to take a break on a longer tour, where you can rest and relax among tall trees, flowering native shrubs, and maybe even spot some woodpeckers or a horned owl.
Ambler Flatwoods is a magical discovery of a trail starting from an unremarkable parking area off a country road. Also managed by Shirley Heinz Trust, this is a fairly large area with a total trail network covering over 4 miles. From the parking lot off Meer Road just north of Tryon Road, the Louise Landau trail heads north-east through a verdant and moist, jungle-like flatwoods preserve, criss-crossed with mysterious berms, with ponds and small rivulets forming in the low spots in between. The trail seems to end at another parking area at Freyer Road, but don’t be fooled. If you continue across the road, you will be treated to a storybook tunnel of evergreens formed by what was once a Christmas tree farm, with trees now grown to their full size. Further past this marvel is another lush and overgrown loop along the steep edges of a small creek, with a bridge crossing offering beautiful, sun-speckled reflections of the woods in the pooling water.
Trail Creek Fen is a little known gem you might miss on your way to somewhere else. Wedged off Highway 20 between some residential buildings, the 38-acre undisturbed wetland is an example of now rare, but once commonplace natural environment along stream corridors in this geographical region. There’s no trail here, and buzzing insects abound in the moist thicket, but it’s worth stopping here to appreciate the variety of plant species (including several that are endangered or threatened in Indiana). The area is dominated by grasses, has an abundance of carnivorous pitcher plant, and the surrounding forest consists of tamarack and dwarf birch. Though you are unlikely to spot them on a casual visit, rare animal species are also present here, including yellow-spotted turtles and Baltimore checkerspot butterflies.
Pinhook Bog. Now part of the National Park System, the Pinhook Bog Trail features two very different habitats. The 2-mile Upland Trail loop is open to the public and wanders through a rich beech and maple forest growing on top of a 15,000 year old glacial moraine.
The Bog Trail leads to a depression in the moraine made when a large piece of ice broke from the melting glacier thousands of years ago, creating a freshwater lake. Over millennia, the lake stagnated, giving rise to a very unique ecosystem, one of only two in the state of Indiana. Pinhook Bog is home to 1/3 of Indiana’s rare or endangered plants. The acidic water creates the ideal environment for a variety of carnivorous plants and sphagnum moss. The moss forms a thick carpet which floats over the surface the bog, where other plants and even trees can take root. This floating mat flexes perceptibly underfoot, and is known as a “quaking bog”. The Bog Trail has restricted access, and is only open during ranger-led open houses on summer weekends, but it is well worth the detour from the main road and your other activities to see this highly unusual natural gem.
Adjacent Attractions
This part of Indiana, tucked just underneath the Michigan border, has some nearby natural attractions you may want to visit when you’re in the area:
Lydick Bog is a dedicated Indiana state nature preserve located in South Bend, and managed by Shirley Heinz Trust. It protects one of the last remaining sphagnum bog habitats in Indiana featuring characteristic plant species, including winterberry, tamarack, large cranberry and carnivorous species like round-leaved sundew and pitcher plant. The 260-acre preserve also contains a marsh, a large riparian corridor, and several glacier-carved kettle holes which collect water from the surrounding hills.
The preserve is a haven for amphibians and reptiles, and a wide variety of birds.
Spicer Lake. Following (the charmigly named) route W 1000 N, the last eastboud road before hitting the Michigan Border, you’ll travel about 14 miles over bucolic rolling ladscape through wide-flung horsefarms to Spicer Lake in St. Joseph County. This quiet county park has 320 acres with trails through woods and old-growth fields, and extensive boardwalk over the wetlands teeming with life.
Potato Creek State Park is a nature-lover’s bonanza, with miles of biking, hiking and bridle trails, plus modern campground (with cabins available), and water recreation, including kayak rental, on the 327-acre Worster Lake.