note: if you're lost or will be late, text or call me at 773-415-0428.,
if you are late, and we have already departed--if you are a little late and walk fast, take trail 10, then take a right onto trail 2, and you should catch up with us. if you're way late, or walk slowly, start out on trail 10, then turn right at trail 8, then turn left at trail 2, and you should run into us coming the other way.
you will need an 2025 Indiana DNR pass, or to pay an entrance fee to get into the park. this is different from the NPS permit.
dear hiking friends--
we invite you to a hike on beautiful trail 2 at the Indiana Dunes State Park, featuring the Great Marsh long boardwalk, and the Wilson Shelter bridge over the wetland, then back to the nature center.
We will meet at the Indiana Dunes State Park Nature Center, with restrooms and nature displays, which you might want to give a viewing before or after the hike. take IN-49 north till it ends at the park entrance. after the gate, take the first exit at the traffic circle, and follow it to the Nature Center. park, and meet at the Nature Center entrance.
if the Nature Center parking lot is full, follow signs to overflow parking, then follow a short trail to the Nature Center.
the Great Marsh is a vast wetland that formed inland of the lakefront dunes, and stretches, at varying widths, from Gary to Michigan City. it is home to many species of plants, birds, and other vertebrates and invertebrates.
we will start from the nature center on trail 10 along the north edge of the marsh, until we come to the trail 2 boardwalk.
the old boardwalk was destroyed in a flood caused by beavers, but a new boardwalk was constructed sometime earlier in the millennium. the boardwalk goes on for a long way over the entire width of the wetland, which is resplendent with a golden carpet of marsh marigolds at the right time (probably a bit later than this hike). in the middle of the boardwalk, we will make a stop at the Wetland Observation Platform to see what we can see of avian and other life in the marsh.
then we will walk for a while through a lowland secondary forest till we come to trail 8. we will turn right on trail 8, past Wilson shelter, and onto the scenic bridge that crosses the Great Marsh at the point where it flows into Dunes Creek.
then we will turn left and take trail 10 back to the nature center and our vehicles, for a total hike of about 4 miles. here we can use the restrooms, and look at the exhibits if we want.
Be sure to bring along a snack which we will eat on the trail, plus enough water (one quart minimum). check the weather before departure http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USIN0786 and make sure to have appropriate clothing and footwear, sunscreen if needed, a hat for the sun, etc.
this should be a dog-friendly hike, so you may bring your well-behaved, leashed Canine American friends.
i will pass a hat for a small donation to cover expenses: mostly, this is the cost of using the meetup website, but sometimes I need some dinero to pay for occasional gifts to neighbors who let us use their parking, prizes for contests, etc. as long as i can cover this with people putting $2-3 in a can, i prefer not doing anything more binding or complicated.
i also encourage you all to take and post pictures to the site. if you don't know how to post to the site, text pictures to me, and i will post them.
if you have symptoms of, or have recently tested positive for Covid-19 (or any other contagious disease), please DO NOT ATTEND.
also bring a mask for situations where we might need one (eg, using a crowded washroom, or getting a ride in someone else's car).
if you don't have a state park pass, you may consider meeting with others at the Visitor Center at IN-49 & US 20 to car pool into the park. to find others interested in car pooling, leave a message in the remarks below.
hope to see you there,
Rick
previous events at this location:
2023 https://www.meetup.com/ricks-hiking-fun-group/photos/33474532/
