Hiking Indiana

Hiking Indiana
Sally McKinney
2000 

This guidebook, by the author of  Country Roads of Indiana, covers 100 day hikes in 45 parks throughout Indiana.   It's part of the same series as Hiking Michigan  and it features the same "Trail Finder": a list of all the trails that summarizes distance, difficulty, and trail features.   Each entry includes a trail map, a thumbnail state map showing its location, information about the park or recreation area, description of the trails, and a list of nearby points of interest.  The book includes a few black and white photos.  The hikes are divided into three regions: north, central, south.


Indiana Hikes relatively close to Kalamazoo

1. Elkhart
Elkhart Architecture Walk 3.5 miles
Elkhart Riverside Parks 3.7 miles
Bonneyville Mill North Loop 1 mile
Bonneyville Mill Lookout Loop 0.83 miles
"Elkhart, an early settlement at a river junction eventually became a sprawling manufacturing community.  Despite its growth, Elkhart has preserved many historic buildings, including early commercial buildings, churches, and homes."

Other areas of interest: Elkhart Environmental Center, Heart City Bike Tour (bike map pdf)

2. South Bend Riverside Parks
Howard Park to East Race Waterway 1 mile
"Hike through riverside parks that provide green oases in a large metropolitan area."

Other areas of interest:  Chapin Park National Register District, West Washington National Register District.



3. Potato Creek State Park
Quaking Aspen Loop 1 mile
Porter Rea Loop 2.5 miles
"The 327-acre lake was formed by stopping the waters of Potato Creek with an earthen dam."

Other areas of interest:  Lake Maxinkuckee

3 LaPorte County Parks
Hickory Hollow 0.75 miles
Crabapple Corners 0.8 miles

"In northern LaPorte County, the sandy lake bottom remained after the ancient Lake Chicago receded.  In southern LaPorte County, small freshwater lakes and moraines were formed by glacial action."
[Luhr County Park]

Other areas of interest: Pinhook Bog



4. Indiana Dunes State Park
Dune Mountain 1.5 miles
Forest to Dune Ridge 3.75 miles 
"There were four major glaciations here during the last million years.  Working in concert, glaciers, wind, and water created a distinctive and unusual moraine topography near the Lake Michigan shore."

Other areas of interest: Calumet Bike Trail



5. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Miller Woods 1.1 miles
West Beach-- Dune Succession Loop 1 mile
West Beach Loop 1.65 miles
Cowles Bog to Beach 2 miles
Beach to Cowles Bog 3.0 miles
Chellberg Farm Loop 1.2 miles
 "Behind the beach are the shifting sand dunes and behind them the swales, or depressions.  Farther back from the lake, there may be forest, then a marsh, than another type of forest, then a stream."

Other areas of interest: Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education


6. Chain O'Lakes State Park
Self-Guided Nature 0.5 miles
Sand Lake 1.3 miles
"Canoeists can put in at Miller Lake; paddle east through channels connecting three small lakes; and cross Sand lake, Bowen Lake, and Dock Lake before arriving at Long Lake, which is the end of the chain.  Hikers find trails around these lakes and use bridges to cross the narrow channels."  In this park, the lack of motorboats greatly enhances ta wildlife-watching experience."
Other areas of interest: Lake Wawasee, Lake Webster, Sylvan Lake



7. Pokagon State Park
Hell's Point 2.5 miles
Bluebird Hills  2 miles
"Before European settlers came, this area was favored by the Potawatomi Indians.  In fact, Pokagon State Park is named for two Potawatomi leaders, a father and son, who transferred title to three million acres to the federal government for about three cents an acre."
Other areas of interest:  Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area


This book seems to be out of print.  Amazon or  Barnes & Noble may have used copies.  Both Amazon and Google books let you preview selected pages of the book.  I borrowed a copy from my local library.