MapleHeart Trail

The MapleHeart Trail connects Goshen, Indiana to Elkhart and its name brought images of majestic trees, perhaps painted with early fall color.  I'd biked the Pumpkinvine Trail out of Goshen and I expected a bucolic ride through rural Indiana.

But, I was wrong.

The MapleHeart Trail is a purely practical connector between Goshen and Elkhart.   It's neither tree-lined nor rustic.  It's basically a wide side-walk along a county highway.  If you live in Goshen and want to get to Elkhart, the trail takes you there, safely and easily. Transportation over recreation.  Practical bike routes make a lot of sense given the large Amish population in the region, who use the trails to commute.

To be fair, it's a nice ride to the attractive Ox Bow County Park, about halfway between the two towns.  It also connects to the Pumpkinvine Trail, for those wanting a longer ride.

My ride started in Abshire Park, east of Goshen.  From there, it was 9 miles to Elkhart, on a combination of the Pumpkinvine Trail, the Wilden Avenue Connector, and the MapleHeart Trail.  It was a beautiful afternoon and good exercise, even it not exactly what I expected.

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.

Country Roads of Indiana

Country Roads of Indiana
Sally McKinney
1999

This small guidebook describes a dozen drives throughout the state of Indiana.  Each chapter gives driving directions and discusses the villages, shops, and vistas along the way.  A few pen and ink drawings illustrate every chapter and a list of phone contacts is included.

Four of the excursions in northern Indiana are reasonably close to Kalamazoo.

1. Meander through Amish Country: Elkhart to Lagrange
Elkhart, Bristol, Goshen, Nappanee, Middlebury, Shipshewana, Lagrange
"For a drive in the slow lane, travel through Indiana's Amish country with its tidy farms, clanging school bells, and horse-drawn buggies.  In two northern counties, Elkhart and Lagrange, about 17,000 Amish live in one of the three major communities in rural America."
Selected highlights:
Elkhart riverside parks and bike routes
Bonneyville Mill County Park
Amish Acres
Deutsch Kase Hause
Shipshewana Auctions and Flea Market
Menno-Hof


2. From Courthouse to Lakeshore: Crown Point to La Porte
Crown Point, Hebron, Valparaiso, Chesterton, Michigan City, La Porte
"A leisurely drive through northwestern Indiana from Crown Point to La Porte lets you cruise through small-town America, beside small farms, through suburbs, along Lake Michigan's southern shore, and inland to Indiana's small-lake country."
Selected highlights:
Stoney Run County Park
Indiana Dunes State Park
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore


3. Wildflowers & Lake Country: Pokagon State Park to Gene Stratton Porter House
 Pokagon State Park, Angola, Orland, Greenfield Mills, Brighton, Mongo,  Ontario, Lagrange, Gene Stratton Porter House
"Northeastern Indiana has long been known for glacial lakes, forests, streams, and patches of wildflowers.  You can come by interstate, but once you arrive, follow the country roads to find nature preserves, hiking trails, boat rentals, small villages, antique shops, family resorts, and scenic waterways."
Selected highlights:
Pokagon State Park
Pigeon River Fish and Wildlife Area  (Trading Post canoe outfitters]
Gene Stratton Porter State Historical Site



4. Wings across the Plains: Jasper Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area to Plymouth
Jasper Pulaski Fish & Wildlife Area, Bass Lake, Culver, Twin Lakes,  Plymouth
"Sandhill cranes, the Jasper-Pulaski area's star visitors, stand up to three and a half feet tall, weigh 10 to 12 pounds, and fly on wingspreads up to seven feet.  During the autumn, they leave nesting grounds in the wetlands of southern Canada and the upper Midwest, using the Jasper-Pulaski area as a refuge before flying to marshlands in southern Georgia and Florida for the winter."
Selected highlights:
Jasper Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area
Tippecanoe River State Park


Apparently this book is out of print.  Amazon will let you "look inside" and Barnes and Noble may have used copies.  I got this from my public library.

Pumpkinvine Nature Trail

The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail in northern Indiana is about an hour's drive south of Kalamazoo.  Last summer we rode a section near Goshen.  A few days ago, we rode from Middlebury to Shipshewana,  in the heart of Indiana's Amish community.

In Middlebury, there was plenty of parking available at the Town Hall and some spots available at the neighboring Dairy Queen.  The trail segment started from the Dairy Queen parking lot on a gravel path marked only by the restaurant's "Drive Thru" sign.  Except for a short gravel section at the beginning, the trail was smoothly paved with asphalt.

The ride to Shipshewana was relatively short, about six miles, through pretty countryside.  Windmills and draft horses signaled an Amish farm.  Most of the non-Amish farms seemed to have satellite dishes.  All of the farms were small scale, so the scenery changed frequently as we rode past: some cows, some corn, horses, woods, and pastures.  One farm even had camels.

The trail ended just before Shipshewana, so we rode the few blocks into town on County Road 250 which had a separate lane for buggies and bikes.

Shipshewana itself is a big tourist destination, so there were plenty of options for a mid-ride snack.  Shipshewana does have a parking lot designated for the Pumpkinvine Trail with small signs directing riders through town to the trail.

The Maple City Walk, on the Pumpkinvine Trail out of Goshen, will be Saturday, September 29, 2012

Calumet Trail

The Calumet Trail runs 10 miles through Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It parallels US-12 and the South Shore railroad, with powerlines overhead, so it is not a tranquil wilderness path. There is, however, plenty of nature in the woods and marshes alongside the trail. On a ride last week, I heard Sandhill Cranes and Red-winged Blackbirds calling. Spice bush flowers brightened the understory with even brighter Marsh Marigolds blooming underneath. On the trail itself, I saw a Woodcock (dead) and a little Brown Snake (alive).

The surface of the trail is crushed stone, so it wouldn't work for rollerblades or racing bikes. There were major drainage problems on the day I visited with extensive deep puddles covering big stretches of the trail. Frogs swam in the bigger ones and water striders skated across the surfaces of many.

I started at Cowles Bog and planned to ride to the trail's end near Mount Baldy. It was wet enough that I gave up about halfway and enjoyed a ride on some quiet streets along Lake Michigan.

More info on the Calumet Trail from Indiana Trails Community or Indiana Trails.org

60 Hikes within 60 miles Chicago

60 Hikes within 60 miles Chicago
Ted Villare
2008

This guidebook by the author of Easy Hikes Chicago presents a wide variety of hikes in Illinois, Indiana, southern Wisconsin, and southwest Michigan. The hikes are organized geographically, with separate sections on Cook County, DuPage County and destinations west, North Chicagoland and Wisconsin, Northwest Indiana and environs, and South Chicagoland and the Illinois River valley. The complete list of hikes is available on the author's website. Each hike is described in detail, with a map and a profile graph showing changes in elevation, and a black & white photo. You can see sample chapters online. (More photos, in color, of most hikes are available on the author's website.)

A nice feature of the book is its 20 lists of hikes for particular purposes: good hikes for young children, hikes for seasonal wildflower viewing, river hikes, good hikes for runners, good hikes for cross-country skiers, accessible by public transportation, and more.

Some hikes, reasonably close to Kalamazoo

1. Warren Dunes State Park Loop
"One of the most beautiful spots on Lake Michigan's southern shore, Warren Dunes is a perfect place to combine a trip to the beach with a ramble through rugged wooded dunes and bottomland forest."
4.2 miles
Bridgeman, MI
photos


2. Indiana Dunes State Park Loop: Dune Ridge Loop
"Indiana Dunes is one of the most beautiful and dramatic settings in the Chicago region. This hike is especially notable for its variety: after hiking through forest, wetland, and wooded dunes, you'll pass over spectacular sand dunes bordering the shoreline."
4.5 miles
Chesterton, IN
slideshow

3. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: Ly-co-ki-we Hike
"The name "Ly-co-ki-we"-- which means "sandy ground" in the Miami Indian language-- offers an inkling of what you'll encounter on this trail. Although you won't be climbing any monstrous sand dune, you will follow a couple of gentle dune ridges as they gradually rise and fall. Like other sandy ridges in the area, these mild slopes mark the shores of a once larger version of Lake Michigan."
12.2 miles
Chesterton, IN
photos

4. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: Cowles Bog Trail
"One of the more famous spots at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Cowles Bog is well known for its beauty and historical significance in the filed of environmental science."
4 miles
Chesterton, IN
photos

5. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: West Beach Loop
"It's not just the high dunes and a long sandy beach that makes hiking at West Beach such a satisfying experience. What makes this hike so engaging is how the landscape and plants magically transform every half mile or so."
3.15 miles
Chesterton, IN
photos

6. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: Bailly/Chelberg Hike
"Get a glimpse of early settlement life in northwestern Indiana by touring the homesteads of two frontier families. You'll also see wooded ravines, rich bottomland forest that grows beside the Little Calumet River, and a curious old cemetery."
3.3 miles
Chesterton, IN
photos

7. Oak Ridge Prairie Loop
"Oak Ridge County Park allows visitors to sample a variety of appealing environments within a fairly small area. During the hike, the landscape moves from lakeshore to woodland to prairie to marshland.
3.15 miles
between Griffith & Merillville, IN
photos

8.Deep River Hike
"This hike takes you along the edge of the Deep River as it meanders through a large, diverse hardwood forest. At some point during your visit, stop in at the gristmill that was first built next to the river in 1837."
2.9 miles
Hobart, IN
photos

Available from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, other bookstores and libraries. Kindle and Nook versions are available.

Easy Hikes Chicago

Easy Hikes Close to Home Chicago
by Ted Villaire
2010

This slim guidebook presents 18 short hiking trails near Chicago. Each trail description includes an overview, a map, directions to the trailhead, and a more-detailed discussion of the trail. Most of the trails are in northeastern Illinois with a few in Southern Wisconsin or Northern Indiana. All are within a day's drive of Kalamazoo.

The author's website provides more information about the book, including a complete list of the hikes and a few sample chapters.

The trails listed in the book's third section, "South Chicagoland and Indiana" are closest to West Michigan.

Easy Hikes Close to Kalamazoo

1. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore: Bailly-Chellberg Hike
length 3.3 miles
"Get a glimpse of early settlement life in northwestern Indiana by touring the homesteads of two frontier families. You'll also see wooded ravines, rich bottomland forest that grows beside the Little Calumet River, and a curious old cemetery."
directions: from I-94 take exit 22B to US 20, parking is on the left, 4.1 miles.
Indiana Dunes website

2. LaSalle Fish and Wildlife Area Loop
length 5.2 miles
"If you like riverside hikes and sprawling marshlands, you'll find them in abundance on this hike, one of the great undiscovered hikes in Chicagoland." The author also describes this hike in chapter in his guidebook 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Chicago. See this pdf. [West half closed for hunting season Oct 1 - Dec 1.]
directions: from I-94, go south on US 41 until you reach IN 10 (County Road 1000). West on IN 10 about 2.4 miles to sign for Parking Lot 3A.
LaSalle Fish and Wildlife Area website

3. Thorn Creek Hike
length 2.5 miles
"This lightly used nature preserve is a gem: after exploring the ravines, the pine plantations, the wooded hills, and the streams,= surrounded by bottomland forest, be sure to check out the former country church that now serves as a nature center."
directions: I-94 to I-57. South on I-57 to exit 339 (about 18.5 miles) to Park Forest [I got confused following the book's directions from this point: I'd suggest Google maps or GPS for the last few miles.].
Thorn Creek Nature Center
247 Monee Road, Park Forest, IL 60466
708-747-6320

Available from Amazon, other booksellers and libraries.

Cowles Bog Trail

The Cowles Bog Trail in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is about a two hour drive from Kalamazoo. I stopped there recently on the way home from a trip to Chicago. The trail is about 4 miles long, with a couple of options. Parking is down a narrow dirt road, on the right, just before the guardhouse for the Dune Acres gated community. (There is another lot close to US 12.) See the National Park Service map (pdf).

The first mile of the trail is very level, lined with Sassafras, Red Maple, and White Birch and includes a short board walk over a wet section (which apparently is not truly a bog.) The next mile is hilly, through wooded dunes which eventually lead to a steep climb down to the beach on Lake Michigan.

I had the beach to myself on a pleasant Sunday, except for the looming steel mills and the loud hissing from industrial smokestacks. With the Chicago skyline barely visible across Lake Michigan, it's clearly not a pristine wilderness experience. The area is important for birds, and I did see a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers flying through the trees. The Park Service has a restoration project to remove invasive species and improve the habitat for native plants and animals.

In some ways it's as interesting to see the resilience of nature amidst heavy industry, as it is to visit a more purely natural setting. It definitely made a nice outing.


Cowles Bog Trail
N. Mineral Springs Road
Chesterton, IN 46304
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

The Great Indiana Touring Book

The Great Indiana Touring Book: 20 Spectacular Auto Trips
by Thomas Hunt
2002

This guide presents 20 driving tours in Indiana, each illustrated with black & white photos and full page maps. (The book also has a short section of glossy, full-color photos.) The routes average about 150 miles, so each can be done at a leisurely pace in one day. Three drives are reasonably close to Kalamazoo:

Northern Indiana Auto Trips

1. Touchdown Jesus and the Gentle People
South Bend - Mishawaka - Elkhart - Bristol - Goshen - Middlebury - Shipshewana - Topeka - Ligonier - Nappanee - Wakarusa - South Bend
144 miles

Selected Attractions:

Studebaker National Museum South Bend
Potawatomi Park and Zoo
Woodlawn Nature Center Elkhart
Menno-Hof Shipshewana
Potato Creek State Park

2. From the Heartland to Lake Country
Fort Wayne - Grabill - Saint Joe - Auburn - Pokagan State Park - Lagrange - Rome City - Fort Wayne
154 miles

Selected Attractions:

Foellinger-Freimann Botantical Conservatory Fort Wayne
Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Museum Auburn
McClue Nature Preserve (pdf)
Wing Haven
Pokagon State Park
Ropchan Memorial Nature Reserve
Pigeon River Federal Wildlife Area and Tamarack Bog Nature Preserve
Maplewood Nature Center
Olin Lake Nature Preserve

3. The Dunes and Beyond
Gary - Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore - Chesterton - Michigan City - La Porte - Valparaiso - Merrillville - Crown Point - Griffith - Munster - Hammond - Gary
132 miles

Selected Attractions:

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes State Park
Kingsbury State Fish and Wildlife Area
Deep River County Park
Lemon Lake County Park
Hoosier Prairie Nature Preserve
Oak Ridge Prairie County Park

Available from Amazon or the publisher, or electronically from Google Books, and from other booksellers and libraries.

Pumpkinvine Trail

The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail is a developing bike trail about an hour south of Kalamazoo in northern Indiana's Amish area. Several sections of the trail are currently open around Goshen and Middlebury.

We started our ride in Goshen. The parking lot was easy to find on 5th street north of Lincoln Ave, but the trail wasn't immediately visible. It's tucked between a grain elevator and the industrial-looking city waterworks, right next to the train tracks, which, in hindsight, was perfectly logical since the trail was a railroad right-of-way. The trail quickly passed through the semi-industrial section, crossing Rock Run Creek on multiple bridges before reaching Abshire Park (which is an alternative starting point.) The trail surface was mostly asphalt but one section of a mile or so was crushed stone-- fine for bikes but not rollerblades.

The trail was surprisingly pretty, with more curves than a typical rail-trail. At times, it passed close to farm fields and in other places it ran through woods. This section of the trail ended at County Rd 33, about six miles from Goshen.

Another six mile section, running from Middlebury toward Shipshewana, was recently completed. Its official ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held September 20, 2011. When completed in a few years, the trail will run 17 miles connecting Shipshewana, Middlebury and Goshen.

Thanks to Joann and John Smith for writing about the Pumpkinvine trail on their "Now Showing Near You: Wildflowers" blog.

Top Picks from Where to Weekend around Chicago

Where to Weekend around Chicago
Fodor's
editor: William Travis
2004

This guide has information on a large number of Midwestern attractions and I posted earlier about destinations close to Kalamazoo In addition to the detailed information on each destination, Fodor's also lists their editor's favorites. Here are some of their top picks that are reasonably close to Kalamazoo.

Beaches:
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

Events:
Tulip Time Festival

Hiking:
Allegan State Forest
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Museums:
College Football Hall of Fame, South Bend
National New York Central Railroad Museum, Elkhart
University of Michigan Museum of Art, Ann Arbor


This guidebook seems to be out of print but the Amazon listing has the "look inside" feature. Fodor's website doesn't seem to have it. My copy was from the library. Allgetways has selections from the guidebook online.

Where to Weekend around Chicago

Where to Weekend around Chicago
Fodor's
editor: William Travis
2004


This guide features weekend destinations from Galena, Illinois to Door County Wisconsin to Bloomington Indiana as well as Downtown Chicago. I've selected a few suggestions relatively close to Kalamazoo.

1. Michigan City
"Today it is still the dunes, the maritime history, and modern attractions such as an outlet mall or casino that keep a steady stream of visitors coming to Michigan City looking for shoreside escape. Although the city has seen its share of the problems plaguing urban areas, renewal and revitalization projects have continued apace."

To see & do
Barker Mansion
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
International Friendship Gardens free
Washington Park zoo
Bird-watching [Potawatomi Audubon society]
Fishing charters

Events:
Music Fest
Summer Festival July
Lakefront Art Festival
In Water Boat Show

2. South Bend
"But it wasn't the gridiron greats that truly shaped this city; entrepreneurs played a major role in its history. In 1852, the Studebaker brothers established a modest wagon repair and horseshoeing shop. Their business ultimately evolved into an automotive giant known for its convertible with a bullet-nose grill before it closed in 1963."

To See & Do
Bendix Woods
College Football Hall of Fame
east Race Waterway
Potawatomi Zoo
Studebaker National Museum
Notre Dame
Merrifield Park- Shiojiri Niwa Japanese Garden
Richard Clay Bodine State Fish Hatchery

Events
Summerfest
College football
Kee-Boon-Mein-Kaa (huckleberry harvest festival; Potawatomi Indian Nation)

3. Amish Country
"Amish Country, off the 75-mi corridor from South Bend southeast to Fort Wayne, is rife with odd juxtapositions. The abundance of recreational vehicle manufacturers in Elkhart or nearby in Goshen or Middlebury is found alongside establishments in which Amish artisans are crafting fine furniture using methods that have been passed down from generation to generation. ... And yet time can seem to stand still on the back roads here. Fresh-faced children, boys wearing straw hats, and girls in bonnets pile in horse-drawn black-box buggies clip-clopping along dusty country roads."

To see & do
Menno-Hof
Shipshewana Auction & Flea Market
Amish Acres
Deutsch Kase Haus
Krider Gardens
National New York Central Railroad Museum
RV Hall of Fame
Bonneyville Mill
Maple City Greenway (Goshen)bike trail map pdf

Events
Wakarusa Maple Syrup Festival
Great Race Sports Festival (Elkhart)
Elkhart Jazz Festival
Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale

4. South Haven & Saugatuck/Douglas
"Southwestern Michigan is the Midwest's version of Cape Cod-- and the cites that epitomize that laid-back beach resort feeling are Saugatuck, Douglas, and South Haven.

To See and do:
Oval Beach
Ox-Bow
Saugatuck Chain Ferry
Saugatuck Dunes State Park
Kal-Haven Trail
Michigan Maritime Museum
North Beach, South Beach
Van Buren State Park
Allegan State Forest

Events
Ice Breaker
HarborFest
National Blueberry Festival
Fennville Goose Festival

5. Grand Haven and Holland
"Holland and Grand Haven, though only 20 mi apart, couldn't be more different. Holland is known for its "Dutch Touch." Tulips bloom along the streets in spring, and the staff at Dutch attractions wear klompen, or wooden shoes. Although it has a beach on Lake Michigan and on the smaller Lake Macataw, the waterfront isn't the center of community life. Its northern neighbor Grand Haven, however, revolves around the water. The city's downtown is perpendicular to the Grand River and sits just 2 1/2 mi from a flat, sandy beach on Lake Michigan."

To see & do
Grand Haven State Park
Grand Haven Musical Fountain
Tri-Cities Museum
Windmill Island
Veldheer Tulip Farm
Dutch Village
Lakeshore Connector path (bike)
Musketawa trail (bike, Rollerblade)
DeGraaf Nature Center
PJ Hoffmaster State Park
Pigeon Creek Park

Events:
Grand Haven Winterfest
Great Lakes Kite Festival
Tulip Time Festival
National Coast Guard Festival
Dutch Winterfest

6. Battle Creek & Marshall
"Lying in agricultural land in west-central Michigan, Battle Creek is part of a cluster of towns-- Kalamazoo and Holland (to the west), Lansing (to the north), and Ann Arbor (to the [east])-- essential to the state's fortunes and each known nationwide. Along I-94 and the smaller roads of the area you can see farmland rich enough to grow both cereal grains and the fruit that goes on top. Battle Creek sits in a valley around the confluence of its eponymous creek and the Kalamazoo River, the former once the power source for local industry, the latter a slow-and-steady river flowing through the Fort Custer Recreation Area and on through the neighboring towns of Marshall and Albion."

To see & do:
Binder Park Zoo
Kellogg Bird Sanctuary
Leila Arboretum
Honolulu House Museum
Fort Custer State Recreation Area

Events
Cereal City Festival
Balloon Festival (BC)

7. Ann Arbor
Above all else, Ann Arbor is known as the home of the University of Michigan. The school, founded in 1837 in Detroit, dominates geographically, culturally, and economically. Atlases may list the population as 114,000 9it can be twice that size on football Saturdays), but Ann Arbor provides enough culture and cuisine to power a fair-size city."

To see & do
Delhi, Dexter-Huron, and Hudson Mills parks
Nichols Arboretum
U of M
Zingerman's

Events
Ann Arbor Summer Festival
Ann Arbor Art Fairs
U of M football

This guidebook seems to be out of print but the Amazon listing has the "look inside" feature. Fodor's website doesn't seem to have it. My copy was from the library. Allgetways has selections from the guidebook online.

National Geographic Guide to Birdwatching Sites

National Geographic Guide to Birdwatching Sites: Eastern U.S.
by Mel White
1999

This guidebook, illustrated with impressive photographs, covers the Eastern United States from Texas to Maine. The book presents specific birding locations in each of several regions. Their North Central region includes Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky & W. Virginia. I've selected some sites relatively close to Kalamazoo.

"The [Great Lakes] are a barrier, too-- a fact that birders put to good use in spring migration. Northbound land birds arrive at the lakes, look out over seemingly endless stretches of water offering no food, no place to rest, and often decide to take a break before continuing. As a result, impressive numbers of birds can pile up along shorelines, especially at isolated patches of trees such as Indiana's famous Migrant Trap, in Hammond, or Ohio's equally famous Crane Creek boardwalk, east of Toledo. In places like these, on any day from mid-April through May one is likely to find birders scanning the trees in anticipation of a 'fallout' day when 20 or more species of warblers may be found in just a few hours."

Birding locations near Kalamazoo

1. Warren Woods State Natural Area
migrant songbirds in spring

2. Warren Dunes State Park
spring migrants
raptors (fall or spring migrations)
waterbirds (summer)

3. Migrant Trap (Lakeshore Park and Sanctuary) Hammond, IN
(parking lot west of Hammond Marina
mid-April-May
flycatchers, vireos, thrushes, warblers, sparrows


4. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore & Indiana Dunes State Park
spring & fall migrants
waterbirds


5. Washington Park Michigan City , IN
waterbirds

6. Kingsbury Fish and Wildlife Area, IN
"top inland shorebirding site"

7. Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area, IN
marsh birds

8. Maple River State Game Area, MI
wading birds
shorebirds

9. Lake Erie Metropark and Point Mouillee State Game Area
Fall hawk migration (late September)
waterfowl


10. Chicago lakeshore, IL
Montrose Point "Magic Hedge"
Lincoln Park Bird Sanctuary
Paul Douglas Nature Sanctuary
Spring & Fall migrants

11. Point Pelee, Ontario
famous birding spot
mid-April to early June: "breathtaking number" of songbirds


Available from public libraries, or from booksellers like Amazon

Great Escapes Chicago

Great Escapes Chicago
by Karla Zimmerman
2009

This guidebook is divided into four sections; Eat, Play, Learn, and Chill. Centered on Chicago, many of its chapters are a bit far for a quick escape from Kalamazoo: cheese in Green County, WI, beer in Milwaukee, art in the Quad Cities. It does devote a few chapters to west Michigan and northern Indiana escapes and Kalamazoo even gets a mention.

1. Beached in Saugatuck
"They call it a 'drinking town with an art gallery problem.' That's not printed on Saugatuck's welcome sign, of course, but locals proudly declare it."
To see and do: Oval Beach, Douglas Beach, Saugatuck Chain Ferry, Mt Baldhead, dune rides, gallery hopping, Ox-Bow School of Art, fruit picking.
Eating out: Mermaid Bar and Grill (340 Water St), Saugatuck Brewing Company(2948 Blue Star Highway) and in nearby Fennville: Journeyman Cafe (114 E. Main St.) and Cranes Pie Pantry (6054 124th Ave.)
They consider South Haven part of the neighborhood: North Beach & South Beach, Kal-Haven Trail, Sherman's Dairy Bar (1601 Phoenix Rd)
Nearby: Holland (camping at Holland St Park, Dutch heritage); Bell's Brewery in Kalamazoo
www.saugatuck.com
www.southhaven.org


2. Surfing through Harbor Country
"Harbor Country is the collective name of eight small towns just over the Michigan border, stretching for 15 miles along Lake Michigan's shore. The area was popular in the 1920s and 1930s for Chicagoans escaping the city's summer heart. It fell out of favor until a couple of decades ago when many urbanites fixed up second homes here."
Towns: Michiana, Grand Beach, New Buffalo, Three Oaks, Union Pier, Lakeside, Harbert and Sawyer.
To See and Do: New Buffalo Public Beach, Warren Dunes St. Park Beach (camping), surfing, kayaking the Galien River, casino, backroads biking, gallery hopping, theater, wine tours,
Eating Out: Redamaks (616 E. Buffalo St, New Buffalo), Blue Plate Cafe (15288 Red Arrow Highway, Union Pier), Cafe Gulistan (13581 Red Arrow Highway, Harbert), Luisa's Cafe (Red Arrow Highway, Harbert), Oinks Dutch Treat (227 W. Buffalo St, New Buffalo) Drier's meat market (14 S. Elm St. Three Oaks)
www.harborcountry.org

3. Top of the Dunes
"After you slog up the hulking sand dune, look over its golden expanse, and have a Lawrence of Arabia moment, it's easy to forget you're just a few miles outside Chicago city limits. The you look into the distance and see a smoke-belching factory and it all comes crashing back. That's the dichotomy of Indiana Dunes, a joint state and national park whose 21 miles of Lake Michigan beachfront hold rustling grasses, half-buried cottonwoods, bird-filled marshes, and pine forests. It shocks and awes that this much nature coexists next to Northwest Indiana's bleak smokestacked landscape of steel mills and oil refineries."
To See and Do:Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana Dunes St Park, Mt Baldy Beach, Central Beach, Lake View Beach, Miller Beach, Lake St Beach, Dunes St park Beach, bike the Calumet Bike Trail (See Northwest Indiana bike map), outlet shopping
hiking: Cowls Bog trail(5 mi), Heron Rookery Trail(2mi), Bailly/Chellberg Trail (2.5 mi) Long Lake Trail (1.6 mi)
Eating Out: Lucrezia (428 S. Calumet Rd, Chesterton), Miller Bakery Cafe (555 S. Lake St, Miller Beach), Shoreline Brewery (208 Wabash St, Michigan City)
Nearby: Three Floyd's Brewpub (9570 Indiana Parkway, Munster)


4. Indiana's Amish Country
"The Indiana community is the nation's third-largest Amish enclave-- after those around Holmes County, Ohio, and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania-- and it is indeed a different world. Call it life in the past lane. Descended from conservative 16th-century Dutch-Swiss religious factions, the Amish believe modern conveniences detract from family life, and so they shun things like electricity, telephones, and motorized vehicles. They farm the land with horse and plow and travel by bicycle or horse-drawn buggy."
towns: Shipshewana, Middlebury.
To See and Do:Heritage Trail, Shipshewana Auction and Flea Market, Menno-Hof Visitors Center (510 S. Van Buren St , Shipshewana), buggy tours, Gohn Brothers shop, Dutch Country market (11401 County Rd 16, east of Middlebury), RV/Motor Home Hall of Fame
Eating Out: Village Inn (105 s. Main St, Middlebury), Das Dutchman Essenhaus (240 US 20, Middlebury), Kelly Jae's Cafe (133 S. Main St, Goshen)
www.amishcountry.org

The guidebook also recommends many escapes inside Chicago that sound interesting: Devon Avenue restaurants, Mexican food in the Pilsen neighborhood, Frank LLoyd Wright & Ernest Hemingway in Oak Park, Chicago Botanic Garden.

You may find this book at your local library or bookstore or through online retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble .

Urban Adventure Chicago (Part 2)

Outside Magazine's Urban Adventure Chicago by Lynn Schnaiberg. 2003

Besides the Michigan adventures I posted earlier, this guide recommends several activities in nearby Indiana.

Indiana Adventures

1. Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area, Indiana
(bird watching)
"More sandhills gather at Jasper-Pulaski in Indiana than at anywhere else east of Nebraska (32,000-plus staged here in fall 1992)." Peak: late October- early November, at dusk or dawn. Cranes are less concentrated in the spring (March-April).
Directions: From I-94 take US 421 south to IN 143 west. Headquarters and camping at the first Fish and Wildlife Area sign. Observation tower at the second sign.
Jasper Pulaski information

2. East Race Waterway, South Bend, Indiana
(whitewater)
"The downtown course comes off the St. Joseph River and has hosted regional U.S. Olympic team trials. But it's beginner friendly, with rescue staff at the ready with throw ropes to get you out of trouble. It's short and fast, normally running around 450 cfs." (June to mid-August)
Directions: exit Indiana Toll Road at South Bend (exit 77). Take Michigan St/US 33/IN 933 south. Left on Colfax across the river, then right on Niles Avenue. Park near Jefferson Ave.
East Race Information

3. Indiana Dunes , Chesterton and Porter, Indiana
(hiking)
"Retreating glaciers left a trail of contradictory plant life here; arctic bearberry grows next to prickly pear cactus, and southern dogwoods grow one dune over from northern jack pines. Sandwiched between Gary and Michigan City, interrupted by a pocket of power plants and down-on-their-luck steel mills, the state and federally protected dunescape is packed into a narrow ribbon along 14 miles of windswept beach." Recommended: Cowles Bog Trail, State Park Trails 8, 9, & 10; camping.
Directions: I-94 to US 20, Mineral Springs Rd to US 12. (State Park I-94 to IN 49, north to park.)
Indiana Dunes state park
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

The book is available at some Michigan libraries and from Amazon or other booksellers.