The first time I went to the Dune Succession trail in the Indiana Dunes National Park was March 2021. I had been working remotely for the last year as a result of the COVID pandemic and was looking for something to do that would get me out in the fresh air. Since the park was only about 45 minutes away I picked a nearby trail and headed out. It was a typical March day along Lake Michigan which means cool, windy and overcast. The experience was amazing and helped me to see the Indiana Dunes in a new light. I had visited a couple of other area trails in previous years, but never felt particularly compelled to come back. For some reason this time was different and turned out to be the first of over 50 hikes in the park over the course of the rest of the year.
The day started out clear, cool and a bit windy. This is the view of the start of the trail from the parking lot. You can see how sandy the ground is, and in the background you can see the stairs leading to the top of the dune.
Partway up the first dune I spotted this stand of trees silhouetted against the sky.
270 stairs to the top.
View from the observation platform at the top of the 270 step climb. On the horizon to the left are the Gary steel mills, to the right is the Chicago skyline.
Here we see the stairs descending down the other side of the dune going towards the beach.
This view shows the top of the dune ridge running parallel to the lake shoreline.
Shortly after descending the the trail opens up to the beach itself. By now it had become completely overcast and rain was on the way.
Marram grass like this is the key to stabilizing the sand dunes so that other vegetation can take root. The grass produces a matted root system that helps to hold the sand in place.
The Chicago skyline as viewed from across the lake.
A nice example of an interdunal wetland. This small depression is surrounded by stable dunes and is at the level of the water table.