The Basics
The Bailly Calumet trail in the Indiana Dunes National Park is a real gem. There are actually multiple trail options here, but I like the 3.6ish mile loop around the perimeter. It encompasses a variety of terrain including woods, a ravine, open prairie and a nice long boardwalk across a wetland. The dashed line on the map shows an alternate trail segment which follows the Little Calumet River for a ways, by passing the Mnoke Prairie segment. There is a nice long elevated boardwalk across part of the flood plain. The trail can be quite muddy when it rains, so it always pays to wear shoes that can hold up to slogging through the puddles. It also features an historic homestead and a working farm which both date back to the earliest settlers in this area. The farm and homestead are the focus of some festivals and historical celebrations throughout the year which makes this one of the more popular sites in the national park. As such there is ample parking and year round bathrooms.
Why I Like It
The flood plain and river make this a really good trail for wild flowers. It is a nice length and there are multiple short trail segments which you can use the change up the route. One of these segments leads to the old Bailly family cemetery which is very interesting to visit. Proximity to the river makes this one of the buggiest trails which can be a bit annoying and I always use mosquito repellant when I come here from June through September. The upside of this is that you can get some fantastic photographs of a wide variety of insects and arachnids. If you find a spider web with its owner sitting in the middle, just stand still and watch for a bit (assuming you can stand being swarmed by mosquitos). There is a good chance you will have the opportunity to see the spider capturing a meal which is fascinating. I’ve also seen spiders mating along this trail, it is just so packed with them. The Mnoke Prairie provides access to a different habitat than most of the rest of the park which is nice.
Posts Featuring The Bailly – Calumet Trail
- #52
At the start of 2023 I set a goal to make it out to the park an average of once per week. I hit visit… Read more: #52 - Camping Excursions
Now of course the point of going rain camping is not to simply experience rain while sitting under a tarp (see my previous post if this… Read more: Camping Excursions - Buggy Day
The Bailly Calumet trail in the Dunes is a really nice trail. Part of it follows the Little Calumet river and it can get pretty… Read more: Buggy Day - Favorites From 2022
From Jan 2 through Dec 29 this year I made 45 trips to the Indiana Dunes National Park, hiked 141 miles of trails and took… Read more: Favorites From 2022 - First Winter Hike Of 2021
The Bailly Calumet trail is one of my favorites, and it turned out to be my chosen trail for my hike on the first day… Read more: First Winter Hike Of 2021