Category: Dune Ridge Trail

Ridge to Road – I

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One of the things I find appealing about the Dune Ridge to Beverly Dr. trail system is that you get to experience two very different ecosystems in a single 3 mile loop. The Dune Ridge and Beverly Shores trails traverse mature dunes, supporting a well established forrest habitat before descending into the marsh itself.

In this post I show some high lights from my recent hike along the Ridge part of this fascinating loop.

Remnants of the recently lush forrest underbrush are still standing strong.

The trail has plenty of steep climbs in soft sand, and at the higher elevations you get spectacular views down into a portion of the Great Marsh. With the leafy foliage gone you see parts of the marsh which are nearly impossible to spot in the spring and summer.

Mosses and Lichens are easy to overlook, but viewed close up they are a source of an incredible variety of interesting shapes and textures.

Bursting Milkweed pods are still easy to spot. But their textures and colors are quite different from early autumn.

So many plants disperse their seeds on the winds, bundles of delicate fibers acting almost like sails. This time of year you can easily observe the underlying structures that hold the seeds in close until it is time to release them.

The marsh half of the loop is covered in the post Ridge to Road – II.

Watching Restoration

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Among the many benefits of returning to the same location many times over years, is that you get to see and appreciate the changes which occur. At the Indiana Dunes National Park much of the park land has been reclaimed from prior use for residential and agricultural purposes. Much of the park was once a single large marsh named the Great Marsh. Years of development however effectively destroyed the ecosystem of the marsh. With the establishment of the park, and its efforts to acquire land, much of what once was the Great Marsh is being returned to its natural state. The eastern end of the park near the town of Beverly Shores is currently undergoing restoration. It is has been fascinating to get to know this part of the park and to see the changes over time. Right now this area offers a really unique opportunity to view both restored and unrestored land literally side by side. The image above shows a view of the Great Marsh from the Dune Ridge trail. It beautifully shows an area awaiting restoration and an area which has been restored. I have annotated the photograph to show the areas of interest. The blue line represents the location of a closed portion of Beverly Dr. which serves as an unofficial trail right through the middle of the marsh. In yellow I have marked the location of a small bridge spanning a cut in the road. The rest of this post uses photographs I took recently to show the differences between the restored and unrestored portions.

This photograph shows the view from the bridge looking to the south (top of the image at the top of this post) where there has been no restoration. From maps I have come across I believe that this area was once laid out for residential development. The raised roadbeds which were built disrupted the natural flow of water in here.
This photo was taken from the exact same spot as the previous one. All I did was turn 180 degrees around. This area has been undergoing restoration for a number of years now. The difference is simply stunning. With the removal of invasive species and restoration of the natural flow of water the area has largely returned to its natural state. Native grasses, sedges and reeds have returned. The tree line in the background is known as the Dune Ridge.
This photograph shows the bridge from which the two previous photos were taken. To the right of the abandoned roadway is the unrestored land and on the left, mostly blocked by the tall grasses and bushes alongside the road, is the restored area. The bridge spans a cut in the roadway which allows the water to flow. It is maintained by a park ranger who lives in the area so that people can access the area.
Another view of the restored portion of the Great Marsh a little further down the road from the bridge.
Here you can see some of the equipment associated with the restoration work which is ongoing in this part of the marsh. I don’t know what is in these containers, though I really would like to. Looks like I have something new to learn about.
When you see this you know that the land beyond is undergoing active restoration. The pallets are laid down to provide reliable access to the inner parts of the marsh.