Basics
The Great Marsh trail is located in the eastern part of the Indiana Dunes National Park. At 1.5 miles out and back it is one of the shorter trails in the park. It is also very flat, making for an easy hike. There is a handicap accessible overlook with a very nice view of the marsh. The trail traverses a marsh habitat which is undergoing extensive restoration from its former use as a residential area.
Why I like It
Although it is a short trail, it is easy to spend a lot of time there if you go slow and pay attention to the little details. Being a marsh it has a great variety of wild flowers and is home to many interesting birds and insects. The area used to be residential and the trails follow the old road beds, occasionally you come across evidence of its past use. I also enjoy the fact that there is currently a lot of restoration work being done here. Over just the past couple of years there have been significant changes as what was once a swamp is being transformed back into a vibrant marsh and it has been fascinating to observe. If you are in the mood for a longer hike there is a nearby set of trails maintained by the Beverly Shores community which connect with the Dune Ridge trail. So it is very easy to make the Great Marsh trail the first (or last) leg of an extended, three trail afternoon hike.
Posts Featuring The Great Marsh Trail
- Exploration & Discovery
Back in December the Indiana Dunes National Park conducted a controlled burn in the Derby Ditch region of the Great Marsh that I was able… Read more: Exploration & Discovery - House Hunting In The Great MarshI’ve posted before about the remains of previous structures that I come across along the trails in the Great Marsh area of the Indiana Dunes… Read more: House Hunting In The Great Marsh
- On Thin Ice…
Ice is nice, especially when it is thin ice over water. Last Friday a brief warm up led to a lot of rain falling on… Read more: On Thin Ice… - Shifting Winds Of Fate
Last weekend I was thinking about which part of the park I wanted to visit when I remembered seeing a notice about a prescribed burn… Read more: Shifting Winds Of Fate - What do you see?
This is pretty much what most of the trails in the wetlands parts of the Indiana Dunes look like in late October and early November.… Read more: What do you see? - A Great Day Two At The Great Marsh
For day two of my camping trip I spent the afternoon out on the Great Marsh Trail. It had rained the night before and most… Read more: A Great Day Two At The Great Marsh - And So It Begins…
And so it begins… Mid March and the signs of spring are popping up all over. Because of the unusually warm winter this year the… Read more: And So It Begins… - Historical Bits
One of the things I find fascinating about the Indiana Dunes is the interplay between the natural beauty and incredible biodiversity of the park, and… Read more: Historical Bits - Thanksgiving – Swamps & Marshes
Swamps and Marshes are probably my favorite areas to go hiking. The diversity of plants, insects, birds, amphibians and reptiles is amazing. The landscape itself… Read more: Thanksgiving – Swamps & Marshes - 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 - Some Summer Stuff
July was a good month to get out and do some hiking and nature photography in the dunes. After a very dry spring (technically a… Read more: Some Summer Stuff - Morning Dew
When it is hot and muggy out it pays to go hiking early in the day, before the morning dew disappears. Funnel Weaver spiders are very… Read more: Morning Dew - 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 - Freezing FrogsWent for a hike to the Great Marsh today. Early March, it had snowed over night, temps were in the upper 20’s and about 50%… Read more: Freezing Frogs
- Death and DecayFall is the season of Death and Decay, and it is a beautiful thing. Not just because it sets the stage for rebirth in spring,… Read more: Death and Decay