How to get to Indiana Dunes National Park

Sunset at Indiana Dune National Park's Portage Lakefront & Riverwalk
 on Lake Michigan. NPS photo.

With Indiana Dunes National Park situated so close to Chicago, a number of major highways lead to the park.

Located in northwest Indiana on Lake Michigan’s shores, Indiana Dunes became our nation’s newest and 61st national park in February 2019. Indiana Dunes attracts about 3.6 million visitors per year, making it the seventh most visited national park.

Interstate 90 heads east from Chicago and west from South Bend, Indiana. Interstate 94 also enters the park as heading east from Chicago and then west from southern Michigan. Interstate 65 heads north from Indianapolis.

Most trails in the park can be accessed by a road intersecting either U.S. Hwy. 12 (aka as Dunes Highway) or U.S. Hwy. 20. Each runs roughly west-east between Chicago and Michigan City, Ind., right through the park’s heart. Because of that, explanations of how to reach trailheads for the featured trails begin with directions from those two cities.

If you don’t want to drive, there is a great option in Chicago for reaching the park. The South Shore Line, a commuter rail line running between downtown Chicago and South Bend International Airport, includes a Dune Park stop east of Cowles Bog and south of Indiana Dunes State Park; you can pick up the Calumet Trail at the station. From April through October, you can bring bicycles on the South Shore Line train.

The best months to day hike Indiana Dunes are May through September. Depending on the year, April and October also can be pleasant.

As with the rest of the Midwest, summers can be humid, especially July and August. Rain also can occur during the afternoon even when the morning is sunny, so always check the weather forecast before heading out.

November through March usually is too cold for day hiking. Once snow falls, some trails are used for cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. Early spring often means muddy trails thanks to snowmelt and rainfall.

Here are the park’s five must-see sights and the trails to reach them:
• Mount Baldy Summit Trail – Clamber to the top of a 12-story living sand dune on this 0.8-mile hike.
• Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk – Explore West Beach, dunes, a waterfront, fishing pier, and 900-foot breakwater leading to a lighthouse on a 0.9-mile loop.
• Pinhook Upland Trail – Discover the unique plants of a beech and maple forest and a bog on this 2.1-mile round trip route.
• Cowles Bog Trail – Enter, if you dare, a mysterious fen on a 2.85-miles round trip hike.
• Great Marsh Trail – Spot sandhill cranes and great blue herons at the largest wetlands complex in the Lake Michigan watershed on this 1.26-miles trail.

Discover top sights at new national park

The sun rises over the 12-story Mount Baldy sand dune at Indiana Dunes
National Park. NPS photo.

Imagine a place where you can stroll magnificent Lake Michigan beaches or scramble over towering sand dunes, where you can explore mysterious marshes filled with carnivorous plants or amble about peaceful grassland prairies and oak savannas, where you can roam among migrating birds on their stopover or traipse about historic turn-of-the-century homesteads. The place is real: It’s called Indiana Dunes National Park.

Located in northwest Indiana on Lake Michigan’s shores, Indiana Dunes became our nation’s newest and 61st national park in February 2019. An easy drive from Chicago, Indiana Dunes attracts about 3.6 million visitors per year, making it the seventh most visited national park. Formerly Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, the 15,000-acre park sits in a built-up area and is physically divided into 15 largely disconnected pieces. Still, Indiana Dunes boasts 14 distinct trail systems with more than 50 miles of trails.

Indiana Dunes’ designation as a national park follows a more than a century-long effort to achieve that status. As far back as 1899, calls were made to preserve the Lake Michigan shoreline. Then in 1916, the National Park Service’s first director, Stephen Mather, advocated creation of “Sand Dunes National Park” along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Industrial interests, however, fought instead for a larger port there; indeed, remnants of the steel industry remain all around the park.

Then in the early 1950s, the Save the Dunes Council under the leadership of Dorothy Buell and activist Hazel Hannell sought federal protection. When U.S. Sen. Paul H. Douglas of Illinois joined their cause, the area became a national lakeshore in 1966. Gradually, the park expanded over the next three decades.

In 2017, Indiana congressmen called for the national lakeshore to be reclassified as a park to bring it more recognition and hence economically boost the northwestern part of their state, which had suffered greatly since the decline of the steel industry and other manufacturing there. Initially, the National Park service opposed the reclassification, saying Indiana Dunes had more in common with its national lake and seashores than with a national park. Still, a bill renaming the national lakeshore soon passed Congress and then was signed into law by President Donald Trump.

With the park stretching more than two-dozen miles from end to end and the large crowds, how can you ensure that you see its main sights when vacationing or driving through? Here are the park’s five must-see sights and the trails to reach them:
• Mount Baldy Summit Trail – Clamber to the top of a 12-story living sand dune on this 0.8-mile hike.
• Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk – Explore West Beach, dunes, a waterfront, fishing pier, and 900-foot breakwater leading to a lighthouse on a 0.9-mile loop.
• Pinhook Upland Trail – Discover the unique plants of a beech and maple forest and a bog on this 2.1-mile round trip route.
• Cowles Bog Trail – Enter, if you dare, a mysterious fen on a 2.85-miles round trip hike.
• Great Marsh Trail – Spot sandhill cranes and great blue herons at the largest wetlands complex in the Lake Michigan watershed on this 1.26-miles trail.

Wildflowers abound on threatened dunes

The hoary puccoon blooms each spring on the Kenosha Dunes.

Kenosha Dunes Trail aerial map.
Click map for larger version.

Day hikers can explore a disappearing sand dune that boasts several unique wildflowers in southeast Wisconsin.

But visit soon. The Kenosha Dunes and the 1.9-mile lollipop trail running through it may not be there for long.

To reach the trailhead, from the junction of Wis. Hwys. 32 and 50, take the former south. Go left/east onto 75th Street then right/south onto Third Avenue. When the avenue reaches the roundabout, turn right/southeast into a parking lot.

Take the paved trail south. Upon reaching the sand dunes, the trail skirts the dunes on the right/west and Lake Michigan on the left/east.

Ice age dunes
The dunes sit at the north end of Chiwaukee Prairie State Natural Area, the most intact coastal wetland in southeastern Wisconsin and among the state's largest prairie complexes.

The stabilized dunes were created during the last ice age. As glacial Lake Michigan receded, wave and wind pushed lake sand and glacial till into dunes. As grasses took root on the new ground, what used to be under water became a ridge and swale.

The dunes are rapidly disappearing, though. Storms that produced extreme waves and higher lake levels are quickly washing away the sand down to the clay base that is Lake Michigan's lakebed. At some spots, up to 100 feet of dunes has disappeared since 2016, and scientists predicted they could be entirely gone by the middle of this decade.

At about 0.75 miles, the trail swings right/west through the dune's southern edge. Multiple footpaths head through the area that allow to go into the dunes.

Spring wildflowers
The dunes provide habitat for a number of wildflowers. During spring and early summer, look for puccoon, wild onion, ladies tresses, white fringed orchids, bird's-foot violet, marsh marigold, and shooting star.

Hoary puccoon's yellow-orange, five-petaled flower is a half-inch wide. They form a cluster about 2-3 inches wide atop a stem that is vaguely in the shape of a question mark. Native Americans used its roots to make a red dye. Puccoon is found throughout Wisconsin.

Wild onion, also known as prairie onion, yields a miniscule pink to rose flower that's a mere quarter- to half-inch wide. They form a round cluster about 1-2 inches wide atop a single, straight stem that can reach two feet high. The flower is so named because it smells like an onion, but it actually is a member of the lily family. It grows in all but the state's northern quarter.

Shining lady's-tresses blooms from late May through early July. Its oblong white flowers bloom along a tall, grass-like stem. The plant is found in only one other Wisconsin county.

Orchids, violets
White fringed orchids bloom in early June through late July. The tiny, half-inch wide pearl white to cream flowers have a petal with fringed edges. Clusters of 10 to 20 flowers grow atop each stem. They are found mainly in southeast Wisconsin.

Also at the dunes is bird’s-foot violet. Colored pale to deep purplish blue, it is about 1.5-inches across and has five petals with the lower ones wider than the top ones. The flower’s center is orange. Unlike the wood violet, the bird’s-foot’s flower stands above its leaves. Bird’s-foot is a host plant for the Fritillary butterfly and mainly found in the southern part of the state.

Preferring marshes, fens and wet woodlands, marsh marigolds are a harbinger of spring, blooming here April through May. The round, bright yellow flower can be up to 1.5 inches wide. Each flower has five to nine petals that turn upward to form a shallow cup. The marigold plant grows 1-2 feet high and can be found all across Wisconsin.

The shooting star is another common prairie spring wildflower. Growing between 10-20 inches tall, up to five flowers can appear per stalk. Each flower has fived backward-curved purple petals rising out of a yellow center. Euro-American settlers called them “prairie pointers.” They mainly are found in the southeastern part of the state.

Summer, fall flowers
In mid- to late-summer, a whole new array of flowers bloom on the dunes. Among them are rattlesnake master, tall prairie blazing-star, black-eyed Susan, and coneflowers in mid-late summer.

Rattlesnake master yields a tiny, white to purplish, five-part flower. They form branched clusters of quarter-inch to inch-wide round balls. They are found in southern Wisconsin and a couple of northern counties.

The tall prairie blazing-star, also known as gayfeather, also blooms in summer. Growing 2-5 feet tall, it offers a spiky purple cluster of flowers. The spike can grow up to 18 inches tall and is loved by deer and butterflies. It grows in the southern third of the state.

Black-eyed Susan blooms in summer and fall. Its large 2-3 inch wide flowerhead consists of 10-20 brilliant yellow daisy-like petals and a brown, button-like center. It grows 1-3 feet high. Goldfinches and house finches love the plant. It’s also a host for the caterpillar of the black and orange silvery checkerspot butterfly. Black-eyed Susans thrive all across Wisconsin.

Yet another set of flowers bloom in fall. Among them are gentians, goldenrods and asters.

Erosion solution?
In around 0.95 miles, the sand trail curls right/north. The dunes are now on the right/east with a swale on the left/west.

With intervention, the dunes may yet survive. One proposal calls for building an artificial reef structure offshore. That would slow the waves before they hit the dunes, greatly reducing erosion.

At about 1.61 miles, the sand trail arrives back at the sidewalk. Go left/northeast onto it and return to your vehicle.

Due to the erosion, be aware that access to the trail and dunes can be limited at times.

Several Indiana trails lead to towering dunes

The Dunes Succession Trail at Indiana Dunes National Park explores the four
stages of dune formation and includes 250 steps to the top of one dune. NPS photo.

America’s newest national Park is a great destination for dunes lovers. Indiana Dunes National Park sits on the south shore of Lake Michigan, where many of the dunes formed during recent ice ages when the water levels were much higher. Today, some dunes at the park rise 20 stories above the ground.

Most of the park’s dunes can be reached via a day hike:
• Calumet Dunes Paved Trail – This half-mile loop heads over a dunes formed 12,000 years ago during the last ice age when Glacial Lake Chicago’s surface was at 620 feet above sea level, as opposed to Lake Michigan’s 580 feet today. The trailhead is on North Kemil Road just north of U.S. Hwy. 12 outside of Chesterton, Ind. The loop connects with the large Glenwood Dunes Trail system; to avoid getting lost, veer left at each junction. The trail is wheelchair accessible.
• Cowles Bog Trail – The third/westernmost loop of this 3.65-mile trail crosses high dunes for a great view of Lake Michigan. The dunes’ high points actually have names – Mount Bentley at 689 feet elevation is on the the east side, and the more prominent Mount Tuthill at 758 feet on the west. Pick up the trail from the parking lot off of N. Mineral Springs Road north of Hwy. 12.
• Dune Ridge Trail – Sweeping views of the Great Marsh await on this forested 0.7-mile lollipop trail near Beverly Shores, Ind. Before reaching the vista, the route heads through a foredune and oak savanna. The trail starts from the lot off of East State Park Road north of Hwy. 12 with an elevation gain of 73 feet and 4 percent average grade.
• Dunes Succession Trail – This excellent 1-mile trail takes hikers through the four stages of dune development and offers a fantastic view of Lake Michigan and the distant Chicago skyline. Hikers have to climb 250 stairs to the vista. The trail also passes through a jack pines grove, which is among the southernmost spots these trees have settled, thanks to ice age glaciers transporting seeds here thousands of years ago. Pick up the trail from the parking lots at the end of West Beach Road north of Hwy. 12 near Ogden Dunes, Ind.
• Glenwood Dunes Trail – Day hikers can walk across a forested dunes on a 2.8-miles lollipop trail. Almost all of the trail passes through a hardwood forest, known for its colorful fall foliage. Among the dominant trees are eastern black oak, white oak, sugar maple, dogwood, and yellow poplar, which top a dunes rising 640 feet above sea level. The trailhead is at the parking lot off of School House Road immediately north of U.S. Hwy. 20.
• Mount Baldy Summit Trail – Hikers can clamber to the top of a 12-story living sand dune on this 0.8-miles trail. The 126-foot-tall sand dune on Lake Michigan’s southern shore is “living,” as it shifts about 4 feet every year. Whenever the prevailing northwest wind tops 7 mph, the beach sand moves. The trail can only be accessed on a ranger-led hike but is well worth the wait at the nation’s newest national park. Times for the hour-long daytime and sunset treks on summer weekends are listed in the park's newspaper (The Singing Sands), the park’s website calendar, and its Facebook page. Park in the lot off of Rice Street north of Hwy. 12.
• Paul H. Douglas Trail – This 3.2-miles trail (formerly the Miller Woods Trail) heads through an oak savanna-covered dunes. After crossing the Grand Calumet River, the trail goes over and around towering dunes on the way to a Lake Michigan beach, offering a chance for hikers to walk through loose sand. Pick up the trail from the Douglas Center for Environmental Education in eastern Gary, Ind.
• Tolleston Dunes Trail – There’s plenty of wildlife to be seen on and around the dunes. One good spot to catch them is this 2.6-mile trail, which traverses a variety of ecosystems, including rolling sand dunes formed 4700 years ago when Lake Michigan’s water level was about 25 feet higher and reached this far inland. Among the wildlife here are cottontail rabbits, garter snakes, opossums, raccoons, red fox, squirrels and white-tailed deer. Look to the sky, and you’re likely to see great blue herons, hawks, mallards, turkey vultures, and a range of songbirds. The trail starts at the parking lot off of Hwy. 12 just west of Hillcrest Road near Odgen Dunes.

Maps for Indiana Dunes National Park trails

Beach at the end of Indiana Dunes National Park's Dune Succession Trail.
Nathaniel Moreno, NPS Collection

Imagine a place where you can stroll magnificent Lake Michigan beaches and scramble over towering sand dunes, where you can explore mysterious marshes filled with carnivorous plants and amble about peaceful oak savannas, where you can roam among migrating birds on their stopover and traipse about historic turn-of-the-century homesteads. The place is real: It’s called Indiana Dunes National Park.

Located in northwest Indiana on Lake Michigan’s shores, Indiana Dunes became America’s newest and 61st national park in Feb. 15, 2019. An easy drive from Chicago, Indiana Dunes attracts about 3.6 million visitors per year, making it among the 10 most visited national parks. Formerly Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, the 15,000-acre park sits in a built-up area and is physically divided into 15 largely disconnected pieces. Still, Indiana Dunes boasts 14 distinct trail systems with more than 50 miles of trails.

With the park stretching more than two-dozen miles from end to end and the large crowds, though, how can you ensure that you see its main sights when vacationing or driving through? Here are maps for 11 great trails at the national park and its neighboring Indiana Dunes State Park.

Beaches: Portage Lakefront & Riverwalk

Diverse Flora: Pinhook Upland Trail

Dunes: Mount Baldy Trail

Forest Wildlife: Tolleston Dunes Trail

Hardwood Forests: Glenwood Dunes Trail

Haunted Dunes: Nature Center Trail (Indiana Dunes State Park)

Historical Sites: Chellberg Farm Trail

Majestic Birds: Great Marsh Trail

Meandering Rivers: Little Calumet River Trail

Mysterious Marshes: Cowles Bog Trail

Restored Prairies: Prairie Marsh and Savanna Trails

Walk heads to 11-story Chicago lighthouse

Grosse Point Light

Grosse Point Light aerial map. Click for larger version.

Lighthouse aficionados can explore one of the few light stations in the Chicago metro area at Grosse Point Light in Evanston.

The brief 0.1-mile walk heads to an 11-story tower that guided ships along the Lake Michigan shoreline to Chicago Harbor. It sits north of Chicago, the king of ports on the Great Lakes.

To reach the lighthouse, from Interstate 94 in Evanston, exit onto Old Orchard Road and head east. At Gross Point Road, turn left/northeast then at Central Street go right/east. Turn left/north onto Sheridan Road and take the very next right/east. Park in the lot for the Harley Clarke Mansion. The lighthouse is south of the Clarke Mansion.

The 113-foot tower rises over a 3.5-acre site only a few hundred feet from what is now Lighthouse Beach. It protected ships from dangerous shoals just off the shore in Lake Michigan.

141 steps
After several shipping disasters near the point – particularly the 1860 sinking of the Lady Elgin, which claimed more than 300 lives – a lighthouse was constructed there in 1873. The lamp was lit the following year.

The keeper's quarters, made of Cream City Brick encased in concrete bracketing, follows the Italianate design. It is yellow with red trim and a red roof.

Its conical light tower stands on a concrete foundation. The tower consists of two walls with air space between them. The inner wall is 8 inches thick and rises vertically while the outer wall is 12 inches thick and slightly inclined. At the base, the tower is 22-feet around but narrows to 13 feet 3 inches at its parapet. Inside, 141 steps lead to the top. Glass and iron construction make up the lantern section, and the roof is copper sheeting.

In its heyday, the lighthouse flashed twice every 15 seconds. The light could be seen up to 21 miles away.

Tours and beach
The lighthouse was automated in 1935 and temporarily inactive from 1941-45, as a precaution against possible air raids. Since then it has served as a secondary navigational aid.

One local legend states that in 1674 explorer Father Jacques Marquette landed on Grosse Point. There is no historical evidence, however, that the landing occurred.

Despite Chicago’s rich maritime history and role as the largest Midwest port, Grosse Point is the only real lighthouse museum in the metro area. The grounds can be walked any time of the year with the keeper's quarters and the tower open on summer weekends. Tour sizes are limited to 12, and children under 8 years old are not allowed.

After taking in the lighthouse, you can extend the visit by heading to Lighthouse Beach. A path from the Clarke Mansion parking lot heads east to the sand beach.

Hike walks above Lake Michigan sea caves

Sometimes the pool below the Cave Point County Park sea caves is calm.

Cave Point Trail map. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can hike above sea caves etched into the side of a 430-million-year-old limestone bluff at Wisconsin’s Cave Point County Park.

The trail runs just under a mile on the beautiful Door Peninsula, the thumb in the mitten that is Wisconsin. A small park, Cave Point is a 19-acre square surrounded by Whitefish Dunes State Park, both of which are free to enter (though you’ll need a state pass to park at the latter).

To reach the trail, from Sturgeon Bay take Wis. Hwy. 42 north. Turn right/east onto Wis. Hwy. 57. Before entering Jacksonport, turn right/south onto N. Cave Point Drive. Next, turn left/east onto Schauer Road. Once in the park, leave your vehicle at the second lot on the right.

Cave Point Trail heads southeast from the lot’s center. After crossing a green, the trail jogs northeast, enters the woods, and comes to the cedar-lined cliff.

Niagara Escarpment
You’re standing atop the Niagara Escarpment, a shelf of dense dolomite that stretches south to Milwaukee then north into Michigan, southward to Ontario and finally to Niagara, New York. The escarpment formed as shells from marine animals that died floated to the bottom of their ancient, tropical sea, piling up and hardening about 415 million years ago.

Locally, the shelf extends about a quarter of a mile offshore just beneath Lake Michigan’s surface. Because of this, the wind-driven waves break in the lake and then speed up as approaching Cave Point. Upon hitting the bluff, lake spray flies some 30 feet into the air, hitting the cedars and clifftop. The impacts are loud, and you’ll feel like you’re at the ocean.

Sea caves sit below your feet. The pounding waves have been carving cavities in the hard limestone since the end of the last ice age. The freezing and thawing cycle have further fractured the holes, speeding up the erosion.

Indeed, winter is a particularly beautiful time at the park as icicles hang from the many outcroppings.

As the caverns are in the cliffside and largely underwater, they can’t be entered from land. Kayakers and scuba divers can get close to them, however, and a number of private businesses offer excursions to the caves or rent gear so you can do your own adventure.

Beach and immense trees
The trail continues northeast down to a small beach. Several fascinating rock outcroppings and formations can be seen along the way. The trees here also are fantastic, with the larger of them more than a century old.

Retrace your steps back up the cliff but rather than take the trail to parking lot, follow it southwest to the top of the rocky headland rising 10 to 20 feet above Lake Michigan.

After taking in the great view from the headlands, follow the trail back into the woods. It quickly reaches the park road; once there, go right/northeast and walk along the road’s shoulder to the parking lot.

Be extremely careful when walking the cliffside – there are no railings, and with the wet surfaces, slipping is easy.

Milwaukee lighthouse offers panoramic view

The North Point Lighthouse was lit in 1888 and elevated in the 1910s.

Oak Leaf Trail map to lighthouse. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can head to the top of a lighthouse for panoramic views of Milwaukee and Lake Michigan.

The 0.4-mile round tip walk on a segment of the Oak Leaf Trial heads to the North Point Lighthouse in Milwaukee’s Lake Park.

To reach the lighthouse, from the intersection of Interstate 43 and West Locust Street, head east on the latter. Turn right/south on Wis. Hwy. 32 (aka North Lake Drive). Enter the park by going left/east onto East Newberry Boulevard. Next, take a right/south on North Lake Road. The parking lot is on the road’s left/east side. Walk south onto Oak Leaf Trail at the lot’s southwest corner.

The paved trail curves through the verdant park. After crossing a bridge over a ravine, go right/west to the lighthouse. A red brick sidewalk heads north from it to the keeper’s quarters.

Rising over the quarters is the 74-foot cast iron tower. It marks the northern end of Milwaukee Bay.

Second lighthouse
The North Point light wasn’t the first station at the bay’s north point, and its construction did not come without controversy.

In 1855, a 28-foot cream city brick lighthouse was constructed on a bluff to place the beacon 107-feet above the water. At the time, it was the highest on the Great Lakes. During the 1870s, though, shore erosion caused 16 feet of the front yard to fall to the beach, so plans were made to build a new lighthouse 100 feet inland. The current tower was constructed and then lit in 1888.

During the 1890s, the city established Lake Park even though the lighthouse grounds split it in half. Soon trees planted at the park obscured mariners’ view of the lighthouse beacon. When the city refused to cut the trees, Congress in turn refused to fund the lighthouse.

Local merchants and mariners protested, so the lighthouse was ran by local authorities. By 1909, the federal government took control of the lighthouse, and Congress authorized money to double the tower’s height, raising it to its current height and a light focal plane of 154 feet. Its beacon could be seen up to 25 miles away.

Cast iron staircase
The lighthouse was automated in the 1940s, but a lighthouse keeper lived there until it was taken out of service in 1994. The 2-acre grounds is now owned by Milwaukee County. Both the lighthouse and the Queen Anne-style keeper’s quarters were renovated in 2005 to their early 1900s appearance.

Hikers can head up a cast iron staircase to the top of the lighthouse for a small fee. It delivers an awesome 360 degree view of Lake Michigan and Milwaukee. The lighthouse is open for tours 1-4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; you must be at least 5 years old and 38 inches tall to climb the tower.

In addition to the tower, a small museum and gift shop are on the grounds. A fourth-order Fresnel lens from 1928 and a 800-pound fog bell are on display in the keeper's quarters.

After taking in the lighthouse and grounds, you can continue the walk by heading on the Oak Leaf Trail south from the lighthouse grounds or north from the parking lot through Lake Park.

Cordwalk crosses Lake Michigan sand dune

A cordwalk parallels Lake Michigan over sand dunes near Sheboygan, Wis.

Kohler Dunes Cordwalk map.
Click for larger version.

Day hikers can walk the length of a sand dune as paralleling Lake Michigan on the Kohler Dunes Cordwalk.

The 2.5-mile round trip hike in Wisconsin's Kohler-Andrade State Park runs entirely on cordwalk – boards tied together with steel cables. This ensures your feet don't sink into the sand and keeps you on the trail so fragile dune grasses aren't trampled.

The trail also passes the Sanderling Nature Center, which provides exhibits on dunes, and offers spurs to an interdunal pond and an overlook of the lake.

To reach the trailhead, from Sheboygan take Interstate 43 south. Exit onto County Road V and take it left/east to the park entrance. After passing through the entrance station, turn left/east. Park in the lot at the road's end.

Spurs to beach
Two spurs head off the cordwalk to the beach; the northernmost one, just 150 feet in from the trailhead, offers a nice overlook of Lake Michigan. Gulls flit about the shore, as sounds of waves crash on the beach. Sailing boats and fishing craft often can be seen in the distance.

Unlike boards nailed together on cement poured into the ground, the cordwalk is ideal for the dunes. Wind and rain constantly shifts the sand’s location, and the more flexible cordwalk can better adapt to the changes.

About 0.2 miles from the trailhead, the cordwalk reaches a roundabout with a depression in the middle. You can go either way, though staying left keeps you closer to the beach than going right. Blowing wind hollowed the depression. Scotch pines growing on the depression’s southwest side were planted as a wind break.

Upon reaching Sandering Lane and the Sanderling Nature Center, cross the road and continue left/southeast through the parking lot and along the trail. The cordwalk here briefly shares a segment with the Creeping Juniper Nature Trail Loop.

Desert vs. beach dunes
While desert dunes tend to be barren, dune grass covers those at Kohler-Andrade. Thanks to the grass, these dunes are more rounded than those in deserts, which rise into ridges with sharp drops. The grass diminishes erosion and even allows wildflowers to flourish.

Another difference with desert dunes is the way they are created. Many desert dunes tend to be sand blowing off a dry lake beds. Kohler-Andrade’s are barrier dunes, created when beach sand is blown inland during storms. Though the prevailing winds come out of the west, during storms the wind direction can switch direction and rise out of the east.

Thanks to the dunes, the Black River is unable to flow into Lake Michigan here. Instead, a wetlands from the river sits west of the dunes, and the river flows north about five miles before emptying into the lake.

At the next trail junction, go left/southwest, continuing on the cordwalk. You’ll pass a spur trail going right/west to an interdunal pond and after that a grove of wind-swept birch.

Along the cordwalk you can see a variety of plants that usually don't appear together. Among them are birch, aspen, the endangered dune thistle (found in only three other Wisconsin counties), goldenrod, milkweed, mullein, white pine wheat-grass, and willow. Beyond the barrier dune, juniper, white pine, and birch grows.

Dune wildlife
There’s a lot of wildlife here as well. You’ll likely see whitetail deer, definitely will spot gulls, and probably will cross pawprints for skunks that come here at night. During summer, watch for monarch butterflies fluttering about the milkweed.

Next the cordwalk passes a spur heading to the right/west. This leads to the group camp area.

The trail reaches its end at Old Park Road; a parking lot sits at the intersection. Once at the pet beach area, retrace your steps back to the trailhead.

As walking on the bare sand can damage the dunes’ fragile (and sometimes threatened) plants, always stay on the cordwalk or designated trail. If you brought Fido or Queenie with you, there is a pet beach area north of Sanderling Nature Center; on the cordwalk, pets must be leashed and stay on the trail.

Trail crosses ancient Lake Michigan beaches

Point Beach with Rawley Point Lighthouse. Wisconsin DNR photo.

Point Beach Ridges Trail map.
Click for larger version.

Day hikers can walk along the ridges and swales of a secluded Lake Michigan beach on Wisconsin’s Rawley Point Ridges Trail.

The 5-mile round trip trail runs through beautiful Point Beach State Forest. Part of the route is a segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Nearly 1200 miles long, the Ice Age Trail traces the edge of where glaciers stood at the end of the last ice age in Wisconsin.

To reach the trailhead, from Two Rivers take County Road O north. In about five miles, you’ll reach the state forest entrance; turn right/east into the forest. Park at the entrance station. From the parking lot, walk the entrance road west for about 140 yards then go left/south onto the Ice Age Trail.

The narrow, almost primitive footpath heads atop a forested sand ridge through a cedar grove. On the trail’s right is a swale.

Swales are marshy depressions between ridges that parallel the shoreline. There are several of them at Point Beach. They formed at the end of the last ice age when lake levels were higher. As creeks deposited sediment into the lake, wave action created a series of beaches matching the current shoreline. As the lake level gradually fell, the beaches were left behind as ridges with low-lying marshes in between. Grasses, shrubs and trees then stabilized the ridges while water pooled in the swales.

Headin’ to the beach
At 0.7 miles, the trail reaches the start of the Red Loop. Go left/southeast onto it. The Red Loop – as well as the next two, the Blue and the Yellow – are three ski trails rambling through the hardwood and cedar forest here.

When the trail curves south at 0.8 miles, a spur leads to the beach and a camping site for kayakers. If you wish to only walk the beach, take the spur. Within a few feet, about six miles of undeveloped beach stretch before you. The secluded beach makes for a beautiful moonlight walk as Lake Michigan’s waves crash against the shore.

Alternately, you can keep sand out of your shoes and stay on the recreation trail. If you do, the trail next junctions with the Blue Loop. Go left/southeast onto the Blue Loop’s eastern or beach side.

At 1.9 miles, the trail crosses the road to the Group Camp. This places you on the Yellow Loop’s eastern leg.

Molash Creek
As the Yellow Loop curves west at 2.5 miles from the trailhead, you’ll be able to spot Molash Creek between the trees. This marks a good spot to pause, as there’s a bench to take in the small waterway. Continuing on, the loop briefly parallels the broad and marshy creek.

When the Ice Age Trail and Yellow Loop split at 2.8 miles, go right/northeast on the loop. Once you cross the road leading to the Group Camp; you’re on the Blue Loop’s western leg.

Upon reaching the Red Loop, continue left-straight/northeast on the loop. The way back is on a slightly higher ridge than the one you walked in on.

In addition to cedars, red pines and spruce can be found in the forested area. Cattails and marsh reeds often line the swales. Raspberry bushes and ferns can be found along the route as well.

Rawley Point Lighthouse
When the Red Loop meets the Ice Age Trail at 4.6 miles, go left/northwest into it. Once a bike trail joins the path from the left, the hiking surface turns to crushed limestone.

Upon reaching the entrance road, take the road right/east. In about 100 feet, you’ll pass the trailhead. Continue on the road back to your vehicle.

Once back at the parking lot, drive east on the park road and check out the Rawley Point Lighthouse. The 113-foot steel tower still operates and can be seen up to 19 miles away. Constructed in 1894, it replaced the 1853 brick lighthouse that was refurbished as the lightkeeper’s house. The lighthouse generally is no open to the public but still makes for a pretty sight. A dog trail runs from the lighthouse to the beach.

Definitely bring insect repellent for the trip, as the swales supports a vibrant mosquito and mayfly population. Dogs are allowed on the trail and beach if leashed, except during ski season. Always stay on the trail or the beach to avoid harming rare plants and the fragile dunes.

White sand beach awaits on Lake Michigan

North Beach runs for 2500 feet along Lake Michigan in Racine, Wis.

North Beach map. Click for larger version.

Families can enjoy nearly a half-mile of shoreline at family-friendly North Beach in Racine, Wisconsin.

Boasting 50 acres of warm, white sand and summer lifeguards, the Lake Michigan beach nicely sits above a table of shallow water that makes wading and swimming safe for kids. There's also an expansive nautical-themed playground on the beach's south side, the 27-acre Racine Zoo on the beach's northside, and hammocks, concession stand, and volleyball courts in between. A wheelchair-accessible walkway extends across the sand to the water's edge.

To reach the beach, from the intersection of Wis. Hwys. 38 (State Street) and 32 (North Main Street) in downtown Racine and head north on Hwy. 32. After crossing the Root River, go three blocks and turn right/east onto Barker Street. A parking lot is in two blocks on the street's right/south side or you can left/north onto Hoffert Drive for additional lots. Using either the Barker Street lot or the first lot on Hoffert Drive puts you on the beach's south side.

From there, you have two options – either walk the paved Lake Michigan Pathway (dotted on map) that borders the beach’s west side or head east onto the sand.

The latter is a treat as your bare feet sink into warm white sand. You’ll enjoy great views of Lake Michigan, as sandpipers run along the shore and seagulls dart through the air. With the beach next to a marina, sailboats grace the lake.

Family-friendly
Go ahead and wade into or even take a swim in Lake Michigan. Like other Great Lakes, the water can be icy cold, which is wonderful on summer's hot, humid days.

North Beach’s 2500 feet of shoreline is family-oriented. Kid's Cove nautical-themed playground is on the beach’s southside, the 27-acre Racine Zoo stands on the beach's northside (sometimes the north end of the beach is referred to as “Zoo Beach”), and hammocks, a concession stand, volleyball courts, and plenty of sunbathing space sits in between.

Because of this, North Beach often is recognized as one of the nation’s best beaches. USA Today, Parents magazine, and Midwest Living magazine all have featured it. The National Clean Beaches Council also designated as a Certified Blue Wave clean beach – the first in Wisconsin to receive the certification.

Weekdays are best for visiting, as the beach will be crowded on summer weekends. Lifeguards are on duty from the first week in June through the first week in September. Pets are not allowed.

Other area beaches
North Beach isn’t the only great waterfront in Racine County.

You also may want to try the Quarry Lake Park beach. The 40-acre park is built around a former limestone quarry that is now spring-fed lake. A roughly 600-foot sand beach graces the lake’s south side. The park includes a picnic area and allows swimming and scuba diving; the Karen A. Nelson Memorial Dog Park is adjacent. Quarry Lake Park is located off of Wis. Hwy. 38 east of Wis. Hwy. 31.

In nearby Burlington, the Fischer County Park beach sits on Browns Lake’s southeast side. While the beach is only 400 feet in length, the park includes a dock and picnic tables, and lifeguards are on duty in summer. The park is on County Road E/Durand Avenue west of the Wis. Hwys. 83 and 11 intersection.

Lighthouse rises 108 ft. over Lake Michigan

Windpoint Lighthouse in Racine, Wis., was built in 1880.

Windpoint Lighthouse map. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can visit one of the oldest and tallest lighthouses on the Great Lakes in Wind Point, Wisconsin.

The 0.2-mile round trip walk crosses the grounds for the Windpoint Lighthouse. It’s located at the north end of Racine Harbor on Lake Michigan.

To reach the lighthouse, from the junction of Wis. Hwy. 32 and 3 Mile Road north of Racine, take the latter street east toward Lake Michigan. As 3 Mile Road curves north along the lake, it becomes Lighthouse Drive. Next, turn right/east onto Village Hall Drive. A parking lot for the lighthouse is at the street’s end.

The lighthouse, constructed of cream city brick and painted white, rises 108 feet in the center of the calm and peaceful grounds. Several other buildings, including the keeper’s quarters, signal house (with two red fog horns protruding from its front), an oil house with a stepped gable, garage, and two storage buildings, are on the site.

A lighthouse was built on Racine Harbor in 1837. But Racine Point, about 3.5 miles, away kept south-traveling ships from seeing it. In 1880, at a different point on the harbor, the Windpoint Lighthouse was built to solve that problem.

Its light can be seen up to 19 miles away on Lake Michigan. The foghorn when it operated could be heard up to 10 miles away.

U.S. Army officer and engineer Orlando Metcalfe Poe, who served in Sherman’s famous March to the Sea, designed the lighthouse and grounds. He oversaw the design and construction of several Great Lakes lighthouses following the Civil War. One of the locks at Soo Locks, which connect Lakes Huron and Superior, even bears his name.

Originally a three-wicked kerosene lamp magnified by a Fresnel lens served as the beacon in Poe’s Windpoint Lighthouse. Fuel for the light had to be carried up 144 cast iron steps wind to the top of the 11-story tower. The beacon light was electrified in 1924, the second of all Great Lakes lighthouses to receive such an upgrade. The light was automated in 1964. Today, the original lens can be seen at the keeper’s quarters.

In 2007, the lighthouse underwent a $210,000 restoration. The porthole windows were replaced with arched window recesses while the brickwork was tuckpointed and the tower repainted. The Village of Wind Point uses the keeper’s quarters as its village hall and police headquarters.

Tours of the lighthouse are offered the first Sunday of the month from June to October between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. as well as select Saturdays. No children under age 6 are allowed in the tower, and to climb the steps you must wear sturdy walking or tennis shoes; no flip-flops, high heels or bare feet are allowed.

The lighthouse grounds, however, are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. To extend the walk, hikers can stroll from the grounds through a brick garden to a somewhat rocky beach. The area is a great spot for a picnic.

Hike to one-of-a-kind Great Lakes lighthouse

Rawley Point Light and the keeper's residence on Lake Michigan.

Map of walk to Rawley Point Light. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can explore the grounds of the only skeletal lighthouse of its kind on the Great Lakes just north of Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

The walk to the Rawley Point Light is a brief 0.15-miles round trip. Access to a Lake Michigan beachfront also is available.

To reach Rawley Point, from the intersection of Wis. Hwy. 42 and County Road O (22nd Street) in Two Rivers, take County O east/north. After passing Point Beach State Forest, turn right/east onto Park Road. Leave your vehicle in the lot on the road’s right/south side just before it curves north. Go to the lot’s east side and walk the trail heading right/south.

After passing through a small grove, the trail opens up to the lighthouse grounds with the beach and Lake Michigan beyond.

Long history of lighthouses
Standing 113-feet high, the lighthouse isn’t your standard brick or sandstone structure that make up so many of Wisconsin’s charming light stations. This light instead is the octagonal skeletal structure of the 1859 Chicago Harbor Light, which was dismantled and then reconstructed on the point in 1894.

The lighthouse and point is named for Peter Rowley, who set up a trading post nearby in 1835. A 1888 government records misspelling of his name led to the current use of “Rawley” rather than “Rowley.”

Records are not entirely clear, but a 75-foot tall light consisting of four poles and a lantern is thought to have been erected on the site in 1853. A wooden tower and house was built soon after. Because the wooden tower was in a poor location, though, a brick structure was constructed in 1874. This tower proved to be structurally unsound, however, so it was replaced with the current lighthouse. Trusswork was added to the steel tower’s base to increase the height, a new service room below the lantern was built, and a better lens installed.

The current lighthouse effectively ended shipping accidents on the dangerous shoals around Rawley Point. Prior to it, 26 ships foundered or were left stranded on the point. In 1887, the steamship Vernon sunk nearby, drowning 36 crew members and passengers.

Name change
The lighthouse was known as Two River Point Light until 1956, when it was given its current name. In 1962, a fire destroyed part of the residence. Then in 1979, the lighthouse was automated.

It continues in service today with Coast Guard personnel using the residence. The light can be seen up to 19 miles away and operates a half-hour before sunset until a half-hour after sunrise.

Tours of the lighthouse are not available, but on occasion self-guided tours of the residence are.

After taking in the lighthouse grounds, feel free to walk to the beach and dip your feet into Lake Michigan’s cold waters. The beach stretches about 300 feet from the lighthouse to the lake, so this can at least double the distance of the hike to a minimum of 0.3-miles round trip.

Hike to Lake Michigan’s oldest light station

The Pottawatomie Light Station combines the lighthouse with the keeper's
house in a unique design.

Map to Pottawatomie Lighthouse.
Click image for larger version.

Day hikers can head to Lake Michigan’s oldest light station at Wisconsin’s Rock Island State Park.

The 2.1-mile round trip hike to the Pottawatomie Lighthouse largely uses a segment of the Thordarson Trail Loop. A lighthouse was erected at the site in 1836 but demolished and replaced with the taller, current station in 1858.

Reaching the lighthouse requires two ferry rides and a hike. Begin by driving Wis. Hwy. 42 to Northport at Door County’s northern tip. From there, take your vehicle by ferry for a 30-minute ride to Washington County. Upon disembarking, go north on Lobdell Point Road then turn left/north onto Main Road. Next, go right/east onto Jackson Harbor Road. After the road curves north, go straight/north onto Indian Point Road. Turn right/northeast onto Rock Island State Park Road. At the road’s end is a ferry to Rock Island; vehicles are not allowed on Rock Island, and the ride lasts about 15 minutes.

Once on Rock Island, walk northwest on the jeep trail intersecting the road leading up from the dock. After passing the ranger’s residence, the jeep trail runs out about 0.12 miles from the dock, and you’ve reached the trailhead for the Thordarson Trail Loop. Head onto the trail.

The trail soon leaves a meadow for a mixed hardwood forest. Lake Michigan sits on the trail’s left/west, and for the next half-mile sometimes can be glimpsed between the trees.

After about a mile, the trail enters a blufftop clearing that sports the Pottawatomie Lighthouse and keeper’s house. The tower and house are uniquely combined as one structure. The lighthouse itself rises 41 feet high and is constructed of limestone.

Among the first lighthouses built on the Great Lakes, the station helped steamships carrying new settlers to the Territory of Wisconsin, speeding up the process for it to become a state. Later, it guided ships carrying food and raw materials from the state past the rocky shoreline. Positioned atop the 137-foot bluff, the light could be seen up to 14 miles away.

The lighthouse was named for the Native Americans who inhabited the island and nearby Wisconsin mainland before settlers arrived. Appropriately enough, “Pottawatomie” means “keepers of the fire.”

Civilian light keepers managed the station until the 1940s when the U.S. Coast Guard took over. It remained in service until 1988 – a full 130 years – when a new metal tower took over as a navigational aide.

Today, hikers can tour the lighthouse daily from Memorial Day through early October during the late mornings and early afternoons. The lighthouse and keepers house have been restored to appear as they did between 1882-1910.

Just east of the lighthouse grounds are steps that head to Lake Michigan. A thin beach spearates the bluff from the water. A small cemetery sits southeast of the light station.

After taking in the lighthouse and grounds, retrace your steps back to the ferry dock. Alternately, you can head east on the trail and hike around the island’s edge for a 5.2-mile loop to the dock.

Traipse around Lake Michigan lighthouse

Southport Lighthouse and keeper's house

Southport Lighthouse map. Click for larger version.

Day hikers can explore a restored lighthouse from the 1860s along Lake Michigan's western shores in Wisconsin.

The roughly 0.12-mile round trip walk heads to Kenosha's famous Southport Lighthouse. Located on Simmons Island, the station affectionately is known as the "Old Kenosha Light."

To reach the lighthouse, from the intersection of Wis. Hwys. 32 and 158 in Kenosha, take Hwy. 32 north. Turn right/east onto 50th Street, crossing the harbor channel onto Simmons Island. As 50th Street curves right/south, it becomes Fourth Street. You'll pass the light station. As the street curves left/east, it becomes 51st Place; a parking lot is on the right/south side across from the Kenosha History Center.

After parking, cross the street to the history center and follow the sidewalk left/west to the lighthouse and keeper's house.

The lighthouse stands 55 feet tall, and because it's located on a hill, rises 74 feet above Lake Michigan.

Erected in 1866, Southport replaced two older lighthouses. It was part of a concerted effort to turn Kenosha into a major shipping port. At one time, it was the first light Great Lakes ships coming from Chicago would see in Wisconsin.

Built of yellow Milwaukee Cream City brick, the lighthouse originally boasted a Fresnel lens fueled by kerosene. The lens was taken out of use in 1906 when Southport's duties were taken over by the new Kenosha North Pier Light. Southport still was used, however, as a 25-foot tripod mast was raised atop it to display storm warning flags and lights.

The keeper's house was built at the same time and of the same material as the lighthouse. In 1907, a two-story porch and a two-story addition to the kitchen and bathrooms were added.

By the early 20th century, better harbors and railroad connections in Chicago, Milwaukee and nearby Racine, Wis., doomed Kenosha to being a minor port, and Southport's importance diminished.

Today, the lighthouse brings dollars into the community in ways other than shipping. It's a major local tourism destination as serves as a museum. The light station was restored in the 1990s, with an automated electric light added to the tower.

Summer weekends mark the best time to visit the light station, as the keeper's house and tower typically are open to the public.

After taking in Southport, hikers can extend their walk by heading to the nearby Kenosha North Pier Lighthouse. Follow the sidewalk east of the Kenosha History Center to the beach. The lighthouse sits at the end of the concrete pier for an additional 0.53 miles round trip walk.

Standing 50 feet high, the North Pier Lighthouse is made of riveted steel plates. The lighthouse still is in service after more than 110 years. It is privately owned and there are no tours of it. Maps, brochures and websites sometimes is referred to as the Pierhead Lighthouse or the Kenosha Lighthouse.