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| A Great Blue Heron sits near the Grand Marsh Trail at Indiana Dunes National Park, America's newest national park. NPS photo. |
The 1.26-miles lollipop trail, with a spur to the observation deck, gains a mere nine feet of elevation as it traverses a marsh alongside Lake Michigan. Thanks to a recent restoration of the wetlands, migratory birds – including sandhill cranes and great blue herons – stop over there every spring and autumn.
To reach the trailhead, from Chicago take U.S. Hwy. 12 east or from Michigan City, Ind., go west on the road. Upon reaching Beverly Shores, Ind., turn north onto Broadway Avenue. Park in the South Lot on the street’s right/east side. The largely grass trail (some patches are packed dirt) heads out from the lot’s east side.
Interdunal wetland
The Great Marsh is an interdunal wetland, a water-filled depression between two sand dunes. It’s the largest wetlands complex in the Lake Michigan watershed, stretching for several miles between Burns Harbor, Ind., and Michigan City.
At 0.3 miles, the trail comes to the first junction. Go right/east on it. The marsh is on the trail’s left/north side.
You’ll be immediately impressed by the array of wildlife in the Great Marsh. Coots, mallards, wood ducks and geese are abundant here. During the annual migrations, wading birds such as herons and egrets stalk the shorelines. Kingfishers, red-winged blackbirds, tree swallows, and warblers also are abundant. Another surprise: sometimes beavers can be spotted playing in the marsh’s channels.
In 0.1 miles, the trail reaches the loop’s beginning. Continue straight-right/east, which takes you onto slightly higher ground.
Sandhill cranes, Great Blue Herons, egrets
Sandhill cranes are easy to pick out when they stop over on their migration. Tall and graceful, the slate gray bird has a long neck, legs and wingspan. Their wings can stretch up to 2.2 yards across from tip to tip.
After another 0.3 miles, the loop reaches its northwest corner and re-enters the marsh.
Another large migrating bird using the Great Marsh are Great Blue Herons. Slightly larger than sandhill cranes, the gray-blue bodied bird has a barely longer wingspan. They often wade along the shoreline picking off small fish but being opportunistic will eat everything from insects to snakes.
In 0.1 miles, the trail comes full circle. Go right/west back onto the stem trail.
Egrets – a type of heron with white plumage – also inhabit the marsh. Other than the coloring, they look virtually identical to the Great Blue Heron. Indeed, the word “egret” comes from the French “aigrette,” which means “silver heron.”
About 0.1 miles later, you’ll reach another junction. Instead of continuing on the stem trail, go straight/left/west onto the boardwalk.
For almost a century, virtually none of the wetlands birds could be found here. During the early 1900s, the wetlands was drained through a series of ditches so that the land could be used for farming and housing. As the wetlands disappeared, the water table dropped, allowing trees to take over the interdunal area.
Wetlands restoration
In less than 0.1 miles, the boardwalk reaches a spur leading to the observation deck. This is a great spot to break out the binoculars and camera.
The National Park Service in 1998 began restoring the wetlands. This including filling ditches and plugging culverts that drained the marshes, erecting levees with spillways, removing the non-wetlands trees, and replanting the sedges and grasses that existed when the wetlands existed.
After taking in the sights, retrace your steps back to the parking lot.
Wear boots with good traction, as the trail can be muddy and slippery. No pets are allowed on the trail.
Note that the North lot is handicap parking only. A short wheelchair-accessible trail runs from the lot to the overlook of the marsh.
