Tolleston Dunes Trail
Address
5800 US Hwy 12 (Dunes Hwy), Portage, IN 46368
Contact
Phone: (219) 395-1882
Alt Phone: (219) 926-7561
Fax: (219) 395-1767
About
Moderate trails measuring 2.6 miles make for not only a great hike, but excellent cross-country skiing. The Tolleston Dunes Trail follows 10,000-year-old sand dunes and shoreline from a time when Lake Michigan was much larger. Your hike will cover a number of diverse, wildlife-rich habitats, including lupine that blooms in late May and attracts butterflies. This scenic trail leads up and down the high ridges of the Tolleston Dunes, formed about 10,000 years ago when Lake Michigan was 25 feet higher than it is today. In just 2.6 miles, this trail in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore traverses a number of different, beautiful, and wildlife-rich habitats, including black oak savanna, and remnants of the Great Marsh. Black oak savanna along the trail hosts plenty of wild lupines. The lupine blooms in late May, so that's a great time to see the butterflies. The lowland marshes along the trail were once part of the Great Marsh, which originally stretched over twelve miles from Gary to Michigan City. Preserve Tolleston Dunes for future generations - do not walk off the trails, pick wildflowers, or disturb animal habitats.
