The Cowles Bog Trail at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is a real gem, incorporating wetlands and industrial woodland and lakeshore landscapes and beautiful flora and fauna. I encountered a snapping turtle which I captured on my camera and a whitetail deer which I did not. Be advised, though, that this is the Indiana “Dunes” National Lakeshore and the dunes just before the beach are really rather steep and coming back up can really be a chore.
I began at the Greenbelt Trailhead and ended at the Cowles Bog Trailhead. If you want to see a larger image of any of the slides, check out the gallery below.
Finally, if you are in the Midwest and close to the dunes at all, you really should go. I plan to come back and explore more.
I lived only a few short miles from the Dunes for about 3 years after high school. Mt. Baldy in Michigan City was a place I visited almost ritualistically. It was on my way home from work, so many a nights, I would park, climb, sit, ponder, relax and descend. Then only days later, I’d do it all over again.
My husband and I make a point to visit the Dunes every year when we go visit my dad. I have a jar that gets filled a little more each year with pebbles smoothed by time and the chilly waters of Lake Michigan.
I adore that region so very much and it is, in large part, why I miss living there. So glad you had a chance to behold the beauty with your own eyes!