Indiana Dunes State Park

Indiana Dunes State Park

Location of State Park in Indiana

Type State Park; National Natural Landmark
Location Porter County, Indiana, United States
Nearest city Chesterton, Indiana
Coordinates 41°40′N 87°02′W / 41.66°N 87.04°W / 41.66; -87.04Coordinates: 41°40′N 87°02′W / 41.66°N 87.04°W / 41.66; -87.04
Area 2,182 acres (883 ha)
Created 1925
Operated by Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Status Open all year
Website Official Website

Indiana Dunes State Park is an Indiana State Park located 47 miles (75.6 km) east of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The park is bounded by Lake Michigan to the northwest, and is surrounded on all four sides by the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, a unit of the National Park Service (the National Lakeshore owns the water from the ordinary high water mark to 300 feet offshore[1]). The 1,530 acres (619.2 ha) Dunes Nature Preserve makes up the bulk of eastern part of the park, and includes most of the park’s hiking trails and dune landscape. This was one of the first places Richard Lieber considered when establishing the Indiana State Park system. Like all Indiana state parks, there is a fee for entrance. It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974.[2]

Preserving the Indiana Dunes has resulted from the efforts of many citizens and politicians.[3][4]

Geology

The beaches were formed by winds coming off Lake Michigan, which drop sand when the wind hits plants, dunes, and hills. As the lake level of Lake Michigan dropped at the end of the Ice Age, the shoreline receded, and new dunes were formed along the lakeshore. Vegetation took over the previous dunes, and eventually forests grew on top of them. There are "blowouts" along the dunes, where dead stumps were revealed after the wind blew away the sand from on top of them; the most notable such blowout is Big Blowout.

History

Native Americans used the area for years, primarily the Potawatomi and Miami people. The Dunes were along trade routes used by Native Americans. In the early 19th century, the state park area was home to the settlements of Petit Fort and City West.

Notable attractions

Forest growing on dunes

Facilities and activities

Richard Lieber (front right) with NPS Director Stephen Mather at what would become Indiana Dunes State Park in 1916

Dunes Nature Preserve

Dunes Nature Preserve
Designated 1974

The Nature Preserve covers the eastern 2/3 of the State Park, 1,530 acres (620 ha). It is accessible only on foot. All eight of the park's trails enter the nature preserve, offering easy to rugged experiences amongst the dunes. The highlights of the preserve include:[5]

Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974, the preserve also contains Ancient Pines Nature Area, a prehistoric forest now exposed by dune blowouts.[6]

Blowouts

Blowouts are formed by the on-shore winds of Lake Michigan. The winds move sand and pile it into dunes. As the dunes form, plants begin to take hold, stabilizing the sand. Beach grasses form a large underground system of roots. This root system, creates stable areas of sand, from which the dune can grow. Slowly other plants take root in the protected areas, including bearberry (kinnikinnick) and small evergreens. Over time, larger plants like sumac, sand cherry, cottonwood, and juniper take hold and replace the grasses and smaller plants.

When a nick forms in this armor of roots and plants, the area can become a blowout. First, open sand becomes accessible to the wind. This can be by animal trails or by human footpaths. A tree could fall in a strong wind, exposing the underlying sand. When this happens, the wind once again goes to work on the loose sand. It undercuts the other roots, and begins moving sand southward. If the winds are strong enough or given enough time, a large blowout can occur, reducing the dunes to lake level over a large area. The 3 largest blowouts in the park are Beach House, Furnessville, and Big Blowout. Each extends into the interdunes, between the front rides of dunes and pockets, into the interdunal troughs. Big Blowout has uncovered an area of dead tree trunks known as the Tree Graveyard.[7]

The park also has a Youth Tent Area separate from the public campground.

See also

References

  1. ↑ National Park Service, "Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and the Lake Michigan Shoreline: National Park Service Jurisdiction and Authorities on the Shore", October 2012.
  2. ↑ National Park Service: National Natural Landmark Program (Indiana) Retrieved 4 December 2014
  3. ↑ Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2006). Alice Gray, Dorothy Buell, and Naomi Svihla: Preservationists of Ogden Dunes. The South Shore Journal, 1.http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-1-2006/78-journals/vol-1-2006/117-alice-gray-dorothy-buell-and-naomi-svihla-preservationists-of-ogden-dunes
  4. ↑ Smith, S. & Mark, S. (2009). The Historical Roots of the Nature Conservancy in the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland Region: From Science to Preservation. The South Shore Journal, 3. http://www.southshorejournal.org/index.php/issues/volume-3-2009/83-journals/vol-3-2009/75-the-historical-roots-of-the-nature-conservancy-in-the-northwest-indianachicagoland-region-from-science-to-preservation
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Indiana Dunes State Park, Department of Natural Resources, Chesterton, Indiana.
  6. ↑ National Registry of Natural Landmarks (June 2009) p. 36. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  7. ↑ Indiana Department of Natural Resources: Dunes Nature Preserve
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