Rick's Hiking & Fun Group

Time 10am CT, 11am ET

There have been recent renovations to this trail, it now connects to the far wester part of the National park, near the Paul H Douglass Center in Miller.

This is a great place for going at your own pace, and turning around when you tire.

This is a smooth, wide, and easy trail-- it used to be a rail line. There's a lake on one side most of the way, and a combination of open and forested land around. This can be a be a good place to see wildlife. We've seen various waterfowl and some beaver lodges.

The whole route:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/custom-routes/custom-route-marquette-trail-0b51f13?u=i&sh=hbgaui

Difficulty
The total there-and-back distance is about 5 miles. It is an easy hike, level, wide, and smooth, and even partly paved. The main challenge comes from the length.

There's an optional additional 1 mile loop at the end of the trail that's not paved at the Miller end that's available the more energetic. Currently (in August) this trail is marked closed due to storm damage, but that may likely change by the time of the hike.

This trail is wheelchair accessible (we've actually done it) with some work, and maybe a little help getting over a few curbs. I and others will be happy to lend a hand.

Though you can easily go part way and turn back. There are no turns or side-trails to worry about.
And for a longer hike you can easily continue on to the Long Lake trail.

Address

This is the tricky part-- finding the parking. The route is almost the same as to West Beach. But instead of turning right onto West Beach Road, you continue straight, go over the bridge, then immediately turn right. There's parking on the left 30 seconds further.

(see the map in the picture gallery for help finding the spot)

I haven't found an address that will point to the right place. See the map in the photogallery to make sure your GPS is taking you to the right place. But you should be able to use one of these:

Google: Indiana Dunes National Park Marquette Trail Parking Lot

Coordinates: 41.61497° N, 87.22066° W

Details

• Dogs are allowed on leash
• Bring some water
• Bathrooms are a bit further down the road by the West Beach parking.

Access

There's no fee to park at the lot or use the trail.

But you will need a pass to get to nearby West beach if you want to use the bathrooms, or we need overflow parking. Both the Indiana Dunes National Park pass, and "America the Beautiful - Interagency Pass" are valid for that.

Feel free to text or call me at 217-717-7860 for last minute details.

Hope to see you there,
Jonathan

* * *

to view photos of previous hikes by this group at this location, see:

2011 https://www.meetup.com/ricks-hiking-fun-group/photos/4054922/

2023 https://www.meetup.com/ricks-hiking-fun-group/photos/33834015/

2024
https://www.meetup.com/ricks-hiking-fun-group/photos/34565318/

11 AM CT, 12 PM ET

let's meet at the picnic tables outside the doors of the Nature Center.

we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of Rick’s Hiking and Fun Group, a quarter century of hiking and fun together!

i will be away at the time of the anniversary, but Eileen, the first co-organizer i chose to lead events for RHFG in May 2023 will be in charge of this anniversary event.

this event will follow the route of the original 8 hikers on our first ever event in September 2001.

Length of hike about 7 miles, with options to shorten to 4 miles or 5 miles, some moderate climbs, but nothing too steep.

• Beginning at the State Park Nature Center, we will start out on beautiful trail 9, around the back edge of the Beach House Blowout, and descend through the middle to the lakeshore.
• At the Furnessville Blowout, anyone who wants to go only four miles can continue on trail 9 as it loops back to the Nature Center.
• The rest of us will continue on the beach, and hike along it to the place where trail 10 returns to the woods and through Paradise valley. We will follow trail 10 inland to the trail 2 boardwalk.
• At this point, anyone who wants to go only six miles can continue on trail 10 back to the Nature Center.
• The rest of us will cross the Great Marsh on the boardwalk, and continue on trails 2 and 8 over the marsh bridge and back to the Nature Center, for a total of about 7 miles

Dear Friends--

a few days after the terrible September 11 terrorist attacks, i began working on starting a hiking group. this was my fifth attempt to start a group since 1995, mostly through ads in the Chicago Reader newspaper. i had enjoyed hiking, backpacking, and other outdoor activities most of my life, and starting a group where i could easily and frequently find people for hiking and other outdoor pursuits was a cherished goal of mine.

in my prior attempts, i had not experienced much success, but the recent devastating world events had given me a new urgency to bring people together in healthy, positive community experiencing the outdoors and each other.

there were 8 people at our first hike on September 29, 2001, and i started an email list for a future group. i ran more Reader ads (and later advertised on Craigslist), had two more hikes in the rest of 2001 with 14 and 9 in attendance, and by New Year's, i had a mailing list of about 50 people.

in the following year, i was able to hold hikes, and later, other events with reliable attendance at least a couple times a month, and have been able to maintain this to the present day. in 2009, i put the group on meetup.com ... and that is how i am addressing all you fine people right now.

the thread of community was stretched rather thin in the months of uncertainty during the early Pandemic, but a robust schedule of cyber-events kept us connected, until we started gathering again in late summer in the safety of the beach.

in 2023--after some unsuccessful attempts in the past--i have found some reliable event organizers who have been providing excellent experiences faithful to the vision of a caring community of people who love the outdoors--and each other--that i'd had twenty-five long years ago.

this was important for two reasons--first, by 22 years after i started the group, age and physical disabilities had compromised my ability to lead the vigorous outdoor experiences i'd had in the past.

second, visiting my far-flung children and grandchildren had kept me away from the Midwest for as much as 3-4 months a year.

i'm grateful to the dozen of so people who have been creating and holding events in the last 2+ years since i expanded the leadership of the group, starting with Eileen and Jonathan, whom i first trusted with this role.

... and so today, we will walk the same route that the original 8 in the group took in that fraught September twenty-five long years ago. may we enjoy many more wonderful years together.

—Rick

The Dunes are to the Midwest what the Grand Canyon is to Arizona and the Yosemite is to California. They constitute a signature of time and eternity. --Carl Sandburg

Details

• Dogs are allowed on a leash
• You'll want to bring some water (and probably a snack if you go the long way)

Starting Location

We'll gather in front of the Nature Center deep in the Indiana Dunes State Park.

Nature Center, Chesterton, IN 46304

If you can't get a spot by the Nature Center, continue down the road a bit and park at the North Orchard Shelter. The short trail there will take you to the Nature Center.

Entrance

Unlike many of our hikes, this one is in the State Park. National Park passes are not accepted.

If you don't have a pass, at the gate it costs $7 for residents and $12 for non-residents. Annual passes are also available, and worthwhile if you visit more than a few times a year. car-pooling is also a good idea.

after the hike, depending on the wishes of the group, we may get together at a nearby restaurant of our choice to continue enjoying each other's company a little longer.