Outdoors: Inland Marsh

Trail Click to Enlarge Trail Map Click to Enlarge Introduction Inland Marsh is a nice oak savanna with wet areas interspersed. During my last visit, the parking area looked like a particularly unappealing roadside rest stop, with a lone chemical toilet and a couple of picnic tables set in an area that appeared thoroughly worked-over and worn out. Stop anyway. Trails Trails pass through dunes formed millennia ago when the water level in Lake Michigan was much higher. Pick up a trail map and head south along a sandy trail lined here and there with prickly pear cactus and the occasional bit of industrial debris. After about a half mile, the trail turns west and climbs a short dune before intersecting with the main trail, a 1.8 mile loop with a short cut option of 1.0 miles. At times the trail ventures a bit close to a road for my taste, but overall it’s a pleasant walk. Facilities Chemical toilet. Directions View Larger Map Porter County. From the intersection of US 12 and IN 249, west 2 miles on US 12 to well-marked parking area on the south side of the road. North 41 36.967 West 87 11.575 DeLorme 19:C7 Nearby Natural Areas Cowles Bog Cressmoor Prairie Nature Preserve Little Calumet River Trail Miller Woods West Beach References Habeck: Wild Indiana; Page 11 McPherson: Indiana Best Hikes; Page 127