Hike on the Dunewood Trace and beyond, Dunes National Park

arrive late? walk to the campground, keep to the right, and you will run into our group.

this event will be sponsored jointly with Rick’s Hiking and Fun Group https://www.meetup.com/Ricks-Hiking-Fun-Group/ .

we will meet at 12 PM ET, 11 AM CT.

dear friends–

we will meet at 12 PM ET at the Beverly Shores South Shore line parking lot. though we will not be using the train, the lot is never full, and i’ve never heard of anyone’s having problems parking there, but if you are uneasy about that, park at the Great Marsh trail lot, a couple blocks to the north, and walk to the South Shore parking lot by 12:00.

note, however, that the Great Marsh parking lot is a fee area, so you will need a permit to hang on your mirror (you can purchase one at the Marathon station on the corner–but not cheap).

there is a washroom at the South Shore train station on Broadway, north of the tracks. if you use it, wear a mask. because of construction, there is a chance that this washroom could be closed. if so, there is also a washroom at the Marathon station at the corner.

getting people together and ready to hike will take a little while, but let’s be moving by 12:20 ET.

this should be a dog-friendly hike, so you may bring your well-behaved Canine American friends.

we will all start out together from the South Shore line parking lot, cross US 12, enter the campground, turn right, and walk to the trailhead of the Dunewood Trace.

make a careful note of HOW TO GET BACK TO YOUR CAR, cause we may not all be coming back together.

we will take a there-and-back hike on the Dunewood Trace starting from the National Park campground. at 2.5 miles, we will reach the Great Lakes Science Center. there are restrooms there also.

for those who wish to turn back there, you may return the same way we came, and arrive back at our cars with a total hike of 5 miles. but if you want some variety and about the same distance, you may cross route 12 and walk north to the Calumet Trail, turn right and return to the train station by a different way. depending on the weather, sometimes there is standing water on this gravel trail.

but you also may continue west on the Glenwood Dunes trail as far as you want to go, up to a round trip total of 13 miles.

if you want to go beyond the Great Lakes center, take the nature trail west till it ends. the Glenwood Dunes trail will pick up there, and you may continue west. this is actually a network of trails, so consult the map, or take a photo of the sign at the Great Lakes center so you don’t go astray.

i’m expecting people to self-sort into small groups, hike as far and as fast as they wish, and turn back wherever they want. this will eliminate the frequent problem of accommodating people of various hiking abilities and preferences.

i expect most of us will meet at the Great Lakes center, where we can check in and regroup, but we don’t have to. if you’re in your zone, just continue on at whatever pace you wish, and turn back when you want to.

since we won’t all go the entire distance on this trail, i encourage you to TAKE and POST pictures. if you don’t know how to post, please text them to me, and i will post them for you. i would appreciate if you would drop a comment telling me how far everyone went, and what you think of the idea of this hike.

here is a chart of various turn around points, and how long your round trip hike will be employing each option:

to

Great Lakes Science Center 5.0 miles
Teale rd 7.0 miles
Furnessville rd 8.0 miles
Hadenfelt rd 9.0 miles
Tremont rd 10.4 miles
50 E rd 11.4 miles

…and one more route possibility–JONATHAN will have his car parked at the Dune Park train station, and is making a ONE WAY hike of 6.0 miles from our starting point in Beverly Shores, and invites anyone who wants to to join him. he will drive them back to their vehicles, and make more than one trip if necessary.

Make sure to check the weather on the day of the event and dress appropriately http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Beverly+Shores+IN+46301 . Be sure to bring along plenty of water (preferably 2 quarts), and a snack which we will eat along the way.

i will pass a hat for a small donation to cover expenses: mostly, this is the cost of using the meetup website, but sometimes I need some dinero to pay for occasional gifts to neighbors who let us use their parking, prizes for contests, etc. as long as i can cover this with people putting $2-3 in a can, i prefer not doing anything more binding or complicated.

if anyone else wants to organize a restaurant visit, go ahead, but regretfully, i am not comfortable doing it myself yet. i haven’t dined indoors since 2/22/2020.

if you have symptoms of, or have recently tested positive for Covid-19 (or any other contagious disease), please DO NOT ATTEND.

also bring a mask for situations where we might need one (eg, using a crowded restroom, or getting a ride in someone else’s car).

hope to see you there,

Rick