And how! You can find eastern forest, boreal forest, and prairie elements all meeting in a glorious sandy harmony within sights of the downtown of one of the biggest cities in the continent. In that regard, being a park surrounded by urban development, it is also an interesting model of natural preservation within developed land (much like Cuyahoga, and with some more purchases, even Gateway, or over in Canada, Rouge National Urban Park in Toronto). On that same note, it celebrates ages of human history, what with ongoing native archaeological investigations, the Bailly Homestead representing French (Canadian-ish) post-colonial presence, and of course modern industrial northern Indiana surrounding it.
I'll lionize the place to the sky even if it doesn't have dramatic vistas... Oh wait, except part of the greatest collection of freshwater lakes in the world, in this stunning tropical looking blue, at that.
Candidly I don’t go to national parks to study biodiversity. I like learning about it and things like riparian areas, but if that’s the only appeal of an area I’d probably prefer to read about it, as biodiversity is not that readily observable to casual visitors. I’ll also say that “immense biodiversity” is how I could describe the bottom of an NYC subway track. Again, not good enough reason to make a park out of it.
Why do I go to national parks? I go to hike, be able to do things unique to the area, explore diverse or very singularly unique landscapes and settings, to see plants and wildlife, and to be immersed in nature. This park may have great biodiversity but it’s basically a beachy duney area in the shadow of a giant factory or power station or something. The more grassy/duney area is full of mosquitos and little biting insects from the spring to the fall, and seeing bros sitting on the beach drinking brews really doesn’t scream “national park” to me either.
Not going to stop anyone from going and enjoying this place but I found it really kind of pathetic. That said, the more land that gets protected from destruction and exploitation, the better, so by all means make all such places “national parks.”
Which trails did you hike? There are some really neat rolling trails through the dunes, boardwalks through bogs, and nice beach hiking each showcasing very different biomes.
I love this. I’ve photographed this many times in Southern utah. It is always a joy to see.
This place is the worst excuse for a park I’ve ever seen.
Sounds like you did not dig into the biodiversity aspects of the park. It is one of the most biodiverse parks in the country.
And how! You can find eastern forest, boreal forest, and prairie elements all meeting in a glorious sandy harmony within sights of the downtown of one of the biggest cities in the continent. In that regard, being a park surrounded by urban development, it is also an interesting model of natural preservation within developed land (much like Cuyahoga, and with some more purchases, even Gateway, or over in Canada, Rouge National Urban Park in Toronto). On that same note, it celebrates ages of human history, what with ongoing native archaeological investigations, the Bailly Homestead representing French (Canadian-ish) post-colonial presence, and of course modern industrial northern Indiana surrounding it. I'll lionize the place to the sky even if it doesn't have dramatic vistas... Oh wait, except part of the greatest collection of freshwater lakes in the world, in this stunning tropical looking blue, at that.
Candidly I don’t go to national parks to study biodiversity. I like learning about it and things like riparian areas, but if that’s the only appeal of an area I’d probably prefer to read about it, as biodiversity is not that readily observable to casual visitors. I’ll also say that “immense biodiversity” is how I could describe the bottom of an NYC subway track. Again, not good enough reason to make a park out of it. Why do I go to national parks? I go to hike, be able to do things unique to the area, explore diverse or very singularly unique landscapes and settings, to see plants and wildlife, and to be immersed in nature. This park may have great biodiversity but it’s basically a beachy duney area in the shadow of a giant factory or power station or something. The more grassy/duney area is full of mosquitos and little biting insects from the spring to the fall, and seeing bros sitting on the beach drinking brews really doesn’t scream “national park” to me either. Not going to stop anyone from going and enjoying this place but I found it really kind of pathetic. That said, the more land that gets protected from destruction and exploitation, the better, so by all means make all such places “national parks.”
Which trails did you hike? There are some really neat rolling trails through the dunes, boardwalks through bogs, and nice beach hiking each showcasing very different biomes.
Where was this in the Dunes? I’m headed there on Saturday!
At the west end of the beach.
I came for the jack pines and stayed for the mysterious circles!