3 trail gifts: Coal Line bridge, wildflowers and Trackchair. Plus holiday hikes.
We bear three gifts ahead of Christmas, as the three kings in the Bible did, but these gain access to the outdoors.
I discovered the first one Dec. 16: The Coal Line Trail's bridge over the St. Joseph River in South Bend is open and apparently completed. Contractors had been waiting on the crowning touch — installing lights, embedded in the metal railing posts, that cast their illumination down only on the bridge deck.
Now you can hike or bike the 1.5 paved miles of the Coal Line Trail without interruption from the LaSalle Trail to Lincoln Way West. It caps off a full year of work to reinforce the century-old rail bridge and convert it to its new use. A few more trail details are expected. City officials say the contract to build the eastern half of the trail and the bridge finishes in spring, when a ribbon cutting is expected.
Now, here are two more gifts.
New preserve by Trillium Ravine
A new, 40-acre preserve has been added next to the 15-acre, idyllic Trillium Ravine preserve northwest of Niles that each spring puts on a lovely show of profuse woodland wildflowers.
Chikaming Open Lands recently announced the new Trillium Woodlands Preserve, where, in the coming year, it plans to extend the looping dirt trail at Trillium Ravine and add a gravel parking lot on a small corner of former farmland that’s part of the acquisition.
This will solve the otherwise meager parking option at Trillium Ravine, which is just to park along the roadside shoulder that has just a few spots. I’ve never found it to be really busy, though it’s always a spring treat, ripe with lots of large-form white trilliums that blanket the flat woodland floor and the small ravine, along with other classics like Dutchman’s breeches, squirrel corn and trout lilies.
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The narrow path is suited to gentle, meditative and photo-snapping walks. The new preserve will offer more of that high-quality forest and spring wildflowers. Note that, as a preserve, nothing may be taken, collected or gathered from the preserve except for photos.
The Michigan Nature Association owns and manages Trillium Ravine. Trillium Woodlands Preserve runs along the southern and western edges of Trillium Ravine.
"This is a really spectacular property,” the nonprofit land conservancy’s executive director, Ryan Postema, says. “One of our priorities as an organization is to increase our impact by expanding our conservation efforts to the eastern reaches of Berrien County. That gave us all the more reason to jump at the opportunity to preserve it.”
To find Trillium Ravine from the St. Joseph Valley Parkway in Niles, take Walton Road east, then take the first right turn onto East Geyer Road and follow it as it turns right and becomes Riverside Road; look for the preserve sign on the right, just south of the housing development.
Potato Creek's all-terrain access
An all-terrain, motorized wheelchair can now take those with mobility challenges over the dirt trails at Potato Creek State Park, 25601 Indiana 4 in North Liberty. It’s free to borrow.
Made by Action Trackchair, this chair has belts that run around small wheels as they do on tank. You operate and steer it with a joystick while you’re secured with a seatbelt and arm and leg rests.
Naturalist Jessica Filer says it’s suited for trails 1 and 2 from the nature center, which link to a trail to the beach.
You’ll need to call the nature center at 574-656-8186 and book it at least two days in advance so that staff can charge its batteries and bring it to the nature center, at least for this winter. In spring, Filer says, the park plans to build a storage shed for it near the nature center, so that it’ll be more readily available.
The park has been getting lots of calls about it since word got out Dec. 5 but no bookings yet.
This brings the total of motorized, trail-accessible chairs to 15 at Indiana State Parks. Several of the chairs and their features vary. Indiana Dunes State Park already has four chairs. McCormick’s Creek State Park near Bloomington has two. And there is one each at Chain O’Lakes, Pokagon, Charlestown, Fort Harrison, Mounds, O’Bannon Woods and Spring Mill state parks and at Salamonie Lake recreation area.
At any of the sites, it’s best to first call ahead to see if the specific chair suits your challenges and book a reservation.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources acquired the Trackchair for Potato Creek with a grant from Ford’s Bronco Wild Fund, which focuses on accessibility, preservation, stewardship and outdoor engagement.
Hike or bike the solstice
∎ Bike through Winding Brook lights: Join an informal bike ride through the lighted homes in Mishawaka’s Winding Brook subdivision on winter's first day, Dec. 21. This will be wedged into the slow stream of cars that normally drive through the decorated homes along the tour route. You’ll be with safety-minded organizers from the awareness group South Bend Bikes, who encourage you to don a helmet and add lights to your bike if you have them. Meet at 6 p.m. at Walt Disney School in the parking lot across from the Winding Brook entrance (the entrance is on Merrifield Drive off of Day Road).
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∎ Bog walk: Join volunteer naturalist Laura Henderson from 3 to 4 p.m. Dec. 21 for a walk to the end of the wetland boardwalk and back at Lydick Bog Nature Preserve, 25898 U.S. 20, South Bend. This will be 0.4 miles roundtrip, including an accessible gravel path. Restrooms are closed for the season.
∎ Dunes at dusk: Hike with a ranger from 3 to 5 p.m. CST Dec. 21 along Indiana Dunes National Park’s Dune Ridge Trail to see the sunset and sweeping views of the Great Marsh, then walk to the Lake Michigan shore. Meet at the Kemil Beach parking lot, one mile north of U.S. 12 on East State Park Road (County Road 300 East), Beverly Shores.
∎ Sarett hike: Join a guided night hike at Sarett Nature Center in Benton Harbor from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 21 and finish with cider and hot cocoa around a fire. Bring a flashlight or headlamp if you have one. Cost is $8 for nonmember adults and $3 for children. Register at 269-927-4832.
New Year’s Day
∎ Boot Lake: Join a hike at 10 a.m. Jan. 1 at Boot Lake Nature Preserve, led by Elkhart County Parks. The preserve is at 51430 County Road 3, Elkhart. From County Road 6 in Elkhart, go north on Edwardsburg Road, pass the Indiana Toll Road, turn right on County Road 3 and then right on Williams Lane.
∎ Lydick Bog: Local ecologist and Indiana Nature co-founder Steve Sass will lead a hike at 10 a.m. Jan. 1 along the dirt trail loop at Lydick Bog Nature Preserve, 25898 U.S. 20, South Bend. Pets are welcome on a leash.
∎ Aloha Hang Loose: Hiking coach Ron Gunn will host this 44th annual Hawaiian fantasy fun run/walk Jan. 1 with options of 3.2, 5.2 and 7 miles. Start at 10 a.m. from the Elks Lodge at 300 Riverside Drive, Dowagiac. There will be a potluck lunch afterwards, plus leis for those who finish. Donations will be accepted for the Dowagiac Elks veterans charity.
∎ Polar Bear Bike Ride: The Michiana Bicycle Association will host its annual Polar Bear Ride at 1 p.m. Jan. 1 at the Martin’s Super Market at 12850 Indiana 23, Granger. Ride 4, 8, 17, 24 or 32 miles. Helmets are required. Meet up afterwards (or even if you don’t ride) for hot drinks or eats in the Martin’s café.
∎ Harbor Country hike: The Harbor Country Hikers will hike two miles at 1 p.m. Jan. 1 at Robinson Woods Preserve, 8016 East Road, Lakeside, plus the neighboring Flynn Woods preserve. Robinson Woods is north of New Buffalo, east of Red Arrow Highway and west of Interstate 94.
First Day at state parks
Indiana State Parks will host First Day Hikes at many of its parks on Jan. 1.
∎ Potato Creek State Park in North Liberty will host a two-mile wetland walk at 10 a.m. Jan. 1 along the paved bike trail. You can bring a stroller or motorized wheelchair if there’s no snow, but realize that the trail isn’t snow plowed. Meet at the Whispering Winds parking lot. Or, at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 1, join the First Day Hike covering one mile on Trail 3 with views of Worster Lake; meet at the Quaking Aspen parking lot. Bring binoculars if you have them.
∎ Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton will host a two-mile moderate hike at 10 a.m. CST Jan. 1 along Trail 7 to the Lake Michigan beach and back, with a campfire at the end.
∎ Tippecanoe River State Park in Winamac will host a short hike at 10 a.m. Jan. 1 from the fire tower parking lot to climb the tower. The tower is otherwise closed through the winter.
∎ Chain O’ Lakes State Park in Albion will lead a 1.5-mile hike at 11 a.m. Jan. 1 from the boat rental parking lot, followed by hot cocoa and cookies. A $1 donation is suggested.
Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Coal Line Trail bridge preserve Trackchair with solstice New Year hikes
