News From Indiana Dunes Blog

Bikes, brews, best stays, places to play, and so much more. Define your Dunes getaway for yourself with the help of our local stories.

Accessible Adventures in the Indiana Dunes

Accessible Adventures in the Indiana Dunes Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. Whether you're looking to hike, bird, paddle, or just wander and take in the scenery, the Indiana Dunes area has many accessible adventures to offer. Here are some popular outdoor places and…

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Four and Twenty Blackbirds Gracing the Sky

October is loud and raucous on the Kankakee Sands prairie. It can also be dark and ominous. In the early morning, you can hear them long before you see them. Off in the distance is a lone tree or perhaps a small cluster of trees. Their branches beginning to tremble. Growing ever louder, a…

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American Bittern: Thunder Pumper of the Wetlands

On this chilly May morning, I’m bundling up for a pre-dawn excursion. With binoculars round my neck and bird book in hand, I meet up with other Kankakee Sands staff and volunteers for our annual Kankakee Sands Bird Survey in the bison pasture. We are looking and listening for all the birds that…

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Shucks, No Shrikes

Well, shucks, try as I might, I have not yet been successful in seeing a northern shrike at Kankakee Sands. Even though more than 450 beautiful bird species have been documented in Indiana over the years, this winter, I had my sights set on just one—the clever northern shrike. Classified as a…

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Chatty Little Grasshopper Sparrows

Nature isn’t always what it seems —a chatty little grasshopper sparrow taught me that. For the first ten or so years that I worked at the Kankakee Sands Nursery, I was always looking down, either at the native plants that I was planting into the soil or at the seeds that I was harvesting for our…

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The Upside-Down Bird With the Strange Song

The Upside-Down Bird With the Strange Song By: Alyssa Nyberg If you think saying the word “bobolink” is fun, you’d be right! Even more fun is seeing the bird itself. It’s the male bobolink ( Dolichonyx oryzivorus ) that will turn your mind upside down. Many birds, such as bluebirds or chickadees, are…

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Amazing Birding at the Indiana Dunes

For great springtime birding, there's no place like the Indiana Dunes. More than 350 bird species live or migrate through the dunes every year, drawn to Lake Michigan's open waters and to the diverse habitats available for nesting. Beaches, dunes, woodlands, wetlands, and prairies decorate the…

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Paul's Adventures in the Indiana Dunes

Hike, bike, paddle, bird, and fish at the Indiana Dunes! Local adventurer Paul Osborn can show you some of the many adventures just waiting to be discovered. Paul starts his adventure at the Visitor Center, the crossroads of Indiana Dunes Country. You can rent a bike right here in the parking lot…

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Going Beyond the Beach at the Indiana Dunes

Located along the southern tip of Lake Michigan, the Indiana Dunes and its surrounding areas make it the perfect destination for a day, weekend, or weeklong getaway. The Indiana Dunes has one of the nation’s five best beaches for family fun—and the only one not on an ocean. Its 15 miles of…

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