Pokagon State Park
- Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Indiana State Parks Hiking Challenges
- Indiana Department of Natural Resources
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| There is normally an entrance fee but on this particular day, per the sign on the right, no fee! |
DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 41.70208, -85.03170
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| Nature Center Parking Lot |
TRAIL MAP:
HIKE DISTANCE: 8.1 miles
THE HIKE:
Travel Day 2 hike on my semi-annual trip from New Jersey to Missouri.
Indiana State Parks offers a series of challenges at some of their parks
where you photograph waypoints to show the staff to receive a finisher's
sticker. This hike has six waypoints. Description of the Hell's Point Challenge on Pokagon State Park's Facebook page.
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| The hike starts on the paved bike path at the opposite end of the parking lot from the nature center. |
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| Coming up on Waypoint 1 ... |
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| ... the historic County Road Bridge. |
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| When the bike path ends it might be confusing where to go as there is no sign. It's the trail just before the stop sign ... |
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| ... Trail 4. |
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| A way in there is a sign confirming it is the right trail. |
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| We are heading right towards the Spring Shelter ... |
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| ... Waypoint 2. |
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| Waypoint 3 - Wetland View. This wasn't much of a view but there are better ones looping around. |
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| Just after taking pictures of this bluebird, the highlight of the hike ... |
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| ... two sandhill cranes! I found out later they would have migrated by now but seems they waited around just for me. I had never seen any before. |
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| You can see the cranes off to the left. |
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| Heading up 84 steps to Hell's Point. |
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| At the top, Waypoint 4 - Hell's Point, which no longer has a view. |
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| Left for the Trail 9 loop. |
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| An up close view of I-69. |
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| Waypoint 5 - CCC Stone Dams |
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| All of the benches along the way are dedicated to people, except this one ... |
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| Heading towards Lake Lonidaw. |
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| Waypoint 6 - Lake Lonidaw |
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| Back on the paved bike trail... |
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| ... to return to the nature center. |
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| A tree full of cedar waxwings. |
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| Back at the parking lot, I parked Brodie in the car and headed to the nature center to claim our reward. |
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| Uh oh, what does that sign say on the right? |
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| This was a Tuesday and it was closed :( Nothing online indicated that would be the case. I was so bummed that I could not get my sticker. But I called the next day and the nice man at the nature center was happy to mail it to me. Yay! |
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| (Photo borrowed from Pokagon State Park's Facebook page.) |
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| Our six waypoint pictures as proof of having completed the challenge. |
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| On to St. Louis. |
