These experts will guide you in nature, on bike, on trail or in the dunes

Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune
·3 min read

This June, you can explore the world beyond — through a nature writer, a free breakfast for folks on bikes, a big ride on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail or ranger-led hikes around the Indiana Dunes.

Here's what we shared in this week's Outdoor Adventures column.

Author’s take on nature

Award-winning author Helen Frost of Fort Wayne will talk about her books — "Hello I'm Here" about sandhill cranes and "Wait and See" about a praying mantis — at 11 a.m. June 11 in the nature center at Potato Creek State Park, 25601 Indiana 4, North Liberty.

Families may like this, because she writes for both children and adults. If time permits, she'll lead a short walk to discuss observing the natural world. She’ll also sell and sign her books.

This event, free after paying the gate fee, is a program of Friends of Potato Creek State Park.

Summer travel: Here are national parks in driving distance of Indiana

Pancakes for bikers

A free outdoor breakfast will be served for people arriving by bike between 7 and 9 a.m. June 14 to the Jon R. Hunt Plaza, in front of the Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend, as part of this summer’s Michiana Bike to Work events.

You'll find experienced cyclists and bike commuters that you can quiz for tips on bike commuting, along with local bike-route maps.

Bicyclists ride the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail in Middlebury. Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune file
Bicyclists ride the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail in Middlebury. Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune file

Pumpkinvine Bike Ride

This popular ride returns June 18 on the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail and through Amish country, with snacks at rest stops. All routes start at the Elkhart County Fairgrounds in Goshen. You can do 22 miles on the trail to Middlebury and back, 38 miles on the trail to Shipshewana and back or 50 miles on trail and roads.

Cost is $50; it’s $70 starting June 10. There is also a free youth ride for ages 13 and younger who are accompanied by a paying adult. Find details and register at https://pumpkinvine.org/pumpkinvine-bike-ride.

June in the dunes

Indiana Dunes National Park offers guided hikes through the month of June, many of which also continue later into the summer:

Ranger-led hikes on Mount Baldy are from 5 to 6:30 p.m. CDT each Friday and from 9 to 11 a.m. CDT each Sunday, plus a solstice hike from 7:30 to 9 p.m. CDT June 21. The summit is normally closed unless you’re accompanied by a ranger. Meet at the Mount Baldy parking lot, off of U.S. 12, just west of Michigan City.

Ranger Bill Smith leads hikers to the top of the historic Bailly Cemetery a few years ago in the Indiana Dunes National Park. Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune file
Ranger Bill Smith leads hikers to the top of the historic Bailly Cemetery a few years ago in the Indiana Dunes National Park. Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune file

A ranger will lead a hike from 2 to 4 p.m. CDT each Sunday to explain history at the Bailly Homestead and Cemetery and Chellberg Farm. Meet at the Chellberg Farm parking lot, on Mineral Springs Road between U.S. 20 and U.S. 12 in Porter.

Pinhook Bog will open for self-guided hikes as rangers and volunteers on the trails will answer questions from 9 a.m. to noon CDT June 11 and 18. It takes about an hour. Start at the bog parking lot at 920 N. Wozniak Road in Michigan City. From Indiana 2 west of LaPorte and east of U.S. 421, drive north on Wozniak; after the toll road, look for the entrance on the right. The bog opens only for scheduled tours.

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Follow Outdoor Adventures columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures. Contact him at 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Join events from Potato Creek to Pumpkinvine trail to Indiana Dunes