Golden days for doggie hay rides, fishing and hiking

Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune
·3 min read
Dogs like Big Mike are invited for a hay ride at Bendix Woods County Park, as seen at a prior year’s ride. Photo provided
Dogs like Big Mike are invited for a hay ride at Bendix Woods County Park, as seen at a prior year’s ride. Photo provided

The golden brown remains of autumn foliage glint warmly in bright sun, don’t they? Or even when it’s overcast. That should make the following ventures more of a joy, from fishing to taking Fido on a hay ride, all culled from this week’s Outdoor Adventures column.

Galien River views

The Harbor Country Hikers will hike at 2 p.m. Nov. 5 through Galien River County Park in New Buffalo. County parks’ naturalist Derek Pelc will lead the group for a slow, one-mile hike taking about 1.5 hours.

The park, which features an observation platform in the tree canopy and a marsh and river boardwalk, is at 17424 Red Arrow Highway, just north of U.S. 12.

The main column:Eagles nest returns, plus new platforms with views at other parks

Final hay rides

Enjoy free hay rides from 1 to 3 p.m. Nov. 5 at Bendix Woods County Park, 56960 Timothy Road in New Carlisle, thanks to the Family Passport to Play program.

Or bring your dog for the Tail Waggin’ Hayride from 2 to 4 p.m. Nov. 6; cost is $5 plus a pet-related donation for Pets Connect! Dogs may come in costume but must be on a 6-foot leash.

Both events will include a campfire, hot cocoa and S’mores.

Marsh hike

An Indiana Dunes National Park ranger will lead hikes from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Central time Nov. 5 and 19 on the Great Marsh Trail, an important resting spot for migrating birds in Beverly Shores, just west of Michigan City. The trail’s parking lot is on Broadway, north of U.S. 12 and just north of the fire department at 500 S. Broadway.

Dunes anniversary

Indiana Dunes National Park will mark its 56th anniversary at 1 p.m. CDT Nov. 5 at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center with an hour-long talk about the fight to preserve the dunes by regional historian Kenneth Schoon, followed by a viewing of the documentary “Shifting Sands” from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Several of Schoon’s books are for sale in the center, which is at 1215 N. Indiana 49 in Porter.

Walleye stocking

Indiana Department of Natural Resources reports that it’s stocking nearly 70,000 walleye fingerlings in 14 northern Indiana lakes this fall.

Averaging 4 to seven inches long, the fish are expected to reach adult length of about 14 inches after two years and 16 inches after three years. They were grown at the Fawn River State Fish Hatchery northwest of Angola, Ind.

Among other lakes, the fish are being stocked at Simonton Lake in Elkhart County, Lake Maxinkuckee in Marshall County, Pine and Stone lakes in LaPorte County, Winona and Dewart lakes in Kosciusko county, Adams and Pretty and Wall lakes in LaGrange County, and Wolf Lake in Lake County. Details are at wildlife.IN.gov/fishing/walleye-fishing.

Steelhead

The winter-run steelhead have started to arrive in the St. Joe River below the Twin Branch dam in Mishawaka, according to the Indiana DNR’s Oct. 28 fishing report, while the trout and salmon arrivals are “dwindling fast.”

Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Bendix Woods hayrides with dogs and autumn hikes and river steelhead