Hobart Woodland Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Lake · Views · Wildlife

The Hobart Prairie Grove preserves several habitats including wetlands, prairie remnants, white oak flatlands, and a rare bur oak savanna. At about 300 acres in size, it contains 343 native plants and an abundance of wildlife. This area is also noteworthy because of a unique soil that is made up of at least 70 percent silt and clay with the smaller portions of sand. This type of soil is one of the reasons for the outstanding diversity of life here at Hobart Prairie Grove. This very special place was added to the National Park System as part of a 1992 expansion of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore (now the Indiana Dunes National Park).

The National Park Service needs your help to ensure that Hobart Prairie Grove is protected. Please stay on the trail to help protect the plants and wildlife and to avoid any poison ivy growing along the trail.

If you see any illegal activity such as hunting, ATV use, or camping, please call 1-800-Park TIP (727-5847); or if it’s an emergency, dial 911.

The Hobart Woodland Trail is an extension off the Oak Savannah Trail. Park at the Robinson Lake parking lot on South Liverpool Road just north of East 53rd Avenue. Follow the Oak Savannah Trail east for just under a half mile. Look for the the Hobart Woodland trailhead on the south side of the rail trail just before the woods start. There is a foot bridge. The packed dirt singletrack trail will head south following the wood line for a short distance before entering the woods. The trail makes its way to a scenic overlook of Lake George. There a small loop offering different views of the lake.

Indiana Dunes National Park (formerly national lakeshore) was established to preserve portions of the Indiana Dunes and other areas of scenic, scientific, historic and recreational value. Up to two million annual visitors enjoy the park's 15,000 acres of wetlands, prairies, sand dunes, oak savannas, forests, and historic sites. The park's 15 miles of beaches hug the southern shore of Lake Michigan from Gary, IN, to Michigan City, IN. For more information, visit nps.gov/indu/index.htm or facebook.com/IndianaDunesNPS.