Rocky Mountain National Park is located approximately 76 miles northwest of Denver in north-central Colorado, within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is situated between the towns of Estes Park to the east and Grand Lake to the west. The eastern and western slopes of the Continental Divide run directly through the center of the park with the headwaters of the Colorado River located in the park’s northwestern region. The main features of the park include mountains, alpine lakes and a wide variety of wildlife within various climates and environments, from wooded forests to mountain tundra. The park has a total of five visitor centers with park headquarters located at the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. National Forest lands surround the park including Roosevelt National Forest to the north and east, Routt National Forest to the north and west, and Arapaho National Forest to the west and south, with the Indian Peaks Wilderness area located directly south of the park. The park and these surrounding areas protect a vast mountain wilderness.
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was recently promoted to national park status becoming the nation’s 61st national park. The park runs for nearly 25 miles along the southern shore of Lake Michigan; it contains approximately 15,000 acres. Its visitors center is in Porter, Indiana. Located in the park are sand dune, wetland, prairie, river, and forest ecosystems. Several of the holdings of the national park are non-contiguous and do not include the 2,182-acre Indiana Dunes State Park, which is within the boundaries of the national park but is owned, managed, and protected by the state of Indiana. The national park is divided into 15 parcels of various acreage. The state park makes it seem to be a typical beach destination with sunbathers and swimmers during the summer months but the greater national park areas are dedicated to preserving and protecting the natural and historic legacy of area more fitting to the national park mandate.
The tallest dune in the park is Mount Baldy which is closed to the public while the park service tries to stabilize the dune due to the impact of erosion from so many visitors.
Mount Baldy is a sand dune located in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It is on the southern shore of Lake Michigan and is 126 feet tall. It is a wandering dune that moves or shifts every year, and is called a “living dune.” Mount Baldy is accessible from U.S. Route 12 (also known as Dunes Highway) between the town of Pines and the western border of Michigan City, Indiana. It is a tourist attraction locally and regionally, drawing weekend and summer visitors from Chicago.
Prior to the dune’s closure, one could ascend its 302 steps and see Chicago’s skyline. North of Mount Baldy is a swimmable beach which is also part of Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Due to its popularity with visitors, the marram grass which had stabilized the dune was largely destroyed, and the dune has begun advancing southwards, threatening to overrun its parking lot. Accordingly, the National Park Service has rerouted trails and planted grass in hopes of slowing the dune erosion.
For a more in-depth post on a recent trip up the auto road look here. I took several trips up the auto road in the summer of 1995 that is documented in this post through the photographs below.
On May 3, 2003 the iconic symbol of the state of New Hampshire collapsed. The Old Man of the Mountain can be seen on the New Hampshire state quarter and many other representations for the state. The location is commemorated with The Old Man Profiler Plaza today at the site where he once looked down upon. I had the opportunity to visit him many times before his collapse.
