Heron Rookery Trail

This is the trail Indiana Dunes locals guard like a secret — a gentle riverside ramble along the Little Calumet River that erupts into one of the Midwest's most spectacular wildflower displays each spring. The path winds through mature bottomland forest, the canopy filtering light onto carpets of trillium, Virginia bluebells, and marsh marigolds that blanket the forest floor. The terrain is mostly flat and forgiving, with a few spots where tree roots cross the path and the ground stays soft after rain. You'll hear the river before you see it through the trees, and great blue herons — the trail's namesakes — still nest in the area, their prehistoric silhouettes drifting overhead. At just over three miles roundtrip with virtually no elevation change, this is a trail built for wanderers, not warriors. Wildflower enthusiasts and birders will be in their element here.