The Scenic Indiana Trail That Winds Through A Historic Homestead
By Tori Jane|Published August 24, 2022
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
Lovers of history and nature have a great reason to head out and enjoy the great outdoors for a bit: we found an old trail that leads to a historic homestead where you can learn all about how life was a long, long time ago. Located deep within Indiana Dunes National Park is the Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm Loop Trail, a scenic historic hike in Indiana that’s sure to teach you a thing or two no matter how many times you visit. If you’re a fan of old buildings and Indiana’s regional history, you’re going to adore this short and easy loop hike.
You'll start your hike at the Bailly/Chellberg Parking Lot and then you'll meander north to the Chellberg Farm Trail.
Then, you'll hang a left and journey down into the ravine, where your adventure will begin! You'll follow the trail from here - it's a loop, so you'll end up where you started.
You'll find through shaded woods to a beautiful, green clearing, where you'll see a few fascinating-looking old structures.
You'll experience the raw beauty of Indiana's wildlands at the restored Mnoke Prairie and learn about what life was like in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Bailly was by no means the first; people have been drawn to - and fascinated by - this area for more than 10,000 years, and for good reason: the soil is fertile, the river is close, and the trees offer shelter, safety, and shade. There is plenty of food around here to grow, catch, or fish - it's the perfect place to set up shop, if you're a 19th-century trapper, anyway.
Nowadays, the trail is fascinating and the various ruins and remains of the past along the trek remind us of just how far we've come as a society.
What was once a brand-new and state-of-the-art homestead and farm is now crumbling and aged; though careful restoration of these historic spots has been completed (and although the property remains cared for), it will still never be what it was. This is the closest glimpse into the past we're able to get.
And honestly, we kinda like it. As long as there's no such thing as time machines, historic trails like these provide a window to the past for us to peer through, if only for a little while.
The trail is rated as easy and is just over one mile long. We recommend making lots of stops along the way, but if you don't, the hike shouldn't take more than an hour or so.
For more information about Bailly and his homestead, be sure to check out the official Indiana Dunes National Park website. For more of the all-time best hikes in Indiana, be sure to check out this list of the most amazing short hikes in Indiana with amazing payoffs.
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