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Pinhook Bog is quite possibly the most interesting section of Indiana Dunes National Park. It’s got an incredible natural history and outstanding plant biodiversity. Pinhook Bog was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1965 – a year before the park was established.
The bog is located in La Porte. Use your GPS or ask at the visitor center for directions to the parking lot because it can be difficult to find.
Pinhook Bog Trail
The Pinhook Bog Trail is accessible only through ranger-guided hikes on certain Saturdays throughout the year. It’s a short 0.3 mile hike to the boardwalk over the bog. Wear shoes you don’t mind getting wet!
The bog was formed by a piece of glacier that broke off 15,000 years ago. The ice remained buried as the glacier retreated to the north. After the ice melted, clay trapped the water in the basin.
As a relatively young bog, it’s nothing like bogs found in Europe that can be cultivated. Pinhook Bog is an acidic bog covered with sphagnum moss and carnivorous plants. There’s no inflow or outflow of water, and the only sources of water are rain and runoff from higher ground.
Every couple weeks, different flowering plants can be found blossoming at Pinhook Bog, making it a very special place for flower lovers. The ranger pointed out several different flowers, including the rare orange fringed orchid. We even got to see deadly nightshade.
There are also a few species of carnivorous plants to be found. The most prominent were sundew plants and pitcher plants.
Upland Trail
The Upland Trail is a separate 2 mile hike at the site. It takes you through a beech and maple forest growing on a glacial moraine formed 15,000 years ago.
Near the south end of the loop, there’s a good view of the bog. It also loops around a small pond. It’s obviously a very different habitat to the bog.
