Gateway Arch and Indiana Dunes National Parks - New Ones!
It’s hard to believe the day has finally come to get on an airplane, once again, two years later, and continue our quest to visit all, now 63 National Parks! With five new parks added since we began and two years “off” due to Covid, we are feeling behind with 50 parks “down” and 13 “to go”.
We have already been to visit the Midwest parks but with Gateway Arch promoted from a Monument to a Park in 2018 and Indiana Dunes promoted from a Lakeshore to a Park in 2019 we get to visit the Midwest again with some sightseeing and family visits along the way.
Day One and Two – Gateway Arch National Park and St Louis, MO
The trip to the airport and flight feels exciting and familiar but at the same time nerve racking during year two of Covid. However, four hours and some extra leg room gets us to St Louis in pretty good shape. (We are lucky to have a reasonably priced one-way rental to Chicago.)
Gatewary Arch National Park, St Louis, IL
We check into the Hilton downtown, which is only two blocks from the Arch, so we take a quick walk over as the sun goes down. It’s apparent that downtown has not transformed much since my college days. While the Arch brings in tourism, especially now that it’s a National Park, the area does not feel vibrant although the new grounds surrounding the Arch are lovely.
On day two, to avoid crowds, we head over to the Arch early. We begin exploring the fantastic new Museum under the Arch which opened in 2018. Although the Gateway Arch is now the smallest National Park, it is big with history! There are separate galleries that explore colonial St Louis, Jefferson’s Vision for westward expansion, the positives, and negatives of “Manifest Destiny”, the St Louis riverfront era (steamboats), the West’s settlement and its impact on the Native American population and finally the building of the Arch itself.
With reservations ahead of time for the movie and ride up the Arch, we head to our 10 am showing of the documentary about the building of the Arch. Wow, what a movie! It takes us through the idea itself, the design and architect selection and finally the incredible building of the Arch from 1963-1965. My palms are sweaty during most of the movie but then I don’t really like heights. Workers weren’t roped in, and many were smoking while building this simply designed, (Eero Saarinen, Architect), but structurally complex monument!
Gateway Arch National Park, St Louis, MO
The ride up, while improved since my college days, is still in a small car but with better seats and a window looking out on the interior of the Arch - 4 minutes up and 3 minutes down. From the top you can look out west, of course, and east. Obviously, a clear day is best. Good news, the arch will only move 18 inches even in heavy wind!
College friends, natives of St Louis, join us at this point. We walk along the now quiet riverfront down the Mural Mile and then drive over to Grand Ave for a wonderful Ethiopian lunch at Meskerem.
One of our friends has worked settling refuges in St Louis for most of her career. It was so interesting to learn that St Louis has affordable rental space for these people as they get settled, versus what we have in Seattle! Immigration continues to play a big role in the development of St Louis.
Missouri Bontanical Garden, St Louis, MO
After lunch the world-renowned Missouri Botanical Garden is our destination. The garden was founded in 1859 by Henry Shaw, at the age of 40, after making his fortune outfitting settlers headed west. Shaw’s life’s passion now encompasses 79 acres, has a glass Climatron, numerous buildings and wonderful gardens – even in the rain!
To top that off, we tour Forest Park, the former site of the 1904 World’s Fair. It encompasses 1326 acres which include golf courses, skating rink, entertainment venues, grand outdoor theater, zoo, multiple fields, a four-mile loop and forests making it one of the largest city parks in the US. What a gem!
Dinner in the Delmar Loop and a quick tour of Washington University and the surrounding “mansions” concludes a fabulous day with good friends.
Day Three – Gateway Arch National Park, St Louis, MO, Elsah IL, Pere Marquette State Park
The day begins again at 9am at the Gateway Arch Museum. We need more time to explore and learn all that is here! Hours are 9am-6pm (except in the summer when it stays open until 8pm).
Old Courthouse and Arch, St Louis, MO
Gateway Arch National Park includes the Arch, the museum and the beautiful new riverfront grounds but also includes the old courthouse, currently under renovation, where the famous Dred Scott case was heard in 1846.
After checking out of our hotel we drive across the Mississippi River at Alton, IL and then up the Great River Road to the historic village of Elsah, IL in just under an hour. The entire town is on the National Register of Historic Places. I have many fond memories of sketching this scenic village with a dear friend during college. My Alma Mater, Principia College, a Maybeck designed campus, is just up the road on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River – it was fun to show it to Tom.
Lodge at Pere Marquette State Park, Grafton, IL
We return to the Great River Road and drive 10 miles further north to Pere Marquette State Park. We wish we had time for a hike but get to gawk and enjoy lunch at the 1930’s Conservation Corp timber frame lodge that has been recently renovated – gorgeous.
After lunch we drive 3.5 hours to Cloverdale, IN and stay in the world’s most expensive Holiday Inn Express – crazy!
Day Four – Indiana side trip
St Louis to Indiana Dunes is only a five-hour drive. The Cloverdale, IN “side trip” is to the Finney Farm (Tom’s Mom’s family) for their annual picnic. We catch up with Tom’s Uncle, two Aunts and cousins on this beautiful fall day. It’s amazing to learn that this farm has been in the family since 1830!
Quail habitat at Finney family farm, Cloverdale, IN
Another three hours of driving gets us to Elkhart, IN where Tom’s beloved aunt lives. We have a great visit the following morning!
Days Five and Six – Indiana Dunes National Park
It’s only an hour drive to Indiana Dunes National Park from Elkhart, so we arrive early enough to get my 52nd National Park stamp and select two hikes at the Visitor Center. The movie shares the tremendous biodiversity of the area.
We drive west and then east on highway #12 to scope out the park. While we were attracted to this park promotion because Stephen Mather, the National Parks first Director, wanted the area to be a National Park, it is hard to understand that from this busy road. The National Park is pieced together with the Port of Indiana, a noisy Steel Mill, several small towns, the State Park, and the rail line into Chicago.
After we get the lay of the land, we check into Dunes Walk Inn, formerly a historic “mansion”. Our unit is modest with a kitchen and deck overlooking a sweeping lawn.
Black Oak Savanna, Cowless Bog Trail, Indianna Dunes National Park
On our first full day in the park, we are greeted by nice sunny weather but wait for things to warm up. Cowles Bog Trail, a counterclockwise lollipop loop, is one of the longer trails in the park at 4.5 miles. It was protected in 1965 because of the biodiversity of plants and animals, especially birds. As advertised, the walk begins in a black oak savanna (or forest), a unique environment. As we get closer to the beach the vegetation gets sparser and the fine sand of the trail becomes deeper and harder to walk in. The trail becomes quite steep as we ascend the sand dunes to get on the grassy side and run down to the beach.
There are small waves crashing on the sandy beach with grassy dunes protecting the larger dunes. Lake Michigan appears endless, just like the ocean. We get to walk .3 miles west on the beach and go back through similar vegetation.
Now we know why Mather wanted to protect the whole area and are just sorry that it didn’t happen sooner. The ecosystem is quite lovely and unique!
An Italian dinner, al fresco, serenaded by a flock of sparrows at Lucrezia Café tops off a good day in the park!
Lake Michigan, Indianna Dunes State Park, Chesterton, IN
We were told that Indiana Dunes State Park, founded in 1925, is as good as the National Park so on our second day we choose the longest hike in the park, #9, at four miles. (All hikes begin at the Nature Center.) It’s very similar to the first hike in that we begin in a black oak savanna, climb the dunes, and end up in lower grassy dunes before hitting the beach. However, in this park the dunes are taller, and they have incredible “blow out” areas where the wind is hollowing out the dunes and building bigger dunes elsewhere.
This area is not any kind of a real resort, nor does it have endless nature like the big National Parks out west but after our hikes we definitely appreciate its importance and charm!
Days Seven and Eight – Chicago, IL
It only takes an hour to get into the city – we could see Chicago across Lake Michigan on our first day. So, we drive into Chicago after our hike and lunch in time to check into the Double Tree on the “Magnificent Mile” before our 4pm Boat Tour. It is a great hotel in a perfect location. We even get a room with a view of the city from the 20th floor.
Architectural Boat Tour, Chicago River, Chicago, IL
We walk down to the Navy Pier to board the large, flat, open air boat for our Architectural Tour on the Chicago River – neighbors recommended it! I am excited – it’s a warm, sunny late afternoon. As we meander around the city on the Chicago River, we learn about the differing styles of architecture over the decades (1800’s – today), the dredging of the river, the enormous 1871 Chicago Fire and the subsequent successful re-building which enabled the city to be what it is today.
Casual dinner al fresco again, at Pinched on the River, is perfect. Small, create your own, Mediterranean plates. It’s dark but still warm! And, the full moon right down Ohio Ave is like our dessert.
I’ve always wanted to walk along the Lake Shore so today, our second day, we are doing just that - down to Lincoln Park and the Museum of History! It’s another sunny day. The Lakefront Trail is 18.5 miles. Our four mile walk down to the park couldn’t have been nicer eyeing more architecture and appreciating the clean Lake and trail.
Lakefront Trail along Lake Michigan, Chicago, IL
In the beautiful 1932 museum we explore Vivian Meir photography, the Chicago Fire exhibit, and a comprehensive history of Chicago.
Afterward, we get to eat lunch outside, again, at Café Brauer right in the park! On the walk back we cut over to check out Michigan Ave (like 5th Ave in NY) – not much has changed since my earlier times in Chicago.
The day is topped off with a fantastic dinner and visit with Tom’s cousin at Aba on North Green Street in the vibrant Fulton Market District. Dinner is a fantastic array of shared Mediterranean plates in a lovely setting. Afterward, although now dark, Ann takes us on a tour of more neighborhoods including Hyde Park, Jackson Park and the University of Chicago – all beautiful.
Day Nine – Home
We leave Chicago, too early for me, with renewed energy to complete our quest to visit all the National Parks knowing that we must start tackling the hard ones, Alaska, American Samoa and the Virgin Islands. 52 “down” and 11 “to go”.
It was sure fun to be out and about again seeing parks and visiting friends and family!
You might also like to read about the original midwest National Parks Cuyahoga Valley, Voyaguers and Isle Royale National Parks - the Great Lakes and the Great North Woods! prior to these parks being “promoted”.
Click here to see what inspires our goal of visiting all 62 National Parks and to check our progress!
And check out the National Park Gallery!
