On June 6th, 2026 the official ribbon cutting of the new 2.7 mile section of the Marquette Greenway trail was opened. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to National Park Service Rafi Wilkerson and Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commision Mitch Barloga, and everyone else involved for our magnificent trail.
The trail takes you through wooded dunes, flat blowout areas, and past beautiful views of Long Lake. The newly paved sections between the Douglas Center and West Beach are ADA-compliant, making it ideal for walking, strollers, and biking. The route is easily walkable and bike-friendly. Built to ADA standards, grades are kept under 5%, ensuring accessibility for various skill levels and mobility types.
The trail connects seamlessly with the wider Lake Street bike path. The Douglas Center serves as an excellent starting or stopping point, where you can explore the environmental education center or take off on additional side hikes.
The trail takes visitors through unique “ridge and swale” topography, passing wooded dunes, flat blowout areas, a brand-new bridge over Grand Boulevard, and stunning views of Long Lake.
Serving as the park’s western environmental education center, the Indiana Dunes Douglas Center features exhibits on dunes preservation and a fully accessible, stroller-friendly trail behind the center. It connects directly to the downtown Miller Beach neighborhood and the South Shore train station.
MORE RENNOVATIONS ARE ON THE WAY . . .
Two new segment extensions are underway on the Marquette Greenway as of this past Friday. The towns of Burns Harbor and Porter received grants from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to expand the multi-use trail. Porter will be using it’s $2.1 million grant to add 1.04 miles of trail from Babcock Road to Howe Road, and Burns Harbor will be using their $5 million grant to build 0.82 miles of trail extension from the existing terminus of the Marquette Greenway by Ind. 149 to Babcock Road. Burns Harbor’s work also entails extensive grading, building of retaining walls and a boardwalk to cross under the Norfolk Southern Railroad and over the Little Calumet River.
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Susie Young Baxter, CEO, has published PanoramaNOW Magazine for 31 years. Her hobbies are Camping, Boating, Hiking, Nature, Gardening and Outdoor Activities. She is an Artist, Graphic Designer, an Avid Seamstress, Dabbles in Homemade Crafts and Landscaping. Since her Father was a Health Teacher, she also likes homeopathic Health Solutions. Since blogging started over 10 years ago, PanoramaNow has been added to Newsbreak – a national news affiliate.
