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Post by k9education on Jul 6, 2021 19:22:30 GMT -8
We're house shopping in a lot of different areas and hiking is something that's important to me. If you live in any of these areas, I would love to hear about some of your favorite hiking spots within a 1-hour drive.
- Urbana, IL - Fort Wayne, IN - South Bend, IN - Lansing, MI - Toledo, OH - Akron, OH
TIA!
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cweston
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Post by cweston on Jul 6, 2021 19:25:55 GMT -8
I grew up in that part of the country. OTTOMH, I’m going to say that hiking is darn limited within an hour of any of those places. (Sorry to be a downer.) The Lake Michigan dunes may be within an hour of South Bend.
There’s some good hiking in Michigan, but not so much within an hour of Lansing. The best hiking in IL and IN is in the southern parts of those states.
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driftwoody
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Take the path closer to the edge, especially if less traveled
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Post by driftwoody on Jul 7, 2021 8:39:51 GMT -8
Although I've never been there, Cuyahoga Park near Akron is supposed to be nice. However, it probably wouldn't last long without repeats.
I'm a lifelong resident of Chicagoland, except when I went to school in Southern Illinois. Lots of great hiking in Shawnee National Forest and state parks down there.
Overall, the further southeast you go the closer you are to decades of great hiking in the Southern Appalachians. Not quite as far is Red River Gorge in Kentucky and Big South Fork on the KY/TN border. The Sheltowee Trace runs through both, and further north in KY to Cave Run.
Further northeast moves you closer to the Adirondaks in NY, the Greens in Vermont, and the Whites in NH.
For me, the jewels of the upper Midwest are Pictured Rocks and the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan's UP. -- about 7.5 hours from Chicago.
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Post by Coolkat on Jul 7, 2021 9:07:54 GMT -8
Can't help you with 1 hour drive of Lansing but if you were willing to do 3 I have a couple of really good suggestions. I use to live Fort Wayne and there isn't much there within an hour.
However, both Indiana Dunes National Park and Warren Dunes (in Michigan) are within your 1 hour limit of South Bend.
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Post by k9education on Jul 7, 2021 20:44:34 GMT -8
Thanks all. Pretty disappointing. :( I typically hike 5-7 days per week, so on work days I have to keep it within a 1-hour drive. We live near the DWGNRA and while the views are mostly lackluster, there are a ton of trails - most of which are pretty empty on weekdays. I'll be bummed if I can't find something similar wherever we end up.
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Post by bobcat on Jul 10, 2021 9:27:19 GMT -8
If you could consider Columbus OH instead of Akron, that gets you within range of the Hocking Hills, Alum Creek Park, and even many parts of Wayne National Forest. Or for that matter, Knoxville TN or Asheville NC gives you the Smokies.
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daveg
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Post by daveg on Jul 11, 2021 6:19:28 GMT -8
I wouldn't give up on Lansing, MI. I lived in the Lansing/E. Lansing area on-and-off for about 20 years in the 1960s and 70s. My mother retired on the west side of Lansing and I visited her there until she passed about 25 years ago. So my info may be a bit out of date. If you're just looking for day-hiking opportunities, there are a number of options within an hour drive of Lansing. But they can be crowded sometimes and you may have to watch out for hunters during hunting season. The Lansing River Trail -- Runs from west of Lansing through the downtown area and all the way to the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing. It's a paved trail that follows the Grand and Red Cedar Rivers a lot and goes through several city parks. I used to regularly ride my bike out-and-back the length of the trail from my mother's place on the west side of Lansing all the way to East Lansing. Then, if I wanted to cover more miles I would ride around the MSU campus, which is one of the prettier university campuses in the country IMHO. My mother's place was across the street from the Grand River so I would often take my canoe and paddle the river. So great walking/biking/paddling options right in Lansing itself. Sleepy Hollow State Park and the Maple River State Game Area north of Lansing. Rose Lake State Wildlife Area a short distance northeast of East Lansing. It's a research area where my father worked. Dansville State Game Area southeast of Lansing. If you're thinking of overnight backpacking, you will have to drive at least a couple of hours, but there are some great options in Michigan. The closest is probably the North Country Trail, which runs up the west side of Michigan's lower peninsula. Most of the southern part is road walk. But the NCT enters the Manistee National Forest just south of White Cloud -- a little less than a two hour drive from Lansing. I've hiked the NCT from there to Traverse City, MI.
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Post by burntfoot on Jul 11, 2021 9:20:08 GMT -8
There was a good state park on the shores of the lake near Toledo that I liked. I met someone on the "Find a Hiking Partner" forum here years ago that lived near Toledo, and we hooked up for that hike.
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Hungry Jack
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Post by Hungry Jack on Aug 2, 2021 9:11:47 GMT -8
I can only speak to Champaign-Urbana, as my BFF once lived there. Within an hour (about 30 miles on I-74), there is Kickapoo State park, which has some trail options. It might be better known for the paddling opportunities on the middle fork of the Vermillion River, which is a federally-designated Wild and Scenic river. There are also mountain bike trails that I hear are good. The adjacent state fish and wildlife area has 35 miles of hiking/ horse trails. There is also a short (12 miles or so) backpack loop near Westville (a bit south of Danville). Nature Preserves in the area: vccd.org/illinois-nature-preserves/Robert Allerton Park is to the west about 30 miles. It is quite scenic by central IL standards. allerton.illinois.edu/the-trails-map/Lake of the Woods Preserve is a nice area in Mahomet, about 10 miles to the northwest of CUC. You could probably get to Funks Grove, about 10 miles southwest of Bloomington, IL, in an hour. A guy once claimed to have seen a Bigfoot there, and everyone went nuts. Ha! CUC puts you about 3 hours from the Shawnee Region, which has tons of hiking. I can send you an unofficial hiking guide I have put together after many trips there. You are also about 3 hours from Hoosier state forest in the Bloomington, IN area. It is very scenic, though I think Shawnee is better.
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Hungry Jack
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Post by Hungry Jack on Aug 2, 2021 9:17:31 GMT -8
I will throw in that, of your listed cities, Lansing might be the best option for hiking. Pinckney and Waterloo state rec areas are within an hour, and I hear good things about them. Lansing puts you within easy distance of some great terrain in the northern lower peninsula. The Manistee and Huron NFs have tons of hiking. The North Country Trail winds through the state on the western-central side. northcountrytrail.org/trail/michigan/southern-michigan/
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