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.
Anna Velasquez Ashford/AllTrails 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.
Matt Stephan/AllTrails This is the Bailly Homestead, and it was originally established at some point in 1820 as a fur trading post.
Once you’re done exploring the old homestead, you’ll keep moving and reach Chellberg Farm, which looks the same way as it did in the early 1900s.
NPS.gov 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.
You’ll come upon the entire reason Bailly chose this spot for his trading post and homestead: the Little Calumet River.
Joe Jordan/AllTrails 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.
Anna Fabian/AllTrails 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.
Eric Silva/AllTrails 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.
Anna Velasquez Ashford/AllTrails
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.
Matt Stephan/AllTrails
This is the Bailly Homestead, and it was originally established at some point in 1820 as a fur trading post.
NPS.gov
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.
Joe Jordan/AllTrails
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.
Anna Fabian/AllTrails
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.
Eric Silva/AllTrails
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.
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Address: Indiana Dunes National Park Chellberg Farm, 709-747 N Mineral Springs Rd, Porter, IN 46304, USA
