Stepping just a few meters from the beach, visitors experience an entirely new landscape. Rolling dunes, conifer forests, grassy meadows, and oak savanna all within a short hike from each other. We followed the path along the ridge of the dunes, with gentle slopes to a grassy meadow on one side, and steep drops to the forest on the other. I would estimate this "bowl" to be about 1/4 mile across - a bit larger than it seems at first.
What's interesting is the fact that there are so many more of these rolling hills and valleys just beyond the next dune; the landscape stretches for a very long way, and you can hike most of it along the established trails.
These paths seem more interesting to me because of the varying landscape. Further inland, the more established dunes are covered in forest, blocking the distant views of Lake Michigan and the other rolling dunes.
We often look in the distance for lone objects such as trees or shrubs standing in the hills, and attempt to find them using the trail system. More often than not, we can get close, then look back to see the spot where we were standing originally. It's always a much greater distance than it seemed.
Then, to find our way back using another path takes us in a different direction. There's no better way to start the weekend than to get lost in the dunes.
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