Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm
We got a bit of a late start today so we had to stay relatively close to home. Since the weather was perfect, we decided to spend our Date Day at one of our favorite local hiking spots – Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm.
The Homestead / Farm is part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and is a quick 30-minute drive from home. As is usual on a weekday, we arrived to find the parking lot empty. A great perk of coming here during the week is having the place to ourselves and being able to let Nova off her leash on parts of the trail. We started with a stop at the bathroom (very clean and with running water) and then headed to the Bailly Homestead.
The Homestead, a National Historic Landmark, was the home of fur trader Joseph Bailly and his family. In 1822, the Homestead’s trading post was one of only two stopping points for travelers between Chicago and Detroit. Many of the Homestead’s building are still intact, but they never seem to be open when we’re there. The three-story house is especially spooky, and Tom avoids looking at the windows for fear of spotting a ghost.
Leaving the ghosts behind, we set off on the Bailly / Chellberg Trail. Our usual route is an approximately five-mile loop around the Homestand and nearby Chellberg Farm. Along the trial, we cross a prairie (which is totally lacking shade and can be very hot), follow a boardwalk along the river and meander through a mature forest. The last couple miles of the trail are filled with ravines and stairways. It can be a little strenuous for some, but the scenery is beautiful.
Today our first three plus miles were quiet, peaceful and relaxing. We saw some birds, a few chipmunks and nary another person. Nova was even on her best off-leash behavior. In short, it was a perfect start to our hike and we chatted amiably as we headed into the last mile or so.
Then, it happened.
We hit the mud. Not just a little mud. This was paw sucking, shoe stealing, make you want to turn around mud. One minute we were having fun and thinking about the picnic that awaited us and the next we were contemplating how fast we needed to backtrack if we were going to get to school in time to pick up Nate.
Luckily, fate intervened, and our trusty four-legged friend saved the day. Or, we realized we were only a couple hundred yards from a road, so we sucked it up and slogged through the mud. Either way, we followed the road back to the Homestead and made it back to the car in time for a little wine, some good food and a pig ear.
We didn’t stop at the Bailly Cemetery on this trip, but it is definitely worth the extra three quarters of a mile walk, if there’s no mud. Likewise, we didn’t visit Chellberg Farm, but it is also worth a stop. This is especially true in March when it becomes the only National Park to make maple syrup. Yum!
May 2018
Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm
Highway 20 & Mineral Springs Road Porter, IN
Free Admission
3 – 4 Hours
Free Parking
we were there a few days earlier!