Upland Trail
in Indiana · centroid 44 mi from Chicago
Upland Trail 2.1 miles, 97 feet of elevation gain, 2% average grade, 4% maximum grade Hike time: 1.5 hours The Pinhook Bog Trail System features two very different habitats. The Upland Trail highlights a rich beech and maple forest growing on top of a glacial moraine formed about 15,000 years ago. The Bog Trail leads to a bog in a depression in the moraine created when a large piece of ice broke off the melting glacier.
The bog features an incredible habitat with unique plants. This featured hike is a lollipop shaped trail. Starting at the parking lot trailhead, take the trail east to the junction with the loop trail.
The preferred direction is clockwise or to the left. The trail winds through mature beech and maple forest as you hike over the undulating moraine topology. There is a nice view of the bog near the south end of the loop.
- States
- Indiana
- Trail type
- National Park trail
- Centroid nearest city
- Chicago, IL · 44 mi · ~1.3 hr drive
- Centroid coords
- 41.6212°, -86.8502°
About Indiana Dunes National Park
This trail is inside Indiana Dunes National Park, a national park managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.
Entrance fee: $20 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.
Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/upland-trail.htm
Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/indu/index.htm
Plan your hike
Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.
Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.
When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.
If you've hiked Upland Trail and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.
Stay nearby
Other trails within 50 miles
Mt. Baldy Beach Trail
7 miles from this trail's centroid
DLT q - Mt. Baldy to Long Beach
8 miles from this trail's centroid
DLT p - Broadway to Mt. Baldy
8 miles from this trail's centroid
Great Marsh Trail (South)
8 miles from this trail's centroid
Great Marsh Trail (North)
8 miles from this trail's centroid
Calumet Dunes Trail
9 miles from this trail's centroid
Sources
Trail data on this page is compiled from OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), the maintaining organisation's public-facing materials, and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA where excerpts are quoted). Distance, terminus, and descriptive text for nationally-designated trails are hand-curated from federal land-manager websites and trail-association sources. We do not modify the underlying data; this page presents what is already publicly recorded. To suggest corrections, see our methodology page.