Little Calumet River Levee Trail

Indiana

3 Reviews

The Little Calumet River Levee Trail zig-zags east-west between Gary and Munster in Lake County, bringing residents to the river and its wetlands, and offering ample opportunities for birding and wildlife watching. The trail is paved and nicely maintained, suitable for walking, jogging, biking and other non-motorized uses.

The trail exists in two sections, with a 0.6 mile gap in between. The east segment begins near Indiana University Northwest campus and heads west through Lake Etta County Park and the riverside wetlands in Griffith, up to the railroad tracks. The west segment picks up a half-mile later, on Cline Avenue and continues through the wetlands, Homestead Park to the17-mile Erie Lackawanna Trail, with which it shares right-of-way for about a mile and a half, past the Wicker Park golf course and across the river. The Erie Lackwanna Trail then pivots north, while the Little Calumet River Trail continues west through Riverside Park before ending at the Monon Trail.

The Little Calumet River Trail is an off-street trail with very short on-street connections in parts. There are also street crossings along the route, and caution should be taken at these points.

Parking and Trail Access

East Segment

Visitors can park at Indiana University Northwest campus in the north-most parking lot at Broadway and West 33rd Ave. Free parking is available on weekends (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and it's $2.00 for an all-day parking permit on weekdays. Pay at the Kiosk at the south-center end of the parking lots next to the buildings. More information can be found at the university website.
Users can also park at Lake Etta County Park (4801 W 29th Ave, Gary). The parking lot at the south end of the lake provides access to the Little Calumet River Levee Trail.
Another alternative is the Park West Apartments at the north end of North Arbogast St. The Park West Apartments have good access to the trail and is well-used by nearby residents. There is ample parking for visitors; follow posted parking regulations.

West Segment

Parking options from east to west include:

Highland Heron Rookery (W 7th Ave, Highland)
Homestead Park, (8099 5th St, Highland)
Indiana Welcome Center (7770 Corinne Dr, Hammond)
Wicker Memorial Park (8554 Indianapolis Blvd, Highland)
Optimist Park (1245 River Dr, Hammond)

A copy of the trail map can be found at the links on the right-side of this page, or you can pick up a hard copy at the Indiana Welcome Center at Hammond.

Little Calumet River Trail-west segment (cline to calumet avenues)

July 2023 jcook1950_tl

in decent shape and quite scenic with many animals sighted (deer, coyote, turtles).
the highland rookery on the trail just west of cline avenue is worth viewing for migrating birds and waterfowl (egrets, herons).
connection with monon trail (west of calumet avenue) is under repair now.

I recently walked this trail, and I loved every moment of it. The scenery is great and I have seen people fishing, taking pictures, and talking as they walk.¿¿

August 2020 foursamuels

I recently walked this trail, and I loved every moment of it. The scenery is great and I have seen people fishing, taking pictures, and talking as they walk.¿¿

Interesting ride, no easy access to cross Cline Avenue

July 2020 blondie76

I have to say this route is actually interesting. Bridges are kinda neat. With extensive civil repairs over years to the Little Calumet River you can see a lot of wildlife here. I enjoyed seeing deer, various geese, duck, coyotes, Blue Herons, and fish. From starting in Munster the trail is really an accessory to Erie Lackawanna Trail. It goes thru Munster, South Hammond and ends in Highland at Indiana 912. No bridge to cross. It does not easily cross to Griffith. I have seen some segments of it in Gary, along I94. I’m not sure why they say it ends in Gary. Maybe it will one day? This is an interesting stretch because it crosses the river with some nice bridges and it can lead you to Erie Lackawanna at least a few points.