East Branch Little Calumet Water Trail
Before you decide where to launch, please see information on the safety page. And don’t forget to wear your lifejacket!
With significant stretches in both Indiana and Illinois, the Little Calumet River has helped link cities and towns throughout the Chicago region for centuries. The East Branch Little Calumet offers paddlers over 11 miles of varying natural scenery, and two paddling trips are possible. The first takes you from Chesterton through Porter and ends at the Indiana Dunes National Park, and the second route lets paddlers put in and take out near the mouth of the river at Lake Michigan for an up-and-back trip.
Chesterton to Indiana Dunes National Park
When approaching the State Rd. 49 bridge, paddlers should stop on the left and inspect the rapids directly under the bridge before paddling through. A portage along the left shore is suggested to avoid rocks on the other side.
Skill Level: Novice to Intermediate
Type: Canoe or kayak
Conditions: Mostly narrow and shallow, but with occasional deep sections (subject to rapid rise following rains)
Length: Eight miles
Need to Portage: About 50-feet at State Rd. 49 (portage left)
Access Points:
Wykes Plampin Nature Preserve (Start)
The Wykes Plampin access on Brummitt Road will be closed due to bridge reconstruction starting around April 2022, with completion later in the year. Watch this page and our RECENT CONDITIONS page for updates on the project. In the meantime, please begin your journey at the Keith Richard Walner Nature Preserve (below).
GPS Coordinates: 41.615375, -87.016559
North Brummitt Rd., Chesterton
219-242-8558
heinzetrust.org
Distance to Next Access Point: 2.4 mi
Keith Richard Walner Nature Preserve
GPS Coordinates: 41.622203, -87.050273
West Taylor St., Chesterton
219-242-8558
heinzetrust.org
Total Distance from Start: 2.4 mi
Distance to Next Access Point: 2.9 mi
GPS Coordinates: 41.622456, -87.095161
North Howe Rd., Porter
219-395-1882
nps.gov/indu
Total Distance from Start: 5.3 mi