Sunday bike rides are a tradition in our family, especially during the summer months. There are quite a few trails around the northwest Indiana area and we love exploring them. So, as per tradition, this past Sunday my father and I smeared on the sunscreen, loaded up the bikes, and drove out to where the Oak Savannah Trail starts in the Oak Ridge Prairie County Park. Completed in 2015, this trail runs between Griffith and Hobart. It is about nine miles one way and connects with the Prairie Duneland Trail in Hobart. The trail ends at N. County Line Road.
With the temperature topping out at 91 degrees that day, the Oak Savannah Trail was the perfect choice for our excursion. About 60% of the trail is shaded by beautiful woods that also provided a coolness that kept us in a comfortable state as we biked.
Everywhere we looked we saw the trees with their vibrant green leaves, the ground bursting with a variety of wildflowers, and big fluffy white clouds gliding across the sky. Butterflies and dragonflies were constantly fluttering around our bikes and different kinds of birds were swooping over the trail. We passed quite a few bodies of water including Robinson Lake and Lake George. There were little dirt paths from the paved trail to Robinson Lake making it very easy for a side trip to take a dip or to fish. Lake George provided a beautiful view with all the lily pads floating around and a couple of swans elegantly skimming along the water's surface.
We gave the traditional head nod to our fellow bikers we encountered on the trail and gingerly passed on the left of walkers out enjoying the summer day. There was only one part of the trail that was a bit confusing. The paved trail turns into neighborhood streets for a little bit. However, we were able to easily navigate with the help of signs along the streets guiding us to where it turns back into the paved trail and the help of a very kind biker who stopped to reassure us that we were going the right way.
There were quite a few street crossings on the Oak Savannah Trail, but most them were in neighborhoods on quiet roads and very easy to cross after a quick look both ways. For the major roads, we either flew under them through tunnels or rode over them on a bridge.
The whole trail is paved and is great for beginners or more experienced bikers depending on how fast and how far a person would want to go on the trail. The Oak Savannah Trail blends so seamlessly into the Prairie Duneland Trail that it took us a moment to realize that we had come to the end. Look for a small N. County Line Road sign hanging on the bicycle crossing sign and a Baptist church at the side of the trail to know that this trail has ended.
When we came to the end we turned our bikes around happy to go back and experience all the beauty of this trail again.
