Get ready to paddle the southern coast of Lake Michigan with other canoe and kayak enthusiasts Sunday for the ninth annual Trail Creek Fun Float, which starts and ends at Washington Park in Michigan City.
Dan Plath, founder of event host Northwest Indiana Paddlers Association, says the group has made a few changes in recent years to accommodate the large number of participants who come to see the historic sites of the region via watercraft.
“It used to be like bumper boats, but now we start our paddles in multiple groups so it’s spread out. You won’t have 100 boats on each side of you,” he said.
The event begins in the harbor area of Washington Park and proceeds through many of the historical areas that are not typically seen from the vantage point of the water.
“We go through a lot of historical areas, like the lighthouse museum, which was built in 1856, and it was the original lighthouse on the southern coast of Lake Michigan. We paddle past the NIPSCO generating station, and then we go through the Naval Armory built around 1926. We talk a lot about the maritime history on the float,” Plath said.
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Paddlers also will travel along Trail Creek to view an area where sawmills once existed to supply lumber to Chicago and the Midwest.
“We will also go past an observation tower built by the WPA back in the 1930s, past the Washington Park Zoo, and we see a lot of evidence of Michigan City being a fishing area with some buildings that served as fisheries. There is a tall-ship turnaround made in the 1800s that is still in existence, and we paddle past the Blue Chip Casino,” he said.
“Past that is several miles of wilderness. The river greatly narrows, and if you haven’t had much rain for a while it is a nice, clear bottom and you can see salmon and trout swimming right underneath your boat. We paddle all the way to International Friendship gardens and we get out and may have a tour of the grounds, stretch our legs, and we paddle back to Washington Park,” Plath said.
He said that after the float, participants will be treated to a luau-themed lunch outside of Washington Park at the Overboard Restaurant in the outdoor picnic area.
“The paddle is free although we will pass a hat for donations. Everyone gets a free T-shirt, which is sponsored by NIPSCO, and Global Engineering & Surveying sponsors the luau. This event is part of the Trail Creek Watershed Partnership,” Plath said.
Registration begins at 9 a.m. at the Washington Park boat ramps. Loaner boats are available with donation and by reservation at [email protected]. The luau will begin about 1 p.m.
Augustyn is a freelance reporter.
Trail Creek Fun Float
When: 9 a.m. Sunday
Where: Washington Park, Michigan City
Tickets: Free admission
Information: nwipa.org