Dunes of Snow and Ice

 

 

Walking along the Indiana shore of Lake Michigan, one can't help but notice tall sand dunes. They extend for miles and miles, and often well inland in some places. There's something very interesting about visiting in winter, you have dunes on both sides of the beach! The natural sand dunes are on one side, and the dunes made of ice and snow are on the other, and you walk right down the center of them in a sandy valley that is actually the shore of Lake Michigan. 

I've often thought these mounds of shelf ice give visitors the impression they are high above the Alps, looking down at the snow covered mountains. Framed correctly, a portrait taken here could be mistaken for one taken in a mountain range.

   

 If you're high enough to see over the mounds, Lake Michigan's waves can be seen battering the windward side of the shelf ice, you can see just how these mounds are built - one splash at a time. The Michigan City East Pierhead lighthouse is also able to be seen on the horizon, dwarfed by the ice and high waves.

Capturing the Ice at Kintzele Ditch

 

 

A frequent hike for us along Lake Michigan is from Central Beach to Kintzele Ditch, a stream flowing between dunes into the lake. It's ever-changing, and especially interesting in winter when the ice and snow create all sorts of creations. 

Knowing the beach and this area is key to keeping dry (and safe) because the stream changes course on the beach due to wave action. One week the stream flows directly into the lake, the next week it jogs right for 200 feet, then the next it's left 100 feet. One must be careful not to walk on any ice that forms on this stream, it's always thin, and because the water level changes so often, it's often hollow beneath. Fall through and you'll be wet up to your knees - unless you trip and you'll be soaked from head to toe with a mile walk back to the parking lot.

   

 No matter how easy or challenging the hike might be (depending on conditions), it's always worth the trek. It's a bit off the well-beaten path of beachgoers, but it is a rather popular place to seek out and enjoy. 

Kintzele Ditch divides Central Beach and Mt. Baldy, making it a turning around point for walking on both beaches. In warmer weather, or if you don't mind cold, wet feet, you can walk through the stream to reach the adjacent beach.

Several years ago, before all of the regulating of trails and paths, one could hike up the stream for quite a way, and enjoy a completely different experience at the dunes, one I don't think was available anywhere else in the park.

   

The ice along the shore of the lake is only around for a few short weeks each year. Once the weather warms up for a while, the ice will break up and melt, and unless there is another period of very cold weather, it's gone until next year. Get out and see it while it's there - but stay off the ice.

Shelf Ice at the Indiana Dunes National Park

 

 

 Each winter, I look forward to ice along the shore of Lake Michigan, especially the mounds of shelf ice that form during cold, windy periods. For over a week, the area experienced temperatures as low as minus 10 Fahrenheit, and snow as deep as 36 inches. 

While the snow has all but melted because of recent temperatures in the 40's, the shelf ice remains. Today, high winds created waves that pounded the outer edge of the shelf ice mounds, possibly creating more shelf ice, or breaking it down - it's difficult to tell with the warm weather. Every few moments, a hollow thud could be heard, and a spray of water would shoot up in the distance onto the ice mounds. This constant pounding is what creates the ice mounds when it's cold enough, and the same action erodes it when warm enough. Only time will tell which is happening this week.

   

 Keeping off the ice, and staying a safe distance from it is the only way to enjoy winter along the shore of the Great Lakes. The shelf ice can be deadly, and even though it's 12 or 15 feet thick, there can be holes and cracks that lead right to the freezing cold water below. The wave action can break off chunks of ice 40 feet wide or more, and roll them right into the lake. Standing on this ice not only illegal, it's really hazardous. 

If you decide to visit the lakeshore in winter, remember to view the ice from a distance. One way to easily tell if you're safe -even if the sand is covered with snow - is to look for the slope in the ground. The beach slopes down toward the lake, and the lake begins where the ice slopes up away from shore. Going no further than this valley will ensure your safety, besides, the best views are from the lookouts on the dunes anyway. But walking along the beach is beautiful as well, you no longer can see the water, just ice, but being sandwiched between tall dunes and ice mounds is pretty special.

The Dual Waterfalls Beyond Cedar Point

 

 

 Hiking Matthiessen State Park's trails is relatively easy and quick, you can see the upper dells and the lower dells in just about two hours. Depending upon the water level of the stream, you can reach a relatively hidden couple of waterfalls - hidden from most people at least. In winter, the footprints in the snow are a dead giveaway that there is another canyon to explore just across the stream, but in warmer weather, most folks don't care to walk through a foot of water. 

 This canyon has two waterfalls, about 60 feet from each other, and almost every winter, you can squeeze behind the ice and head into the ice caves that are formed as the waterfalls freeze across the openings in the canyon.

   

Venture behind the icefall and you can see all sorts of interesting ice formations, some large, some tiny, but all interesting. 

If the ice along the canyon walls isn't terribly slippery, you can actually walk along the 12 inch wide path above the canyon to reach the top of the waterfall. There, you will encounter a few smaller falls as you head upstream. This area is not marked, but there are steel rings on the canyon wall to assist with balance and safety, although I'm not certain they were installed by the park service. Is it an official trail or off limits? Not sure.

Ice Formations at Lake Falls

 

 

Just a short distance from Starved Rock State Park is another series of canyons and waterfalls called Matthiessen State Park. At the head of the upper dell area is a man-made lake, created by a dam across the width of the canyon. The dam forms a scenic waterfall that can be seen from a footbridge as well as from the canyon below. The waterfall is called Lake Falls, and it's spectacular in all seasons, especially winter. The water cascades over the rocks and spreads across the dam, forming intricate shapes of ice, instead of a simple column of ice.

   

 The falling water creates some air turbulence in the canyon, making it rather difficult to keep camera gear dry in the warm months, and beautiful ice crystals in winter. The icy weather allows visitors to easily approach the frozen falls to inspect the formations. 

No matter how cold the weather gets, there is always water flowing inside the icefall. At times, it's not visible as it is in the images here, but the flowing can be heard when up close.

   

 The warm, brown sandstone on the canyon walls provides a deep contrast between the white ice of the waterfall. Looking closely at the canyon walls, plants remain green through the entire winter - plants I've only seen in canyons such as these. 

With all of the grand beauty surrounding you, it's often easy to forget about the tiny details of the canyons. When visiting, stop a moment and take in everything around you, look at the details too.

Behind the Ice Pillars of LaSalle Canyon

 

 

There are a couple of frozen waterfalls in Starved Rock State Park that one can easily walk behind, and the most popular is the one in LaSalle Canyon. 

A bit over a mile walk from the nearest parking area, and what seems like 300 stairs, the canyon is tucked deep in the rock formations, well off the river trail. 

This canyon has gotten more and more popular in the winter over the past few years, and for good reason, it's fun to walk behind the ice.

   

Careful not to get too close to the ice formations, you can walk completely around them without any trouble. Other icefalls have smaller spaces behind and you'll need to crawl or squeeze to access them. 

There are almost always cracks in the ice columns due to water movement and the weight of the ice. Seeing this, I always keep my distance; a person can be crushed if these let loose. 

The approach to these icefalls can be slippery - of course, they're made by running water and the water has to flow away from the falls. Ice cleats are a must unless the weather makes the surface slushy.

   

 In what I refer to as "Good years," the ice fills in the space between the ice columns creating a wide ice curtain that is relatively thin (maybe a foot thick) and the sunlight passes through the ice. This year was just a bit underwhelming when compared to the "Good years," but perhaps after this week's warm up, there will be a freeze and the curtain will once again be drawn across the overhang.

Approaching LaSalle Canyon

One of the most popular canyons of Starved Rock during the cold, winter months is LaSalle. It's a bit of a hike from any trailhead and parking lot, more than a lot of people are up for in the cold, but well worth the trek. The approach to the waterfall is lengthy, probably a quarter mile or more from the river trail, and it builds up suspense. Will the waterfall be completely frozen or partially? Will it be a complete curtain of ice, or columns? 

On this trip, following the frigid weather last week, the waterfall was frozen. And relatively crowded for such cold weather - it's good to see so many people exploring the trails. While it can be a bit frustrating waiting for people to move along, I like to include people in the image for scale and interest. There are, however, some easy ways to capture multiple images of the exact same scene in crowded areas and stack them to remove the people, so it could be done.

This is certainly a time when people stop and take in the scenery, some stopping for a brief view, while others sat in the snowy canyon for 30 minutes or more. As we ventured around the ice, the sun began peeking around the rock formations creating sunbursts and some very warmly illuminated rock surfaces. With an F stop of 14 or more, the camera will take some great sunbursts, depending upon the lens used, and a bit of technique and luck. 

My friend Ken is the master at capturing sunbursts - he's pictured directly in front of the sunburst in the first image.

   

As one approaches the end of the blind canyon, there are two waterfalls, one obvious at the very end, and another right at the entrance flowing from the large waterfall into the pool that flows into the Illinois River. It's a bit uneventful in winter, yet you can see it in the foreground of the image above. 

The weather is set to warm up this week with some rain heading this way. Too bad it won't stay cold for a few more weeks, I'd love to see how large and intricate these icefalls would get with a bit more time. But, the rain might just help these grow a bit as the temperatures drop again in the evenings. I'll have to head out again soon to check the progress.

Frozen French Canyon

Visiting French Canyon in winter can be challenging. The path to this blind canyon is at times a stream, and in winter, it's ice cascading over slippery rock; ice cleats are a must. Several years back, I overheard a park ranger advising some other visitors to stay out of French Canyon in winter, "It's treacherous, nobody should even try." At times, I agree, and if I'm wearing ice cleats I disagree. There are no steep areas where safety is an issue, and if you straddle the narrow creek on your way up to the falls, you'll be safe. 

On this visit, to my surprise, the canyon was icy, but slushy overflow ran on top of the ice, making the hike into the canyon very wet, but not a slippery as usual - a trade off.

   

Once inside, the 45 foot tall frozen waterfall came into view, and after a week of sub zero Fahrenheit weather, the falls were beautifully frozen. In these canyons, the clear ice often takes on the colors of the surrounding environment, browns, yellows, and greens. This particular icefall begs to be climbed, but ice climbing is only allowed by permit, and at specific canyons - French Canyon was not on the list this time. 

Starved Rock State Park in Illinois is the second most popular visitor attraction in the state, following Navy Pier in Chicago. One visit to Starved Rock and you'll wonder why Navy Pier is even on the list. 

In all seasons, this park is spectacular, but in winter, it's magical. In years past, I was often the only person in each canyon, only bumping into a person here and there, but lately, the word has gotten out about how beautiful this place is in winter, and it's unusual not to see anyone in the canyons.

   

 Even in the 8 degree Fahrenheit weather, the sandstone and conifer trees bring warmth to the hike. And no matter how cold it is, the canyons are always warmer. Protected from the winds, the canyons bring a bit of relief after hiking along the exposed riverbank. Or perhaps when you enter the canyon, you forget about the weather.

Cold Bath for a Giant

A bit more than halfway from Mattiessen's Cedar Point to Lake Falls is a small but dramatic waterfall cascading into Giant's Bathtub, a small pond on the upper dells. In times of high water, it's a bit difficult to reach without getting wet, but it's generally well worth the trek. If your balance is good, you can stay dry by stepping on rocks, logs, or whatever happens to be in the stream at the moment. This waterfall can be reached from an access upstream as well as downstream, but in both cases, you need to walk through the stream at some point.

The best way to see this waterfall, I think, is from the downstream approach, from Cedar Point. The site reveals itself as you walk up to it, rather than seeing it from the top when you're almost falling over it. Heading to the Lake Falls access, you'll need to walk through the stream at the very top of the waterfall. This can be a bit tricky if the surface is icy or otherwise slippery - one slip and you can end up falling down into the falls, and into Giant's Bathtub. Be prepared to get your shoes wet as you walk through the 6 to 8 inch deep running stream.

Visiting lake Falls

 

 

It's impossible to visit Starved Rock State Park without a quick hike through the dells of nearby Mattiessen State Park. Lake Falls, a manmade waterfall at the head of the upper dells, is a popular spot to visit. It's a quick hike along a fairly level trail, but you need to head down about 100 stairs total - generally not a problem for most people, it's the way back up that may be taxing. 

More scenic routes lead to the same waterfall, one includes walking along the floor of the canyon through the shallow stream, and the other require a bit of trail and a bit of traversing across the stream. Of course, this all depends on the water levels, and on this visit, the level was a bit higher than normal, so waling from one waterfall to another required getting wet or doubling back and taking another route.

   

In anticipation of cold days when the waterfalls and the stream are frozen, I took note of the areas of the stream that were deep, and where they are shallow. Using this knowledge, I can remain dry (and safe) when I return to the frozen canyon - knowing where the deep areas are now, can help me avoid a cold fall through the ice later. None of the areas are very deep, but waling back to the parking lot soaked to the waist is no fun in zero degree weather - ask me how I know! 

Unlike last year, with any luck, the weather will turn cold enough to freeze the waterfalls this winter, and I'll be standing by.