Tolleston Dunes Trail

The Tolleston Dunes Trail traverses a landscape shaped by Lake Michigan's ancient shorelines, crossing interdunal wetlands, oak savanna, and stabilized sand dunes that formed thousands of years ago when the lake stood at higher elevations. The loop is a showcase for the park's ongoing oak savanna restoration effort: prescribed burns conducted since the 1990s have encouraged the return of native grasses like big bluestem and Indian grass, along with rare plants including prairie dropseed and puccoon. Bur oaks with their fire-resistant bark dominate the uplands, while swamp white oaks and black willows fringe the wet swales between dune ridges. Rare plant species documented here include the federally threatened Pitcher's thistle and the state-endangered plains oval sedge. White-tailed deer, red fox, and the occasional coyote are commonly seen, and the area supports breeding populations of several grassland bird species. Trail access is from the Tolleston Dunes trailhead off County Line Road in Gary's Miller neighborhood.