Shoreline will be first leg of National Recreation Trail

A 75-mile stretch of the Lake Michigan shoreline from the North Side of Chicago through northwestern Indiana will become part of a National Recreation Trail.

Northwest Indiana Paddling Association President Dan Plath says the shoreline stretching to New Buffalo, Mich., will be dedicated Saturday at the Portage lakefront as the first leg of a proposed 1,600-mile trail encircling Lake Michigan.

Plath tells The Times of Munster that the trail designation has been years in the making and involved gathering support from major landowners along the route and government leaders. Public access points also had to be secured every three to eight miles.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore program manager Lynda Lancaster says the route follows ancient trails used by American Indians and those used by early explorers pushing west.