PORTER COUNTY

Porter County is the home of Valparaiso, Portage, Valparaiso University, and Indiana Dunes National Park.  A steel plant was built on the shores of Lake Michigan in the early 1960s. The new construction of the steel mill and a nearby port caused controversy between businesses who wanted to invest in the area, and local residents who wanted to keep the beautiful shoreline.  Congress intervened and created the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in the mid 1960s, later renamed the Indiana Dunes National Park as it joined the list of National Parks in February 2019. Porter County is served by the last Interurban rail lines, the South Shore Line, as it connects South Bend with Chicago.  Valparaiso, the county seat, is home to its namesake University and has a collection of parks, bike trails, and hiking trails that would make most cities jealous. The Popcorn Festival in Valparaiso honoring Orville Redenbacher and the local popcorn factory, is a wonderful annual event for the entire family.

Below are a list of trails and routes in Porter County.