Gibson Woods Nature Preserve

6201 Parrish Avenue Hammond, IN 46323
Phone (219) 844-3188 - Fax (219) 844-3188

Park Hours: Open 9 am to 5 pm daily.
Nature Center / Gift Shop: Open 11 am to 5 pm daily.

Gibson Woods Nature Preserve is one of ten Lake County Indiana Parks.

Park Facilities: 178 acres featuring a Nature / Awareness Center, Gift Shop, Indoor Restrooms, Hiking Trails, and an Interpretive Staff.

Gibson Woods Nature Preserve property consists of a narrow, long strip of wooded sand dunes and small wetlands (swales).

This area was once part of an extensive sand dune ecosystem that was carved out by the water and wind along the southern shore of Lake Michigan.

This is the type of landscape that once dominated the vast majority of the Calumet Region, and is one of the last remaining examples.

Park founded in 1981. A major sponsor who played a large part in helping to make this park a reality was - The Nature Conservancy / The Nature Conservancy Indiana Chapter.

Just before settlement, large herds of bison roamed the great expanses of prairie grasslands, that covered much of the central United States from the Rocky Mountains to northwest Indiana. Prairies are home to a large number of unique plants and animals that are only native to this type of environment. Many prairie plants have vast underground root systems, that can extend over fifteen feet below the surface. "Prairie Burns" are a vital part of the native prairie ecosystem. Most of the shallow-rooted nonnative plants are killed by the flames, but the deep rooted prairie plants are unaffected. If these fires do not occur trees and woody shrubs would take over the prairie.

Wetlands are simply land that is wet, at least part of the time. All wetlands consist of aquatic plants and shallow water. The most common type of wetlands are marshes. Before Indiana had it's first settlers, the state had close to 5.5 million acres of wetlands. But today, almost 90% of those wetlands have been lost. Wetlands are of tremendous value to wildlife, supporting the largest variety of animals more than any other type of habitat in the country. Over half of all the endangered species in the United States rely on wetlands for their survival.

Gray foxes are quite a common sight in this area, viewing is best at dawn or dusk. There is also a good possibility for viewing thrushes, warblers and other songbirds, with the highest probability for viewing in the spring and fall. Also if you're lucky, you may get a rare glimpse of the endangered Franklin's ground squirrel along the sand ridges or viewing minks and weasels in the swale wetland areas. Also found here are several rare and interesting insects, the Karner blue butterfly and the ant lion.

Here are the many types of trees and shrubs that you can see in the park. White Ash, Quaking Aspen, Paper Birch, Boxelder, Black Cherry, Flowering Dogwood, Eastern Cottonwood, Honey Locust, Red Maple, Silver Maple, Red Mulberry, Pin Oak, White Oak, Eastern Redbud, Serviceberry, Sassafras, Black Willow, Pussy Willow, and Witch Hazel.