Bur Oak Woods
This 84-acre nature preserve is located in the City of Hobart. It is an example of one of Indiana’s rarest natural communities: bur oak savanna. The property features mesic woodland areas, wet depressions, and open sedge meadow. Many of the majestic bur oak trees found here are several hundred years old, their branches spreading outward as wide as the trunk is tall. Spring brings a good display of woodland and savanna wildflowers. The property is a haven for birds and amphibians. Visitors may hike along a loop trail starting at the Liverpool Road parking area.
Acquisition Partner:
Restoration Partners:
Sustain Our Great Lakes Program, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Chicago Wilderness, Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Natural Resource Damage Assessment Fund, Wildlife Habitat Council, U.S. Forest Service, NIPSCO Environmental Challenge Fund, Efroymson Family Fund.
Photos by Ron Trigg
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Directions:
From Ridge Rd. (East 37th Ave.) in Hobart, travel south on Liverpool Rd. about 1.3 miles. A parking lot is located on the east side of Liverpool Rd., at the south end of the woods. The massive old bur oaks in these woods must have great stories to tell. They’ve been here for centuries. Native Americans paused beneath them on hunting expeditions. Long-gone animals – bears, cougars, elk, wolves, buffalo – wandered past. The first European settlers cleared their farms within sight of them. And still the old trees survive, a reminder of how things once were. 
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