Location: From I-65 and US 6/Ridge Road, exit #258, go west on Ridge Road 2.5 miles to Lake Park Avenue and turn left (south) for about half a mile on Lake Park. The preserve parking lot is on your left.

Description: According to the DNR, "Cressmoor Prairie is the largest protected example of a silt-loam or “black soil” prairie in Indiana. Black soil prairies were once the most common prairies in Indiana. However, their rich, fertile soil was among the very finest agricultural ground anywhere in the world, so most were plowed under for farming. As a result, black soil prairies are exceedingly rare. Over 250 species of plants have been found at Cressmoor Prairie. Typical prairie species occurring here in great numbers include wild quinine, dense blazing star, rattlesnake master, prairie dock, and compass plant."  Since I haven't been there yet, that seems to cover the ground.

Nearby Points of Interest: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Indiana Dunes State Park, Hoosier Prairie and Biesecker Prairie Nature Preserves.

Ownership: Indiana DNR