St. Joseph County
Kettle Lakes Corridor

The Chain of Kettle Lakes is located in St. Joseph County on the west side of South Bend, Indiana. A collection of 9 lakes aligned vertically on the map, within a span of about 8 miles, make up a natural corridor of habitat and resources for migrating birds and local wildlife alike. They are also home to many endangered, threatened, and rare native plant species. Many of these lakes consist of high quality native plant communities virtually unchanged since before the time of European settlement in America. Among these lakes you will find wetlands, marshes, open water lakes and even a bog. Each of these gems has something different to offer migrating birds, our local wildlife, and people. With less than 1% of our natural land remaining in the state, we are very fortunate to have this number of high quality natural areas within a very condensed region right here in our own back yard. This is just a little of what is left of “The Real Indiana”. Our chain of kettle lakes is South Bend’s largest, local, geographical and ecological asset next to the St. Joseph River. Some of these lakes have a natural quality that compares only to our local gems, Rum Village Park and Bendix Woods County Park. I want to shine a light on this little piece of what is left of the real Indiana — our little piece to protect, restore, learn about, teach about, and celebrate.