Indiana Dunes National Park: Where Sand Meets Skyline
- nicole elizabeth
- May 11
- 6 min read
Updated: May 13
Indiana Dunes National Park: sand dunes, greenery, and Lake Michigan, what more could you ask for?! I visited this park about 3 years ago on a road trip with my boyfriend, and while it didn’t blow me away, it was still a memorable stop. I think a great way to describe Indiana Dunes is not overwhelming, but also not underwhelming.
Table of Contents:
Getting There:
Indiana Dunes National Park is located in Porter, Indiana and is acessible by train, or car, with airports nearby as well. There are 3 major airports located within 2 hours of Indiana Dunes national Park: Chicago O'Hare, Chicago Midway, and South Bend. If accessing the park by train, you can take the South Shore Line Commuter Rail which actually has stops inside of the park. The park is also accessible by car via a few major routes, and is located only about 45 minutes from the city of Chicago. I recommend starting your trip at the visitor center like we did, located at 1215 North State Road 49, Porter, IN 46304.
About the Park:
Indiana Dunes was established in 2019, is one of the US's newer national parks, although it has been a protected lakeshore since 1966. The park covers over 15,000 acres and features sand dunes up to 200 feet tall. There are over 50-miles of trails, as well as a spot for various recreational activities, such as camping, fishing, swimming, bird watching, etc. The park also offers a very diverse terrain including prairies, sand dunes, rivers, wetlands, and forests. Very closeby, there is also a state park, which unfortunately we did not have the chance to stop at called Indiana Dunes State Park. Here, there are even more trails, including the popular 3 Dune Challenge, birdwatching, lakeshores, campgrounds, etc. It costs $25 per car to enter the park unless you have a National Park Pass, and there are several pet friendly trails at this park!
Visitor's Center & Diana of the Dunes:
Our first stop on our trip to Indiana Dunes was the visitor center, where we immediately checked out the gift shop to get all of our souvenirs and also had the chance to talk to a park ranger who told us about the Diana of the Dunes challenge. The challenge originates from dune advocate, Alice Mabel Gray, also known as Diana of the Dunes, who hiked and lived in an abandoned shack on the dunes alone for over 9 years in the early 1900s. Here, she took special interest in the history, ecology and preservation of the dunes. Today, she is celebrated as the pioneer of conservation and there is a historical marker near the entrance of the park to commemorate her life. The first thing we did after leaving the visitor center was conquer the Diana of the Dune Challenge!
Hike #1: Dune Succession Trail
After learning about the challenge, we were excited to see what the park had to offer! To start the challenge, you can park in the West Beach Parking Lot (476 North County Line Road, Gary, IN 46403). The challenge follows the West Beach Dune Succession Trail which is only about 1-1.5 miles, but the views are great! This is a pretty quick and easy hike, although there are some stairs and hiking in sand is definitely a little bit of an added challenge. We took advantage and took some time to enjoy the shoreline where we could look out and see the Chicago city skyline. West Beach is one of the spots in Indiana Dunes where swimming is allowed, and there is typically a lifeguard on duty. Unfortunately, even though we went in August, the weather was not ideal and we couldn't go into the lake due to the risk of lightning we had that day. After we successfully finished the challenge, we made sure to take our picture proof and we headed back to the visitor center to collect our stickers.
Lunch Break:
Once we completed our first hike, we decided to head into town to grab some lunch. We ate at Red Cup Cafe & Deli (115 Broadway Ave, Chesterton, IN 46304). The food here was great and the atmosphere was even cooler! We ended up getting quiche, a wrap, and a grilled cheese....all were amazing :)
Here are some other food recs near the park:
Octave Grill
Industrial Revolution Eatery & Grille
Pizza Terra
Gastro 49 Pub & Eatery
Hike #2: Cowle's Bog Trail:
From lunch, we headed back into the park for another hike. The second hike we did was the Cowle's Bog Trail, a 4.5-mile loop hike that took us all around the dunes. To access this hike, start at the North Parking Lot near Mineral Springs Road. Going from packed dirt trails through the woods, to boardwalks to hiking in the sand around the dunes definitely made for an interesting experience. Of course, the views of Lake Michigan once we reached the shoreline was definitely my favorite part! I loved both hikes that we did, but this one was definitely my favorite. Unfortunately, the weather was not on our side during this trip as you can start to tell by the grey skies in some of these pictures and we were hit with a thunderstorm right after finishing this hike. There are a bunch of other hikes that I would love to come back and do one day, but if you can only do one hike in the park, I recommend it to be the Cowle's Bog Trail.
Quick Trail Facts:
Distance: 4.7 miles
Elevation Gain: 202 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Trail Type: Loop
Dog-Friendly: On leash
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Parking: 1450 North Mineral Springs Road, Dune Acres, IN 46304 (North) or 1184 North Mineral Springs Road, Dune Acres, IN 46304 (South)
Approx Time: 3.5 hours
Additional: This hike features a climb up dunes!
Swimming at Indiana Dunes National Park:
As mentioned above, there are a few spots within the park that are accessible for swimming.
West Beach
Restrooms / Showers
Lifeguards
Wheelchair accessible walkways (beach itself is not)
Portage Lakefront & Riverwalk Beach
Restrooms
Wheelchair accessible paved trails
Porter Beach
Restrooms
Kemil Beach
Restrooms
Dunbar Beach
Restrooms
Lake View Beach
Restrooms
Central Avenue Beach
Restrooms
Mount Baldy Beach
Restrooms
What to Bring:
It was summer when I visited this park, and the packing list will vary depending on what season you'll be visiting, however, this is what I recommend bringing for a summer visit to Indiana Dunes
Plenty of water
Trail Shoes, Sturdy Sneakers, Hiking Sandals (these were my preference)
Sunscreen
Trail Map (either paper or downloaded on your phone)
bathing suit /towel if you want to swim
Bugspray
Final Thoughts and Highlights:
Even with our day being cut short, we still got to enjoy a lot of the beauty this park had to offer, and loved exploring the dunes. It was such a neat experience to explore a beachlike setting that was connected to a Great Lake instead of the ocean. I kept forgetting we weren't at an actual beach! The water was surprisingly blue and something about being surrounded by all of the dunes just made the experience so much more serene. This is definitely a very interesting park to explore! If you’re looking for a unique getaway that blends beachy vibes with woodsy hiking, this park should be on your list! I don't necessarily know if there's a best time to visit this park, I truly think it depends on what your preference is. Visiting in winter will have fewer crowds, and may offer a unique winter wonderland experience on the dunes, however, it will be cold and some trails may be closed off due to snowy conditions. Visiting in Spring will still have less crowds and you may have the opportunity to see some wildflowers blooming, however the temperature will be milder and most likely too cold for swimming. Summer offers the warmth and the opportunity for swimming, however, you risk more of a chance of storms (like we had), more crowds and for us it was pretty humid and buggy. Lastly, visiting in the fall will probably offer less crowds, milder temperatures, the opportunity to see fall foliage, but some trails may have limited accessibility due to snowfall.
That pretty much sums up our day at Indiana Dunes, and between the peaceful trails to the unexpected history lessons, Indiana Dunes pleasantly surprised us. Thanks for reading, and remember, there's always more to be explored!
-nicole elizabeth
Comentarios