Best Things To Do In Indiana Dunes National Park

Indiana Dunes National Park is one of the newest sites to be designated a US national park. It earned its designation in 2019, in large part due to being one of the most biodiverse areas in the country. Indiana Dunes National Park’s main feature is of course its numerous sand dunes, but also is home to beautiful marshlands, swamps, beaches, and lush forests. Bearing similarities to other parks such as Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Indiana Dunes weaves itself around many urban and commercial areas, making for a less remote, but unique national park experience. Keep reading to find out the best things to do in Indiana Dunes National Park!

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There is a lot more to do in Indiana Dunes National Park than I was expecting! Yes, it’s relatively small compared to the massive acreage of some more popular parks (aka Mount Rainier), but there are still ample things to do for both a day trip or multi-day visit. Especially if you visit during multiple different seasons.

Indiana Dunes National Park is located in northern Indiana, along the southern shores of beautiful Lake Michigan. In fact, the park covers 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and is a short drive to cross the state border into Michigan. Indiana Dunes is also a short 1-hour drive from the city of Chicago in Illinois. Click here for directions on Google Maps.

Most visitors to Indiana Dunes National Park will fly into Chicago O’Hare International Airport and drive to the park from there (1 hour and 5 minutes). Alternatively, we flew into St. Louis, Missouri and visited Gateway Arch National Park first. Then we rented a car through Expedia and drove up to Indiana Dunes. The drive between the two national parks was approximately 4 hours 40 minutes. After exploring Indiana Dunes we flew home from Chicago. This was a great way to visit both national parks in one trip without too much time wasted driving.

Fun fact: Indiana Dunes was our 63/63 national park! We visited all 59 parks in 2017 on an epic road trip but since then a few new national parks were added. Indiana Dunes will be our “last” national park until another one is designated!

You can visit the park year round, but in my opinion, spring and fall are the best times to visit Indiana Dunes National Park. Visiting in spring or fall means that you will avoid summer crowds, and temperatures will be much milder than the frigid winter in this part of the country. Keep in mind that holiday weekends, like Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day weekend will see larger crowds.

The spring months of April and May offer a vibrant green canopy in the forests and wetlands which we very much enjoyed. You can also find some wildflowers on some trails. The downside is that we did experience some annoying bugs at this time. The water was also very chilly for swimming haha.

If you visit in the fall, especially in October, you will experience beautiful golden hues on some of the forest trails, and there will be fewer bugs compared to spring or summer. Peak fall colors are usually around mid-October. 

Visiting during summer is also a fine choice. The summer months will definitely be busier, but we found the crowds at Indiana Dunes to be better than many other national parks. It had a more “locals” vibe to it compared to popular parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite.

There are loads of great places in stay near Indiana Sand Dunes National Park. We always opt to book a Vrbo for trips like this because we love the privacy and space that comes with staying at a Vrbo property. You always get the whole house to yourself, not a shared property or private room. These are my top Vrbo picks for the area, including options for any kind of traveler and group size:

• Affordable 1-bedroom Vrbo for up to 4 people
• Affordable 2-bedroom Vrbo for up to 6 people
• Quiet family Vrbo with 3 bedrooms & up to 8 guests
• Beachfront huge family Vrbo with 5 bedrooms & up to 24 guests
• Family Vrbo close to the beach with 2 bedrooms & up to 5 guests
• Farmhouse family Vrbo with 3 bedrooms & up to 6 guests
• “Family Retreat” Vrbo with 4 bedrooms & up to 11 guests
• Vrbo close to the beach with 4 bedrooms & up to 14 guests

Or you can use the search function below to find a Vrbo that is perfect for your vacation needs.

Like all national parks, there are some things you should know before visiting Indiana Dunes. Below are a few of the most important.

You will need an annual National Parks Pass (America The Beautiful Pass) or Indiana Dunes National Park pass to visit the park. Indiana Dunes State Park has an entrance pass which you will also need if you decide to visit the state park. Below are the pass options for both the national and state park. Keep in mind that this can change year-to-year, so be sure to look up the latest information here before visiting Indiana Dunes.

• Standard Vehicle Pass (7 days): $15 – $25
• Annual Indiana Dunes National Park Pass (1 year): $45
• America the Beautiful Pass (all National Parks): $80

Tip: Seniors, military, visitors with a permanent disability, and families with a 4th grader are eligible for a free or discounted America the Beautiful pass.

• Indiana Dunes State Park: $7 (Indiana plates) or $12 (non-Indiana plates). Find out more here.

There is one visitor center for Indiana Sand National Park, the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center. It is located at the western edge of the park in Porter, IN. Here you can ask the rangers any questions you have about the park, read educational material, pick up a souvenir from your visit to the park, or use the restrooms. Directions and more information can be found here.

Dunewood Campground is the one campground operated within Indiana Dunes National Park. It is open April through October and is a great place for RV owners or campers to base themselves during their stay in the park. See here for more information.

Indiana Dunes State Park Campground is the option inside the state park. Both campgrounds are nice, and you cannot go wrong either way. It may just come down to availability. Bookings can be made here.

Unsurprisingly, the dunes and beaches are the stars of the show in Indiana Dunes National Park. That being said, there are many other parts of the park that I didn’t realize existed before visiting. Below are some of my favorite activities worth checking out during your visit to Indiana Dunes National Park.

My favorite hike of the trip was the 4.7 mile Cowles Bog Trail. This is a varied loop trail that takes you through gorgeous forests, thriving marshes, swamps, and ultimately to a beach on the shoreline of Lake Michigan. We really enjoyed the chance to go for a quick swim to cool down before continuing on the next half of the hike. This beach also makes for a great picnic area.

There are signs at the beginning of the trail warning of ticks, so be prepared with appropriate clothing and do a thorough check at the end. We didn’t get any, but it’s worth keeping an eye out for. I would also be prepared with bug spray, especially during the spring months as mosquitoes and biting flies may be present.

Another of the best hiking trails in Indiana Sand Dunes National Park is the Paul H. Douglas (Miller Woods) Trail. At 3.5 miles, it’s relatively flat and easy to moderate in difficulty. This trial will take you through several habitats including the rare black oak savannas, wetlands, more dunes, and the endpoint before turning around is another beach at the southern shore of Lake Michigan.

This is quite a similar hike to Cowles Bog Trail, but I still recommend doing both if you have the time. They each have their own little features that distinguish them enough. On this trail, you may be lucky enough to catch the beautiful lupine flowers during the months of May through early July.

The Dune Succession Trail was one of our favorite trails in the park. This is a short, 1-mile loop trail in the West Beach area of the park. On this trail, you will hike amongst the dunes on a well-maintained boardwalk to the beautiful West Beach. West Beach is a stunning lake view beach with unfiltered views across Lake Michigan to the Chicago skyline. This is a great spot to enjoy a sunset! Although it is a well-maintained trail, there are stairs and sandy areas, so it is not wheelchair friendly.

I recommend starting this trail from the main parking area and doing the loop counterclockwise. In my opinion, this offers the best views. The nice thing about this area is that from the trailhead parking lot there are multiple loop hikes that you can do. If you finish the Dune Succession Loop and decide you want to do more hiking, you can continue to the Long Lake Trail or West Beach Trail and loop back to the parking lot.

The “3 Dune Challenge” is a popular family-friendly Indiana Dunes area hike. This one is actually inside Indiana Dunes State Park, not the national park, but it is one you’ll want to check out! This is a short, 1.5-mile trail that takes you to the top of the three tallest dunes in the state park. 

Do keep in mind that hiking on sand is more difficult than a regular trail, so although 1.5 miles isn’t a long way, make sure to carry water. You’ll wish you had it when climbing the 550 vertical feet uphill in the sand on a warm day! While in the area, you can also visit the nearby Porter Beach which is another fun activity for families.

Mount Baldy Dune is currently closed to the public (except on a special ranger-led hike), but the trailhead does lead you to a beautiful access point of Mount Baldy Beach (Central Beach). We did the short walk to the beach at sunrise and loved the golden light as it hit the dunes first thing in the morning. This is a beautiful beach for a morning walk, and when we did it there was nobody else around. 

The Century of Progress homes were built for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair as a demonstration of modern architecture and technology. At the time they were so modern, that even today, almost 100 years later, some of them still don’t seem outdated. They were moved to their current location by a developer after the fair, and stand of the most beautiful land in the park. While at the park it is worth doing a drive out to the area and getting a quick look at these fascinating homes. Nearby are the popular Dunbar Beach and Kemil Beach, so it’s a great opportunity to check these out while you’re here. Tours of the inside are only offered once a year in September, info can be found here.

Yes, you read that right. You can snowshoe on the dunes inside Indiana Dunes National Park! Cross-country skiing in the park is also a popular activity among locals. Winter may not be the most desirable time to visit for most, but if you’re big into skiing, this may just be the activity for you. The Indiana Dunes Visitor Center kindly offers free rentals of snowshoes on a first-come-first-served basis when the snow base is at least 2 inches.

There are over 37 miles of biking trails in the park, making it a great place for a ride. There are short trails of around 5 miles, all the way up to the 22-mile Prairie Duneland Bike Trail. There is also the opportunity to go horseback riding to explore the Glenwood Dunes area of the park from mid-March through mid-December. The park does not offer rides, so this is more for visitors who have their own horses.

The Portage Lakefront area is a popular spot for a myriad of activities including hiking, bird watching, and fishing. There is a 2-mile easy walk which is a nice one for families or those with mobility issues. There is also a fishing pier that offers anglers the chance to catch a variety of different fish species throughout the seasons including salmon, steelhead, perch, and more.

• Indiana Sand Dunes National Park’s history began when the Indiana Sand Dunes State Park was designated in 1926. Later in 1966 more land was protected and designated as the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. After several expansions over the decades, it came to become Indiana Sand Dunes National Park.
• There are 350 species of birds in the park. To celebrate this, there is an annual birding festival in the park every May with a bunch of fun activities.
• The park is home to 1,100 flowering plant and fern species.
• Mount Tom is the tallest sand dune in the area, topping out at 192 feet above Lake Michigan.
• Indiana Sand Dunes National Park is the fifth most biologically diverse national park, right behind Yosemite. This was a large driving factor for its national park designation in 2019.
• Surrounded by Indiana Sand Dunes National Park (15,00 acres) is the much smaller Indiana Dunes State Park (2,200 acres).
• There is a total of roughly 50 miles of trails in the national park.