Indiana Dunes National Park runs along the southern tip of Lake Michigan in northwest Indiana. It has beaches, tall dunes, wetlands and quiet woodland trails, and you can reach it by commuter train from Chicago. Many first-time visitors don't realise there is also a state park in the middle of it, run by a different government with its own gate and fee. For a quick overview of the park, see our Indiana Dunes National Park destination page.
National park or state park?
These are two separate parks that sit side by side on the same shoreline.
- Indiana Dunes National Park is run by the US National Park Service (NPS).
- Indiana Dunes State Park is owned by the State of Indiana and run by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It is surrounded by national park land.
The NPS states plainly that none of the passes and fees work between the two parks. If you plan to visit both, budget for both.
Entrance fees
The national park charges an entrance fee when you stop to walk a trail, use a beach, eat at a picnic shelter or use other park facilities. Driving, cycling or boating through the park is free, and so is entry to the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center and the Paul H. Douglas Center. Current NPS rates:
- Private vehicle: $25, valid for 7 days
- Motorcycle: $20, valid for 7 days
- Per person (16 and over, arriving on foot, by bicycle or by boat): $15, valid for 7 days
- Indiana Dunes annual pass: $45, valid only at this park
Children under 16 arriving on foot or by bicycle don't need a pass. America the Beautiful passes are accepted. You can buy passes online at Recreation.gov, at the Visitor Center (cash or card), or by card at the Paul H. Douglas Center and the West Beach kiosk, which is seasonal.
The state park charges its own daily gate fee. The Indiana DNR lists $7 for non-commercial vehicles with Indiana plates and $20 for vehicles with out-of-state plates.
Start at the visitor centre in Porter
The Indiana Dunes Visitor Center is at 1215 State Road 49 in Porter, reached from exit 26 on Interstate 94 or exit 31 on the Indiana Toll Road. The NPS lists it as open 9 am to 4 pm, seven days a week. You can buy an entrance pass there, pick up maps, watch the park film and ask rangers about trail and beach conditions.
Key trails
3 Dune Challenge (state park)
This is the park's best-known hike, but note that it is in Indiana Dunes State Park, not the national park, so the state gate fee applies. The DNR describes it as a 1.5-mile self-guided trail over the three tallest dunes in the park, with 552 vertical feet of climbing in loose sand. It starts at the state park nature center, which the DNR lists as open daily from 9 am to 4 pm Central Time.
Cowles Bog Trail
Cowles Bog is a 4.7-mile lollipop loop through wetlands and wooded dunes, ending with a steep final dune and a quiet stretch of Lake Michigan beach. The NPS rates it moderate to rugged, with steep climbs in loose sand, and suggests allowing about four hours. A cut-off trail shortens the hike by a little under a mile and skips the steepest climbs, though you also miss the lake views.
West Beach trails
West Beach has three linked loops: the Dune Succession Trail (0.9 miles), the West Beach Trail (1.2 miles) and the Long Lake Loop (2.2 miles). You can combine them into a 3.4-mile hike. The Dune Succession Trail climbs more than 270 stairs to a lookout over Lake Michigan.
Mount Baldy: know the rules
Mount Baldy's access rules confuse many visitors. The summit is closed to independent hiking. The NPS says the Mount Baldy Summit Trail requires a ranger escort and is only open on ranger-led tours. These run on summer weekends and at some other times of year; check the park calendar or ask at the Visitor Center.
What you can do on your own is take the Mount Baldy Beach Access Trail, a 0.35-mile route from the parking lot down to the shore. It is steep, with loose sand on the approach. The beach trail and parking lot are open from 6 am to 11 pm, and an entrance pass is required.
Beaches and swimming season
The national park's beaches include West Beach, Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk, Porter Beach, Kemil Beach, Dunbar Beach, Lake View Beach, Central Avenue Beach and Mount Baldy Beach. Most are open from 6 am to 11 pm. West Beach and Porter Beach close at 9 pm.
West Beach is the only national park beach with lifeguards. The NPS says they are on duty from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend to the Monday of Labor Day weekend, from 10 am to 6 pm. The West Beach bathhouse, with showers and lockers, is seasonal too. In recent summers the NPS has warned that lifeguard staffing can be limited, so don't assume a guard will be on duty.
Lake Michigan deserves respect. The NPS says rip currents are the most serious drowning threat in the lake. They often form on wavy days with north winds, near sandbar breaks and structures such as seawalls. Stay out of the water when waves are high or warnings are posted, and keep young children within arm's reach. For the best months to plan around, see when to visit the Great Lakes.
Getting there by train from Chicago
The South Shore Line commuter railroad from Chicago stops at four stations within the park: Miller, Ogden Dunes, Dune Park and Beverly Shores. The NPS gives these walking routes:
- Dune Park to Indiana Dunes State Park: about 1 mile north on the Dunes Kankakee Trail
- Dune Park to the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center: about 1.33 miles south on the same trail
- Beverly Shores to Lake View Beach: about 1 mile north on Broadway Avenue
- Ogden Dunes to the Tolleston Dunes Trail: about half a mile west on US Highway 12
The NPS notes that some weekend trains carry bikes. Check current South Shore Line timetables and bike rules before you go, because these change.
Visiting in winter
The park stays open year-round, and the West Beach parking lot restrooms stay open all year. In November, expect seasonal services to be winding down. Dunewood Campground runs only from April 1 to November 1, and the West Beach bathhouse and lifeguards are summer-only.
When there's snow, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are allowed. You need to bring your own equipment, and the NPS suggests the Glenwood Dunes and Tolleston Dunes trails. The Paul H. Douglas Center offers free snowshoe loans for its own trail when weather allows. Trails are not groomed, so call the Visitor Center for current conditions. In the state park, the DNR keeps cross-country ski trails, but it doesn't rent skis.
The most important winter rule is about shelf ice, the ridges of frozen spray and slush that build up along the shore. It can look solid when it isn't. The NPS is clear: do not walk on it. Enjoy the view from the beach.
If you like dune country, Sleeping Bear Dunes on Michigan's northwest coast makes a good comparison trip.
Potawatomi history
Archaeological evidence at the dunes shows human activity going back about 10,500 years. The NPS says that by the mid-1700s, the Potawatomi were the dominant nation along the southern shores of Lake Michigan. Through treaties in the early 1800s, and final land cessions after the Black Hawk War of 1832, they lost most of this land. The NPS says the United States later removed many Potawatomi to reservations in Kansas and Oklahoma, despite continued resistance, and that some Potawatomi remain in the southern Lake Michigan region today.
The Pokagon Band of Potawatomi describes its homelands as northern Indiana and southwest Michigan. It identifies the 1833 Treaty of Chicago as setting the conditions for Potawatomi removal from the Great Lakes area, and says a group led by Leopold Pokagon stayed. Congress reaffirmed the Band's federal recognition in 1994.
