Indiana Dunes National Park
Indian Dunes Visitor Center
Indiana Dunes National Park
Driving to Indiana Dunes National Park on June 2, 2022 going from the Chicago area, east into Indiana was not an interesting drive. Downtown Chicago was a nice skyline for sure and the best part of the drive. The Park was somewhat split up or at least if felt that way, but there were some cool trails and the beach and Lake Michigan was a fantastic sight.
The 1.5-mile Challenge Trail was the tallest one in the park and had a vertical elevation of 552 feet according to the brochures. So far sure that trail was on my list to hike. It was definitely up hill and lived up to its name: Challenge Trail. At the top I was amazed at the really great views of Lake Michigan and the park. From the top you have a good view of both Kemil Beach and Dunbar Beach. The other trail I walked was Mount Tom was roughly 192 feet of elevation and was much easier than the Challenge Trail, but also a fun hike.
The Visitor Center was nice and well organized. There was a nice gift shop and an exhibit room which had information on the animals in the park and some key historical facts about the formation of the park. Next to the exhibit room was a small movie theater. The movie was really good and lasted about 35-40 minutes. For a National Park movie that is long film and the film did a great job outlining the various features both present and historical. Indiana Dunes National Park also has some active scientist investigating the effects of global warming on various biodiverse aspects of the park.
Indiana Dunes National Park is a 15,000-acre park sitting on the southern shore of Lake Michigan. I did not see all the beaches, but the one I saw was well worth the trip. There are a total of 15 miles of beach in the park. There are 50 miles of trails (I hiked/walked about 3.7 miles), dunes, bogs and historic sites. This park was the 61st National Park and became so on February 15, 2019.
I spent a half day at the park and for me that was enough. If I were going to swim, then, a whole day would have been required. This was not one of my favorite parks. Even liked Joshua Tree better than Indiana Dunes. It did not really “feel” like a National Park at all and honestly did not feel like a state park even. More like a city park to walks some trails, take in the bogs and historic sites and swim a bit. I am happy to have gone and can appreciate the unique beauty and biodiversity of the park.
