indiana dunes national lakeshore

Gogograny

I've always visited in the summer time and although that is great this time I got to cross country ski the trails. How beautiful and so well marked great that you can u enjoy the park year round

Cinnilouwho

And on a clear day, you can see the Chicago skyline!!! Lots of history in this area, make sure you stop by the welcome center and find out more info!!

adnerblou

Like being at the ocean in the middle of the USA. Very nice waves and a clean beach. The area does not have many restaurants so bring your own food!

224larryp

I was in Valpo on business. It was December but I had to go and was not disappointed. Great looking beach and you could see Chicago in the distance. Would like to go back in thr summer

erikj484

I was home from Japan for three weeks this summer and my friend and I drove from Pennsylvania to Chicago and we saw some photos of the Lakeshore and thought it would be a great stop off of Interstate 80 between South Bend and Chicago. We certainly made the right choice stopping here. Fantastic views and dunes, however the beach certainly leaves something to be desired, coming from growing up on the shores of North Carolina and Delaware. Great hiking opportunities on the Dunes and certainly one of the best sunsets I have ever seen from atop some of the dunes over Lake Michigan. Highly recommended for anyone in the area.

636denices

A stop at the Visitor Center is a good way to begin your visit here at the Dunes. We watched a short film about the efforts taken to preserve the dunes. One thing – there are two parks here – the Indiana Dunes State Park and the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The State Park charges a fee while the National Park/Lakeshore does not charge a fee. However, the highest dunes are located in the State Park. We only had an hour of daylight so we did not go into the State Park. We drove along the lakeshore where private houses are built on the dunes overlooking Lake Michigan. My favorite part of our visit was walking the beach near sunset. Chicago’s skyline was in the distance. There are some hiking trails but I am disappointed to see so much development within the boundaries of the National Lakeshore.

KupHan

We enjoyed several days around the Lake shore - there's so much to see and do! When we went to the beach building though, all the toilets were broken in the men's and women's - pretty nasty and had been there awhile. Found additional bathrooms upstairs that were working.

Jsleos

A friend and I came across a Gear Patrol article that listed the West Beach Trail as one of the best in the Midwest: totally agree. This is a much less populated area of the park and the diversity of nature to be seen on the trail (in it's ~3 mile span) is incredible. If you've grown up going to the dunes for its beach, but are ready to explore it's other areas, this is a great start.

mikesW5782KH

I think this could have been a nice visit, but a lot of areas were closed due to weather/beach conditions (seemed find to me and I was not planning on going in the water anyway). I wanted to go to Mt. Baldy, but that was closed. I did see some dunes which were nice. The only really bad thing was that just to the north, there is a huge ugly power plant, which kind of ruins the view. But people need power. Overall, I rank this place an "ehh" that is worth stopping if you are in the area, but don't go out of your way.

folkways

Returning to the Dunes for the first time since I was a boy, I thought I knew what to expect. My expectations were pretty accurate. There is a big lake (Lake Michigan), a lot of sand, a beach, and a boardwalk path up into the dunes. As a child I was disappointed. There was no action, no amusements, no souvenirs, no excited kids, and no snack shops. Several decades later I was greeted by a vast horizon of a beautiful lake and sand for toes to sink into. I was very happy for a quiet walk with my wife and my dog in a quiet, peaceful setting. It made us happy to find no action, no amusements, no souvenirs, no excited kids, and no snack shops. Funny how time does that.

LisaE217

We had a nice time . It was not very crowded and it was nice to walk in the sand. The beach was clean but did not have lifeguards at the time we visited. We may check out other dunes when we return. If you have bicycles they have lots of bike paths in the area.

123eddya

We had a fun time climbing the sand dunes, good workout. Walking along the beach was nice. Water is calm. Parking lot was full. We parked along the side of the road with the rest of the 10 cars parked there, bad idea. Total of 15 cars got a 80 dollar parking ticket. I said thanks to the fat cop who will probably get congratulated or promoted even though he probably can't even run a mile in under 10 min. Shame. We had fun though, we sure won't forget this experience.

crosscountrytraveler

State Park within in the National Park makes this a unique setting right off the bat. Sadly it rained day 2 of our 2 day stay so our exploring time was limited. Very nice campground with nice amenities. Yes, campgrounds can have amenities. There was a nice little store with extras you may have forgotten or just to have an ice cream treat! Fun layout for kids to ride bikes. I got my bike out too! There is a train that takes you into Chicago. I plan on coming back to make that trip.

todde496

Decided to check it out since we stayed about 2 miles away from the lake. Wanted the kids to see Lake Michigan. It was nice to see the lake and get sand between the toes. I was on crutches, so it was difficult, but made it work. Wish we had more time to spend there, but had to get to Pennsylvania for my grandma's funeral.

Sawbo101

I have spent a great deal of time at INDU. I have seen about all there is to see. There are several nice places to see. Central Beach is my personal favorite beach but it is also where the most car break ins happen. I wish they would have more Rangers to patrol the parking lots and beaches. The Ly-ko-ki-wee trail system is great on foot or on a horse.