Quality/Quantity - This is what Indiana is known for! And these are the 3 largest dunes in the state park! Not an easy hike for me as I was not prepared for it. If only my daughter gave me a heads up. I'm now prepared for our next hike, future Yelp coming. This event was supposed to be for a different day, a weekday. Time permitting, I recommend a weekday to visit. It was an hour wait just to get into the park on a beautiful Saturday. (We were warned by the team at the visitor center, but decided to do it anyway). Few dining choices, but WOW, look at all the beach BBQ set ups. I almost asked to join a few. Atmosphere - What a beautiful day today. The hike got better and easier when we got to the trees with shade. Hiking on the beach was just too hot for me. Well again, I did not dress for this event... 15,000 acres, 50 miles of trails, 300 mile lake. Please see the pictures. Open 7 days a week, Yelp hours differ, check with the park. Swimming hours from 11am to 6pm, well that is when there are lifeguards. Events and activities, see pictures or websites. Public showers and bathrooms - Keep in mind there are thousands of people using these, so the conditions reflect that. Service - Small helpful visitor center, see pictures. Also with a Yelp check-in, you get 5 free postcards. They convinced us to go to the state park rather than the national park. Good thing because I left my annual national park pass in my truck in CA. Price - $12 a car, discount for locals ($7). If you walk from the visitor center, $2 a person, but that is a 2+ mile walk each way, in the hot sun! Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1986. Next time we will come much earlier and appreciate more of your park. read more

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The Dunes, as we affectionately call them, really proved themselves today. If you haven't visited in the winter, you must. Lake Michigan and the sand dunes are majestic in the wintertime. The bonus of no gate admission was a welcome treat. Although the building near the beach is under construction, the public restroom was available. The new landscaping and building improvements are incredible. It's hard to believe that it's the same place! read more

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SINCE THERE IS A SEPARATE STATE PARK YELP PAGE, THIS REVIEW WILL BE ABOUT THE NATIONAL LAKESHORE. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is several miles long in between Portage and Michigan City in Northern Indiana, along Lake Michigan. It is about 20+ miles long and is broken up by occasional neighborhoods, the state park and the Port of Indiana. There are typically several activities scheduled each day with a park ranger during the peak season. There is an active Chellberg Farm, Dunes Learning Center, Bailey Homestead and Cemetery, horse trails, tons of hiking trails, biking trails, water sports like boating, kayaking and canoeing, and of course the sand dunes to hike and play on. The National Lakeshore is in the top 10 most diverse areas in the US. It's up there with Yellowstone! It has the sand dunes, water and beach area, prairie, marshland and woods. There are a lot of bird species around the area because of this. They are currently in the process of trying to turn the National Lakeshore into a National Park, so stay posted on that! read more

Indiana Dunes - Colors of Fall Hike at the Chellberg Farm - Tours Near Me - Porter, Indiana

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I didn't spend a lot of time here but I got a great hike in and took a bunch of fantastic photos. Lots of nature to see and good faraway views of Chicago from across the water, too. I love spots like this. I'm glad it has been preserved from industrialization, especially as you can also see some of the smokestacks of Gary off in the distance, too. I could probably give Indiana Dunes five stars, but won't out of loyalty to my home state Sleeping Bear Dunes even though, shamefully, I've never been there. Hey, this is Yelp and nobody said I have to be objective or fair. read more

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Indiana Dunes is a beautiful and fun place. There's hiking and biking trails, and lots of the. (through the dunes, through forest, through marsh, and more). There's beaches that are crowded and popular and beaches that are peaceful and secluded. There's not a lot of food options, so a lot of folks I saw brought coolers for picnics. You can also head in the water to swim, you can bring a boat, or in the winter you can bring your skis. When I came here (July) there were quite a few bugs and mosquitos, so just beware and make sure you have lots of bug spray, or otherwise you can wave your arms around like a maniac during hikes, like me. :) The Indiana Dunes itself is divided into the State Park and National Park. The areas are pretty clearly delineated on the maps they provide. The State Park is $12 per car to enter if you're from out of state, and $7 if you're from Indiana. If you're looking to go to the beach, the one at the State Park is probably the most popular and has a shower and changing facility, with lifeguards. Try not to look to the East or West -- there's some pretty unsightly steel mills and power plants that can ruin the view. Some of the more secluded beaches are in the National Park, free to access, but without facilities. The water and sky are absolutely gorgeous -- both a beautiful shade of blue on a nice day. When I was there, you could barely tell where the water met the sky, which was just amazing to look at. If you are looking for relaxation and peacefulness, you will find it here. I opted not to do the 3 dunes challenge (1.5 miles across 3 Dunes) simply because it was so hot and muggy outside. But that's on my list for next time! I feel like this place is a gem of the Midwest, worth a visit -- perhaps a day trip (an hour drive) from Chicago. read more

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Indiana's First National Park- such a treasure of birds, dunes, marshes and forest. We spent a day and half here exploring every trails we could find. The highlights for us were West Beach and Mt. Baldy. There was a huge Bird Festival going on when we visited. The Visitor Center was busy. We get to see an owl and some cool paintings. read more

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I expected more. I've heard for years how fun, pretty and enjoyable the dunes are. We decided to finally take a trip with our dog to see them. There are only 3 pet friendly areas. I really expected something like shops a boardwalk and much more parking. Parking was a nightmare. We drove around one lot for over 30 min trying to catch an open spot. We tried the other areas with no luck. We finally caught a break and got a spot in the biggest parking lot. The dog was afraid of the waves at first then he seemed to enjoy walking in the water. We walked up and down the beach a few times and we were done. read more

Indiana Dunes - Tours Near Me - Porter, Indiana

What's not to love about the new tourism and visitor's center at Indiana Dunes State Park? It offers useful tourism information in a clean relaxed environment, with helpful staff, and a focus on education for kids and adults. Stopped here to get maps of Indiana Dunes State Park, and got a whole lot more, when we asked about the Heron Rookery. The Rookery has been abandoned by the Heron, for another spot- and the helpful staff went above and beyond letting us know how to get there, and where other "birder" attractions were. Pamphlets and maps aplenty, here. Bathrooms are clean. And there's a nice education center with a few activities for the kids. There are a few clean handicap-accessible picnic tables outside, and I can't see a Visitor Center getting any better than this. read more

Indiana has a very underrated state park system and Dunes is one of the better parks. Lots of wildlife and sand dunes over 100'. Nice swimming beach. Good camping. Close enough to Chicago, you can mix in a trip there as well. read more

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Greay visitors center. Nice junior ranger program for the kids and nice rangers. It is unique in that the national park saved the dunes from becoming a huge industrial park Unique and nice beach. Thank you National Park Service. read more

(Indiana National Dunes Lakeshore) It literally took over 2 hours to drive a mile when entering the park on the July 4th holiday weekend. We expected some congestion but OMG we ended up tailgating INSIDE our car to pass the time. Someone needs to rethink that whole layout. Was a nice beach... once we got there. Would rate it above average if not for the crazy traffic jam when entering the park. read more

A conversation with Elizabeth today in the visitor center completely MADE our road trip. She encouraged our attempt at the Thee Dune Challenge-I don't know what's wrong with me but when someone says something is 'challenging' I think they're referring to somebody else like...oh well they must mean it's hard for certain people-not me, of course. HA! It WAS challenging but I learned a lot and we were so excited to return and score our stickers! The center is tidy and interesting, bathrooms are clean and neat. Win win win. Thanks Elizabeth! read more

Rating is for the beach only. Bit of a drive from the west suburbs, just over an hour, so not too bad. Well worth the drive and the 12$ admission. Cleaner and less crowded than the beaches in Chicago. Very family orientated. Bring the cooler and beach toys (no flotation devices) and make a day of it. Lifeguards on duty is a plus. read more

Nice little place to get info on the Indiana Dunes. Friendly and helpful staff. Clean restroom facilities.

At the visitor center, the friendly staff was knowledgeable and very helpful to me. They also gave me wonderfully produced travel guides. I have lived in Valparaiso for my my entire life but never knew about certain things in the county. I am thrilled that the staff here recommend Taltree Arboretum and Gardens. read more