This is my favorite beach to go to on Lake Michigan in Indiana. I find it to be an especially…read more*cozy* spot to go to if you want a beach date, as the beach is on the south edge of a small baylike projection of Lake Michigan into the surrounding land. So you can see land to the left and right while on the beach, and there are dunes on all of that land. There are also dunes to the rear when you are on the beach; it is a 40 foot decent from the parking area to the beach. All of these dunes make the area feel like it is surrounded like cliffs, giving this place a unique feel. There is also the riverwalk to go on that is alongside the Little Calumet River as it drains into Lake Michigan, a path through through the dunes going south from the visitor center, a small boardwalk jutting out into the lake that you can walk on, and a visitor's center with a concession stand, so it's still good to go to if you can't swim! Unfortunately, beach access has been off for most of 2019 due to a collapsed portion of the walkway down the dunes to the beach, but the rest of the park is open. HOPEFULLY they will have this repaired by next season. By the way, it is a little tricky to get to this beach. Make sure you get off on EXIT 19 when coming here from I-80! Head north on State Road 249 at this point. Travel about 5/6 of a mile north at this point, and get off on U.S. Steel Road which branches to the north, MAKING SURE TO STAY IN THE LEFT LANE so you can CROSS OVER U.S. 12 and make your way to the beach. Once you cross the overpass, it will at first look like you are entering an industrial area. The path to the beach winds northward through this area and will require crossing over the Little Calumet River on a small bridge.

I was here for the lighthouse and enjoyed much of the walk. I would have gone the whole way but the…read morewind was too strong for my comfort. And also, I hadn't purchased a park pass and didn't want to stay long enough that they might notice. The park and the riverwalk are lovely. The view of the lake is amazing. Well worth the visit. If you're planning on buying an annual park pass, it's even better. [Review 20619 overall - 150 in Indiana - 1600 of 2023.]

Indiana Dunes State Park was the first stop on my road trip across America, and unfortunately, it…read morewas a pretty disappointing experience. I came here really excited and ready to hike, but visiting in the summertime meant dealing with an unbelievable number of mosquitoes. I expected bugs, but I have never seen anything like this! My friend and I were completely covered in mosquito repellent, and it honestly felt like we were walking through a fog of mosquitoes. We were literally trying to run down the trail to get away from them. There was hardly anyone else around, which we quickly understood because the conditions were so difficult. We kept going for about 20 minutes hoping the bugs would eventually clear up, but they never did, so unfortunately, we had to turn around. The beach itself was nice, but I didn't come here for the beach I came to hike and experience the trails. I was really disappointed that we couldn't actually enjoy the hike because of the mosquitoes. Maybe it would be a completely different experience at another time of year, but based on our summer visit, I can only give it

State park is $7 per car for Indiana residents and $20 for all other. Great nature views. Dunes…read moreare fun to climb and run/walk down. Beaches are beautiful and water is cold early in the season. The day I went there was a high wave advisory so they didn't let people in the water. Best views of the lake are from observation tower located west of the pavilion. Waves are loud if the wind is blowing from the north. You can see the City of Chicago skyline from anywhere on the beach when it is clear weather conditions. No pets on the beach and it does tend to get crowded when the weather is nice. Walking/hiking paths are available and some go the the highest points in the park where the views are breathtaking.

Headed out her for some early morning time on the beach. I was here when was was little, and this…read morewas my wives first time. We both loved it. Great calm eater on the day we were there. $25 per car. Tins of parking since we got there early. Amazing to see dunes and how big some are. Beach was nice. Fine sand. Paved walkway to the beach pavilion with stairs down to beach. Great skipping stones. Highly recommend. We only had a couple of hours and got to see a bunch but still plenty of stuff we had yet to do. Will be back.

The beach was littered with trash when we first got on it, trash cans closest to the beach were…read moreoverflowing, there were gnats and flies eating us alive. The people there were uh weird.

Coffee Creek is a terrific place for light hiking in Chesterton. The trails are maintained making…read moreit accessible for everyone.

A very cute nature preserve. It's not very big. I walked the whole thing in under 2 hours, and…read morethat was stopping and taking pictures and enjoying my surroundings. Multiple little bridges, a pond, and even an amphitheater. There are multiple benches throughout the park and there is a pavilion. Super cute. Beautiful area. I recommend checking it out.

Beautiful park for sports, take a nature hike, great place for kids…read more Peaceful. Love to visit around September/October when the leaves change color. Have a open mind and enjoy yourself!

Imagination Glen has some of the best hiking and biking trails in NW Indiana. A great deal of care…read morehas gone into their planning and execution. There are over 10 miles of outback-style single-track bike trails, which range from very easy to quite challenging. The well-paved Prairie Duneland Trail and Iron Horse Trail run along the edge of the park. These easy asphalt trails can be used to hike or bike all the way into Chesterton (to the east) or Hobart (to the west). The backwoods hiking trails are perfect for those who enjoy getting close to nature. I have watched beavers and muskrats working the banks of Salt Creek here. If you enjoy hiking or biking, you will find a wide range of difficulties here, one of which will surely capture your interest.

The beach area has been slightly updated! They cleaned up the front so it's a flatter walk onto the…read moresand and out to the water now- used to be a slight incline to get past. More signage and a lifebuoy have been installed as well at the front of the beach

Nice beach that's located along gigantic Lake Michigan and that's technically part of the Indiana…read moreDunes National Lakeshore―but without the admission price. We learned about this beach thru one of the docents at the Indiana Dunes Visitors Center, when we explained to her that we just wanted to check out the lake for a few minutes. There are two free parking lots along Wabash Ave, which I imagine fill-up fast on the weekends, but we got lucky and scored a spot. The beach area appeared to be clean and a popular spot, despite it being a random weekday. However, it was the summer so there's that to factor in. Most of the shoreline seems accessible, but there are some sections that are labeled "private" but that's complete horseshit in my opinion. We were only able to visit for a short while, as a random summer storm was brewing in the distance and *somebody* evidently thinks lightning and thunder are a bad thing to be in near the water.

I'm now 22 and I went there when I was 12 a staff there put me on the roof and shot me with a nerf…read moregun and I fell off and died

This is so sad to see such a fun place that used to have so many people visit turned into a…read moredeserted place. I realize they don't want you to climb Mount Baldy, sad, but it's still fun to walk around and climb the dunes that you're allowed. Yup sand is definitely unstable. "And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."Mat7:26-27

Gorgeous views! Free parking, short hike around the dune to the beach (you currently can't climb…read morethe dune itself). Bathroom facilities and a foot wash to rinse off the sand before you leave. Bring whatever else you may need because there isn't much there. Fun short walk to the beach.

We recently roadtripped our way to Indiana from Buffalo NY to spend a couple days at Indiana Dunes…read moreNational Park. We came across Westchester Migratory Bird Sanctuary in a brochure we picked up at our hotel, and noticed it was very nearby where we stayed. So one afternoon we stopped by to enjoy some birds. The sanctuary has a couple of bird viewing gazebos that overlook a marsh area. We observed the marsh for a while, and saw a few woodpeckers, some small yellow birds, and a variety of huge dragonflies. Beyond the viewing area, a trail wraps into a residential area and appears to keep going some distance. We did not walk far down the trail, as it was a very hot day when we visited, but it seemed like it would make for a lovely stroll to enjoy more birds along the way. We didn't see an abundance of birds on our visit, but it may just not be the season just yet for the bulk of the migratory birds to be passing through the sanctuary. It was still a nice stop to see a natural bird habitat in the area while we were visiting.

We only had a morning to explore the park and enjoyed our short journey. There was construction…read moregoing on so we had to detour to make it to the beach but it was worth the drive. There was a large parking lot, showers to remove sand and restrooms near the beach. It was beautiful scenery and my kids loved looking for "beach treasures". Perfect for a beautiful September day.

A family beach day at Indiana Dunes on August 9, 2024, became a humiliating and traumatic…read moreexperience. My husband and I brought our four children, ages 9, 7, 3, and 1, along with my sister and her 9-year-old son. After lifeguards warned us to stay knee-deep because of strong waves, my nephew went slightly too far into the water twice. We apologized and understood the safety concern. Instead of simply asking us to leave, security escalated the situation: my husband was detained on the beach, and I was repeatedly prevented from returning to our children, who were only 30-40 feet away. I watched my 9-year-old daughter cry while a stranger comforted her and tried to help her wrangle my 3 and 1-year olds. When another National Park law-enforcement officer arrived, I asked whether I could return to my children. He immediately said yes, making the first officer's refusal even harder to understand. The situation was humiliating and frightening for our family, especially over a minor safety violation involving a 9-year-old child (and again - this child was not even ours, it was my sister's son). We later requested records and video through FOIA so the incident could be independently reviewed. Despite our efforts, they never provided us with the footage. We fully support enforcing water-safety rules. If we needed to leave, we would have left. But there was no reason a simple safety issue had to become detention, separation from our children, and public humiliation. Our family experienced none of the judgment, proportionality, or basic humanity that day. We will never return to Indiana Dunes. When we want a beach day now, we drive past Indiana and continue to Michigan.