What a great hike! So calm and peaceful. And the elevated walkways by the canopies are awesome…read more Try and come here if you can. So close to New Buffalo!

What a beautiful spot! The trails aren't very long but provide a great view of the river and the…read moremarshland. One takes you down the hill from the parking lot out onto a boardwalk through the marsh area, which is full of plants, flowers, and animals in the summer, and out onto an overlook to the river. Heading up takes you to a 60 foot high marsh overlook that sways just a little bit and gives you a great view of the area. Fishing is permitted from the lower deck. The park is free to enter. A very enjoyable walk.

Amazing park just outside of New Buffalo. Beautiful, clean, fun. Tons of playground equipment and…read moreeven trails in the woods to explore. Lots of parking. Basketball courts. Bocce ball courts. Public bathrooms and drinking fountains too. Splash zone: The last time we visited, it wasn't quite warm enough to play in water, but WOW is that an awesome feature worth mentioning in its own paragraph. If we lived in the area, you'd better believe that we'd hit this park up several times a week in the summer to cool off. Bravo, City of New Buffalo. Bravo. This is the small town park that lots of big town parks aspire to be.

This is amazing for toddlers and children. Amazing age appropriate playgrounds with safe rubber…read moreflooring directly next to cute splash pad/sprayground. Plenty of picnic tables with pavilion. Such an amazing find for the family.

Located along the shores of Lake Michigan,this State Park has over 1500 acres of pristine beaches…read moreand sand dunes making it one of Michigans most popular State Parks. There is an admission free to enter. Plenty of parking available. We went in the Fall midweek so it was not crowded at all.

Beautiful beach and park!…read more We came for the day to play on the beach and see the sand dunes. You have to pay for the use. There is a large parking area by the beach. As soon as we pulled in we noticed the beach on one side of the parking lot and the sand dunes on the other. We decided to climb the dunes first. There is one big hill that everyone was going up. It is challenging but fun. Great views from the top. And super easy to come down. Then we went to the beach. Sand was really nice and clean. A storm started to roll in so we had to leave the beach a little early. They do a great job of communicating and changing the flags when the beach conditions change. There are bathrooms and some food vendors. Only wish is they had actual showers to clean off all the sand. They have the outside ones but they weren't very efficient.

We loved this beach! It's large enough that it feels like you're at the ocean, but small enough…read morethat it's not too busy. I was worried it would feel too small since online it said it was about 800 feet, but I couldn't see the end of it from where I was standing. They had a plastic walkway from the parking lot to about halfway down the sand to the waterfront where there were a few benches. It was very easily accessible for my mom who is disabled. We were there a few days before Memorial Day weekend and it was not busy at all, however it was only about 40 degrees outside. I can imagine this place is absolutely packed when it's nice out. Parking is $20 for the day or $7.50 for 3 hours to park in the attached lot. However there's plenty of free parking in town which is probably just a 5 minute walk away.

The lake (Michigan) is so vast like the ocean. It amazes me how it looks like the sea. It's like a…read morebeach with lots of sand and don't forget to wear actual protective shoes and that's a Lyft loss because there are rocks coming out of the sand everywhere so be careful. If you have older persons with wheelchairs and walkers, this is not an easy place to go to, but they could stay near the parking lot and look at the ocean, however. So nice. A lightHouse sits here and it's very romantic esp w the sun going down or up. Lots of places to walk and sit.

Wonderful trails. We took the boardwalk which is uncovered and can be super sunny. The walk is easy…read moreand ends at a beautiful pond. There is a tiny bench, but you probably wouldn't sit there for awhile. Back by the entrance, there is a welcome center that has a picnic table in the back if you want to bring some snacks. No mushroom hunting. Parking - there is lots of parking! Bathrooms- there are bathrooms and they are nice.

This is definitely a hidden gem in St. Joseph County! Not far from downtown New Carlisle is this…read moregreat nature preserve. Your GPS may not correctly tell you where to turn, but there is a clear sign for the road to access the preserve. Near the small parking lot is a nature center building with restrooms, but it looked to be closed while I visited. Spicer Lake Nature Preserve has a variety of walking trails, including a nice boardwalk through the wetlands. Our group had fun spotting the birds, frogs and other creatures that call this place home. Note that you cannot access Spicer Lake, but you can view it from the boardwalk.

I really like this Beach. I visited on a random Friday and there was plenty of space to park. I…read moreappreciate it the cleanliness of the beach, love that there was a ramp going from the walkway to the sand but wish that they had the accessible aisles leading onto the sand like I've seen at other beaches. For a Midwest Beach, the water was very clean. Of course one season is over so there weren't any lifeguards and there was signage explaining that you are swimming at your own risk. I like that there are two restaurants very close by and although I hate porta potties I appreciate that they are an option when the bathroom closes. I'd definitely visit again!

I was here for the lighthouse and the beach, which turned out to be pretty darned awesome. Even on…read morea cool autumn morning, it was a great visit. They were not yet enforcing the parking which is always a bonus. There were a few other people - not many - and the lack of crowds was great too. [Review 20618 overall - 149 in Indiana - 1599 of 2023.]

Quick detour into this beautiful welcome center, exit right immediately after the lighthouse on 94…read moreEast. The gardens are stunning, with cosmos, zinnias and poppies, and several butterflies and bees fluttering over them ( took a ton of pics there). Friendly and knowledgeable employees: thanks so much to Barbara and Allison. A ton of info, divided into regions and sub specialized to include niche areas like quilting, antiques, etc. They even have local artists paintings on display: fantastic idea. The bathrooms are airy and clean, and the ladies room has fresh cut flowers from the garden in front. There's also a playground for the kiddos under the shade of several mature trees that I didn't photograph. Looking forward to reading the ton of brochures we took and returning for an organized trip.

Stopped here to get some maps and just a little stretch break on a long road trip. This was a nice…read morerest stop. Likely because it's fairly close to a border, there were lots of amenities, including a dog park, kids park, lots of picnic tables, and visitor center. Found lots of information to plan for a future trip. Facilities were very clean and staff were helpful.

If you're looking for a peaceful getaway, Grand Mere State Park is a hidden gem that delivers on…read moreall fronts. The park offers several trails that take you through dense forests and towering sand dunes which lead to some stunning overlooks and beaches of Lake Michigan. It's a bit of a trek to get to the water, but once you do, the lakefront is beautiful and less commercialized than other spots. Definitely recommend Grand Mere State Parkin for anyone in the area looking for a peaceful outdoor escape.

Path to Lake Michigan was flooded, water over your ankles. No easy path to Lake Michigan. A…read morehiker would love the up/down sand dunes.

Driving between Cleveland and Chicago, we like to make time for a stop at Indiana Dunes State Park…read more This time it was a blustery chilly day (Nov 2025), so it wasn't going to be a swimming or hiking day. But we didn't mind the $12 vehicle fee just for the view. South of the park on SR-49, you'll see a Visitors Center, and if we were staying longer, it's a nice stop for local park info, campground reservations, souvenirs, and refreshments. The drive into the state park to Porter Beach takes you through thick woods, and we saw a buck crossing the road, which was a real treat and a reminder that these parks are wild enough. At the end of SR-49, there's an ornate pavilion, and it was closed due to the upcoming holiday, even the cafe and store were closed. The restrooms outside on the boardwalk were open. And we brought our lunch in from Culver's down by I-80. There were only a couple other cars during the time we were there. We pulled up and braved the blowing sand to get a look at the thrashing waters of Lake Michigan. With gusts up to 40mph from an approaching storm, the eaves were spectacular! But it was difficult to stay upright in that wind, not to mention the light sand-blasting we were getting. And we were on the road heading for a holiday visit, so we didnt stay long, only an hour or so. It's a beautiful park, even in the winter. We want to sled down the 170ft dune-canyon known as Devil's Slide!

I'm surprised that seemingly so few people know about the Indiana Dunes State/National Parks! This…read moreis a beautifully unique park, and a must visit for anyone who loves hiking and is looking for a fun challenge. We visited for my husband's birthday, and it was a little tricky to determine which trails were located in the State Park and which trails were located in the National Park. We actually ended up paying for a National Park pass first, but then realized the trail we wanted to hike was in the State Park and so we ended up having to pay for access to that as well. It doesn't make much sense to me that there's not one main visitors center with a flat rate for both parks, but oh well. Let this be a reminder to your research if you're planning a visit soon! We hiked the Three Dune Challenge around 4 PM on a Friday, and there was no one else on the trail! We were shocked to have the whole hike to ourselves. It is indeed a challenge, but the view was well worth it. After making our way down hill and through the campsite (where they could use a bit more signage, especially since that's how they recommend exiting), we drove to the beach and enjoyed the sunset. This park is definitely worth a stop!

Beautiful, peaceful, spacious and shady with plenty of places to sit. We love this dog park for…read moreactive Dobermans. No need to bring water or bowls. There is a water fountain for people and dogs. This place is perfect.

It's free and it's there. I think it be better to charge a fee and check membership dogs for…read morevaccination status. With that said, it is nice there is a fenced in area in the vicinity. I'd would use with caution however due to above.