Great place to visit if you need a little nature. Be sure to look up the hours before you go if…read moreyou want to get the full experience.

Deep River County Park is a really nice park to visit. We've been here numerous times. Sometimes…read morejust to walk the trails, other times to visit the museum and gift shop. During the summer the Deep River Grinders play vintage baseball on scheduled Sundays. They are so much fun to watch and interact with. It's a great time for all, young and old alike! We highly recommend you come and watch a great game of baseball!

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.]

A great park with amenities for a picnic, a hike, a beach adventure and for just listening to the…read morewaves. We found parking quickly and we're able to download the app and pay for an hour to sit and have our picnic lunch near the water. They had plenty of pavilions and tables for eating, as well as benches along the paths. We loved the various play equipment and options for families and especially the green spaces right next to the dunes. Something for everyone! We only saw portapotties, so that might be the only small issue but we were also there before the official start of the season. A fun spot and will definitely return when in the area!

I decided to go to Gary Indiana's WindDown Wednesdays @ Marquette Park/ Beach to SUPPORT My Amazing…read moreCity. Full Bar, Live Music with both an Amazing Band and my cousin DJN4RED provided the perfect Music. This Is What Gary n the Summer Time is All About. They have Food Trucks , Full Bar and Great Music. Perfect Day in the Summer Time. I Love to have a Great Time with old Classmates, Family and Good Friends. Ambience was off the Chain; out in the Fresh Air right off the Lake Michigan. Great crowd and friendly staff. Overall experience is 5 Stars.

Wonderful visit! Our family of 10 ages from 93-3 all found something to love! Well planted…read moregardens and wonderful wildflower prairie full of multi-colored plants and tall grasses. Lots of birds to watch. Thoughtful train garden with working model trains on a huge layout. It told the history of trains in America including laying the first tracks to Civil War and Lincoln's funeral train up to current passenger and freight trains. Every detail was perfect from a Bald Eagle in the "mountains " to the Golden Spike where East met West. Many bridges added to the thorough details! A walk to another area included the "Adventure" garden witch was more like a farm garden. It included chickens, goats, rabbits and turkeys as well as vegetables in raised beds. Further along under the canopy of tall trees was a new Music Garden with "instruments " that mimicked the sounds of nature. This visit did not have time to include everything this arboretum had to offer -- so we will definitely be back!!!

Since it was donated to PNW, this place has gone downhill big time. I used to bring my two little…read moresons who are in High school now and it used to be our magic outing each time. Now, seems like all PNW gets out of this palace is money and puts nothing back into Arboretum. They don't cater towards kids and families and all they do is make money out of weddings, birthday parties, showers and school fundraisers and spend $0 on renovations and maintenance. Disgrace! Here is what you will see now: 1. No animals and that area with the garden for the kids looks poorly maintained. PNW hadn't added any new equipment or additions for the kids since Tall Tree arboretum setup. All the little houses, spider web, wooden maze are all from way back when, from the time it was Tall Tree Arboretum. Purdue hasn't added any new playground and the little houses are dirty with tall grass snd weeds surrounding the whole area. Add some new equipment for the kids and nice play ground. 2. Music Area has missing and broken parts with no sticks to play instruments. Bamboo Sticks were all missing. Pipes are missing. What a disappointment for little kids. If you charge for entrance, at least fix this area so the kids can enjoy their time. Again, add some new instruments. These music instruments were added since Tall Tree Arboretum and nothing new was added since PNW acquired it. Everything is old there. Total disappointment. 3. They charge separate fee for the train room. On top of the general disappointing experience, you have to pay extra for the train experience. They have no shame! I wonder where all this money goes to because they have students volunteering there so they save money on labor too. Put some money back into this place for kids sake. It's embarrassing to see how this magical place turned into ruins.

Very fun and a great way to enjoy nature. Definitely would recommend, has trails, a park, and…read morerestrooms. Perfect for quick outdoor adventures.

Went there around 1pm was at pit 1 and around 5pm we were told to leave immediately in a…read moredisrespectful way there where no reserve sign placed at pit 1 for a church reunion and the guy from the park recreation name JOE DISRESPECTED ME AND FAMILY and we come here all the time in our city to be treated like this???hope no one else experience this bad situation and i hope the city acts to this inhumane matter that was present on 9/28/25.........

Nice short trail, it's only about 2.1 miles starting at the Schererville police station and ending…read moreat a park. When you pass under Rt.30 there is a way to get to a running store (name escapes me right now) and even a mexican restaurant and pizza place. So if you walk or run like crazy and need a drink or some grub it is there! The place is ideal for kids because it's a short trail and is near Reeder Park that has a good playground! In the summer on Thursdays there's a farmer's market and other fun events. I live close so I use this trail a lot. You can walk, rollerblade, run, bike, walk your dog (limited to the trail, pick up poop!! They have some spots with baggies) and even someone in a wheelchair can use this... Skateboards are allowed too! It's clean and well maintained.

Absolutely beautiful beach & views of Lake Michigan. This national park is awesome. The trails were…read moreamazing & easily accessible. Lifeguards on duty, although there was a riptide warning & no swimming when we were there mid August. Concession stand had lots of choices. We got a Chicago dog & cheese fries.

Parking for twenty five is insane for in state, the views right and left of industrial waste…read moregenerators really adds to the Indiana, at least sand was cool for the cloudy weather and bathrooms clean.

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.

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.

I have mixed feelings about this kayak tour company. I signed up because although I'm a very…read morecapable and seasoned kayaker, I didn't know this river and I like learning about the ecosystems and local wildlife. For this reason I like having tour guides. Going up the river was fine. Coming back went a bit sour. I went as slow as I was capable of paddling or not paddling, but apparently it was too fast for the preference of our tour guide. I was barely touching the water with my paddle. I have no idea how I could have gone any slower. It wasn't humanly possible. After shouting at me several times, he took to chasing me down and ramming my kayak so it'd spin in circles. Would I rent a kayak here and kayak the river alone? Yes. Would I personally use a tour guide here? No I wouldn't. Would I recommend? If you're a family with little kids or a drunk sorority house, absolutely. If you know what you're doing, just go it alone. You'll probably enjoy it more. Edit: If the tour guide had concerns for group safety, he could have said so. Although ramming my kayak with his seems to be a bit of a conflict as far as my safety goes. It was an unprofessional approach when he could have simply explained why he needed me to slow down

It almost seemed like a dream. From the very start, cruising through a large patch of lotus plants,…read moreit felt otherworldly. Very peaceful, going at our own pace. Enjoyed the cliff walls of Buffalo Rock and the shallow waters of some side passages. We paddled for 5 hours, covering 8 miles total. After we were done we headed to charming, historic downtown Utica for drinks and dinner at Skoog's Pub & Grill in North Utica, IL. I was impressed with the logistics and operation of the kayaking experience, from the guide* to the equipment and online booking process. *Full disclosure, the guide was my twin sister, but I am being objective...seriously.