Nice park with children's playground. In the winter you can rent skis for cross country skiing…read more Beautiful trees & trails. Bird feeders with lots of bird species.

Stopped here to check out the winter scenery. There was not enough snow for cross country skiing…read more Want to go back when the conditions are right. Nice park but a little out of the way for me. I am sure it looks totally different every season. Walked by their bird feeder and spotted a few unique birds. It was a nice nature reset.

Crown Point's biggest park. Go any farther south and you're in Cedar Lake. The perfect place for…read morea nature hike when in the area. I have been here many times throughout the years, especially on elementary school trips. Great place to take the children to. Huge number of trails to take. Lots to see and lots to do. If you like disc golf, welcome to paradise. They've got six full courses of it all round the park! They also have the biggest playground I've ever seen, four baseball diamonds, a tennis court (big, but in need of upkeep), and a monster living in the lake. (All right, I'm just KIDDING about that last one!) Boat rental used to be available on the lake, but I think they've done away with it over the years. You also have six (?) pavilions available for rental. By the way, admission is $5 per vehicle. The park seems to have been hit by the Emerald Ash Tree Borer back in 2013-14, but they have since removed the dead trees. I think that the park decided to use the area once used by the ash trees as a space to extend the disc golf into, as some courses go deep into the forest. I just happened to come on the 23rd of October when I took the pictures. MY MAN, THE TREES WERE COLORFUL THEN!

It's not bad, the paved trail is kinda tore up in some spots but other than that it's cool…read more The parking lot is set back a ways so if you're coming for the first time don't stop at the maintenance building on the left and park. Keep going down the hill and follow the road. OR you can turn right and hit up the dog run they have. I checked out the dog run from a distance, it looks fine. nothing too major. Just an open area where your pup can be unleashed. By the main lot there's a public restroom and a small convenience center too. There's a softball field, B-Ball court and a massive playground nearby too. I liked the side trails, but they're not really that long and they stay pretty close to the main lake loop and run into the Frisbee Golf trails quite often. There are a few benches along the main and side trails where you can make a sandwich or just sit and relax for a bit. Benches are old and worn, little mossy and lichen covered, other than that they're sturdy & solid. Lemon Lake itself is pretty nice, it has Bass, but it's catch and release only. There are also boat rentals (paddle boat and row boat) by the head of the main loop. If you like fishing, there is a big fishing pier on the south east part of the lake that's large enough for 10+ people (comfortably). There are also a few benches right along the lakeside as well. We ended up doing 2 trips along the main loop and several of the smaller side trails. I liked the place and will probably come back here again when the weather warms up again.

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.

Want a free workout that will kick your butt? Head over to the Swallow Cliff stairs. There are…read morepeople of all fitness levels that make the trek here. Stay to the right and keep your own pace. The forest preserve has done a nice job maintaining the area. There are tables to have a picnic, clean bathrooms, and seasonal café. There is a decent amount of parking too. It does get packed if weather is nice. People like to use rocks to track their loop numbers. Signs say no dogs allowed on the stairs.

The stairs provide a pretty intense workout-the east steps are rough and a little irregular while…read morethe west set is a bit easier-more flat areas for breaks, if you need them. I go up the east side, down on the west. I think it's 125 stairs on the east, and 145 on the west. All ages and fitness levels are here! Lots of parking, clean. Dogs are not allowed on the stairs. There's a snack bar, restrooms, and a fairly large room for meetings, presentations, and activities. There are also several trails if you still have energy after the stairs!

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.

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!

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!

Really nice place to visit. Nice park for the kids, a variety of hiking trails, clean restroom's…read moreavailable. We enjoyed the train display (small charge).

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.

Well maintained. Not too crowded…read more Challenging enough on a bike for me. Beautiful and well maintained trails that are well marked. Love it. If you're out of shape this place can whip you back into shape if you let it.

Waterfall Glen is a beautiful display of nature. Trails offer a robust adventure. Two parking lots,…read moreone off of Cass Avenue and the other off of Lemont Road.