Snapshot Planning Your VisitWhen we visited the park We visited this national park at the beginning of August. It was hot during the day and evening, so we planned to do our hiking in the morning and swimming at the beach in the afternoon. If you have similar plans, make sure to schedule activities that allow you to cool off in the afternoon during this time of the year. The water is comfortable for swimming at this time of the year, but it takes most of the summer to warm up this large lake. We camped while we were here, and a fan in the tent really helps to be more comfortable at night with the humidity and heat this time of year.  weather-us.com Things to Consider 1. The first thing to know is, this is a long narrow stretch along the Lake Michigan shore. The only way to get between different stopping points is to drive to them. There doesn't feel like much of a connection between the points. 2. Indiana Dunes State Park had a much better beach than the national park. If you are planning on spending time at the beach, I would recommend the state Park. 3. If you complete the 3-Dune Challenge, make sure you tell them at the Visitor Center. You get a completion prize, my kids picked a sticker and pencil. They also sell souvenir t-shirts if you complete the challenge. 4. If you go in the summer and plan to hike, make sure you do your hiking in the morning before the sand gets too hot! 5. There is no lodging within the parks, only camping. However, Michigan City is nearby and very cute. If you like to gamble, there is a casino here.  How to Get There Indiana Dunes National Park is accessible by Interstate 94, the Indiana Toll Road (Interstate 80/90), U.S. Highways 12 and 20, Indiana State Road 49 and other state roads. The Indiana Dunes Visitor Center is located on Indiana State Road 49. From the Indiana Toll Road (Interstate 80/90), take exit 31 north. From Interstate 94, take exit 26 north. The majority of the national park's facilities can be accessed off of U.S. Highway 12. Additional Maps provided by the Park Where to Stay Inside the Park - (Camping Only) Dunewood Campground This 66-site campground is the only lodging within the national park, but there are plenty of places to stay near-by. It costs $25 a night for a site between April-October. The campground is closed during the winter months. There are flush toilets and showers available here and nearby to convenience stores and beaches. Outside the Park Indiana Dunes State Park - Camping This 39-site campground offers tent and RV sites, starting at $23 a night. It is easy to access the beach from the campground, with a short walk, or driving to one of the parking lots. A reservation here will also give you access to the beach areas in the fees. There are three small towns close to Indiana Dunes National Park. Chesterton is the closest, with bed and breakfasts or hotels available. Michigan City is to the north of the park, but has a few more options and amenities. The third city that is close is Portage, IN, which is South of the park about 30 minutes. This will feel more like a city that you are staying in.  What We Did Day 1 Our first day in the park was just to get set up at our camping site. We stayed in the National Park at Dunewood Campground. The campground was spacious and well maintained, but it wasn't near much. We had to drive everywhere for food, sites, and swimming. We have a large two room tent that allows us to fit all five of us and luggage comfortable in the main room, and use the second room as a screened porch area. The tent is easy to set up and my son (age 7) was able to help pop it up after my daughter (age 5) helped run the tent poles through the loops. After setting up our weekend camping spot, we had time to enjoy a campfire and some s'mores before showering and getting ready for bed. It was hot, and we were glad to have some rechargeable fans that were placed by each bed.    Day 2 This was our first full day at the National Park. Before we started our adventures for the day, I had to find a coffee place to get some coffee and breakfast for the kids. We packed up what we needed for swimming at the beach, and then headed to Michigan City. This town had a quaint downtown area with an amazing coffee shop (with good breakfast sandwiches). With some fuel, we decided to explore for the day. Next, we hit up the visitor center and got the kids their Junior ranger books. Then we headed to Kemil Beach. There is no cover here, so we brought our sand tent to use when we needed a break from the sun. The swimming here was ok for the kids, but they needed life jackets when they were in the water still. The drop off happened quickly, compared to the Wisconsin side of the lake that is shallow for a little bit. We spent about five hours at the beach, playing in the sand, swimming, napping, and reading. The one thing that surprised me about the beach was how busy it was and how close it was to factories and cities. When it was getting close to dinner time, we decided to pack up and head back to the campground. My husband was joining us for the rest of the weekend. We made foil dinners on the campfire that night, had more s'mores and hung out by the campfire the rest of the night. It was an early night after being in the sun all day. Day 3 On our final day, we wanted to get some hiking in. My husband joined us for this day, and we decided to take on the 3-Dune Challenge. We figured this would be something we could easily handle, and boy did it humble us. Hiking in sand and up the dunes was a whole new level of challenge, that we had not trained for. We made it, but the second dune almost took me out, while I carried our one-year-old. Each dune had a different vantage point and showed different surrounding scenery. You definitely want to take a break at the top of each dune to rehydrate, catch your breath, and enjoy the views. When we were done with the hike, we headed back to the visitor center. We had the kids turn in their books to earn their Junior ranger badge, and because we had completed the 3-Dune Challenge, we got additional souvenirs. My kids got to pick out stickers and pencils to go along with their badges. We also picked out a couple t-shirts for bragging rights that we completed our most challenging hike to date. After the visitor center, we picked up subs, and headed to Indiana Dunes State Park. We actually enjoyed this beach better than the National Park beach. They had a bit better amenities and there were more lifeguards present. The kids were excited because they saw lizards here and were chasing them. We spent the afternoon here until we had to head to dinner. We decide to go back to Michigan City to find some food to eat. We walked the downtown area and found a place with a patio to sit at. The final thing we did was head to Mt. Baldy. This is a short hike to the beach. You walk through a wooded area for about 15ish minutes. The trail is easy and well-maintained. You emerge at the top of a dune, and there are great views of the lake from here. You are able to walk down a path to get down to the lake. We did this at sunset, and I would highly recommend visiting Mt. Baldy at sunset. It was a quieter beach, with a couple other groups of people scattered along the beach. This was a great way to end a good day at the dunes. Where this fit in our Road Trip This was the first stop on a two-week road trip to New England. This is the closest national park to where we live, and we could easily add this as a stopping point for heading east for many different places. We spent a weekend here before my husband had to return to work, but it was a great way to enjoy a Midwest summer weekend with some swimming and hiking. NPS App and All Trails Maps I highly recommend using the National Park Service (NPS) App, as well as the All Trails App for hiking. There is limited service in the park, so planning ahead is helpful. These two apps allow you to download sights, maps, and trails so that you can access information anywhere. The NPS app also links to the full National Parks Website, with a plethora of information.
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