Indiana Dunes National Park

Dunes National Park is a special place to really feel connected to the Earth. We visited in mid-October—it was very windy, cool, but that just added to the experience. The park rangers were friendly and welcoming. Some areas were closed, so we couldn’t explore everything, but still enjoyed the trails and open spaces. From a distance, Chicago looked almost like the Emerald City.

This park is definitely different to a lot of the other national parks out there. If you're willing to explore, you can find some quiet, peaceful areas of the park. The beach can be accessed in a number of different spots and the lake was very calm during my visit.

Indiana Dunes National Park, just an hour from Chicago, is a scenic escape with 15 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and a wide variety of landscapes. Visitors can relax on sandy beaches, swim, or watch the sunset, while more adventurous explorers can hike over 50 miles of trails through sand dunes, prairies, wetlands, and woodlands. The park is also a hotspot for biodiversity, home to hundreds of bird species and rare plants, making it a favorite for nature lovers. While it’s a convenient and beautiful getaway, the park can get very crowded in summer, with parking lots and popular beaches filling up early. Trails are well-marked but should be followed carefully to protect fragile dune ecosystems. With its mix of outdoor recreation, wildlife, and easy access from the city, Indiana Dunes offers a refreshing balance of relaxation and adventure.

This national (and state) park is one of the most unique, beautiful parks that’s centered along water. Me and my wife spent 4 days in Michigan city and this was the main attraction for the entire trip! there is so much you can do here, so many awesome views, trails, sunsets, dunes you can climb, and miles of shoreline to explore. The best part is (esp if you dont like the ocean and the crowds) this place brings the best of both worlds: Feels and looks JUST like the ocean (but cleaner and not humid) but don’t have to worry about sharks and all that stuff. We also did the 3 Dunes Challenge (if you don’t know, look it up ;) which was really cool and rewarding. We couldn’t explore every trail and area of the park since there was so much to see so definitely take a few days to go to everything.

Great beach that you can take a dog (on leash) water was clear and comfortable. Not many people when we visited. Smallest hike I recommend shorts and sandals. Good amount of stairs with sometimes deep sand. Highly recommend for a day trip, seems safe and comfortable for kids and pets.

Went and did the little trail to the beach for Mt baldy. Drove the roads next to the lake and saw the historical houses. Very cool little pit stop you shouldn't miss! Ended our journey with the Diana of the dunes trail loved learning about her and her history of the area. Looks like a great place to have a beach day in the summer.

Beautiful dunes and beach. Water was clear and free for debris. The history behind was incredible. We did encounter a unruly guest that came out of the water as we were peacefully eating lunch on the beach. She started yelling in my son's face. I had to stand up to redirect her attention and protect my son. After she returned to the water I snapped some pictures of her and the unruly "posse" incase something came of it later on. Shortly after we returned to the water to continue our day," without further incident",thankfully. A sherrif patrol came through, "not associated with our situation", appeared to be looking for people consuming alcohol where prohibited. Drove their rounds and promptly left. We were able to see blue angels fly over, it was a pretty neat experience!

Beautiful peaceful sunrises over the waters of Lake Michigan can make one lose track of place and time. Contemplate life. Easy short walk to the sandy shores less than 10 minutes, continue along the trail clockwise another 15-20 will take your back through the woods back to the parking lot.

We visited on a cooler day which helped a lot with the hot sand. I would recommend if you bring your furry friends, bringing little boots for while you are on the dunes unless you are in the stream area. Overall it was beautiful and I'm glad we did it but dang is it hard to climb to the top. My calves were burning. It's definitely something I think everyone should experience for sure, and it's nice that when you pay it gives you access for 7 days and not just that day so you can come back that week if you'd like! Definitely worth it!

The national park stretches along 15 miles of the southern shore of Lake Michigan. We started off at the Dunes Succession Trail- .9 mile with 270 stairs. It provided views of Lake Michigan and Chicago. Next, we drove and stopped by Portage Lakefront. To end our short trip here, we visited the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center. The small visitor center had educational displays. The gift shop was closed, but I was able to get my national park token.

Great network of beaches and trails along the southern shore of Lake Michigan. Nice to have part of the Indiana shoreline that's not a steel mill or power plant. Congrats on the upgrade from National Lakeshore to National Park!

I spent my birthday in Chicago. And since me and my husband are masochists we chose to drive from NJ. We left around 5pm and rolled into Indiana around 9am (mind your business). You have 2 options when visiting the park: visit the state park or visit the national park. Since I'm "collecting" national park visits we stuck to the national side. The Visitors Center is really gorgeous. The gift shop got all my money cause I love stickers. You basically have to drive to the trailheads since they are spread out. One of the reps provided us with a map and array of trails that met our needs. About 10 miles away we chose the Dunes Succession Trail that ends right on the Lake. You can look out across and see the Chicago skyline. The water is ridiculously clear - and cold! Stairs stairs stairs! You can visit the beach without hiking at all. That's what we did first before deciding to tackle the stair trail. After you're done beaching or hiking you can enjoy an ice cream or hot dog at the picnic tables by the parking lot entrance. Things to know: -the trails are spread out. Get a map and pick your distance, accessibility, and challenge. -it's called Dunes for a reason. They're sand dunes. Stairs have replaced most of the bare dunes on the trail but there are spots where you will be walking and hiking on sand. If you cuss in the woods, no one can hear you (so I tell myself) -the beach is clean and beautiful -Tevas were perfect for the task. -the environmental racism of surrounding Gary is really tragic. Tragic and intentional. I get upset every time I think about it.

She grew up in an Indiana town And she's been known to regale me with tales of tumbling down Mount Baldy as a kid. That was long before these Dunes became our 62nd National Park. Pay for your day pass at the Visitor Center off 49. Or, you could just go to the parking lots and hang your annual pass from the visor-you've got one of those by now, right? Cowles Bog is the best hike in the area, and that's usually what I'm here to do. It's a four and a half mile loop-starting in the marshlands, winding through the woods, trail turns to sand near the top and you descend into the dunes and out to the beach, walk the shoreline and climb back up the dunes to complete the loop. I like to do the loop counterclockwise. Other great hikes are the Bailey Homestead and cemetery, and Chellberg farm. It's a historic trading spot along the Calumet River. Picnic tables make it a great spot for lunch. Pack it in, pack it out.

I don't really know why this is a national park to be honest. There are sand dunes in a lot of places in Michigan, and there's already a sand dunes national park in Colorado which was a lot bigger and cooler. Went to the visitor center which was pretty small, person working there wasn't particularly friendly like I'm used to for national parks. Ended up going to West Beach which was full of people and just a beach on Lake Michigan. Pretty mediocre spot, wouldn't go out of my way to come here.

Kemil beach was great! Not very crowded and my dogs loved it! The rest of the beaches were not so nice and super crowded.

Although still brand new to the National Park system, Indiana Dunes is so underrated. It may not be as extravagant as some of the more popular parks, but it is very unique being connected to the great lakes. Before I ever actually visited the Great Lakes myself, I never had an interest in visiting any of the beaches, despite how much others praised it... I only considered a beach with an ocean. I had visited a beach in Michigan a year prior to coming here, only to discover that they are just as beautiful and awesome as any other! We made a detour here on our way home from Milwaukee, and it felt like the perfect break for our road trip. On Memorial Day weekend, it was pretty packed but still enjoyable. The beach is spread out so you don't feel like you're on top of everyone - they also had a building under construction that would soon provide food options. If you're looking for more to do than just sit on a beach, there are plenty of areas to hike! We found some beautiful trails, that offered great views of the lake.... you can even see the Chicago skyline in the distance! This is a great National Park to visit if you're near the area. It makes for a perfect day trip from Chicago or Indy!

The national park was dedicated in Miller Woods for a reason! On the west, this is where the national park begins, and features globally rare ecosystems and 4 birding hotspots. Hike to the beach from the national park's Douglas Nature Center. This is all in the area called Miller Beach, and there is also 5 continuous miles of public beachfront, which includes Miller Woods Beach on the west (national park) , Marquette Beach in middle (City of Gary park), and West Beach on the east side,

lots of hiking trails - did not participate in,this time. scenic 7 mile drive- with beach stops along the way. a few multi million dollar homes overlooking the water. nice drive!

When my wife and I discovered that Indiana Dunes had become a new National Park, we were very excited to come visit. We immediate made plans to drive up from Central Indiana the next time we came to see family. This past week was the first chance we got, and we jumped at the opportunity. A welcome surprise was finding out that the National Park was FREE. Wow! Free is a pretty rare thing these days. (The nearby state park has a fee, if you decide to go there, but not the National Park). We enjoyed the Houses of Tomorrow, explored the beachfront, and even dipped our feet in the cold water. My only regret is that I wish we could have stayed longer. Next visit, we will probably spend more time at the sand dunes themselves.

It's awesome that we have a National Park in Indiana. Be prepared for a workout on these dunes- the sand is a lot to walk through. The views are next to none. We could actually see Chicago today as the sky was so clear. Be prepared with snacks and water. The maps are clear but we did get turned around on a few trails- user error. The trails are all spread out so you have to drive to each lot but there's plenty of parking.

You will love this beach! Climb dunes, go to the restaurant, and just relax and let the kids play.

Well kept, easy paths to follow. Dunes are nice to look at. My kid got bit by an off leash dog this summer and it broke skin. I wish people would obey the rules of the park or at least have friendly animals lol

We did not enjoy this experience. I am sure it didn't help that we came here on a weekend when it was raining and 50 degrees (we live 5 hours away and had this trip planned for months). I would recommend coming in the summer and have an idea of what you want to see and how to get there. We had a hard time find anything. If we put Challberg Farms into GPS, it took us to a dead end road in a random town nearby, but following the park map was unhelpful. It felt like this National Park was randomly scattered among little towns without any signs. The only way to see anything is to pay to go to the State Park that's within the National Park. This felt a lot more complicated than parks in the West where you grab a map and can easily get where where you want to go.

What a beautiful place. Being from Illinois our "beaches" are limited. I wanted to go somewhere new and just happened to discover the Indiana Dunes during a google search. It was only a 1 1/2 drive from my hometown, so I packed a beach bag and headed to the dunes. Once I got there the line to pay for parking was quite long (it didn't help that I went on a Saturday), It took about 8-10 minutes to get to the front. I wasn't really diligent when it came to researching the cost for parking, i braced myself to pay about $25-30, but to my pleasant surprise it was only $12. I thought that was extremely reasonable I should add it's $12 if you're coming from out of state, and $6 for Hoosiers! Once in the parking lot of the beach it wasn't too hard to locate a park. However, finding a somewhat isolated spot on the beach was another story. I walked down the shore line for about 8-10 mins until I found a acceptable spot. After that everything was great and for some reason Lake Michigan was much warmer then what I'm accustomed to, so that was a nice change. I definitely have to come back here and explore much more than the beach!

Alright well I finally visited Indiana Dunes National Park. At least...for me being a National Parks enthusiast...I had to add this to my list as just in the last few years...this place has been transformed into a NP. Actually, they still maintained Indiana Dunes State Park...and they simply added Indiana Dunes NP. Regardless, even though I wasn't impressed (and I swear my expectations were quite tempered, lol) ultimately...I found the State Park section to be more worthwhile than the National Park section. First off when I arrived...I headed straight to the Visitor's Center to get my Park's Pass stamped booklet and the usual, typical souvenirs and chachkies I always crave from the parks. Also, here at the Visitor's Center you can take a photograph of the sign "Indiana Dunes National Park". This type of stuff is important to me, lol. I'd recommend starting at the Visitor's Center as it's a good place to begin exploring...and for me...I only checked out Indiana Dunes for the day before moving on to my next adventure. Also, Indiana Dunes is a little tricky in finding where you need to go...along with many of the trails...and differentiating between the state and national park sections. No problem...internet and Google Maps works just fine. Simply plug in a destination and you'll have no issues finding where you need to go. I'd just like to mention...Indiana Dunes is situated along the coast of Lake Michigan. I drove here from Florida along my cross country summer road trip. But for those people who are looking for a quick way to visit this park...you can fly into Chicago, which is only 60 miles away. Also, Indiana Dunes is located in what I'd describe as "steel country" in the heart of America. I discovered a lot steel and manufacturing plants along the way with railroad tracks as well. I appreciate these blue collar jobs as I know in this day and age....old fashioned steel plants are going by the wayside and don't really exist anymore costing many Americans their jobs. It was nice to see some plants still in use. Sorry about this extra info...I just needed to vent a little. I had researched that a highlight of Indiana Dunes NP was hiking the West Beach Trails. In all...these West Beach Trails are 3 combined loop trails totaling 3.4 miles. About 1 - 2 hours to trek. Loop 1 - Dune Succession - 0.92 mile Loop 2 - West Beach - 1.21 miles Loop 3 - long Lake - 1.68 miles. BUT! Wait a moment. These West Beach Trails were absolutely A WASTE OF TIME! When I hiked this 3.4 mile combined loop. There was NOTHING TO SEE! Wow. What I thought would be pretty beach scenery was just useless. You can skip all West Beach Trails...in my opinion. What I found to be the most worthwhile and memorable part of Indiana Dunes was the State Park section. And in fact, I'd recommend hiking the 3 DUNE CHALLENGE. Yes, the 3 Dune Challenge was a slightly strenuous trail (being on sand and during the heat of summer). Basically, you climb the 3 tallest sand dunes...a 1.5 mile total hike (the toughest in the park) 552 feet climb that I will credit with relatively rewarding views of the beach and surrounding scenery. Yes hiking the 3 Dune Challenge was sort of representative of what Indiana Dunes is about. Only thing was...it's in the State Section...no big deal, (the National and State sections are only 1.5 miles from each other) but...I thought to myself..."what makes the National Park section so special"? I'm still pondering that to this day. Sidetracking to the State Park, the 3 Dune challenge is in this area plus plenty of other hiking trails that interconnect with the 3 Dunes. And the State Park section has plenty of space and area for RV's and camping. So...for a summer weekend the State Park was packed with visitors and locals hanging out and appreciating the beach and waters, much more so than the National Park. But overall, did the Indiana Dunes Beach impress me? Um, I guess it had some pretty aspects to it from atop all 3 Dunes. But I wasn't blown away. The sand along the beach wasn't white and the waters off Lake Michigan weren't really colorful. I guess this place is what it is and needs to be protected and recognized by the National Parks system (or for whatever the reason they made it a NP). But hey, in the end I'm fine with getting to add another National Park/State Park checked off my list. Lol, I just like exploring in general. Some extra info....the West Beach...which I believe is the main centerpiece to the National Park, does charge money for parking. I believe it was $5 or $10 for the day. At the end of my visit I had read that Central Beach (at the eastern end of Indiana Dunes) was special for sunsets. Unfortunately because of the pandemic...Central Beach was closed. It was recommended to me for a picturesque sunset along the beach...head to Kemil Beach. And yes...Kemil Beach did have a cool sunset with the Chicago skyline standing out into the distance, a pleasant way to at least end my visit and time here.

We recently roadtripped our way from Buffalo NY to Indiana to spend a couple days visiting Indiana Dunes National Park. We had one day of relaxing at the beach, and another to explore some trails. Both days we visited in mid-August were stiflingly hot, 90+ degrees and total humidity. So the beach was a refreshing way to beat the heat. We spent several hours at West Beach, which had plenty of room for our fam' to spread out apart from other beach-goers and splash in Lake Michigan. For hiking, we walked parts of the Tilliston Dune Trail and Chellberg Farm Trail. The Tilliston Trail is sandy and HOT, and wraps into a marsh that was so buggy we had to turn around. It would be a very nice trail in cooler weather, but in the heat definitely not ideal. Chellberg Farm Trail was wooded and shady, a much more bearable walk on a hot summer day. One very cool feature of the park in general that was a first-see in the wild for this Buffalo NY family were all of the cactus plants! We have never seen a cactus in nature, and the biodiversity of this region includes them, which was a thrill for us tundra-region folks, haha. We had a great couple of days at Indiana Dunes National Park, which is HUGE, and we barely scratched the surface of all of the attractions the park has to offer, so we hope to visit again someday!! :-D

Maybe not as grand and vast and breath taking as what you think a National Park may be, but still pretty darn nice! And no admission fee! You hike up a little dune hill and then hike down a narrow path sort of following in the foot steps of others, and you have yourself a lake beach. We went in late November so it's not like we could run into the water. It was very clean looking so I would have no qualm getting in. Way in the distance you can see the Chicago skyline. Really cool park that I look forward to revisiting when it's warmer.

A group of friends and I came for a 4 day camp Trip! We arrived Sunday evening (check in was at 5pm.. super late since we paid full price). As we approached the entrance, there was a HUGE line to get in! We waited in the line for about 45 mins. Once we got up to the gate, it was $12 to get in for an out of state car and $7 for in state license plates. We arrived the the campsite and everything looked pretty well maintained. The camp sites are electric only. No water or sewer hook up. My one and only complaint about the entire weekend were the bath houses! They were super gross and smelled awful. I would think for how many people are there daily, they would have better maintained facilities. I'm not going to elaborate anymore on this, just know it was awful. Now onto the fun stuff- The campsite had a few beautiful trails that lead onto the beach. They were well maintained and super scenic. The beach was gorgeous. Especially around sunset. What I love about the beach is that it's dog friendly. Every who had their dogs had them on a leash and were very responsible. Over all we loved the entire time we spent there. We actually booked a fall trip there as we were leaving. If you live in the Midwest, you need to come to the Dunes and visit. It's mind blowing to believe that you're in Indiana when you're there.

All NP's have a place in my heart and I try not to compare them to one another. I've been to many NP's and this one is unique in its own way, but it's probably doesn't make anybody's top 5 or top 10 list. It's definitely a NP you take just a few hours to see. Basically, the park is a beach on Lake Michigan with sandy dunes topped with various vegetation. You can swim, lay out and hike some dune trails to get to higher outlooks and points. You can do this all in 2-3 hours max and feel like you've seen enough to get the feel for the park. I don't think I'd stay more than 2 days exploring this park as there's only so much to see. I'm not cutting down on the park or trying to put down the park as I know it is a nature preserve with its own ecosystem, unique qualities, etc. I just feel like there's way better NP's across America that outshine this one in terms of wildlife, views, uniqueness, history, etc. Not to say this park isn't worth being a NP, just not as great as many other NP's you may take the same time or cost to travel to. We walked the beach, saw the main dunes, read about its history, looked across the lake and saw Chicago, collected rocks and stones, etc. Because it's a new national park, it's a bit confusing because the state park is near the national park portion of the dunes and I believe they kind of mesh together at some points. I don't think they've fully gotten all of the details together to make it easy for folks to understand where you enter the national park vs the state park. The boundary lines are kind of blurred. Make sure you're entering the national park portion of the beach and not the state park portion. I'm biased because I'm from Florida and this is basically a beach on a lake, so I've been to many beaches. Perhaps i compared these dunes and beaches too much to beaches on the gulf or Atlantic and was thus not that impressed. Overall, spend a day here and you'll enjoy yourself. Again I respect this park and wish it the best for its future in the NP's system. It certainly has its own charm worth preserving for the future.

Born and raised (and currently living) a Hoosier my entire life, I was ecstatic to see that Indiana got a national park of its own! I had explored the dunes as a state park (which still exists) and the random beaches surrounding the area, but was dying to get back to visit the national park. Not much has changed as it was previously a national lakeshore, aside from the installation of a new NP Visitor Center. The center is surrounded by beautiful public artwork that is great to learn and explore the area. This national park is much, much different than most other national parks in many ways: - dogs are actually encouraged at this national park (if you take them to the Visitor Center, you can get a dog tag and they become an official Bark Ranger; so. damn. cute.) - in the middle of the park is the Indiana Dunes State Park (where the Three Dunes Challenge is located) - as with many national parks, it's very spread out so be prepared to drive a lot. There are shuttle buses that run although we didn't use them as we had our car. - it's "free" to get into the national park; however, if you go to West Beach (where the rangers suggested most people go), you still have to pay $6, even if you have a national park pass. So stupid. - the dunes are filled with grasses and forests. It's crazy to think you're on top of tons and tons of sand. As my mom always said, "Don't half-ass something. If you're going to do it, do it fully." Sadly, I feel that Indiana Dunes NP should have been taught that. If anyone in the NPS reads this, please take some of my suggestions: - if someone has a national park pass, they shouldn't be charged the $6 entrance fee to the West Beach location. It makes literally no sense. - the signage needs to be much, much better. Because it's so spread out and you pass through a variety of towns during your drive, signage needs to be so much better. - Everyone loves to get their pic at the entrances of the NPs. Sadly, this sign is at the Visitors Center, and it's such a sad excuse of a sign. Maybe move it to an actual dune or at the beach? Maybe it's there, but we missed it. - The rangers and signage in the IN NP Visitors Center promote the Three Dune Challenge, but it's not even a part of the national park? Doesn't make a lot of sense... - The concession stand and the bathrooms at West Beach could use a MAJOR overhaul. It looks like it was built in the 70s and hasn't been touched since. - please, please advocate to legislatures and lobbyists to get those disgusting power plants and power lines MOVED and done away with. They are such an eyesore when you're on the beach and you look one way and see a power plant and then turn and see another one way down. Definitely doesn't feel at all like a national park when you see them. Given that it's only been about 5 months since it's been named a national park, I get that there is a lot of stuff that will be fixed and upgraded overtime. Still, it's a beautiful national park that I'm happy is located within 2.5 hours of Indianapolis, IN and is sure to baffle you at their enormous sizes and forests living on sand.

Went to Indiana Dunes today. My park #110/419 Beautiful beaches on Lake Michigan. Dunes were not like others I've seen. They were covered with grass. Past ones I've seen were pure sand. Maybe I missed part of the park. It's spread out over allot of miles. Got in half price with national park pass. Seen some flowers I've never seen before. Friendly staff. Clean showers and restrooms. Nice area to rinse sand off your feet. I still managed to bring some home. Awesome trails and bonus in the shade! There is also a working farm on one side of the park. Cows, chickens, and an adorable calf (highlight of my day!!). Overall very nice park. Would be great for families!

If you ever find yourself in the area of Lake Michigan you must spend some time in this park. Bring the kids and some camping gear and a swimsuit. This park has a lot to offer without having to drive away from civilization. Also a good pair of hiking shoes are a must. This is very fine sand here and can be hard to terrain without proper footwear. This is a park for a serious or not so serious outdoorsman, but you do need to come prepared. Bring food and bring plenty of water because it does get hot here. If you don't feel like camping overnight you are still just a few minutes away from several cheap hotels. There's enough to see here that you could make a week long vacation out of it. Or if you live close you can just come for the day and put in a hike or go for a swim in Lake Michigan. If you like birds there are plenty of species of birds to look for. If you like flowers there is a nice variety. If you want to see wildlife there are plenty of squirrels and other small animals. The possibilities are endless.

We took the kids to swim at Porter Beach. It was perfect. The parking was full but we just paid $20 to park on some dude's property. It wasn't that crowded. The water was a little chilly but it was crystal clear. We had a great time!

What a great place for hiking. There are enough stairs that you get one heck of a workout (as if the sand wasn't enough). Love the trails at west beach. And the "visitors center" has a really cute artwork loop.

Love it here! The beach is so nice and has lifeguards but in the fall they don't have them on weekdays. Trails are not well marked so bring a map. You can find maps at the visitor center. Campsites look big and nice with a small camp store. Will be back to camp!

Great place to hike. I have done the Dunes Challenge a few times. It's a tough workout especially in 90° weather. Get to the top or take a trail along the ridge and the view of Lake MIchigan is beautiful. The beach gets really crowded in the summer. Biggest complaint I have here: trash. There is so much trash left behind. Respect nature, people. Clean up after yourself.

Stopped here for the day to check out the National Park. Hit the visitor center to start things off. The park ranger gave me a lot of great ideas on what to do: I ventured off into the park mostly to do some hiking today and had a great time hiking. Indiana Dunes National Park hugs 15 miles of the southern shore of Lake Michigan and has much to offer. 15,000 acres will continually enchant you. Hikers will enjoy 50 miles of trails over rugged dunes, mysterious wetlands, sunny prairies, meandering rivers and peaceful forests.

Not a bad place to visit. Decent hiking trails and nice beaches. Friendly rangers. An OK junior ranger program. Relative to most national parks though, this place is pretty underwhelming. Would still stop by if in area but not a destination national park.

I am a great lover of National Parks, and have enjoyed visits to a very great many. I can't beat around the bush with this one: to call this a National Park is an atrocity, an absolute insult to all of the others. My wife and I have been to much better county parks! However, if you like run-down boardwalks that take you to overlooks showing nothing, great views of steel mills, railroad lines and a nuclear power plant combined with a run-down urban feel this may just be the place of your dreams. It does demonstrate one thing: darn near anything is possible when your ex-governor becomes VP of the country.

A really special and unique place and super fun to visit. The park itself stretches out along lake Michigan with the nearby cities and towns in between and around it. There is a lot of wonderful beach access, hiking trails, and things to explore and see here. I loved the west beach trail which had a boardwalk trail up over a sand dune and through a forest and ended at the beach. Mount Baldy the largest sand dune in the park was another highlight and not to be missed! The state park runs inside of the national park and does cost money. I'm not sure if there's a fee for the national park but I didn't pay anything when I went. The park is massive too running miles along lake Michigan primarily around route 12. The maps and information provided by the visitor center make it easy though and the park staff can recommend fun trails and must see things! Absolutely worth a stop if you're anywhere nearby. A truly unique and beautiful place!

Definitely worth the trip to see this beautiful area. Fair warning: The beach is packed now (summer 2020), and it will take a bit of time to enter the park. The 3 Dune Challenge is fun to complete! To do this (trail 8), start at the Nature Center. It's kind of hard to find when you look on the map, and upon entering, we were led to park at the West beach area. You can find the end of the trail from there, but it is difficult, and then you are hiking the dunes in order backwards (largest - smallest). Bring water and enjoy the hike!

Well my brother Jacob Sandy died there this past May in a drowning accident during a storm, and there was no lifeguard nor buoys up at the public beach. I HIGHLY suggest you be extremely careful with this park or your life will be ruined like my family's....oh yeah we also got ticks there while searching for my brother.

Very cool place, go there sometime!! Beautiful dunes, beaches, awesome trails to hike on.

The gravel bike path needs to get paved. It is dangerous for people to ride bikes down RT 12. All the tourist spots in Michigan have nice paved bike trails along Lake Michigan. The flies and ticks are really bad almost all summer. Not enough things to do if you are traveling with bikes and don't want to drive down major roads. Besides that it is a nice place.

Meh. I went on a Thursday during the day. Even then, it was too "peoply" for me. The park is VERY confusing, including how to get there, it definitely needs more signs!! The parking for the beach is atrocious and in one section leads to a tight dead end. There is no wow factor here. Yes it's a calm nice beach for kids but that's as far as I'd go for a compliment. The trail I picked to hike (scale the 3 highest dunes) was very challenging, especially as you walk straight up sand dunes. (the whole trail consists of walking on a sand path amongst trees, wear sturdy shoes (no flip flops!) and bring water. Anyone out of shape should NOT attempt this. (I'm in shape and it was challenging). A great workout though. The 3 views at the top were "meh" as well. I think once you've been to the Caribbean or Hawaii, this park is VERY underwhelming. When you're done, there's one sign pointing you back to where you came from. You go through an RV park. After that, there's no other signs telling you where to go so pay attention to your surroundings! This park DEFINITELY needs more signs, very frustrating! It did sort of satisfy my nature craving during Covid though.

My son and I went to the park the wrong time of year. Water was too cold so I will repost again. Overall, I had wished there was some prior notification that the concession stand was undergoing remodeling. We had parked just south of the main lot (not the official) national park lot and it was basically a rip off. It was early in the year, not prime swimming time and were charged $20 for parking in someones makeshift lot. Advice is to get a pass to the national park parking lot. You will be closer and it wont be a Beverly Hillbilly experience. The beach was clean as was the water and the dunes were very similar to Michigan's. No negativity from the visitors and the children were splashing around having a good time, for cold water. One thing I really didn't like was the view of smokestacks to the south and north and not a fan of city skylines. There were plenty of smooth flat rocks which seemed unusual, but teens were trying to skip them across the water. That's a bad idea that needs to be addressed before someone gets hit accidentally. Will go back in the summer to see how the concession area is going and look forward to some warm water temps.

This was a beautiful beach, but essentially that's all that it was. The dunes were very big but not as incredible as I'd imagined. As I've seen many beaches during my lifetime, I wasn't incredibly impressed. However, as a beach, this location was very clean and was very well-visited on a Saturday afternoon. Children and adults could be seen scaling the dunes or rolling down them. People had dogs on the beach and food as well. Lifeguards also patrolled the area.