Indiana Dunes National Park
Indiana Dunes National Park hugs 15 miles of the southern shore of Lake Michigan and has much to offer. Whether you enjoy scouting for rare species of birds or flying kites on the sandy beach, the national park's 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. The Indiana Dunes National Park features more than 1,100 native plants ranking it 7th in plant diversity among all National Park sites.
Indiana Dunes State Park
Indiana Dunes State Park encompasses 2,182 acres of beach, dunes, marshes, swamps, hardwood forests, and white pine groves and is surrounded by National Park lands. The park's 16.5 miles of trails allow you to explore all these habitats, which shelter diverse wildlife and provide excellent birding. The park provides camping, picnicking, showers, snack bar, camp store, and a park naturalist. In summer, the park offers a small gift shop and swimming beach with lifeguards. Interpretive naturalist programs are held daily between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and on weekends the rest of the year.
Kids Need Nature
Nature Needs Kids
Dunes Learning Center
Dunes Learning Center, was established as a regional resource dedicated to residential environmental education. Dunes Learning Center provides a classroom without walls in which students interact directly with the natural environment. The setting provides a unique exposure to a globally significant natural environment and one of the world’s great urban/industrial regions. Students gain new knowledge and understanding about how improving the quality of life is dependent upon our success in sustaining and integrating these two environments.