24 Hours In Indiana Dunes National Park (Hiking, Dunes, Historic Homes & the Chicago Skyline)
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- The Indiana Dunes are a national park on the northern border of Indiana, along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. There is so much to do within the park- hiking, beaches, history, kayaking and more. The diversity of wildlife and scenic landscapes make this area one of the most popular destinations in all of Indiana. This video is a full day trip to Indiana Dunes from Chicago. Let me know what I left off in the comments.
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As a native of California who has lived in Northern Indiana for the last 22 years, it was fun to see your video from your visit to Indiana's only national park. No one would ever confuse this park with some of the more impressive parks such as Yosemite, etc. but I find the dunes fun to hike over, and you can walk along the beach for a long, long ways. There are several large dunes on Lake Michigan. Warren Dunes in Michigan are not too far from Indiana Dunes. Further up north you can visit Sleeping Bear Dunes, which I believe are the largest on Lake Michigan. Obviously, the park is more comfortable to visit in warmer weather, but I also find it fun to see the lake in winter when it's frozen over. Thanks for sharing another one of your fantastic videos!
Thanks for the great comment and I agree that I really did enjoy the park and would love to go back. The views there over the water to Chicago were epic!
At least it’s not in a blue state!
@dioydatt. Idiot
Definitely come in other seasons. I am a Biology prof at the University of Indianapolis and one of my colleagues takes students up there annually. The park is extremely biodiverse. The nature of the topography means that you have many ecosystems in a very small area. There are some other restricted areas like Pinhook Bog that in spring/summer that are home to a fantastic array of orchids and insect-eating pitcher and sundew plants. Botanically many very limited populations of endangered plants and animals.
I love how positive you are even in the crappiest conditions.
Yes he has a ready smile. I've been watching Josh for years on boring days.
I hope you are able to return when the weather is warm and the foliage is in full bloom. It looks so nice!! Thanks for bearing the frigid weather to show us this!!
I would love to see it in the warmth and in the snow too haha
So sorry the weather wasn't your friend on this day to Indiana Dunes. The park is actually a gem, though it will never make anyone's list of the top half of our national parks. On a nice spring or fall weekday, when there aren't a ton of people crowding the beaches, you can go for some wonderfully long and diverse hikes thru both the national park and the state park. What most visitors never realize is that this is one of the most biologically diverse terrains in the entire country. If you ever get back to Indiana for more hiking and exploring, I'll be happy to share some specific trails and other places to visit! Thanks for ALL your amazing videos and all the time invested in them.
My husband and I hiked up to Mt. Baldy around 20 years ago. There were no stairs or guides and I was amazed how different that was from central Indiana where we were from. Thanks for sharing!
Really enjoyed this video!!! Thank you for your sacrifice to bring this to us. I hope you’re able to visit again on a better day, but day was enjoyable to watch too!!!
I grew up in the area and now live in Indianapolis. Whenever I am home I’m there in the mornings. Lakeview, back in the day, was a casino and later on was a restaurant called the Red Lantern. If you ever eat at Hammer’s in town youre eating with the family that owned the restaurant. Some of the best experiences are walking all of the old roads that are still littered through the dunes. At one time the area was full of cottages which are now mostly gone. I’m partial because Ive been walking those dunes for the better part of my life. Its like all of the other parks. It has a unique natural and human history which are just as interesting and entertaining.
Hi Josh.. I found your channel not to long ago and as a traveler myself I really enjoy your videos. I love how you include your family. We need more of that in this day and age. The videos with your dad are just so heart warming I just love. Thank you again for all your hard work and sharing your wonderful experiences with us.
Thanks so much for the nice comment! I love being able to take my different family members on these trips with me, it is one of the highlights of what I am able to do to be able to share the adventures with others
I grew up surrounded by the park in Miller (Gary). I had a great childhood and dearly miss the dunes and Miller
What many people don't know is that Indiana Dunes comprises both a national park and a state park. The national park covers the beach, dunes, wetlands, prairies, and historical areas, so there's actually a lot to see. It may not be on par with, say, Yellowstone or Yosemite, but it is definitely worth a visit in the warmer months. The Dune Succession Trail (the one with all the stairs) is my favorite because you get to see the evolution of the dunes. Fun fact--there is actually a species of cactus native to the area and southeast Chicago. Not the place you'd expect to find cactus to grow, but the sandy soil and unique environment allow it.
I like the little map you added in the corner of each segment. It helps to figure out where these things are if you've never been there and plan to go in the future
Time moves slowly when I'm on the go with you. There's something about letting the images and sound wash over my mind. It's so relaxing! Thanks for this!
So interesting to see factories so close to protected areas. Even with gloomy weather the area still looks like fun to explore. I love the map effect you added to your video!
Also like that map effect as well.
Thanks! I was trying something new with this video, glad you liked it!
@@ThroughMyLens it was noticed! I hope it continues on future videos. Thanks for braving the elements for us!
Yes i loved the map effect as well! Keep it! :)
5:09 Was surprised to see the plant I work at in this video lmao.
The houses were my favorite. I love architecture.
I couldn't agree more about highlighting The Dunes. I call Beverly Shores the quietest little secret in Northwest Indiana for finding a cool quiet neighborhood. Don't underestimate the Dunes!
I strive to have an attitude like you! I feel like If I had those kind of conditions, I would be very bummed and low-energy. So good on you for making the most of your time there! Great video as always!
haha I know what you mean. I was bummed that this was the only day I had there but I tried to make the most of it!
@@ThroughMyLens Yeah for sure! I have had many days like this when traveling and the best thing you can do is still go out and try to make the most of it! Looking forward to seeing more videos! Excited to see the Hawaii one!
Love these lower key national parks. Indiana keeps popping up with some beautiful areas. One of the guys from adventure archives is from there and it looks pleasant. 💚💚
I hiked the entire Knobstone Trail one summer and it was some of the most fun I’ve ever had in my life. I still have such great memories of it.
@@lucast3006 ahh! Magical 🪄🥹. 💚💚
Well done..Beverly Shores and the houses were such an intetesting surprise. Loved reading about the history of each house.
Weather was not the best, but you did an exceptional job covering many areas. Indiana Dunes NP is worth visiting. Thank you.
This is a lovely review and you are a brave soul. Please make the trip back when the flowers and trees are in bloom. A summer sunset is not to be missed!
I was born in Indiana. Nice to see some beautiful dunes and beaches being preserved. Now am in Florida, and love dunes and ⛱️.
Thanks for making this! It was bothering me that this has been a national park for four years now and there were hardly any RUclips videos about it! Very informative ✌️
what a good sport you are out there in the cold rain and wind! Thanks!! I have never heard of this park! A very interesting day trip!
The most beautiful place in Indiana !! Come visit Michigan next time you’re out this way!! You won’t be disappointed! Michigans UP is full of places you and pops would enjoy ❤
I would love to. One of these days I want to drive all the way around Lake Michigan
@@ThroughMyLens THAT would be an absolutely amazing trip!! Summer is the best time to do that kind of a trip. But if you’re looking for a color tour, late September to early October is the best time. Especially if you hit the tunnel of trees around that time.
I am planning on a trip to this area so have been watching several RUclips videos on the subject. Yours is by far the most informative of the ones I have watched so far, even on a blustery day. Thanks!
Thanks! Your videos are always so informative and interesting.
It's a bummer that the weather was so bad for your visit but glad you still enjoyed the park! If you ever get back and have time for a longer hike, I highly recommend Cowles Bog trail. Indiana Dunes is one of the few national parks that is very dog friendly which is important to me. If you're a bit of a masochist, you could also pop over to Indiana Dunes State Park and do the 3 Dune Challenge. Only 1.5 miles but some of the hardest deep sand dune climbing you will ever do!
Great memories as a child when I visited as a kid in the 70’s. It looks different than what I remember, but I’m glad it’s being preserved as a national park now. I still remember climbing to the top of mount baldy.
I am from Chicago, I visited twice with my day camp in the mid 70's. I agree it does look different. I hope to visit someday.
I went there for my summer vacation 2022 and had a blast. Loved Michigan City
Beautiful views of Lake Michigan.
It really is!
Awesome video under tough circumstances. That's why you're my inspiration. I admire how you can stay so positive and always look forward to your videos!
As a Midwesterner with plenty of Californian friends, it takes something special for you to go out the Dunes on a rainy day in the off-season, and still find something positive and encouraging to say about every site you visited. Your delight was contagious.
I haven't been to the Indiana Dunes yet, and to be honest, I've always been a bit of a snob about it. In Michigan we have the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which are both larger and better preserved, and we (or at least I) felt a bit slighted when Indiana Dunes got the nod for the "national park" title. Sleeping Bear is astonishingly gorgeous yearround, but I am starting to think that I've maybe been unfair to the Indiana Dunes. From what I have read, the ranger programming is absolutely superb. Maybe even more importantly, natural preservation so close to a massive city, and with so many competing commercial and industrial interests, is a herculean achievement. Videos like this make me very excited to visit the Indiana Dunes!
I couldn’t agree more with your assessment of his excitement and good nature.
People are often disappointed that our dunes aren’t as large as SLB, but we try to wow them with our biodiversity. I hope to make the trip up to MI to check out Sleeping Bear soon. Come on down to Indiana, we would love to have you!
As far as pristine beauty these dunes will not match Sleeping Bear, so I understand your angst over the NP designation but I do think this park is worth a visit.
I don’t think our experiences could have been any different: I was there on a HOT day and it seemed like every resident of the upper-Midwest was there to cool off. Parking was crazy, beaches were full, and the traffic out at closing time was basically a standstill.
Glad you helped us see it on a quiet day!
My son and I made a quick stop here in early June on our cross-country trip. We hiked the Cowles Bog Trail. We were all alone on trail, so that was nice. Lots of different ecosystems along the way. Climbing the dunes will get your heart pumping (no stairs there!) The lake views were nice. All in all, it was a pleasant way to spend a morning, but nothing to go out of your way for, in my opinion.
In the 70's, my day camp took us there twice. 50 years later, I would love to fish it again.
Correction, visit again.
Best time to walk the beaches is on wild windy days. Well done for preserving Josh. Cheers from Western Australia 😊
A couple things I would recommend for your next visit:
Paul Douglas trail and Cowles bog trail are excellent.
Octave grill has the best burgers around.
Summer is really bad for mosquitoes so bring repellent.
And visiting the lakeshore after a fresh snow or during is pretty surreal.
Thanks so much for the tips, I will be sure to note those for my next visit!
When is the best time to visit? I just returned from the park (late May) and was disappointed because there were so many bugs it made it nearly impossible to do anything. I was literally attacked by a SWARM of flies near Mt. Baldy.
Really enjoy all your videos - love traveling along through your videos.
Keep up the great work.
Thanks for the comment and for traveling with me on these videos!
I loved being able to see the skyline of Chicago too, so cool! We went in August and I think technically we were at the State Park side of the dunes but our family had a blast swimming and playing in the soft sand and climbing up (and rolling down 😅) the dunes!
It’s beauty there no matter what time of year it is
I've never heard of this park, it looks really cool!
The State Park area is also lovely and the Three Dune Challenge is a fun hike to do. Being from CA I wasn't expecting to see a forest growing on sand dunes!
We looove your channel! Awesome to see you visit Indiana Dunes! We live in Chicago and love the Dunes. The Paul H Douglas Trail is a great all-seasons trail and they have some great snowshoeing. Strenuous but a great workout and fun views. Sorry you had a very wet day at the Dunes.. you're a trooper!
You succeed in making lesser known spots seem interesting every time--even in not so great weather.
If you return I would recommend April/May or late September/ early October gor best combo of weather and color and reasonable crowds.
Always love watching history of states. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed the video!
I absolutely loved watching this video! Thank you!
I love the smaller parks and glad they're getting positive representation on YT. I've seen too many channels that crap on Indiana Dunes and Congaree. I want to go so bad!!!
I’m a native of north west Indiana thank you for bringing attention to some of the best natural beauty we have to offer sadly the industrial stuff is an eye sore but we still preserved some beauty there was an even bigger sand dune bigger then mount baldy but it was taken down for sand if I remember correctly
Josh, that was awesome, even with the weather, and dunes' challenges.
It looks like a very interesting place. Thanks for giving a tour... I loved that picture from the sand, looking out over the water.👏🤠💧🌫
No problem, thanks for watching. I enjoyed exploring even with the bad weather
Great video! I would suggest to you as a possible road trip with your Pops to do the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. As the name implies, it's a route that takes you around the entire lake. There are sites online that give you turn by turn directions (although we deviated a bit in some spots). I just did it with my mom and we loved it. Lots of scenery, especially in the UP of Michigan and northern lower Michigan, including even bigger dunes than the ones at Indiana Dunes NP, a bunch of state parks, and a lot of cool lighthouses. The lake water is so much cleaner up north, at times it almost looks like the Caribbean. Door County in Wisconsin was amazing as well, and crossing the Mackinac Bridge is an experience in itself!
I never heard of it. Sounds like fun.
Still looks great, even if raining. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
@@ThroughMyLens ❤
I really enjoyed this video. Going this fall, hoping for better weather. This gave me a good plan. Thanks.
The state park is very nice too I was able to get a good 8hr hike with some great views
I've been to Indiana Dunes 2 times Blessings and Hugs 💖💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕💕!
Nice to see the dunes. Haven't been there in a long time
I didn't even know about this park. Thanks for the informative. We will visit in September. Hope our weather is nice and not rainy. 😊 Lynn and Danny
Ahhh Indiana Dunes. Used to drive from Chicago, in the 70's in a van load of people to spend the day there & "party" as we called it (high school 😉) great times!
Glad it brought back good memories!
Hi👋🏽Josh…
I missed Pops not being with you.
Beverly Shores…what a nice😂name for that area of the park…it was fun watching…even with the rain…wind and cold you had a good time anyway…the private homes are gorgeous.
my only complaint…no food or restaurant segments…and the video wasn’t long enough…it’s always relaxing listening to you.
🙏🏽TFS another Great Trip with us.
Love the new map graphic!
For those who enjoy hiking two trails come to mind 1st is Cowles Bog Trail in the Nat. Park. And my favorite is trail #9 at the Indiana Dunes State Park. Trail 9 is easily the best hike in the park.
Make sure to go 20 min further to Michigan City next time! They got a park with a lighthouse, a zoo with an observation tower, and trails! It’s called Washington Park
Great video, very informative. We are going in September. I always learn from you videos! thank you!
The Chellberg farm is a nice place in the fall when it's not raining. On a clear day you can see Chicago very well from Washington Park. It's also Lakeshore Drive
Took my kids camping every year at Warren Dunes just up the road a ways. It's beautiful , clean and safe.
That's awesome! It really was a unique place
So wonderful
Cowles Bog is my favorite trail at Indiana Dunes. Something that might fit your style would be a road trip of Lake Michigan dunes from Indiana Dunes to Warren Dunes to Saugatuck Dunes to Holland and Grand Haven to Silver Lake Sand Dunes (only place east of the Mississippi where you can drive on dunes) to Nordhouse Dunes to iconic M-22 and Sleeping Bear Dunes. Just a thought.
That is the trail I was hoping to do but I didn't want to do 5 miles in the rain and wind haha. Next time! Thanks for the tip on the drive as well!
Totally understood! I wouldn't want that either! If you get a chance to go back, there's also the 3-Dune Challenge at Indiana Dunes State Park. That's a workout, but it's fun.
You really need to visit on a HOT summer day,will definitely remind you of SoCal. The reason you are no longer allowed to hike Mt.Baldy is a child fell into a hollow in the sand and died. You would want to visit the area for the Gary Airshow not as big as Chicago but not having to deal with incredible crowds is a plus.
@ronv6637 the kid that fell into the sink hole / hollow was actually rescued alive! I’ve read that his worst injury was from being struck in the head by a shovel during the rescue (miraculously).
You should do the Paul H. Douglas trail in Miller Woods. It’s an excellent trail. Also in the adjacent Indiana Dunes State Park, I would recommend the three fine challenge. Really nice views and a quintessential dunes experience.
I’m 60 & Grew up going toThe Dunes (as we call it) Learned things I didn’t know. 😊
haha happy to help! I had a lot of fun with it
Hi Josh
We went to Indiana dunes last summer spent a day there and had a great time. Did the 3 dunes challenge hung out and swam at the beach ended with the Diana of the dunes trail. Looks like the weather didn't cooperate with you.
Its a good idea to stick to the trails, climbing on high bluffs there are spots where ancient trees that were buried by the moving dunes have rotted away creating a void that will suck you down into the dune, it has happened more than once in this particular dune area. If you want the park to yourself at Sleeping Bear or Indiana dunes Dec- April you will pretty much have the place to yourself, for snow shoeing, cross-country skiing, hiking, hunting is allowed in Michigan dunes, you may see deer hunters from Oct-Dec. The weather is usually the nicest from June - September, but expect more people. Indiana dunes actually has a native cactus, and some small cactus plants were discovered living on rocks in the higher elevations of the western upper peninsula of Michigan.
Believe it or not, you can see cactus plants on the entrance road into West Beach. They are not your typical cacti you would see out west, as they are only very small and are low to the ground. If I'm not mistaken, the ecosystem of the Indiana Dunes is more diverse with its flora and fauna than most of the larger national parks. It really is a wonderful ecosystem, with a great history. Most of the larger dunes were mined with the sand shipped to Chicago for its development. And the marshes at West beach had once been used to harvest ice to send to Chicago.
It's obvious you visited the dunes at the wrong time. A month earlier you would have seen fall colors on the trees. I live here in northeast Indiana...I enjoy your videos.
I usually watch your video with your dad I enjoy watching both of you. I wish to see you and dad if possible on your next video
Thanks for the comment! I try to include him as much as possible but he has his own schedule as well so we make sure to connect on a big road trip at least once a quarter.
Grew up here
I love summer here
You are cool, man. I like your videos. Keep posting, please. Thanks.
I’ve only done that last trail to the beach never found the visitor center. But I’m Glad to see it exists at the other locations. I only saw that small concession stand by the beach.
The whole time I was thinking to myself the Indiana dunes state park is so much nicer. My wife hates hiking carry the toddler in sand so probably not going back anytime soon because Turkey runn wins over sand.
So beautiful, big like.
Glad you liked it!
Wow, I live right outside of Chicago...hope you had fun
That's awesome! Have a Chicago style hot dog for me haha
You miss seeing the farm. They restored an old working farm that used to supply milk to Chicago. It would get there on the train. Too bad they lost funding and no longer have a ranger to take care of the animals. When I took my students out there over 10 years ago, the ranger let them heard the chickens into the chicken coop for the night. The chickens didn't want to go in and it was so funny to see the kids herding them with little wooden paddles. Took forever. The kids also like to see the goat that would stand on the cow's back. And one year the cow had a little calf
Great effort Josh👍
Please do one more video of dunes when climate is favourable
It’s amazing how you could make a rather boring park sounds very interesting. You keep on saying you wanna comeback sometime but, I’m betting you won’t 🤪🤪🤣🤣🤣. Thank you for your visit though . Fyi, we’re from Merrillville, Indiana next town south of the park.
Wow. Having a nuclear power plant next to a national park is very disturbing to me. Wasn’t expecting to see that.
@ilovesparky13 many people who visit the area believe that to be a nuclear power plant, however it’s actually a “regular” coal burning power plant operated by NIPSCO (Northern Indiana Power Supply Company). NIPSCO does draw water from Lake Michigan for cooling, and the concrete silo you noticed in the distance is the cooling tower. There will often be a huge amount of white steam rising from the cooling tower. Locals call the cooling tower the “cloud maker” and kids are told that’s where clouds come from. Interestingly, there is a nuclear power plant another 35 miles north of Indiana Dunes in Bridgman Michigan. Just like NIPSCO, the nuclear power plant uses water from Lake Michigan in their operation, which is why the power plants are located on the shore.
It can’t always b pristine MrJosh☺️
We visited this park back in June. While it is probably my next to least favorite National Park, it still is a great park. We had an absolute amazing time but our weather was much better than yours, beautiful blue sky with amazing views of Chicago all the way to the Century of Progress Homes. I will say for me, I loved West Beach Dune Succession Trail, as you said so well the stairs are better than the sand. However, the best thing to do in the park is the Cowles Bog Trial. In the summer it is a great hike across a black oak savanna over the dunes hiking in the sand. You get great views of Chicago as well as a chance to see the parks wide diversity of flora. It is the best hike if not activity in the park.
So what is your least favorite? Just wondering if we might agree.
Check out Turkey Run State Park in Indiana!!!!
Should definitely go on a clear day in the summer then you can really get a good view of the skyline. That’s really the main reason why went once was to see the skyline from a distance like that and the water isn’t to bad over there.
Ack! Put a little warning ahead of time when you have a SNAKE! You scared me! (Oops, can't just put something negative - I really love your videos! And great job, sticking in there through the rain.)
I remember hating going to Indiana dunes as a kid bc of the long walk in sand. We’d sometimes walk barefoot bc our flip flops made it harder to walk but the sand was so hot! 😂
Yall I live here and it it the best❤
You are one dedicated youtuber 🤣
😂😂😂
Nice sharing beautiful video stay connecte
Thank! Appreciate you watching the video!
This place was not what I expected. Seeing Chicago fom the park was a little disturbing to me. Thnx.
Thanks for sharing this! Are you trying to complete all 424 National Park Service Units (my birthday so easy to remember!)? We're going to try and see as many as possible over the next 10 years.
That is so cool! I want to visit all the national parks but not sure about all the park units. That's a great adventure though for sure!
Hello always watching your videos 1:27
Thanks for watching the videos!
I generally find a trail less than five miles is not worthy of serious effort. With that consideration, I find the Indiana Dune's State Park most satisfying. If you start at the Pavilion, take trail 2 to trail 10 and loop back around to the Pavilion, it equals about 12 glorious scenic miles of board walk, wet lands, dunes, forests and beach front. It is one of my favorite hikes of the area.
If you ever come back I'd be happy to set you up and go kayaking from Howe rd Bailey homestead. Let me know if you come back to this area.
Oh so cold. It made my teeth chatter. LOVE IT.
It was so cold, lol I was feeling it for the rest of the day haha
Thanks for the overview! I will be there in Sept. What time of year did you go for this video? Thanks!
I wonder what the Rangers thought when they saw you at the National Park on a Rainy and Windy day. At least you didn't have to deal with the "Crowd" the day you did this video. :-D