Diggin’ the Dunes: Long Weekend in Indiana Dunes National Park

Over Memorial Day weekend in 2021, we ventured out to check out one of the newest U.S. National Parks: Indiana Dunes.

This isn't your typical National Park, but is sure to still impress. The National Park borders Indiana Dunes State Park, making it a bit confusing to understand the boundaries. The national park side is technically free, but there is a fee to enter the state park. The Dunes (NP) consisted of 15 miles of shoreline, numerous trails to hike, and awesome surrounding towns. It made for the perfect Midwest "beach" vacation.

Day 1:

We drove from Southwest Missouri and made a pit stop by our hometown near St. Louis the night before to make our drive a little shorter. We arrived mid afternoon and drove straight to the park to take a walk around.

We started at the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk. It borders a very industrial part of the city and honestly, we weren't sure we were in the right place at first. We walked up to the closest building and lone behold, we were greeted with the NPS symbol. We didn't spend too long here since the views weren't anything noteworthy, and it was surprisingly quite cold. Even though it was technically spring, it was around 45 degrees on our first day.

We decided to head over to our hotel in Chesterton, Indiana. This was a great small town to stay in, providing really easy access to the park and a couple of local restaurants. That night, we had drinks and dinner at the Chesterton Brewing Co, which came highly recommended on Google. It didn't disappoint - it was full of great American eats and good beer. Pub-style restaurants are some of our favorites to eat at on vacation, so that we can do beer tasting and food all in one stop.

With a little day light left, we took a drive over to a nearby town around 20 minutes away to visit Michigan City Lighthouse. Checking out nearby lighthouses is always a must-do for me on vacation; my mom has always loved them, and I've started to grow my own appreciation for them too. Many lighthouses are inactive nowadays, but they are really unique and charming structures. The waves were crashing a little high out here, so we didn't walk out on the pier, but we saw some fishing off of it. While it was a chilly walk, we enjoyed the serene views.

Day 2: Lighthouse Tour

We visited the first stop on our DIY lighthouse tour the night before, so we started the day off by heading straight to Michigan. We spent about 6 hours round trip (including walking stops) to visit another 4 lighthouses, and if we had more time, we could've visited so many more along the western shore. Stops included:

1. New Buffalo Lighthouse

2. St. Joseph Lighthouse

3. South Haven Lighthouse

4. Holland Lighthouse

The lake beaches in Michigan far exceeded expectations. If it had been summer weather, you would have caught us sitting out there all day. For the overall atmosphere, I was most impressed with South Beach. They had food shacks, gift shops, and a pretty long stretch of sand. Structurally, I was in awe of the Holland Harbor Lighthouse. It was distinctive and vibrant, and is Michigan's most photographed lighthouse (you can see why). I would love to go back to explore more of the Dutch town and check out attractions such as Windmill Island Gardens or visiting during their annual tulip festival.

We packed a lot into one day, and I would love to go back to spend more time in each of these quaint towns. We finished off the night with drinks at Hunter’s Brewing when we arrived back in Chesterton.

Day 3: Hiking

We returned to Indiana Dunes National and state parks. We started off at the visitor center to see if we could get some more information and take a classic picture of the National Parks. After enduring some chilly days, we lucked out with the best 60 degree hiking weather. We completed a couple of recommended hikes: Cowles Bog, Dune Ridge Trail, and the 3 Dune Challenge. There's still a long list of with different lengths & scenic views to choose from.

The 4.5 mile (roundtrip) hike to Cowles Bog was wonderful. The moderate hike through the woods ended with an incredible view of the water. We hiked all the way down the sand dune to enjoy the beach for about half an hour. It was a perfect spot to enjoy a picnic lunch or simply relax. The only downside was attacking the large uphill back up the dune, but the view was rewarding.

The Dune Ridge was only 0.75 miles - a short walk in the woods with views of the wetlands. Quick and easy!

Our last trail consisted of the 3 Dunes - Mt. Tom, Mt. Jackson, and Mt. Holden. The visitor center told us it would take around 45 minutes to an hour for most people to complete. We somehow ended up taking 1.5-2 hours because we ended up veering off the path (oops). It's safe to say my calves were a little sore after this. We didn't get the chance, but we were told you can go back to the visitor center and receive a prize if you show proof that you completed the challenge.

Our last night consisted of dinner, ice cream, and some fun patriotic wine slushies from Running Vines Winery. This downtown wine bar was open until 10 pm - this was a huge plus since it allowed us to save daylight for outdoor exploring and gave us something fun to do at night.

Our quick getaway to another Midwestern gem was one for the books. It's always a great time when we get to cross another National Park off our list.

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