Indiana Dunes National Park

Indiana Dunes National Park is our 61st and newest national park!

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore was authorized by Congress in 1966 and was elevated to national park status in February, 2019. The park runs for nearly 15 miles along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, from Gary to Michigan City,  and comprises approximately 15,000 acres including oak savannas, dunes, swamps, bogs, marshes, prairies, rivers, and forests. Hikers can enjoy over 50 miles of trails.

The National Park has acquired about 95% of the property within the authorized boundaries. Its holdings are non-contiguous and do not include the 2,182-acre Indiana Dunes State Park which was created by the state of Indiana in 1926.

People have lived in the dunes area for over 10,000 years, and the park is home to over 1100 native plants, ranking it fourth in plant diversity in the park system.

The park is also home to 46 species of mammals, 18 of amphibians, 23 reptiles, 71 fish, 60 butterflies, and 60 of dragonflies and damselflies. The white-tailed deer is the largest herbivore and the coyote is the largest predator. 352 species of birds have been identified and a blue heron rookery is present. 

Immediately inland from the beaches, the sand dunes rise almost 200 feet forming ridges, blowouts, and valleys, and extensive wetlands fill many depressions between dune ridges. The park contains at least four major stages of historic shoreline making it one of the most extensive geologic records of one of the world's largest freshwater bodies.