Indiana Dunes National Park Self-Guided Audio Tour

The Heron Rookery trail is an easy and peaceful 3.3-mile nature walk through a bird sanctuary. A rookery is a collection of nests, high up in the trees.

Unfortunately, the Great Blue Herons who used to nest here have moved on to new grounds.

But you can still find plenty of other birds, like:

Kingfishers
warblers
Red-headed woodpeckers
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, and more.
In the spring, you may see ephemeral flowers, like Harbinger of Spring, which have small, white petals next to dark purple stamen.

Or Yellow Trout Lilies, whose flowers sorta look like banana peels.

Mount Baldy is as tall as a 12-story building! And even more impressive, is that Mount Baldy’s what’s called a wandering dune.

That means it can move up to ten feet per year. There used to be grass on the dune that held it in place. But after years of tourists climbing on it, the grass was destroyed.

Now, the wind blows the sand around, causing the dune to change position. Mount Baldy is actually starting to overtake its own parking lot!

Getting to the beach requires a half-mile roundtrip hike around the dune, and includes stairs.

Central Avenue Beach as seasonal restrooms and potable water.
There are two picnic tables at the west end of the parking lot up the stairs.

The National Park strongly urges visitors to remain on the beach area and not to climb up on the dune slopes directly behind the beach.

The restrooms are wheelchair accessible. The beach and picnic tables are not wheelchair accessible.

There are no lifeguards, so swim at your own risk; rip currents and waves can make swimming hazardous.

During the spring and summer, watch the Bank Swallows come and go from their nests in the dunes.

The Great Marsh Trail is a nice and easy birding hike with views of the largest wetland complex in the Lake Michigan watershed.

The trail features a separate wheelchair-accessible paved trail with quick access to an observation deck. Look for:

ducks
geese
herons
egrets
warblers, and
red-winged blackbirds

In the spring, it’s a great spot for catching smelt; a small, oily fish that tastes fantastic. I’d say they’re best enjoyed dusted with flour, shallow fried, and eaten whole. Delicious!

The five houses that make up the Century of Progress Historic District originally debuted at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair.

The Homes of Tomorrow Exhibit, which consisted of 12 futuristic houses, was a particular crowd-pleaser.

After the fair, a developer purchased five of the homes and moved them here. He called his new community Beverly Shores, after his daughter.

While the houses are now owned by the National Park, they’ve been leased to private residents on the condition that they keep them maintained.

That means people live in these houses, so you can’t actually go inside.

Unless you’re lucky enough to score a ticket to the annual tour every September. And we do mean lucky because tickets usually sell out within an hour.

This beach has seasonal restrooms and potable water. The parking lot is paved and can fill up quickly on summer weekends.

There are no lifeguards, so swim at your own risk; rip currents and waves can make swimming hazardous.

This is a great beach to enjoy the night sky and nocturnal animals. This beach has year-round restrooms and potable water.

The parking lot is paved and can fill up quickly on summer weekends. There are no lifeguards, so swim at your own risk; rip currents and waves can make swimming hazardous.

There's also the Dune Ridge Trail, which might just be the most diverse short nature trail in the park.

It runs over forested sand dunes, through Black Oak Savannas, and has terrific views of The Great Marsh and Lake Michigan. Highly recommend it if you have the time.

This trail is popular with bird watchers in the summer, and cross-country skiers in the winter.

But, once upon a time, the Calumet Dunes Ridge was actually the shoreline of Lake Michigan! In the last 12,000 years, the water’s receded about one and a half miles.

If you hike the trail, try to imagine what the Calumet Dunes must have looked like when the lake was right here.

Just imagine everything that’s happened to transform these old sand dunes, melting glaciers, wind, water, and lots and lots of time...

If you hike this trail system, popular with hikers, runners, horseback riders, and cross-country skiers, you'll definitely want to take a trail map with you.

The trails vary in length, from less than 1 mile to 6.8 miles, with extensions that take it to over 15 miles.

There are 13 trail junctions, which makes that trail map super important. Best of all, at 13,000 years old, the Glenwood Dunes are the oldest dunes in the park!

At the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center, you can check out the educational displays, watch a few short films about the park, shop the bookstore, and talk to a park ranger.

But my favorite thing about the Visitor Center is the Indigenous Cultural Trail. The National Park wants to honor the Indigenous Potawatomi and Miami People who called this land home and educate visitors about their culture and contributions.

The Indigenous Cultural trail shows just how connected they were to the diverse ecosystems of the park, creating an educational experience like no other. If you wanna learn more, just ask a ranger!

This place is popular, and can get busy! Depending on what time of year it is, or even the time of day, the park rangers may be out directing traffic.

You may have to wait in line just to get in! Heads up: the state park requires a separate fee.

If you want to check out the 3-Dune hiking challenge, then make your way to the Nature Center. Or, head straight for the beach.

There, you'll find a large, art deco park pavilion with a general store and restaurants. There’s also a bird observatory west of the pavilion.

If it’s winter, there’s a fantastic, 100-foot sledding hill near the pavilion called, The Devil’s Slide.

And for the history fans, don’t miss the historical marker on the way to the pavilion, that marks the site of the 1780 Battle of Petit Fort.

Porter Beach is right next to the State Park beach but offers none of the amenities.

But, you're welcome to park here and walk a quarter mile along the beach to the state park.

There are no lifeguards at Porter Beach, so swim at your own risk. Seasonal restrooms are available at the parking lot.

The Cowles Bog Trail is a moderate 4.7 miles, with 202 feet of elevation gain. The trail is rugged, with steep dune climbs in loose sand.

Cowles Bog was named after ecologist Doctor Henry Cowles. It turns out sand dunes are great for studying how plants react to environmental changes.

And that’s exactly what Doctor Cowles did! His research in the area led to the Indiana Dunes being called, the birthplace of ecology.

If you’re a history buff, or just a fan of weird, cool things, you won’t wanna skip the Bailly Cemetery. This place is totally unique.

Take our shortcut hike, less than half a mile roundtrip, to an old cemetery hidden in the woods. And hear the story about how one family took over the cemetery and made it their own.

The Bailly homestead is a National Historic Landmark and was the home of Joseph and Marie Bailly.

Joseph was one of the first settlers in this region and established a trading post here in 1822.

At one point, the Bailly homestead was the only stopping point for travelers between Chicago and Detroit.

The Homestead is a collection of 5 different buildings, ranging from rustic log cabins and brick structures to the imposing late 19th century main house.

The Chellbergs were Swedish Immigrants who purchased this land in 1869.

Their original wooden farmhouse burned down in 1884, and they replaced it the next year with the brick house you can see today.

And in the 1930s, they started making maple syrup. You’ll actually walk past the syrup shack on your way to the farm.

Every March, the national park holds a maple syrup festival! This is the only National Park in the country that makes its own maple syrup.

Check the national park website calendar, because there are ranger programs that allow you to tour the old farmhouse, and even feed the cows, chickens, and goats on the farm!

The Mnoké Prairie is a restored pre-settlement tallgrass prairie.

That means you can walk through this area, and see what it would have looked like before European-American settlers ever reached Indiana.

The prairie is an excellent place to spot birds, like Double-Breasted Cormorants, Rock Pigeons, and Cooper's Hawks.

This is a great beach and trail to observe birds in the spring and summer. And in the winter, you can see the shelf ice on Lake Michigan.

The riverwalk is just under a mile and is considered easy. You’ll also find the beach pavilion, which has snacks, gifts, restrooms, and ranger programs.

The Tolleston Dunes are nearly 5,000 years old. The trail's about three miles long, and it takes you through 5,000-year-old sand dunes.

It’s moderately difficult because it goes up and down the dunes…and it can get soggy after a rain, but plenty of trees means it’s mostly shaded from the sun.

Keep a lookout for prickly pear cactus, sassafrass, and the wild blue lupine flower.

Welcome to West Beach, the biggest and busiest beach in the national park.

Nestled along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, this beach provides something for everyone:

sunbathing
swimming
beachcombing
birdwatching
There’s also a picnic area near the parking lot and even a designated spot for dune climbing.

There are hiking trails, like the Long Lake Loop, which winds through lush forests, wetlands, and rolling sand dunes. And then, there’s the Diana of the Dunes Dare.

If you dare, you can take the one-mile Dune Succession Trail, which includes a strenuous climb up two hundred and seventy steps to the top of Diana’s Dune.

Marquette Park belongs to the city of Gary, Indiana, and is outside the National Park.

The park has a playground, a concession stand, hiking trails, a disc golf course, and more.

The beach is great for swimming, walking, and just relaxing. It also has one of our favorite buildings in the area.

The Gary Bathing Beach Aquatorium was built in 1921.

Nestled in the Miller Woods, just outside Gary, Indiana, you'll find The Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education.

The education center is a National Park visitor center with exhibits on the wildlife found throughout the park. Plus it’s got some excellent hiking trails.

We recommend the Miller Woods Loop Trail. It’s less than a mile long, meanders through several habitats, and the views of the lake are incredible.