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Toughluck Says: A new trail - mostly open and best on a sunny, but cooler day, i.e., 70 degree's F is the Portage Lakefront trail along the Burns Waterway. One half is through dune blowouts and the other is on a boardwalk along the Burns Waterway. It's a view of any boats going to and from...
Toughluck Says: Each beach along the Indiana coast line has a unique flavor. West Beach, with a picnic ground, bathhouse, vending machine, and beach assistants makes this a great place for families and many do visit. Busiet by mid-day, you'll find late afternoons and early evenings best if...
PinkFloydActuary Says: The last stop of the day. This is a trail which gives you a few options - either you can do about a half mile loop, which cuts across a pond on a raised boardwalk, or you can circumnavigate the whole pond, tacking on another half mile. The trail was flat and easy to follow....
PinkFloydActuary Says: I'm including this stop for posterity, as there isn't that much to do. There's a very small parking lot, adjacent to a short raised boardwalk, which ends on an overlook above the marsh area with a few placards describing the scene. You can take a walk through the marsh via...
PinkFloydActuary Says: Across the way from our stop at the Calumet Dune Trail, we decided this was the beach we would check out. The first thing to be aware of is that the only parking to speak of is a pretty decent sized lot, but it is about a quarter mile away from the entrance to the beach...so...
PinkFloydActuary Says: This is a short (0.8 mile) hike that starts at the Calumet Dune Interpretive Center (the former Visitor Center of the park, now closed to the public.) Despite the name, the actual hike is through a serene wooded area. The trail itself is accessible - paved the whole way....
Dabs Says: Since the promise of a sunny April afternoon never quite materialized, we decided to take a hike on one of the shorter trails in the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore just in case it started raining. We had a bit of an adventure getting there, the road to the Rookery was...
Bailly Homestead & Chellberg Farm Trail
Dabs Says: We were a little early for the fall colors, some of the trees had begun to change into the glorious reds, yellows and oranges but most of the trees were still sporting green leaves thanks to the mild fall we've been having.The Bailly Homestead & Chellberg Farm Trail is an...
Hiking - Little Calumet River trail (2.9)
Toughluck Says: The Little Cal (as it's locally called) trail is a great trail to walk several times a year. You can watch the seasons change. In the fall, the cool crisp air, is dry and the colors of the leaves are like a Monet painting. Winter brings cold biting air and a prelude to the...
Helpfulness
Are you looking for the perfect moonlit walk? Try the beach at Lakeview or Kemil Road (East State Park Road). At sundown, on a warm evening, you'll find many couples and some families walking through the 'surf' or sitting in the sand. The sun sets over the City of Chicago, but you'll not hear nor barely see any signs of the city.
Dress Code: Swimsuits to formal attire can be seen here in the evenings. During prom season, young couples can be seen taking their 'formal' pictures here dress in their finest. Just down the beach will be a family swimming and splashing.
Updated Apr 4, 2011
Address: Lakefront Drive, Beverly Shores, Indiana
Phone: 219-926-7561 x223
Toughluck Says: While US 12 (The Dunes Highway) is the scenic route from end to end, US 20 (Dunes Relief Road) is the quicker road and provides most of the services (gas, food). It touches the southern boundary of the park and provides easy access to all the main features of the park. From...
The Dunes Highway - Scenic Drive (US 12)
Toughluck Says: The Lakeshore is traversed by several major highways. The most scenic is US 12, which runs from the west end of the park in downtown Gary to Michigan City in the east. It offers the widest variety of things to see. Along the drive, there is the commercial district of Miller...
Helpfulness
Located in the Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center is the Eastern National Parks Bookstore. Here you'll find books for all ages about the dunes. There are also games, hiking sticks, patches and other mementos of your visit to the dunes.
Written Mar 9, 2007
Address: 1420 Munson Rd
Phone: 219-926-7561 x227
Website: www.nps.gov/indu
Toughluck Says: Natural lakes and streams offer a variety of recreational opportunties. But they all come with a risk Surface waters like Lake Michigan are the home of many varities of fish. It's a great place (apparently) to go fishing. But it's also the place where the fish leave their...
Toughluck Says: It looks so inviting, hills of crushed ice, mounded high. Peaks to conquer and crevasses to plunge down into. What a place for kids to play. DON't Let THEM. While it looks inviting and the peaks are only a few feet up and the crevasses look to be a foot or two deep. This...
Helpfulness
Much of the National Lakeshore beaches are accessible in Beverly Shores. This is a small lakefront community that can be inundated with vehicles on warm summer days. Parking in town is limited and cars without permits will be ticketed or towed at your expense.
Unique Suggestions: Please do visit Lakeview Beach, Kemil Beach and the Century of Progress homes, all located in Beverly Shores. Be sure to park in marked areas. Don't park along any street unless a sign specically allows parking. Don't park in the town lot at the intersection of Lakefront Drive and Broadway. It's a towing offense.
Fun Alternatives: Parking is available at the Kemil Road Lot (west end of town, Dunbar parking Lot (nr Century of Progress Homes) and Lakeview Plaza (pull in parking) near Broadway.
Updated Nov 6, 2006
Toughluck Says: Mnoke Prairie is a restoration project that has been going since the turn of the century. High School Students and younger students have collected seed, pulled intrusive plants and monitored the prairie. Since then, the trees have decreased and the grasses and forbes have...
Toughluck Says: Another distant patch of the National Lakeshore. This prairie is a grove. Personally, I'm still looking for the Prairie. Located west of Lake George in Hobart. The area is a rolling woodland that has been badly eroded by off road vehicles. On a warm summer day, it is cool...
Toughluck Says: 'Carga ovata' or Shagbark Hickory is a nut producing tree, most notable for the shaggy bark. The hickory leaf is composed of 5 leaflets with 2-pairs along the stalk and a single leaflet at the end.
Toughluck Says: 'Acer saccharum' or Sugar Maple is a predominant tree in the Beech Maple Forest of the lower Great Lakes. The maple leaf is distinctive in that it is somewhat shaped like an out streatched hand. The Sugar Maple is identified by the 'U' shaped notch/lob between the points.The...
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore's location first sounds a bit noisy and urban. But if you take the time to look around, get off the roads and walk back into the woods or down the lakeshore,...
Fall hiking at the Indiana Dunes
I've lived in northwest Indiana for almost 20 years and have passed by the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore many, many times but 2008 was the 1st time we've ever stopped and got out to go hiking.
Despite the fact that it's only a little over an hour from my house, I had not made it to this member of the National Park Service. As we trekked back from PA, it felt appropriate to take a short...
Build your own Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore page
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