Looking for one day’s itinerary?
Indiana Dunes National Park is located along the shoreline of Lake Michigan.
It consists of Lake Front activities, hiking trails and bird watching.
We recently explored the park for a day as part of a large itinerary to visit Chicago and South Bend.
Indiana Dunes National Park’s Day Itinerary
Indiana Dunes has a great mix of enjoying the lake shores, exploring the dunes, going on hiking trails and seeing historic places.
It sounds like a lot, but it’s very easy to see all the highlights in just one day.
Is the time short? This is the highlight:
1. Visitor Center
2. Dune Ridge Trail (0.7 Mile Loop)
3. Beverly Shores Beach
4. A century of progress
5. Bailly Homestead (1 mile loop)
6. Porterge Lakefront & Boardwalk
Visitor Center
You tend to start your visit at the visitor centre so that you can get souvenir decorations from your collection.
Unfortunately, this place didn’t sell anything, but I was able to at least get a map of the park before heading out that day.
Dune Ridge Trail
This is a short trail that is only 0.7 miles.
As I’m hiking the dunes, it’s a combination of sand and dirt paths.
There are definitely some slopes that can be wrapped around a bit, but the trail only takes about 30-45 minutes.
I liked it was sand dunes and forests at the same time.
Beverly Shores Beach
Just above the street from the Dune Ridge Trail is the beach.
The difference between going to a lake beach instead of the ocean is that the water is much more calm.
Instead of waves, there are small ripples.
You can see Chicago on a sunny day from some of these beaches in the park.
A century of progress
Along the area just next to the beach is a street filled with houses of the “century of progress”;
These were made for the 1933 Chicago World Fair and featured new designs, materials and techniques for use in future homes.
This was my favorite part of the park.
All of these are private property so you need to stay on the sidewalk to see them.
How cool is it to own one of these and live on the beach here?
This pink house is my favorite of all of them and looks like the beach house you see around Miami today.
Bailly Homestead
About 15 minutes’ walk away is the old Billy Homestead.
There is a short walking trail that will bring you to this recently restored farmhouse.
The trail has a fantastic mix of forests and open fields, and is just a mile loop.
Portage Lakefront & Riverwalk
Now it’s time for the next beach!
This does a lot more, but there’s a better view of Chicago.
Bailly Homestead is only a 10-15 minute drive away.
There are public toilets and seasonal snack bars open in the summer.
This is where I finished my day in the park before I had lunch.
But if you want to spend more time here, Paul H Douglas Trail and West Beach Area.
The Paul H Douglas Trail is a 1 mile loop trail with wetlands, dunes and beach terrain.
It is about 15 minutes west of the Portage Lakefront & Boardwalk area.
Incidentally, there is no backtracking as each step of this itinerary continues to travel east to west across the park.
FAQ
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions I’ve seen about visiting Indiana Dunes National Park.
What is the difference between Indiana Dunes National Park and State Parks?
This area is the same. That part is under the jurisdiction of the State Parks Department, while the other parks are under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service.
California’s Redwood National Park is the same way that Redwood State Park is also.
When is the best time to visit Indiana Dunes?
Spring, summer and early mornings are wise to the weather as it is warm enough to enjoy the beach.
However, you can visit in the winter and see the ice on the lake, but going on a hike is not fun.
Where to stay
When we visited we were actually staying at a resort in South Bend and would highly recommend this.
But if you want to stay near the park, there are also recommendations for that.
Near Indiana Dunes: Hilton Garden Inn Chester
Hilton Garden Inn in Chesterton It is only five miles from the Visitor Center in Indiana Dunes National Park.
We love staying at these hotels when we go on road trips, as we always know exactly what we are trying to get.
Click here to reserve the Hilton Garden Inn Chesterton today!
Varsity Clubs of America Southbend
Not the closest place to stay, but it is where I stayed when I travelled to Indiana Dunes National Park.
By the end of the year, there were timeshare points that were exhausted. This is the closest resort in our timeshare portfolio.
It is conveniently located if you are visiting Notre Dame or want to take a day trip to Chicago.
The resort is approximately an hour’s walk from Indiana Dunes National Park.
Click here to book your Varsity Clubs of America South Bend Stay!
Where to eat
Downtown Gary, Indiana has several restaurants located just a short distance from the Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk area.
We enjoyed a quick lunch Miller Pizza Co.a counter service restaurant.
We shared some slices of them Chicago Deep Dish Pizza And they Philly Cheesesteak.
If you’ve been visiting longer and need more meals, or want to try something else, I recommend looking at the top advisors.
Next, google “Best Restaurants Near Me” or “Best Restaurants Near Indiana Dunes National Park” to see which locations come up multiple times.
They are probably your best bet!
Find local restaurants and local chains that you won’t get at home.
More National Park Itinerary one day
Here we visited a few other national parks we visited only one day.
Arizona
California
Florida
Hawaii
Idaho/Montana/Wyoming
Missouri
Nevada
New Mexico/Texas
South Dakota
Yuta
West Virginia
Conclusion: A day itinerary for Indiana Dunes National Park
Indiana Dunes National Park is the perfect park to visit if you only have one day in the area.
There are great variety, sand dunes, beaches and historic locations.
All we recommend is that most healthy individuals are family friendly and can do.
This is also a great park that I enjoy revisiting beach days all summer.
Pin this later!
