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My family recently found our new favorite place to vacation. It only took us 13 years to make the 3.5-hour easy drive to Lake Michigan, and while I wish we’d known what a treasure the Indiana Dunes were sooner, I’m so glad we know about them now! I envision this is where we’re head for long weekends and quick getaways. It had everything we love and look for in a vacation spot: water, nature, and good restaurants. Other than the rain, the only frustrating part of this trip was the lack of information online. It made it challenging to know what to expect. Not only are the national and state park websites pretty bare on specifics, but the park rangers I spoke to on the phone (twice) gave me inaccurate information, twice. Below you’ll find what we found out once we got there, and wished we’d known ahead of time. The Indiana Dunes reminded us of Assateague Island. Clearwater, just a little infrastructure, and a lot of places to explore. If you are considering a trip to the dunes, here’s your guide.

The Indiana Dunes

Places to Stay

We stayed at the Indiana Dunes National Park Dunewood Campground. At $25 a night, free parking, and no pass to the park required, it was the most affordable. The campsites were clean, large, spread out, and the campground offered a variety of different sites. We chose a walk-in site, meaning we parked our car and carried our belongings into the woods.

Amenities include-

Things to Know

The beach is 1.5 miles away.

We stayed here at the end of June. The mosquitos were thick. Bug spray is a must.

We were also told, prior to arriving, we could easily hike to the beach. Later a different park ranger told us there are no trails to the beach. The hike was a road without sidewalks.

When we were there, there was plenty of free parking. Apparently, this is not always the case.

We also rode bikes to the beach, which was easy and so fun.

Things to Do

Swim

• West Beach
• Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Beach
• Porter Beach
• Kemil Beach
• Dunbar Beach
• Lake View Beach
• Central Avenue Beach
• Mount Baldy Beach

A park ranger at the visitor center (who was very helpful) recommended Kemil Beach because it tends to have the least amount of people and you can walk along the beach into the state park. He was spot on. It was perfect!

The water was clear, perfectly crisp, and had just the right amount of small waves. Of course, water quality and temp change, but when we go again, we plan to bring snorkels.

There is also plenty of sand to make castles and moats, play frisbee, and lounge.

Access to Kemil beach is mostly flat. There is one step to get from the road to the beach. You do have to walk a ways from where you park. We recently bought a beach wagon to carry all our stuff, and it was perfect. Bathrooms are located in the parking area. A spigot to wash your feet and picnic tables are too.

Bike & Paddle

While you can find websites that list activities like biking, finding actual places to rent these things online was impossible. I was able to find Pedal Power Rentals but it is only open on weekends and holidays. Thankfully, we found The Beach Shop, on 2 West Dunes Highway.

Here you can rent bikes, kayaks, and paddleboards. They also have snacks, souvenirs, and the man, I assume is the owner, was really helpful. He told us about a trail and secluded beach that led us to the best part of our trip.

Let’s take a tour!

Head to Lake View Drive. It is flat and while there are no sidewalks, cars go slow and there is plenty of room for them to pass you.

The houses along Lake View are impressive! Many have fun things to see like cat crossing signs and rock people. The views are amazing!

When you run out of road, bike around the barrier and keep going. At the end of the trail, park your bikes and climb down to the beach.

Just be sure to bring bathing suits and towels, because the water is clear and beautiful and it is too tempting to not dive in! If you, however, arrive as we did to a completely empty beach without proper attire, no one will know if you just take your clothes off and swim in your undies or less 🙂 Totally worth the wet bike ride back!

Walk, Hike, Explore

There are 14 trail systems and 50 miles of trails. Guided tours are available and you can find “Dial and Discover” spots throughout the park. They also have a Junior Ranger program. When my children were younger they loved them!

We loved finding and identifying the many different types of plants, watching wildlife, and walking along the beach. If you are a rock lover, you will be occupied for hours. There are paper maps at the visitor’s center and nature center.

Be Together

Here’s the best part, you don’t have to do much! You could rent a boat and waterski, take the train to Chicago, shop, and those things would be wonderful I’m sure, but you don’t have to. You can get good snacks, rent bikes, look for rocks, and not do a whole lot. Your day will be full! You can just be together.

What and Where to Eat

I’ve learned the best way for me to enjoy camping is to simplify the food part. I am on vacation. I don’t want to spend all our time cooking and cleaning up. We save a ton on lodging so it’s okay to splurge a little on food. You can find out a lot more about how we camp, our favorite meals, and supplies here.

For this trip, we grilled hotdogs one night and made campfire pizza the next. We went out for brunch both mornings. We snack on granola bars and trail mix. Target’s is the best.

When we go back to the dunes, we will definitely go to Sophia’s House of Pancakes again! It’s a short drive into Michigan city. There are also many other local and chain restaurants there. Near the dunes, the Goblin and the Grocer looked good, and there are two camp stores to get basic cooking supplies, ice cream, and snacks on 2 West Dunes Highway.

Here’s to traveling and beaches, and quiet getaways. To finding new places to disconnect and reconnect.

Side Note- In the picture above you can see our newest camping supplies. That green tent holds a potty, can be used as an extra place to change, and can hold a solar shower. It was SO nice to have. It’s another one of those why didn’t we do it sooner.

If you’re looking for a great place to vacation and spend time with your people, head to the Indiana Dunes! Maybe we’ll see you there 🙂

We also love spending time at these places-

Assateague Island

South Dakota

At home in Bloomington, Indiana

Traveling Inside the Little House Series

Saint Louis, Missouri

Southwest Idaho

Central Idaho