Indiana Dunes National Park is located in Northwest Indiana along the shores of Lake Michigan. The Park consists of diverse habitats including sand dunes, marshes, prairies, swamps, bogs, oak savannas, rivers and forests. The Park is also home to hundreds of different species of birds and thousands of species of plants. There are 14 trail systems that you can trek Indiana Dunes National Park to see these unique environments. During my recent trip to the park, I hiked all of trail systems. I found some trails to be amazing and then there were some I wish I skipped. If you are visiting Indiana Dunes National Park, keep reading to find out the 7 hikes you can’t miss in Indiana Dunes National Park (and all the ones you can skip)!
1. Dune Succession Trail (West Beach Trails)
- Distance: 0.9 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Hike Time: 45 minutes
The Dune Succession Trail (aka the “Diana of the Dunes Dare”) is one of three loops that make up the West Beach Trail system. This trail was my favorite experience in Indiana Dunes National Park and is one of the coolest hikes I’ve ever done. This trail starts with climbing 270 stairs up to the top of Diana’s Dune. The trail then proceeds through a series of boardwalks, additional stairs and sand trails and through a forest of pine trees growing up from the sand. The trail ends at West Beach on the shore of Lake Michigan. This trail offers amazing views and at some points, you can even see Chicago’s skyline in the distance.
2. Mount Baldy Beach Trail
- Distance: 0.75 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Hike Time: 1 hour
The Mount Baldy Beach Trail is a short hike that ascends up Mount Baldy on a sandy trail through the woods. The trail starts out at the trailhead parking lot. It’s really cool to stand in the parking lot at the base of the dune and look up towards the top of it. The trail does not go up to the ultimate summit of Mount Baldy, but there are good views from the point you can walk to. When you make it to the end of the ascent, you can walk down the dune to the beach. The hardest part of the trail is hiking back up the dune from the beach so if you have limited mobility, it may be a good idea to skip the hike down to the beach.
3. Great Marsh Trail
- Distance: 1.3 miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Hike Time: 45 mins
The Great Marsh Trail is a short, flat trail that showcases the largest interdunal wetland (depressions between sand dunes that are filled with water) in the Lake Michigan watershed. This trail is a great spot for birdwatching as many diverse species of birds flock to the wetland. There are two small parking lots for this trail. If you would like to skip the main trail but still catch a view of the wetland/birds, there is a paved trail from one of the parking lots to an observation deck. If you are walking the trail, there are several benches positioned along the trail so you can relax and take in your surroundings.
4. Dune Ridge Trail
- Distance: 0.7 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Hike Time: 30 minutes
The Dune Ridge Trail is a short trail, but is a must-see because it is one of the most biologically diverse areas of Indiana Dunes National Park. As you hike along the trail, you will loop through sandy dunes, prairie, forests and wetlands. The trail also ascends to a ridge that offers an amazing view of the Great Marsh.
5. Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm Trail
- Distance: 1.1 miles (for Bailly Homestead/Chellberg Farm Inner Loop)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Hike Time: 45 minutes
The Bailly Homestead/Chellberg Farms Inner Loop trail is a nice hike that runs from the Bailly Homestead to Chellberg Farms. The trail weaves through a forest and intersects the Little Calument River. The trail itself is not overly interesting or unique. However, the trail is worth visiting to see Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farms, which offer a glimpse into the lives of early settlers in the Northern Indiana region.
Bailly Homestead was the former home of Joseph Bailly. Joseph Bailly was one of the first settlers in northern Indiana and settled here in 1822. Bailly established a fur trading post at this site and ran a large fur-trading network than ran from Montreal to Louisiana. Chellberg Farms was established in the 1870s by Swedish immigrants. Three generations of the Chellberg family lived at this site and in the 1930s, the Chellbergs began to produce maple syrup from the maple trees on the property. Every March, there is a “Maple Sugar Time” festival held at Chellberg Farms that honors this history. Fun Fact: Indiana Dunes National Park is the only national park that produces maple syrup.
6. Paul H. Douglas Trail (Miller Woods)
- Distance: 3.4 miles
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Hike Time: 2 hours
The Paul H. Douglas Trail is another trail that showcases the diverse habitats in Indiana Dunes National Park. The trail is an out-and-back trail that starts by winding around wetlands. The wetlands area is a great place to view wildlife including many species of birds and beavers. After passing the wetlands, the trail goes through the dunes and ends at the beach with amazing views of Lake Michigan.
7. Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Trail
- Distance: 0.9 miles
- Difficulty: Easy
- Hike Time: 45 minutes
The Portage Lakefront and Riverwalk Trail is one of the most popular places to visit in the park. The trail starts at a pavilion which has public restrooms and a cafe. From the pavilion, you can take a paved trail that winds through a dune habitat and loops back to the pavilion. The area near the pavilion offers beautiful views of Lake Michigan and the surrounding dunes. Additionally, you can access a fishing pier from the pavilion area and walk out onto Lake Michigan.
The 7 Trails I Would Skip:
- Calumet Dunes Trail
- Cowles Bog Trail
- Glenwood Dunes Trail
- Pinhook Bogs Trail
- Hobart Prairie Grove Trails
- Heron Rookery Trail
- Tolleston Dunes Trail
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