Agile Trekker: West Beach, Indiana Dunes National Park

Sunday, April 14, 2024

West Beach, Indiana Dunes National Park

Date	Distance	Time	Elevation Gain	Average Moving Time	Year to Date Miles
4/9/2024	5.3 miles	2 hours 39 minutes	29'	2.1 mph	236.4 miles

Parking:

West Beach - Dune Succession Trailhead

Map:

Provided at Indiana Dunes National Park Visitor Center

Directions:

Walk through bath house to beach. Turn left on beach and walk. Return the same way.

We drove this morning from Nashville, IN to Chesterton, IN to visit Indiana Dunes National Park. I've actually been here before when I was in grad school, but that was before this had become a national park. After checking in at our hotel, we went to the park visitor center. Glen got his lifetime park pass. We picked up information on the park and trail descriptions. The park is in sections, some along the coast, some not. There is also an Indiana Dunes State Park (with its own entrance fee) that is surrounded by the national park.

We headed out to West Beach, where we were planning to do a 3-loop succession trail. But we both like beach walking, so we ended up just walking along the beach instead. Krumm was very happy - he's so much less afraid of the waves than before. We hiked almost to Marquette Park. This is a great time of year to go to the beach with a dog. Later in the year, when its warm enough to swim, I'm guessing this area gets crazy.

Indiana Dunes National Park feels very unusual. First off, it feels like you are at the ocean. I kept calling it the ocean. Second, this natural area is right next to a very industrial area. There are steel, coal, and limestone plants right next to the park. Gary Indiana is not a pretty place. However, they've preserved a nice open space area which is quite pretty if you tune out the industry.