Indiana - Indiana Dunes National Park - A NEW National Park

In 2017, I worked for a firm that had an office in Munster, Indiana.

I was in Munster every 2 months or so for a day. So, on one of my trips, I headed down a day early, and went to spend some time at the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. In 2019, this spot became the Indiana Dunes National Park, but I have not been back since that occurred.

Because it was a Sunday, the Visitor Center was not open. The grounds of the visitor center were nice though, with some picnic tables and informational displays regarding the flora and fauna found at the site.

At the time of my visit, the National Lakeshore was obviously along the lake. There was also an Indiana Dunes State Park. Now, with the National Park designation, there are still two entities, and I would love to go back to see how integrated the two parks are.

I spent time at Porter Beach, which is just down the road from the Visitor Center. There were a lot of people there, and several families enjoying the area with picnics, beach towels and umbrellas. It was a nice, relaxing way to spend the day, albeit a bit busy.

I also went to the Cowles Bog, and took a hike on the Cowles Bog trail. I am a sucker for raised boardwalk trails, and this one did not disappoint. I went through areas of lush foliage. It was a good hike, in total the hike is 4.7 miles long. There are a couple of ways to make it a shorter hike, but the end of the hike is on the beach of Lake Michigan, and there are some changes in scenery.

This is a nice stop for a few hours if you are in the area!