Indiana Dunes (Warren: houses, camping, subdivision)

[MissingIndiana]

Hey all, I'm planning to head up to the Indiana Dunes State Park and National Lakeshore area in a few weeks. Does anyone have any suggestions about camping in the area? Is it possible to make reservations there?

Also, how far along the beach can one walk? It seems that there are little communities scattered near the beach in places and I wasn't sure if you would run into private property or rough terrain if trying to hike multiple miles along the beach.

Thanks.

[domergurl]

Here's the wiki article on it .. it describes the trails. I'm sure you can also get a map from the gate too .. have fun!

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

here's the official site:
http://www.nps.gov/indu/index.htm

[4Brooke]

Hi. I spent a few days at the Indiana Dune National Campground this Summer. I highly recommend it. You can not make reservations to the national park, but can for the state park.

The national park is primitive though with nice shower houses and a camp sink. Each camp spot has a ton of trees for shade and privacy.
I wrote a blog about our trip there you may find helpful. Two Kids....Will Travel (http://2kidswilltravel.blogspot.com/ - broken link)

Not sure about the hiking. Sorry.

[MissingIndiana]

Thanks guys. This was helpful. I'm looking forward to the trip

[nanannie]

How do you compare the Indiana to the Warren Dunes in Michigan, Thanks.

[brainiac138]

be careful! I always run into a lone coyote on the trails around the dunes. They always run away scared, but it seems there are always more and more that I see.

[Tex?Il?]

Don't worry too much about coyotes. Just don't have a little dog with you.

Warren Dunes is a bit higher I believe. Warren Dunes is a much smaller piece of public land, although ther general surrounding area is more rural, whereas the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and state park, is a much larger complex of protected land although it is immediately surrounded by subdivision in some cases and industrial complexes in other areas.

Either way, you will have a good time.

[nanannie]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

Don't worry too much about coyotes. Just don't have a little dog with you.

Warren Dunes is a bit higher I believe. Warren Dunes is a much smaller piece of public land, although ther general surrounding area is more rural, whereas the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and state park, is a much larger complex of protected land although it is immediately surrounded by subdivision in some cases and industrial complexes in other areas.

Either way, you will have a good time.

Thanks for your reply. We have been to Warren a few times, and before summer is too far gone, we wanted to spend a day at the Indiana dunes. I had no idea they were that much bigger. Looking forward to it.

[no8fann]

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the National Lakeshore Campground! Unfortunately, you cannot make reservations, but if you get there Wednesday or Thursday morning, you should still be able to get a decent site. The campsites are well - surrounded by trees, which gives much more privacy. They are also noticeably cleaner and quieter than the State Park campgrounds, in our experience (probably has to do with the fact that they are smaller and hold fewer people). At $15 a night, they are also much less expensive! The SP campground is totally reserved, usually months in advance, so I wouldn't count on getting in there anyway.

As far as the beach goes, I don't know of anyplace that is fenced off or posted. You should be able to walk from the SP property all the way to Mt. Baldy, if the terrain allows.

Whatever you choose, have fun! We will be jealous, since we moved away this summer, and we didn't get much of a chance to visit before we left!