11/28/2025
Need a break from Chicago? Opt Outside and head for Indiana Dunes National Park. Just about an hour away, the Indiana Dunes hugs 15 miles of the southern shore of Lake Michigan and has much to offer. Whether you enjoy scouting for rare species of birds or flying kites on the sandy beach, the national park's 15,000 acres will continually enchant you. Hikers will enjoy 50 miles of trails over rugged dunes, mysterious wetlands, sunny prairies, meandering rivers, and peaceful forests.
Join our Black Friday Opt Outside Hike tomorrow at West Beach starting from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm. The hike is family-friendly, and co-sponsored by Save the Dunes, which will be led by regional experts in fields such as birding, botany, insects, geology, and ecology.
The hike will be up to 3.5 miles in length with easy cut-offs back to the parking lot for shorter hikes of 1 mile and 2 miles. The hike is moderate in difficulty with 270 stairs and some sections of loose sand.
Please meet at the West Beach parking lot, located at 376 North County Line Road in Portage, about one half mile north of U.S. Highway 12.
For more fun things to do at the park, visit our Facebook events page or our programs and events webpage at https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/programs-events.htm
If you are curious about what other things you can do at the park, visit our Things to Do page at https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/things2do.htm
Remember, safety is of upmost importance in any situation. Please visit our safety page to be ready and informed at https://www.nps.gov/indu/planyourvisit/safety.htm
Image: Photo by Jeff Manuszak of Chicago a distant silhouette of Chicago along the horizon-line of Lake Michigan, with the sandy shore below, followed by the long windblown strips of fall colored marram grass at the bottom during the sunset on a cloudless evening.
