Indiana Dunes National Park

---

This fall, NPCA and Travelodge® by Wyndham are calling attention to hidden gems sites within the National Park System that we think are worth knowing more about. From locations rich with history to those with majestic views, we’re taking a closer look at trails, vistas and other lesser-known sites in parks across the country. Protecting public lands is at the heart of what we do and is important to Travelodge as well; we hope by learning more about these lesser-known places, you’re inspired to protect our parks, too.

---

When you think of sand dunes, you might think of the ocean, but on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, there are plenty of dunes — and more! — at Indiana Dunes National Park. Spanning 15 miles of the lake, the park’s 15,000 acres feature 50 miles of trails through rugged sand formations, mysterious wetlands, sunny prairies, wandering rivers and tranquil forests. The park is a great spot for history lovers, too, with a location within the park on the list of National Historic Landmarks. With its oak savannas, bogs, and marshes, this park is full of hidden gems.

Closest Major City: Chicago, Illinois

Fun Fact: There are two types of sand dunes: foredunes and blowout dunes. Foredunes are close to beaches and covered in vegetation, while blowout dunes are caused by intense winds that change the dunes’ formation, creating “living dunes” that can move several feet a year!

More Than Just a Beach

While Indiana Dunes National Park is known for its extensive lakefront, the park also features bogs, forests, and savannas to explore. Inland, sand dunes rise almost 200 feet in a series of ridges, blowouts and valleys, while wetlands fill depressions between dune ridges. The park is home to over 1,100 flowering plant species and ferns, as well as native prairie grasses and towering white pines. Just as diverse as the plant life is the wildlife — white-tail deer and coyote dwell within the forests and prairies, as well as over 350 species of birds.

A Closer Look at Park Hidden Gems

The Bailly Homestead

The park’s only National Historic Landmark, the Bailly Homestead, was the home of French Canadian fur trader Honore Gratien Joseph Bailly de Messein, who played a key role in the development of the Calumet Region of northern Indiana. The homestead is the last remaining site of its nature in the Calumet Region, both in its capacity as a fur trading post and its unique architectural features and construction. It features an imposing main house, rustic log and brick structures, and an unusual family cemetery.

Black Oak Savannas

Indiana Dunes protects over a thousand acres of the last surviving and highest quality oak savannas in the world — the rest have been cleared, developed or neglected. This globally rare habitat and the ecosystems it creates serve as a home to plants and wildlife that are often listed as rare, threatened or endangered, such as the Karner blue butterfly.

Hobart Prairie Grove Trail System

Located in the western part of the park, the Hobart Prairie Grove Trail system is actually comprised of two trails — the Hobart Woodland Trail and the Oak Savannah Bike Trail. The Woodland Trail is a 2.2-mile out-and-back trail through the Hobart Prairie Grove, which preserves several habitats, including wetlands, prairie remnants and white oak flatlands. The Oak Savannah Bike Trail is a 4-mile out-and-back trail that can be used for biking or hiking and winds through the oak savanna prairie.

What People Love About Indiana Dunes National Park

We asked our followers on social media who have been to the park what they liked best about their visit and what hidden gems people should know about — here’s what they said: