With more than 300 summer events and programs going on across the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, mere mortals likely will not get to all of them in three months. But they’ll sure have a lot of fun trying.
Comprised of 2,182 acres and more than 15 miles of nebulously connected beach wrapped around the southeastern tip of Lake Michigan, the Indiana Dunes — or just “The Dunes” to Region natives — has it all: swimming, camping, hiking and even a hiking/climbing hybrid, if you trust your lung capacity. And there’s science to observe and architecture to admire, too.
Indiana Dunes Park Ranger Rafi Wilkinson said the park’s mission is to provide a three-pronged approach to programming across its properties. There are the general outdoors programs such as the 3-Dune Challenge, for example, that enlists the park’s Trail 8, a 1.5-mile trail that features 552 feet of vertical cardio named individually after a Revolutionary War captive, an ecology club president and an Indiana governor. It’s strenuous for sure, Wilkinson said, but not impossible.
“Trail 8 has always been a part of the trail system, but it wasn’t until about four years ago that we started marketing it as a challenge,” he said. “It’s been great for showing people the beauty of the Dunes, and kids and elderly folks alike have made it.”
Climbing will also return to the park’s most notorious dune, Mt. Baldy in Michigan City, but only in limited capacity, Wilkinson said. The beach and trail next to Mt. Baldy has been opened to the public since last year after a four-year hiatus after 6-year-old Nathan Woessner, of Sterling, Ill., was swallowed by an 11-foot hole on the giant “living” dune in 2013, but climbing was prohibited unless accompanied by rangers. This year, there will be 50 supervised hikes conducted at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays and 5 p.m. Fridays for those who’ve never stopped wanting to climb the park’s most recognizable asset.
Hikers more interested in keeping their travels horizontal can traverse the trail along the Little Calumet River, which was once the Borman Expressway for fur traders and other early travelers. Pick up the path in Chesterton going east will lead you to the Blue Heron Rookery, where the majestic birds roost in the sycamores; travel west on the path, and the smaller birds, such as kinglets, woodpeckers and warblers, call the denser forest home.
For the more sedate nature lovers among us, those with an architectural or artistic knack are welcome to participate in the Chesterton park’s annual Sand Sculpture contest, now in its 21st year and typically held in July. Prizes are given, and spectators vote for “The People’s Choice” award.
Cultural programming is also crucial to the Dunes’ programming ecosystem, Wilkinson said. On June 23, the park will host its Midsummer Program out at the Chellberg Farms in honor of Anders and Johanna Kjellberg, who bought 80 acres in the Dunes in the 1870s, and the park’s Swedish heritage. There will be dancing, food and barn animals to observe.
The Bailly-Chellberg History Hike is another great living history lesson, Wilkinson said, as visitors get to learn about Joseph Bailly, a fur trader who was one of Northwest Indiana’s earliest settlers. His homestead is the last of its kind here, both in its capacity as a fur trading post and in its architecture and construction.
Speaking of construction, Wilkinson said even though the Dunes’ Century of Progress Home Tour along the Lakeshore isn’t until later in September, tickets for it go on sale July 9, and it’s hugely popular.
“One of the stipulations in the lease agreement for people who live in the houses is that they open them up once a year for the tour,” Wilkinson said. “Last year, 600 tickets went on sale at 8 a.m. and sold out in an hour.”
The park even celebrates its ties to aviation and the Wright Brothers. French-American Civil Engineer Octave Chanute used to conduct glider experiments in the Dunes, Wilkinson said, and he would write letters to the brothers on his findings. The park’s commemoration includes a 32-foot by 10-foot, life-sized replica of one of the gliders Chanute used in his testing.
“An Air Force Base in central Illinois named after (Chanute) closed a few years ago, and they gave it to us,” Wilkinson said. “A Chanute fan, Simine Short of the First Flight Foundation, has given talks before, and it’s really interesting. It’s our way of celebrating our little place in aviation history.”
If the Dunes’ history and culture isn’t appealing, perhaps the science behind it is, and Wilkinson has a suggestion for that, too. From 2-4 p.m. every Saturday during the summer, the park’s researchers host Science Saturday, where they give visitors a short presentation before taking the onsite to show them the projects on which they’re working.
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“We find that when visitors are engaged, they take more ownership in the park,” he said. With 2 million visitors passing through in 2017, getting even some of them to understand and respect the ecosystem is a win.
“The Dunes is the most densely diverse park in the country, with more than 1,500 animal and plant species packed in 2,182 acres, so providing recreation while protecting the area is a huge balancing act,” Wilkinson said. “There’s hundreds of trails, and they damage the marram grass, so that’s why one of the things we did was create steps along the trails. People can still walk them without damaging the floor.”
The steps are also helpful for visitors like Beth Meade of Griffith, who doesn’t want to damage the environment, but also doesn’t want to aggravate her own physical issues.
“The trails are so beautiful, but walking in sand is really tough on my feet and knees. The boardwalk steps help enough that I can still enjoy the views, however slowly I go,” she said.
Indiana Dunes State Park
Where: 1600 N. 25 East, Chesterton
Dates: 6 a.m.-11 p.m. park; 8 a.m.-6 p.m. beach daily
Tickets: $7 entrance fee for in-state plates and $12 for out-of-state plates at the state park; $6 per car for West Beach
Information: 219-395-1882; facebook.com/IndianaDunesNL
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.